,phallic ,miscellanies4                 
,illustration3 ,female at the ceremony  
of ,linga ,puja4                        
,e4 ,w4 ,alais ,sc4                     
,,phallic ,,miscellanies2               
,facts and ,phases of ,ancient and      
,modern                                 
,,sex ,,worship1                        
,as ,illustrated ,chiefly in the        
,religions of ,india1                   
,,an ,,appendix ,,of                    
,,additional ,,and ,,explanatory        
,,matter                                
,,to ,,the ,,volumes                    
,phallism and ,nature ,worship4         
,,by ,,the ,,author ,,of ,,phallicism4  
,,privately ,,printed4                  
,,mdcccxci4     ,,preface4   ,all that  
it is necessary to say by way of preface
 to this book is1 that1 having in       
various former volumes1 entitled        
severally ,phallism1 ,nature ,worship1  
,phallic ,objects1 c41 entered at some  
length into a consideration of the      
peculiarities indicated by these        

denominations1 we now propose laying    
before our readers an additional mass of
 important matter which illustrates and 
throws further light upon the subject4  
,this has been sought out with great    
labour and research amongst the most    
trustworthy sources of information1 and 
will form a valuable appendix to the    
several volumes in question4            
,,contents4   ,,chapter ,i4      ,india1
 the home of ,phallic-worship--,linga   
described--,the bull     ,nandi--,linga 
puja--,large and small                  
lingams--,antiquity of                  
,linga-puja--,growth of the ,hindu      
,pantheon--,siva the                    
destroyer--,sacred bulls--,shrine of ,ek
 ,linga--,legend relating     to        
rivers--,the ,churning of the           
sea--,variety of forms of               
,siva--,deities of ,india--,origin of   
the ,universe--,hindu     ,triad--,aum  
and ,o',m--,jupiter                     
,genitor--,attributes of                
,siva--,worship of ,osiris--,identity of

 ,egyptian1 ,grecian and     ,indian    
deities--,hindu temples--,ceremonies4   
,,chapter ,,ii4      ,hindu evidence    
respecting the origin of ,phallic       
worship--,legend of the wounded         
,hara--,the four sects of               
worshippers instituted by               
,brahma--,resumption of the ,lingam by  
,siva--,siva and ,parvati               
propitiated--,visit of ,bhrigu to       
,siva--,the ,lainga ,puran on the       
,origin of ,lingam                      
worship--,abolition of worship of       
,brahma--,moral character of     ,hindu 
worship---,profligate sects--,egyptian  
phallus--,bacchus--,testimony of        
,tertullian and ,clement of             
,alexandria--,dionysus--,directions for 
worship--,unsatisfactory                
legends--,legend of ,bhima--,the fourth 
avatar of ,vishnu--,visit     of        
,captain ,mackenzie to the ,pagoda at   
,perwuttum4  ,,chapter ,,iii4           
,representations of ,siva--,siva's      
quarrel with his                        

father-in-law--,quarrel between ,brahma 
and ,vishnu--,misconduct     of         
,siva--,bengal temples of               
,siva--,ancient linga idols--,siege of  
,somnath--,ferishtah's history--,the    
twelve great     lingams--,account of   
the ,viri-,sawas--,the                  
,jangamas--,legend of     ,ravuna4      
,,chapter ,,iv4      ,lingam ,worship in
 the ,sheeve ,pouran4  ,,chapter ,v4    
,the four kinds of stone lingas--,siva  
under a form called                     
,muhakalu--,temporary images of         
,siva--,siva's wives--,siva's and       
,parvati's quarrels--,siva and          
,doorga--,siva's names--,the heavens    
of ,siva--,latsami--,power of the       
priests--,tamil poetry--,indecent       
worship--,dancing girls at religious    
ceremonies--,christian and     ,pagan   
idolatry--,religious                    
prostitution--,worship of the           
female--,development of indecent        
practices--,sakti-puja4  ,,chapter ,,vi4
      ,further account of ,right-hand   

and ,left-hand worship--,the            
practices of the ,vamis or              
,vamacharis--,the rite of ,mantra       
,sadhana--,ceremony of                  
,sri-,chakra--,claims of the priests to 
supernatural power--,legends4  ,,chapter
 ,,vii4      ,considerations respecting 
the origin of ,phallic                  
worship--,comparisons between ,indian   
and ,egyptian practices and             
doctrines4  ,,chapter ,,viii4           
,vocabulary of words of ,indian and     
,sanscrit origin4     ,,phallic         
,,miscellanies4     ,,chapter ,i4       
,india1 the home of ,phallic            
,worship--,linga described--,the ,bull  
,nandi--,linga puja--,large and small   
,lingas--,antiquity of                  
,linga-puja--,growth of the ,hindu      
,pantheon--,siva1 the                   
,destroyer--,sacred ,bulls--,shrine of  
,ek-,linga--,legend relating     to     
rivers--,the ,churning of the           
sea--,variety of ,forms of              
,siva--,deities of ,india--,origin of   

the ,universe--,hindu     ,triad--,aum  
and ,o',m4--,jupiter                    
,genitor--,attributes of                
,siva--,worship of ,osiris--,identity of
 ,egyptian1 ,grecian1 and     ,indian   
deities--,hindoo ,temples--,ceremonies4 
,india1 beyond all other countries on   
the face of the earth1 is pre-eminently 
the home of the worship of the          
,phallus--the ,linga puja2 it has been  
so for ages and remains so still4 ,this 
adoration is said to be one of the      
chief1 if not the leading dogma of the  
,hindu religion1 and there is scarcely a
 temple throughout the land which has   
not its ,lingam1 in many instances this 
symbol being the only form under which  
the deity of the sanctuary is           
worshipped4  ,generally speaking1 the   
,linga may be described as a smooth1    
round1 black stone1 apparently rising   
out of another stone1 formed like an    
elongated saucer1 though in reality     
sculptured from one block of basalt4    
,the outline of this saucer-like stone1 

similar in form to what is called a     
jew's harp1 is called ,argha or ,yoni3  
the upright stone1 the type of the      
virile organ1 is the ,linga4 ,the whole 
thing bears the name of ,lingioni4 ,this
 representation of the union of the     
sexes1 typifies the divine sacti1 or    
active energy in union1 the procreative 
generative power seen throughout nature2
 the earth being the primitive pudendum 
or yoni1 which is fecundated by the     
solar heat1 the sun--the primeval       
,lingam1 to whose vivifying rays1 men   
and animals1 plants and the fruits of   
the earth owe their being and continued 
existence4 ,thus1 according to the      
,hindus1 the ,linga is ,god and ,god is 
the ,linga2 the fecundator1 the         
generator1 the creator in fact4  ,lingas
 are of all sizes and of various forms4 
,sometimes they are extremely minute1   
being then enclosed in small silver     
reliquaries1 and worn as amulets or     
charms upon the breast or arm4 ,at other
 times they are several inches in       

height1 as in the domestic examples1 and
 often have the bull ,nandi carved      
either at the end of the yoni or at the 
side of the emblem4 ,the ,hindus say    
that the bull will intercept the evil   
which is continually emitted from the   
female sacti4 ,upon the erection of a   
new village1 in setting up the ,linga1  
they are careful to turn the spout of   
the yoni towards the jungle1 and not    
upon the houses or roads1 lest ill      
fortune should rest upon them4 ,these   
,lingams are of a much larger size than 
those just mentioned1 being generally   
two or three feet in height4 ,early in  
the morning around these emblems may be 
seen the girls of the neighbourhood who 
are anxious for husbands1 sprinkling    
them with water from the ,ganges2       
decking them with garlands of bilwa     
flowers2 performing the mudra1 or       
gesticulation with the fingers1 and     
while rubbing themselves against the    
emblem1 reciting the prescribed         
incantations1 and entreating the deity  

to make them the fruitful mother of     
children4  ,this is what is called the  
,linga puja4 ,during its performance the
 five lamps are lighted and the bell    
frequently rung to frighten away the    
evil demons4  ,still larger ,lingas than
 any yet mentioned are found in the     
temples1 some of them immense--as high  
as forty feet and measuring twenty-five 
feet in circumference4 ,these large     
emblems are1 as a rule1 ,lingas only1   
not in conjunction with the ,yoni4      
,colonel ,sykes in his ,account of the  
,ellora ,excavations1 7near ,poonah1 in 
the ,bombay ,presidency71 speaking of   
the ,bisma ,kurm1 says1 ,the first thing
 that meets the eye on entering the     
temple is the enormous hemispherical    
figure of the ,ling 7,lingam7 at the end
 of the cave2 it is always found on this
 scale in the arched ,boodh excavations1
 and even at ,tuneer1 in a flat roofed  
cave1 this emblem is forty-two feet in  
circumference1 though its height is     
inconsiderable4  ,how long this worship 

of the ,lingam has prevailed in ,india  
it is impossible to say2 it is          
positively known to have existed for at 
least #aejj years1 and it is estimated  
that about two thirds of all the ,hindu 
people1 perhaps eighty millions of      
souls1 practise it4 ,the idols are often
 described as conspicuous everywhere1 in
 all parts of ,british ,india from the  
,himalaya to ,ceylon4 ,we are told that 
throughout the whole tract of the       
,ganges1 as far as ,benares1 in ,bengal1
 the temples are commonly erected in a  
range of six1 eight1 or twelve on each  
side of a ghat leading to the river1 and
 that at ,kalna is a circular group of  
#ajh temples1 erected by a raja of      
,bardwan4 ,each of the temples in       
,bengal consists of a single chamber1 of
 a square form1 surmounted by a         
pyramidal centre4 ,the area of each is  
very small1 the linga of black or white 
marble occupying the centre4 ,what race 
brought the ,lingam worship into ,india 
is not known1 but it seems to have come 

from the basin of the ,lower ,indus     
through ,rajputana1 about the beginning 
of the ,christian era4 ,at ,ujjain it   
was particularly celebrated about the   
period of the ,mohammedan invasion1 but 
probably long before1 and one particular
 ,linga was named ,vinda-swerna2 from   
,vindu1 drop1 ,swerna1 gold4 ,at present
 there is a four-faced lingam1 sometimes
 three-faced or tri-murti2 and          
tri-lingam is said to be the source of  
the name ,telinga and ,telingana1 the   
country extending north of ,madras to   
,ganjam1 and west to ,bellary and       
,beder4 ,the four-faced lingam is called
 the ,choumurti ,mahadeva1 such as may  
be seen in the caves of ,ellora1 and of 
common occurrence in other districts2   
and a famous shrine of ek-linga1 or the 
one lingam is situated in a defile about
 six miles north of ,udaipur1 and has   
hills towering around it on all sides4  
,this ek-lingam1 or one phallus1 is a   
cylindrical or conical stone2 but there 
are others termed ,seheslinga and       

,kot-,iswara1 with a thousand or a      
million of phallic representations1 all 
minutely carved on the monolithic       
emblem1 having then much resemblance to 
the symbol of ,bacchus whose orgies both
 in ,egypt and ,greece are the          
counterpart of those of the ,hindu      
,baghes1 so called from being clad in a 
tiger's or leopard's skin1 as ,bacchus  
had that of the panther for his         
covering4 ,there is a very ancient      
temple to ,kot-,iswara at the embouchure
 of the eastern arm of the ,indus2 and  
there are many to ,seheslinga in the    
peninsula of ,saurashtra4 ,at the       
ancient ,dholpur1 now called ,barolli1  
the shrine is dedicated to ,gut-,iswara 
,mahadeva1 with a lingam revolving in   
the yoni1 the wonder of those who       
venture amongst its almost impervious   
and unfrequented woods to worship4 ,it  
is said that very few ,saiva followers  
of the south of ,india ever realize the 
lingam and the yoni as representations  
of the organs of the body1 and when made

 to apprehend the fact they feel        
overpowered with shame that they should 
be worshipping such symbols4#a          
#a ,see the ,indian ,cyclopaedia4  ,the 
age assigned by the above writer to this
 particular kind of worship falls very  
far short of what has been stated by    
others1 and appears most probable4 ,it  
has been asserted that its history goes 
back two thousand years before the      
,christian era--that it was then1 as it 
is now1 in full force--that it witnessed
 the rise1 decline1 and fall of the     
idolatry of ,egypt1 and of the great    
,western ,mythology of ,greece and      
,rome4 ,and when we reflect1 says a     
modern writer1 on its antiquity1 and on 
the fact that hitherto it has scarcely  
yielded in the slightest degree to the  
adverse influence of the ,mohammedan    
race on the one hand1 or to ,european   
dictation on the other2 and that it     
exercises by its system of caste1 a     
powerful control over the manners1      
customs1 costumes1 and social status of 

the entire ,hindu community1 it becomes 
a subject fraught with interest to every
 cultivated mind1 and offers an         
affecting but curious example of the    
power of a hoary and terrible           
superstition in degrading and enslaving 
so large a portion of the human race4#b 
#b ,sellon4  ,it can scarcely be        
questioned1 theorise as writers may1    
that the origin of this worship is lost 
in antiquity2 we seem able to trace it  
back to times when it was comparatively 
pure and simple--when it was the worship
 of one god only1 the ,bruehm ,atma1 the
 ,breathing ,soul1 a spiritual ,supreme 
,being4 ,as time passed1 however1 the   
primitive simplicity disappeared1 and   
rites and ceremonies became complicated 
and numerous4 ,the spiritual worship of 
the ,deity gave place to the worship of 
a representative image of him--a block  
of stone called ,phallus or ,linga1     
representing the procreative power      
discerned in ,nature4 ,even this was    
comparatively simple at first1 but it   

soon spread itself out in a variety of  
directions1 until an extensive ,pantheon
 was formed and an elaborate ritual and 
worship organised4 ,it is computed that 
this ,pantheon contains little short of 
a million gods and demi-gods4  ,it is   
more particularly with the god ,siva we 
shall have to do in stating facts which 
illustrate the subject of ,phallic      
worship1 for the ,lingam or ,phallus was
 the emblem under which he was specially
 worshipped4 ,it certainly does seem    
remarkable1 as ,mr4 ,sellon remarked1   
that of the host of divinities above    
mentioned1 ,siva should be the god whom 
the ,hindus have delighted to honour4   
,as the ,destroyer1 and one who revels  
in cruelty and bloodshed1 this terrible 
deity1 who has not inaptly been compared
 to the ,moloch of ,scripture1 of all   
their divinities1 suggests most our idea
 of the devil4 ,it may therefore1 be    
concluded that the most exalted notion  
of worship among the ,hindus is a       
service of ,fear4 ,the ,brahmins say the

 other gods are good and benevolent1 and
 will not hurt their creatures1 but that
 ,siva is powerful and cruel1 and that  
it is necessary to appease him4  ,the   
attribute of destruction is found       
visibly depicted in the drawings and    
temples throughout ,bengal4 ,to destroy1
 according to the ,vedantis of ,india1  
the ,susis of ,persia1 and many         
philosophers of the ,european schools1  
is only to generate and reproduce in    
another form3 hence the god of          
destruction is held in ,india to preside
 over generation2 as a symbol of which  
he rides on a white bull4  ,the sacred  
bull1 ,nanda1 has his altar attached to 
all the shrines of ,iswara1 as was that 
of ,menes1 or ,apis to those of the     
,egyptian ,osiris4 ,he has occasionally 
his separate shrines1 and there is one  
in the valley of ,oodipoor1 which has   
the reputation of being oracular as     
regards the seasons4 ,the ,bull was the 
steed of ,iswara1 and carried him to    
battle2 he is often represented upon it 

with his consort ,isa1 at full speed4   
,the ,bull was offered to ,mithras by   
the ,persian1 and opposed as it now     
appears to ,hindu faith1 formerly bled  
on the altars of the ,sun-god1 on which 
not only the ,buld-dan 7offering of the 
bull7 was made1 but human sacrifices4   
,we do not learn that the ,egyptian     
priesthood presented the kindred of     
,apis to ,osiris1 but as they were not  
prohibited from eating beef1 they may   
have done so4 ,the shrine of ,ek-,linga 
is situated in a defile about six miles 
north of ,oodipoor1 the hills towering  
around on all sides are of the primitive
 formation1 and their scarped summits   
are clustered with honeycombs4 ,there   
are abundant small springs of water1    
which keep verdant numerous shrubs1 the 
flowers of which are acceptable to the  
deity1 especially the ,kiner or         
,oleander1 which grows in great         
luxuriance on the ,aravulli4 ,groves of 
bamboo and mango were formerly common1  
according to tradition2 but although it 

is deemed sacrilege to thin the groves  
of ,bal1 the bamboo has been nearly     
destroyed3 there are1 however1 still    
many trees sacred to the deity scattered
 around4 ,it would be difficult to      
convey a just idea of a temple so       
complicated in its details4 ,it is of   
the form commonly styled pagoda1 and1   
like all the ancient temples of ,siva1  
its sikra1 or pinnacle1 is pyramidal4   
,the various orders of ,hindu sacred    
architecture are distinguished by the   
form of the sikra1 which is the portion 
springing from and surmounting the      
perpendicular walls of the body of the  
temple4 ,the sikra of those of ,siva is 
invariably pyramidal1 and its sides vary
 with the base1 whether square or       
oblong4 ,the apex is crowned with an    
ornamental figure1 as a sphynx1 an urn1 
a ball1 or a lion1 which is called the  
kulkis4 ,when the sikra is but the      
frustrum of a pyramid1 it is often      
surmounted by a row of lions1 as at     
,biolli4 ,the fane of ,ek-,linga is of  

white marble and of ample dimensions4   
,under an open vaulted temple1 supported
 by columns1 and fronting the four-faced
 divinity1 is the brazen bull ,nanda1 of
 the natural size3 it is cast1 and of   
excellent proportions4 ,the figure is   
perfect1 except where the shot or hammer
 of an infidel invader has penetrated   
its flank in search of treasure4 ,within
 the quadrangle are miniature shrines1  
containing some of the minor            
divinities4#c          #c ,tod's        
,rajasth1 vol4 ,i41 p4 #eae4  ,just here
 we may introduce a legend relating to  
,siva1 which1 if not of very great      
importance1 is of some interest on      
account of its reported connection with 
one of our ,english rivers4 ,the gods1  
after the creation1 soon perceived that 
there were still many things wanting for
 the good of mankind1 and more          
particularly on account of themselves4  
,in their numerous wars with the giants1
 many of the gods being killed1 they    
were informed by ,vishnu that it was    

possible to procure a beverage1 which   
would render them immortal4 ,the task1  
however1 was immense2 for it consisted  
of throwing all the plants and trees of 
the universe1 according to some1 but1   
according to others1 only those that    
grew on the sides of the ,white mountain
 or island1 into the ,white sea2 which  
was to be churned for a long time1 in   
order to obtain the butter of           
immortality1 or ,amrit1 the ambrosia of 
the western mythologists3 and the old   
moon1 which was already of ,amrit1 would
 serve as a leaven to predispose the    
whole mixture4 ,the old moon was inert1 
and of little use2 they wanted also     
intoxicating liquors to exhilarate      
themselves1 and celestial nymphs for    
their own amusement4 ,this churning took
 place in the ,dwapar1 or third age of  
the ,manwantura of ,chacshusa1 which    
immediately preceded that of ,noah4 ,it 
lasted exactly twenty-nine years and    
five months1 or #aj1gdh days1 #ab hours1
 and #ah minutes4 ,this is obviously the

 revolution of ,saturn1 which was in use
 amongst the inhabitants of the ,isles  
in the ,northern ,ocean1 who celebrated 
with great pomp1 the entrance of that   
planet into ,taurus1 according to       
,plutarch4  ,it is declared in the      
,puranas1 and acknowledged by everybody 
that this momentous transaction took    
place in the ,white ,sea1 called the    
,calas-odadhi or the caldron-like sea2  
from its being an inland one1 and       
surrounded on all sides1 or nearly so1  
by the land2 from which circumstance it 
was compared to a pot or caldron4 ,this 
sea was contiguous to the ,white ,island
 on one side1 for on account of its     
contiguity1 the ,amrit is said1 in the  
,matsya-purana and others1 to have been 
produced on1 or near the ,white or      
silver mountain1 called there also the  
mountain of ,soma or ,lunus4 ,on the    
other side it bordered on               
,suvarn-a-dwipa1 or ,ireland3 for we are
 told in the ,vrihat-,catha1 that there 
was a sea town in that country1 called  

,calas-a-puri1 from its being situated  
on the ,calas-odad'hi1 or sea like a    
,calasa or caldron4 ,this caldron-like1 
or landlocked sea1 is evidently the     
,irish sea4 ,into this ,calasa1         
according to the ,varaha-purana1 the    
gods flung all the plants1 and agreed to
 churn it4 ,this they did1 says our     
author1 in ,varunaleyam or              
,varunasyabyam1 the abode1 abyam1 or    
st'han of ,varuna1 the god of the sea4  
,his abode1 to this day1 is well known1 
and is in the very centre of that sea4  
,the ,manx and ,irish mythologists1     
according to ,col4 ,valancey1 call      
,varuna1 ,mananan-,mac-,lir1 ,mananan1  
the son of the sea3 and his abode1      
according to them1 is in the ,isle of   
,man1 or ,mannin1 as it is called by the
 ,irish bards4 ,according to ,gen4      
,valancey1 it was called also ,manand1  
which answers to the ,monoeda of        
,ptolemy4  ,after the gods had fixed on 
the most proper time for the churning of
 the sea of milk1 they soon perceived   

that it would be impossible for them to 
accomplish this tremendous work1 without
 the assistance of giants4 ,they made   
peace accordingly with them1 under the  
most solemn promise of sharing with them
 the fruit of their joint labours4 ,the 
gods in general are represented as a    
weak race1 but full of cunning and very 
crafty2 the giants1 on the contrary1 are
 very strong1 and generally without much
 guile4 ,the gods of the ,goths1 and of 
the ,greeks and ,romans1 did not bear a 
much better character4 ,even among      
,christians there are old legends1 in   
which the devil is most egregiously     
taken in by holy men4  ,having thus     
settled the conditions1 they all went to
 work1 and gathered all the trees and   
plants1 and flung them into the         
caldron-like sea4 ,they then brought the
 mountain of ,mandara with infinite     
labour4 ,it is said that this mountain  
is in the peninsula1 near the sea shore1
 and to the north of ,madras4 ,they     
placed it in the middle of the          

caldron-like sea1 which they used for a 
churn1 and mount ,mandara as a churning 
staff4 ,the serpent ,vasuci served them 
instead of a rope1 and they twisted him 
round mount ,mandara1 and the giants    
were allowed to lay hold of the snake by
 the head3 his fiery breath scorched the
 giants1 and they became black3 the     
unfortunate reptile suffered much2 he   
complained1 but in vain4 ,mount ,mandara
 began to sink2 but ,vishnu1 assuming   
the shape of a tortoise1 placed himself 
under it4 ,in the ,scanda-purana chapter
 of the ,sanata-cumara-,sanhita1 in the 
#geth section1 we have a minute account 
of the churning of the ,white sea by    
,vishnu1 the gods and the giants3 the   
latter had ,bali at their head4 ,after  
churning for five years the froth began 
to appear3 and after three years more1  
,varuni or ,sura1 with her intoxicating 
liquors4 ,the cow ,camadhenu or ,surabhi
 appeared after another year's labour4  
,according to the ,brahman-da-purana1   
she was worshipped by the gods1 and both

 gods and giants were highly pleased    
when they saw her4  ,one year after1 the
 elephant ,airavata made his appearance2
 and the next year a horse with seven   
heads4 ,three months after1 the ,apsaras
 with ,rambha-,devi at their head4      
,chandra or ,lunus1 came one year after2
 then after three years more1 was       
produced ,cala-cuta1 a most subtile     
poison1 flowing in large quantities2 and
 then ,vishnu became black4 ,it was of a
 fiery colour1 and began to set fire to 
the three worlds4 ,mankind1 being       
alarmed1 began to call out1 ,ah6 ,ah6   
,the earth1 in great distress1 with     
,vishnu1 waited on ,siva1 craving his   
assistance4 ,siva swallowed up the      
poison which stuck in his throat1 and   
caused a most intolerable heat1 which   
parched his throat and body4 ,his throat
 turned blue2 from which circumstance he
 is worshipped under the name of        
,nilacanteswara1 or the lord with the   
blue throat4  ,siva1 after swallowing   
the poison1 as related1 went to         

,himalaya1 where he buried himself in   
the snow4 ,there are many places of     
worship dedicated to ,siva1 under that  
title2 but the original one is in the   
,white ,island4 ,it is very doubtful if 
our ancestors knew anything of this     
churning1 and of the deadly poison      
produced by it1 and of a deity          
swallowing it up4 ,in that case1 says   
,major ,wilford1 there was no such a    
place in the ,white ,island4 ,yet ,i    
cannot resist the temptation2 and ,i am 
inclined to believe it not altogether   
improbable1 but that many of these idle 
legends originated in the west4 ,if so1 
there might have been such a place2 and 
it could not have been far from         
,camalo-dunum4 ,the poison1 which ,siva 
drank up1 is called in ,sanscrit1       
,cala-cuta1 or the black lump or mole1  
because it remained like a lump in      
,siva's throat1 which looked like a     
cuta1 a peak1 also a lump or mole4      
,cala-cuta in ,welh is y-duman1 or the  
black lump or mole1 and this was1       

according to ,ptolemy1 the name of a    
river in ,england1 now called the       
,blackwater1 in ,essex4 ,it might have  
been supposed once1 that the black      
stinking mud of marshes and fens1 and   
more particularly that of the mosses1 so
 baneful to living creatures1 was       
produced in consequence of this         
churning2 probably the emblem used to   
signify some dreadful convulsion of     
nature in those parts4 ,that such a     
thing happened in the western ocean1 is 
attested by tradition3 and such was its 
violence1 and the dreadful consequences 
which attended it1 that they could not  
but suppose that it had destroyed       
entirely the ,atlantis and left nothing 
in its place but mud4 ,a deity is then  
introduced1 putting a stop to the       
progress of this black and poisonous    
substance1 ready1 according to the      
,puranas1 to overwhelm1 not only the    
,white ,island1 but the whole world     
also4 ,the serpent ,midgard1 being at   
the bottom of the sea1 like ,ananta1 and

 vomiting torrents of deadly poison1 and
 surrounding the world like ,seshanaga1 
is the subject of several fundamental   
legends in the mythology of the ,goths3 
but absolutely unknown to the ,greeks   
and ,romans4 ,this ,cala-cuta1 or black 
lump of poison1 stuck in ,siva's throat1
 like the apple that ,adam ate1 and     
occasioned that protuberance1 since     
called ,adam's apple or bit4#d          
#d ,see ,asiatic ,researches1 ,vol4     
,,ii4         99       99       99      
99       99  ,we have already stated    
that ,siva is usually deemed the third  
person of the ,hindu triad1 that he     
represents the destructive energy1 and  
that he appears in such a variety of    
forms1 and on so many occasions1 that   
scarcely a step can be taken in any     
department whatever of eastern science1 
art1 or subject of literature1 without  
encountering him in some of his varied  
characters4 ,the whole race of ,hindoos1
 it seems1 is divided into two classes1 
denoting the worship of ,siva1 or of    

,vishnu2 ,brahma1 the first or creative 
power1 having no worshippers or temples4
 ,these two classes are also called     
,saiva-bakht1 and ,vishnu-bakht4 ,we    
have also had occasion to inform our    
readers that destruction being used in  
the sense of renovation1 the character  
of ,siva is that of the renovator1 or   
recreator2 associating him in character 
with ,brahma1 the producing or creative 
power4 ,the variety of relations in     
which this and the other two members of 
the ,hindu triad appear--whether they be
 introduced mythologically1             
metaphysically1 or philosophically1 has 
been exhibited as follows--all three are
 symbols of the sun1 as he is typical of
 that great light1 as the theologians   
express it1 whence all proceeded1 and to
 which all must return4      ,brahma    
,power    ,creation      ,matter  ,the  
,past     ,earth     ,vishnu  ,wisdom   
,preservation  ,space   ,the ,present   
,water     ,siva    ,justice            
,destruction   ,time    ,the ,future    

,fire  ,but these characters1 or        
attributes1 are not exclusively         
applicable to the three powers1 as      
indicated above4 ,they coalesce and     
participate1 more or less in several4   
,an attempt has been made to shew in    
what degree1 more particularly1 they    
represent their material forms of earth1
 water1 and fire1 thus3--      ,brahma  
and ,siva are ,fire1 in which ,vishnu   
does not participate1     ,vishnu and   
,brahma are ,earth1 in which ,siva  or  
participates but     ,siva and ,vishnu  
are ,water1 in which ,brahma  remotely4 
,in his examination of the ,vedas1 or   
,indian ,scriptures1 ,mr4 ,colebrooke   
gives the following description of the  
deities of ,india3  ,the deities invoked
 appear1 upon a cursory inspection of   
the ,veda1 to be as various as the      
authors of the prayers addressed to     
them3 but according to the most ancient 
annotations on the ,indian ,scriptures1 
these various names of persons and      
things1 are all resolvable into         

different titles of three deities1 and  
ultimately of one ,god4 ,the ,nig'hanti1
 or ,glossary of the ,vedas 7which is   
the first part of the ,niructa71        
concludes with three lists of names of  
deities3 the first comprising such as   
are deemed synonymous with ,fire2 the   
second with ,air2 and the third with the
 ,sun4 ,in the last part of the         
,niructa1 which entirely relates to     
deities1 it is twice asserted that there
 are but three gods1 ',tisra eva        
,devatah4' ,the further inference1 that 
these intend but one deity1 is supported
 by many passages in the ,veda2 and is  
very clearly and concisely stated in the
 beginning of the index to the ,rigveda1
 on the authority of the ,niructa1 and  
of the ,veda itself4  ,after citing     
several passages1 ,mr4 ,colebrooke      
continues3--,the deities are only three1
 whose places are the earth1 the        
intermediate region1 and heaven3 namely 
,fire1 ,air1 and the ,sun4 ,they are    
pronounced to be deities of the         

mysterious names severally2 and         
7,prajapati7 the lord of creatures is   
the deity of them collectively4 ,the    
syllable ,o'm intends every deity3 it   
belongs to 7,paramasht'hi7 him who      
dwells in the supreme abode2 it pertains
 to 7,brahma7 the vast one2 to 7,deva7  
god2 to 7,ad'hyatma7 the superintending 
soul4 ,other deities belonging to those 
several regions1 are portions of the    
three gods2 for they are variously named
 and described on account of their      
different operations1 but in fact there 
is only one deity1 the ,great ,soul     
7,mahanatma74 ,he is called the ,sun2   
for he is the soul of all beings2 and   
that is declared by the ,sage4 ,the ,sun
 'the soul of 7jagat7 what moves1 and of
 7tast'hush7 that which is fixed'2 other
 deities are portions of him3 and that  
is expressly declared by the ,sage1     
',the wise call ,fire1 ,indra1 ,mitra1  
and ,varuna1 etc4  ,in the ,manava      
,sastra or ,institutes of ,menu the     
origin of the ,universe is thus         

unfolded3 ,it existed only in the first 
divine idea1 yet unexpanded1 as if      
involved in darkness1 imperceptible1    
indefinable1 undiscoverable by reason1  
and undiscovered by revelation1 as if it
 were wholly immersed in sleep4 ,then   
the sole self-existing power1 who had   
existed from eternity1 shone forth in   
person1 expanding his idea and          
dispelling the gloom4 ,with a thought he
 first created the waters1 and placed in
 them a productive seed3 this seed      
became an egg1 in which he was himself  
born in the shape of ,brahma1 the great 
forefather of all spirits4 ,the waters  
are called ,nara1 because they were the 
production of ,nara1 or the spirit of   
,god3 and since they were his first     
,ayana1 or place of motion1 he was      
thence named ,narayana1 or moving in the
 waters4 ,in that egg the great ,power  
sat inactive a whole year of the        
,creator3 at the close of which1 by his 
thought alone1 he caused the egg to     
divide itself1 and from its two         

divisions framed the world4  ,the name  
given by the ,indians to their ,supreme 
,deity1 or ,monad1 is ,brahm2 and       
notwithstanding the appearance of       
materialism in all their sacred books1  
the ,brahmans never admit they uphold   
such a doctrine1 but invest their       
deities with the highest attributes4 ,he
 is represented as the ,vast ,one1      
self-existing1 invisible1 eternal1      
imperceptible1 the only deity1 the great
 soul1 the over-ruling soul1 the soul of
 all beings1 and of whom all other      
deities are but portions4 ,to him no    
sacrifices were ever offered2 but he was
 adored in silent meditation4 ,he       
triplicates himself into three persons  
or powers1 ,brahma1 ,vishnu1 and ,siva1 
and is designated by the word ,o',m or  
rather ,,aum4  ,this word ,o',m is a    
monosyllable of very profound import4   
,it is supposed to be so holy and awful1
 like the name ,jehovah of the ,jews1 as
 not to be guiltlessly pronounced1 even 
by a priest4 ,it must be contemplated1  

or recited mentally2 and it then is said
 to excite many efficacious aspirations4
 ,this awful monosyllable is triliteral1
 and perhaps therefore better written   
,,aum1 for three ,sanscrit letters do in
 fact compose it3 but in composition ,a 
and ,u coalesce in ,o4 ,the first letter
 is supposed to be symbolical of        
,brahma1 the creative power of the      
,deity2 the second of ,vishnu1 the      
preserver2 and the last of ,siva1 the   
destroyer or renovator4 ,as all the     
inferior deities of the ,hindoos are    
avataras or manifestation of1 and       
resolve themselves into those three     
superior powers1 so those superior      
powers resolve themselves ultimately    
into ,brahm1 or the supreme being1 of   
whom the sun is the most perfect and    
glorious murti1 or image4 ,a combination
 of the three symbolical letters forms1 
therefore1 a hieroglyphical             
representation of the union of the three
 powers or attributes1 and a word that1 
if uttered1 would be nearly expressed by

 our letters ,a ,u ,m1 or ,o ,o ,m1     
dwelling a little on each letter4 ,a    
name of ,parvati1 the consort of ,siva1 
is ,uma or ,ooma1 and it is perhaps     
hence derivable2 as well as ,omkar1 one 
of the most sacred places of pilgrimage 
in ,india1 dedicated to the worship of  
this mysterious union4  ,in the         
,institutes of ,menu1 many verses occur 
denoting the importance of this         
monosyllable1 and of a text of the ,veda
 closely connected with it1 called the  
,gayatri4 ,among those verses are the   
following3  ,chap4 ii1 v4 #gd4 ,a       
,brahman beginning and ending a lecture 
on the ,veda1 must always pronounce to  
himself the syllable ,,om3 for unless   
the syllable ,,om precede1 his learning 
will slip away from him2 and unless it  
follow1 nothing will be long retained4  
,a commentator on this verse says1 ,as  
the leaf of the palasa is supported by a
 single pedicle1 so is this universe    
upheld by the syllable ,,om1 a symbol of
 the supreme ,brahm4  #gf4 ,brahma      

milked out as it were1 from the three   
,vedas the letter ,a1 the letter ,u1 and
 the letter ,m1 which form by their     
coalition the triliteral monosyllable1  
together with three mysterious words1   
bhur1 bhuva1 and siver4 ,these words    
mean earth1 sky1 and heaven1 and are    
called the vyahritis4  #gg4 ,from the   
three ,vedas1 also1 the ,lord of        
creatures incomprehensibly exalted1     
successively milked out the three       
measures of that ineffable text         
beginning with the word tad1 and        
entitled ,savitri or ,gayatri4  #gh4 ,a 
priest who shall know the ,veda1 and    
shall pronounce to himself1 both morning
 and evening1 that syllable1 and that   
holy text1 preceded by the three words1 
shall attain the sanctity which the     
,veda confers4  #gi4 ,and a twice born  
man who shall a thousand times repeat   
those three 7,,om1 the vyahritis1 and   
the gayatri71 apart from the multitude1 
shall be released in a month from a     
great offence1 as a snake from his      

slough4  #hj4 ,the priest1 the soldier1 
and the merchant1 who shall neglect this
 mysterious text1 and fail to perform in
 due season his peculiar acts of piety1 
shall meet with contempt among the      
virtuous4  #ha4 ,the great immutable    
words preceded by the triliteral        
syllable and followed by the gayatri1   
which consists of three measures1 must  
be considered as the mouth or principal 
part of the ,veda4  #hb4 ,whoever shall 
repeat1 day by day1 for three years1    
without negligence1 that sacred text1   
shall hereafter approach the divine     
essence1 move freely as air1 and assume 
an ethereal form4  #hc4 ,the triliteral 
monosyllable is an emblem of the        
,supreme1 the suppressions of the breath
 with a mind fixed on ,god are the      
highest devotion2 but nothing is more   
exalted than the gayatri4  ,the         
suppression of the breath is thus       
performed by the priest3 closing the    
left nostril with the two longest       
fingers of the right hand1 he draws his 

breath through the right nostril2 then  
closing that nostril likewise with his  
thumb1 holds his breath while he        
meditates the text3 he then raises both 
fingers off the left nostril1 and emits 
the suppressed breath1 having1 during   
its suppression1 repeated to himself the
 gayatri1 the vyahritis1 the triliteral 
monosyllable1 and the sacred text of    
,brahm4 ,by an ancient legislator it is 
said to imply the following meditation3 
,,om6 earth6 sky6 heaven6 mansion of the
 blessed6 abode of truth6--,we meditate 
on the adorable light of the resplendent
 ,generator which governs our           
intellects3 which is water1 lustre1     
savour1 immortal1 faculty of thought1   
,brahm1 earth1 sky1 heaven4 ,the words  
in italics are very nearly the gayatri4 
,chap4 vi41 v4 #gj4 ,even three         
suppressions of breath1 made according  
to the divine rule1 accompanied by the  
triliteral phrase 7bhurbhuvaswah71 and  
the triliteral syllable 7,,om71 may be  
considered as the highest devotion of a 

,brahman4  #ga4 ,for as the dross and   
impurities of metallic ores are consumed
 by fire1 thus are the sinful acts of   
the human organ consumed by the         
suppression of breath1 while the mystic 
words and the measures of the ,gayatri  
are revolved in the mind4  ,the extreme 
importance that the ,hindoos attach to  
the gayatri1 renders it a text of more  
curiosity than perhaps a general reader 
will be able to discover in the words   
themselves1 in either their familiar or 
recondite meaning4 ,it is1 like the holy
 monosyllable1 to be mentally revolved1 
never articulated4 ,it is taught1 as we 
have seen in the preceding extracts from
 the ,menu1 to the three first classes1 
that is1 to the ,brahman1 or priesthood2
 to the ,kshetriya1 or soldier2 and to  
the ,vaisya1 or merchant2 but not to the
 ,sudra1 or labourer1 nor to individuals
 of the three first named classes if    
rendered by vicious propensities        
unworthy of the 'second birth1' promised
 in the holiness of this mysterious     

regeneration4 ,fasting1 ablution1       
prayer1 alms-giving1 and other          
commendable acts1 are necessary         
preliminaries and accompaniments to     
initiation in the mysteries of this     
'ineffable text1' which is done by the  
,guru1 or spiritual preceptor1 in a     
reverent and secret manner4 ,in the     
,vedas the text occurs several times1   
and translations of it by different     
,sanscrit scholars are given1 with many 
particulars of it and other mysterious  
points in the ,hindoo ,pantheon4 ,there 
is no doubt1 says the author of that    
work1 but that pious ,brahmans would be 
very deeply shocked at hearing the      
gayatri denied by unholy articulation1  
even if expressed in the most respectful
 manner2 and many would be distressed at
 knowing the characters1 sound1 and     
meaning1 to be in the possession of     
persons out of the pale of sanctity4 ,a 
gentleman on the western side of ,india1
 unaware of the result1 began once to   
recite it audibly in the presence of a  

pious ,pandit3 the astonished priest    
stopped his ears1 and hastened terrified
 from his presence4 ,in the frontispiece
 to that work1 the character or symbol  
is given that would1 if uttered1 yield  
the sound of ,,om4 ,the author says he  
once shewed it to a ,brahman1 who       
silently averted his face1 evidently    
pained at what he unwillingly saw4      
99       99       99       99       99  
,the ,hindoo deities have vehicles      
assigned for the conveyance of          
themselves and wives4 ,these are called 
vahan4 ,the vahan of ,siva is a bull1   
called ,nandi4 ,they have likewise      
peculiar symbols or attributes3 those   
that more particularly designate ,siva1 
his sakti1 or anything connected with   
them are the ,linga1 or phallus1 and the
 ,trisula or ,trident4 ,the phallic     
emblem denotes his presiding over       
generation1 reminding us of the ,jupiter
 ,genitor of western mythologists1 with 
whom ,sir ,william ,jones identifies the
 ,siva of the ,east4  ,the ,jupiter     

,marinus1 or ,neptune of the ,romans1   
resembles ,mahadeva 7,siva7 in his      
generative character2 especially as the 
,hindoo god is the husband of ,parvati1 
whose relation to the waters is         
evidently marked by her image being     
restored to them at the conclusion of   
the great festival1 called ,durgotsava4 
,she is known to have attributes exactly
 similar to those of ,venus ,marina1    
whose birth from the sea-foam1 and      
splendid rise from the couch in which   
she had been cradled1 have offered so   
many charming subjects to ancient and   
modern artists4#e          #e ,asiatic  
,researches1 vol4 ,i4  ,another writer1 
,mr4 ,paterson1 offers a passage        
descriptive of the character and        
attributes of ,siva4 ,to ,siva1 he says1
 are given three eyes1 probably to      
denote his view of the three divisions  
of time2 the past1 the present1 and the 
future4 ,a crescent on his forehead1    
pourtrays the measure of time by the    
phases of the moon2 a serpent forms a   

necklace to denote the measure of time  
by years2 a second necklace formed of   
human skulls marks the lapse and        
revolution of ages1 and the extinction  
and succession of the generations of    
mankind4 ,he holds a trident1 to show   
that the great attributes are in him    
assembled and united2 in another is a   
kind of rattle1 shaped like an hour     
glass1 and ,i am inclined to think that 
it was at first intended as such1 since 
it agrees with the character of the     
deity2 and a sand gheri is mentioned in 
the ,sastra as a mode of measuring time4
 ,in the hieroglyphic of ,maha ,pralaya1
 or grand consummation of things1 when  
time itself shall be no more1 he is     
represented as trodden under foot by    
,mahakala1 or eternity4         99      
99       99       99       99  ,a writer
 in the ,edinburgh ,review for          
,february1 #ahaa1 says3--,the most      
ancient worship of which any trace is   
left in ,hindustan1 is that of ,osiris  
or ,bacchus1 whose ,indian names are    

,iswara and ,baghesa4 ,in him1 and in   
the gods of his family1 or lineage1 we  
recognise the divinities adored by the  
ancient ,egyptians4 ,that ,osiris and   
,bacchus were the same divinity1 is     
attested by the unanimous suffrage of   
all the writers of antiquity4 ,but the  
most ancient ,bacchus was not celebrated
 as the god of wine1 a character        
ascribed to that divinity in later      
times4 ,the ,egyptians assert that      
,osiris conquered ,india2 and indeed his
 expedition to that region is the       
subject of the celebrated epic poem of  
,nonnus4 ,we by no means contend for the
 reality of these expeditions2 but it is
 an indisputable fact that the worship  
of ,osiris1 distinguished by the same   
attributes and emblems1 has continued in
 ,india from the earliest ages to this  
day1 under the appellation of ,iswara4  
,this1 we think1 may be completely      
proved by a comparative survey of both1 
before1 as patron of the vine1 he       
assumed in ,europe a new character4     

,osiris was adored in ,egypt1 and       
,bacchus in ,greece1 under the emblem of
 the ,phallus4 ,it is under the same    
emblem that he is still venerated in    
,hindustan2 and ,phalla is one of the   
names of ,iswara in the dictionary of   
,amara ,singha4 ,the bull was sacred to 
him in ,egypt4 ,plutarch assures us that
 several nations of ,greece depict      
,bacchus with a bull's head2 and that   
when he is invoked by the women of ,elis
 they pray him to hasten to their relief
 on the feet of a bull4 ,in ,india he is
 often seen mounted on a bull2 hence one
 of his ,sanscrit names ,vrishadwaja1   
signifying1 whose ensign is a bull4     
,plutarch inform us that ',nilum patrem 
ac servatorem suae regionis1 ac defluxum
 ,osiridis nominant4' ,the ,ganges in   
like manner is fabled by the ,hindoos to
 flow from the tresses of ,siva2 hence  
another of his names1 ,gangadhara1 the  
supporter of the ,ganges4 ,we conceive  
by the way1 that ,scaliger and ,selden  
are mistaken in supposing that ,siris1  

the ,egyptian name of the ,nile1 is     
synonymous with ,osiris4 ,siris seems to
 us the ,sanscrit word ,saras1 a river  
in general1 or the river1 from its      
imputed superiority4 ,isis is the       
consort of ,osiris2 ,isa that of        
,iswara1 or ,siva4 ,the attributes of   
the goddesses might be shown to         
correspond as precisely as those of     
their lords4  ,the attendants of ,iswara
 resemble1 in their frantic demeanour1  
the furious ,bacchants of the god of    
,naxos4 ,many tribes of imaginary beings
 compose his train4 ,the ,pramatha1     
whose name denotes intoxication2 and the
 ,jacchi1 from whom he derives the      
appellation of ,jaccheo1 or lord of the 
,jacchi1 corrupted into ,jacchus1 by his
 western votaries4 ,it is remarkable    
that many of the appellations by which  
the ,greeks distinguish ,bacchus1 are   
also used by the ,hindus2 but instead of
 applying them to ,baghesa himself1 the 
latter refer them to his son1 whilst    
both nations have their legends to      

account for them4 ,thus the ,greeks name
 ,bacchus1 ,dimeter1 having two mothers2
 the ,hindus call ,scandha1 the son of  
,baghesa1 ,divimatri1 with the same     
signification4 ,pyrigenes1 born from    
fire2 and its equivalent in             
,sanscrit--,agnija1 are respectively    
,greek and ,indian appellatives of      
,bacchus and of ,scandha4 ,the title of 
,thriambus we are told by ,diodorus1 was
 assumed by the ,greek ,deity in his    
triumph after the conquest of ,india4   
,tryambo1 in like-manner1 is one of the 
most common appellations of the ,indian 
,bacchus1 but we are not aware of its   
signification4  ,we believe we have done
 more than was requisite to prove the   
identity of the ,egyptian1 ,grecian1 and
 ,indian ,divinity2 for our readers will
 remark that our proofs do not rest in  
this instance1 on analogy of sounds1    
which may undoubtedly be fortuitous1 but
 on that analogy1 combined with the     
unity of the attributes denoted by those
 names1 which it is impossible should be

 accidental4  ,there are five kinds of  
temples among the ,hindoos1 one of which
 is dedicated exclusively to the linga1 
another to ,jugunnathu1 and another is  
appropriated to the images of any of the
 gods or goddesses4 ,the first of these 
is called by the general name of        
,mundiru2 the second ,daool1 and the    
third ,yorubangala4 ,the names of the   
other two are ,punchu-rutnu1 and        
,nuvu-rutnu1 in which the images of     
different gods and goddesses are placed1
 according to the wish of the owner4    
,the ,mundiru is a double roofed        
building1 the upper roof short and      
tapering4 ,it contains only one room1 in
 which is placed the image of the linga4
 ,it is ascended by steps4 ,the floor is
 about three cubits by four4 ,on the    
roof are placed three tridents4 ,the    
building is of the ,gothic order1 as    
well as most of the other pyramidical   
temples of the ,hindoos4 ,some of the   
temples of the linga contain two1 three1
 or more rooms1 arched over in the      

,gothic manner1 with a porch in front   
for spectators4 ,the rooms in which the 
image is not placed contain the things  
with which the ceremonies of worship are
 performed1 the offerings1 etc4  ,some  
rich men as an act of merit1 build one1 
and others1 erect four1 six1 twelve1 or 
more of these temples in one place4     
,some great landowners build a greater  
number1 and employ ,brahmins to perform 
the daily ceremonies4 ,the relict of    
raja ,tiluku-,chundru1 of ,burdwan1     
built one hundred and eight temples in  
one plain1 and placed in them as many   
images of the linga1 appointing eleven  
,brahmins1 with other inferior servants1
 to perform the daily ceremonies before 
these images4 ,she presented to these   
temples estates to the amount of the    
wages of these persons1 the daily       
offerings1 etc4  ,many persons build    
flights of steps down the banks to the  
river side1 for the benefit of persons  
coming to bathe1 and very often also    
build a row of temples for the linga in 

front of these steps1 two1 four1 or six 
on each side1 and a roof supported by   
pillars immediately opposite the steps4 
,at the present day1 most of the persons
 who build these temples are the        
head-servants of ,europeans1 who        
appropriate a part of their fortunes to 
these acts of supposed merit4 ,near     
,serampore a rich ,hindoo built twelve  
linga temples1 and a flight of steps1   
and on the opposite side of the river1  
he built a house for his mistress1      
without any suspicion of the latter     
action spoiling the former4  ,small     
square temples for the linga with flat  
roofs are erected in rows on the right  
and left before the houses of rich men1 
or before a college1 or a consecrated   
pool of water1 or before the descent to 
a flight of steps4  ,very small temples 
like the ,mundiru1 two1 three1 or five  
cubits high only1 and containing a linga
 about a foot in height1 are to be seen 
at ,benares4  ,some persons build near  
the temples of the linga1 a small house1

 open in front1 for the accommodation of
 such persons who wish to die in sight  
of the river2 and others build a temple1
 adjoining to that built for the linga1 
and dedicate it some other idol4  ,these
 temples of the linga are to be seen in 
great numbers on both sides of the      
,ganges1 especially in the neighbourhood
 of ,calcutta4 ,the merit of building   
them near the river is greater than in  
the interior of the country1 and if in a
 place of the river peculiarly sacred1  
the merit becomes the greater4 ,the west
 side of the river is more sacred than  
the east4  ,the expense of one of these 
temples1 if a single room1 amounts to   
about two hundred rupees1 and the wages 
and daily offerings to one linga amount 
to about three rupees per month4 ,some  
give the brahmin who officiates twelve  
anas1 and others a rupee per month1 with
 his food and clothes4 ,sometimes the   
offerings are given to him for his food1
 but in other cases they are presented  
to the brahmins of the village          

alternately1 and the priest has money   
given him in their stead4 ,these        
offerings consist of a pound of rice1 a 
pint of milk1 half an ounce of sugar1   
and two plantains4 ,the quantity1       
however1 is not prescribed1 and other   
things are articled by some persons4    
,the daily ceremonies are3--,in the     
morning the officiating brahmin1 after  
bathing1 goes into the temple and bows  
to ,siva4 ,he then anoints the image    
with clarified butter or boiled oil1    
after which1 with water which has not   
been defiled by the touch of a shoodru1 
nor of a brahmin who has not bathed1 he 
bathes the image by pouring water on it1
 and afterwards wipes it with a towel4  
,he next grinds some white powder in    
water1 and dipping the ends of his three
 fore-fingers in it1 draws them across  
the linga1 marking it as the worshippers
 of ,siva mark their foreheads4 ,next he
 sits down before the image1 and1       
shutting his eyes1 meditates on the work
 he is commencing2 then puts rice and   

doorva grass on the linga2 next a flower
 on his own head1 and then on top of the
 linga2 then another flower on the      
linga2 then others one by one1 repeating
 incantations2 then white powder1       
flowers1 vilwu leaves1 incense1         
meat-offerings1 and a lamp before the   
linga2 next some rice and a plantain2   
then he repeats the name of ,siva1 with 
some form of praise1 and at last he     
prostrates himself before the image4    
,the ceremonies in the hands of a       
secular person1 are discharged in a few 
minutes2 if performed by a person who   
has sufficient leisure he spends an hour
 in them4  ,in the evening the          
officiating brahmin goes again to the   
temple1 after washing his feet1 etc41   
and prostrates himself at the door2 then
 opening the door he places in the      
temple a lamp1 and1 as an evening       
oblation1 presents to the image a little
 milk1 some sweet-meats1 fruit1 etc41   
that is1 such things as a ,hindoo eats  
and drinks at those times when he does  

not eat his regular meals4 ,the worship 
of the day closes with prostration to   
the image1 when the brahmin locks the   
door and comes away4  ,at this temple on
 the #adth of the increase of the moon1 
in the month ,phalgoonu1 in the night1 a
 festival in honour of ,siva is kept4   
,on this occasion the image is bathed   
four times1 and four separate pujas     
performed during the night4 ,before the 
temple ,siva's worshippers dance1 sing1 
and revel all night1 amidst the horrid  
din of their music4  ,the occasion of   
this festival is thus related in the    
puranas3--,a bird-catcher was detained  
in a wilderness in a dark night1 and    
took refuge in a vilwu tree under which 
was an image of the linga4 ,by shaking  
the boughs of the trees the leaves and  
drops of dew fell upon the image1 with  
which ,siva was so pleased1 that he     
declared1 that whoever should from that 
time perform the worship of the linga on
 that night1 he should do an act of     
unbounded merit4     ,,chapter ,,ii4    

,hindu evidence respecting the origin of
 ,phallic     worship--,legend of the   
wounded ,hara--,the four sects of       
worshippers instituted by               
,brahma--,resumption of the ,lingam by  
,siva--,siva and ,parvati               
propitiated--,visit of ,bhrigu to       
,siva--,the ,lainga ,puran on the origin
 of ,lingam     worship--,abolition of  
worship of ,brahma--,moral character of 
,hindu worship--,profligate             
sects--,egyptian                        
,phallus--,bacchus--,testimony of       
,tertullian and ,clement of             
,alexandria--,dionysus--,directions for 
worship--,unsatisfactory                
legends--,legend of ,bhima--,the fourth 
avatar of ,vishnu--,visit     of        
,captain ,mackenzie to the ,pagoda at   
,perwuttum4   ,so far as ,hindu         
mythology is concerned1 we find ample   
and interesting evidence respecting the 
origin of ,phallic worship in the ,east1
 in the form of the adoration of the    
lingam4 ,thus in the ,vamana ,purana we 

are enlightened as follows3--,then      
,hara1 wounded by the arrows of ,kama1  
wandered into a deep forest1 named      
,daruvanam1 where holy sages and their  
wives resided4 ,the sages on beholding  
,shiva1 saluted him with bended heads1  
and he1 wearied1 said to them1--',give  
me alms4' ,thus he went begging round   
the different hermitages2 and1 wherever 
he came1 the minds of the sages' wives1 
on seeing him1 became disturbed and     
agitated with the pain of love1 and all 
commenced to follow him4 ,but when the  
sages saw their holy dwellings thus     
deserted1 they exclaimed1--',may the    
lingam of this man fall to the ground6' 
,that instant the lingam of ,shiva fell 
to the ground2 and the god immediately  
disappeared4 ,the lingam1 then1 as it   
fell1 penetrated through the lower      
worlds1 and increased in height until   
its top towered above the heavens2 the  
earth quaked1 and all things movable and
 immovable were agitated4 ,on perceiving
 which ,brahma hastened to the sea of   

milk1 and said to ,vishnu1--',say1 why  
does the universe thus tremble8' ,hara  
replied1--',on account of the falling of
 ,shiva's lingam1 in consequence of the 
curse of the holy and divine sages4' ,on
 hearing of this most wonderful event1  
,brahma said1--',let us go and behold   
this lingam4' ,the two gods then        
repaired to ,daruvanam2 and on beholding
 it without beginning or end1 ,vishnu   
mounted the king of birds and descended 
into the lower regions in order to      
ascertain its base2 and for the purpose 
of discovering its top1 ,brahma in a    
lotos car ascended the heavens3 but they
 returned from their search wearied and 
disappointed1 and together approaching  
the lingam1 with due reverence and      
praises1 entreated ,shiva to resume his 
lingam4 ,thus propitiated1 that god     
appeared in his own form and said1--',if
 gods and men will worship my lingam1 ,i
 will resume it2 but not otherwise4 7,in
 the ,nagar ,khand of the ,skanda       
,puran1 it is said that ,shiva1         

afflicted for the loss of ,sati1 thus   
replied3--',o gods6 it was in           
consequence of the grief which ,i suffer
 in being separated from ,sati that ,i  
cast away this lingam1 apparently fallen
 through the curse of the sages2 but1   
had ,i not willed it1 who is there in   
the three worlds that could have        
deprived me of it8 why then should ,i   
resume it8'7  ,to this proposal ,vishnu1
 ,brahma1 and the gods assented2 and    
,brahma divided its worshippers into    
four sects1 the principal one of those1 
that which simply worships ,shiva under 
the symbol of the lingam2 the second1   
that of ,pashupati2 the third1 of       
,mahakala2 and the fourth1 the ,kapali2 
and revealed from his own mouth the     
ordinances by which this worship was to 
be regulated4 ,brahma and the gods then 
departed1 and ,shiva1 having resumed the
 lingam1 was also leaving the spot1 when
 he beheld ,kama at a distance2 and1    
incensed with anger on remembering the  
pains which he had endured1 looked at   

him with his world-consuming eye and    
reduced him to ashes4 ,chapter #f4  ,the
 resumption of the lingam by ,shiva1    
remarks ,vans ,kennedy in his researches
 into ,hindu ,mythology1 is related     
differently in the ,shiva ,puran1 which 
account explains the reason of the      
particular form1 under which that symbol
 is represented4  ,the ,shiva ,puran    
account says3--',on falling in          
consequence of the sages' curse1 the    
lingam became like fire1 and caused a   
conflagration wherever it penetrated2   
the three worlds were distressed1 and as
 neither gods nor sages could find rest1
 they hastened for protection to        
,brahma4 ,having heard them relate all  
that had happened1 ,brahma              
replied3--',after having committed      
knowingly a reprehensible act1 why say  
that it was done unknowingly8 ,for who  
that is adverse to ,shiva shall enjoy   
happiness1 and yet when he came as a    
guest at noon-day you received him not  
with due honours4 ,but every one shall  

reap the fruit of his good or bad       
actions1 and the lingam therefore shall 
not cease to distress the three worlds  
until it is resumed by that god4 ,do ye1
 therefore1 adopt such means as you     
think best for restoring tranquility to 
the universe4' ,the gods said1--',but1  
,o ,lord6 what means ought we to adopt8'
 ,brahma replied1--',propitiate by      
adoration the mountain-born goddess1 and
 she will then assume the form of the   
yoni and receive this lingam1 by which  
means alone it can be rendered          
innocuous4 ,should you thus obtain her  
favourable assistance1 then form a      
vessel of the eight kinds of leaves1    
place in it boiled rice and sacred      
plants2 and having filled it with holy  
water1 consecrate the whole with the    
proper prayers and invocations1 and with
 this water1 repeating at the same time 
suitable prayers1 sprinkle the lingam4  
,after1 also1 ,parvati shall have under 
the form of the yoni received the       
lingam1 do you erect and consecrate the 

form of a lingam in the yoni2 and1 by   
worshipping it with offerings of        
flowers1 perfumes1 and such things1 by  
kindling lamps before it1 and by singing
 and music1 propitiate ,maheshwara1 and 
thus will the forgiveness and favour of 
that god be undoubtedly obtained4'      
,having heard these words1 the gods and 
sages hastened to implore the protection
 of ,shiva and the assistance of        
,parvati1 as directed by ,brahma2 and   
these deities having been propitiated1  
,parvati1 under the form of the yoni1   
received the lingam and thus appeased   
its consuming fire2 and in commemoration
 of this event was instituted the       
worship of the lingam4'  ,the ,padma    
,puran ascribes the origin of the       
particular form under which this symbol 
is represented1 to the effects of a     
curse imprecated on ,shiva by ,bhrigu4  
,it is there said that1 when1 ,bhrigu   
was sent to ascertain the preeminence of
 the three gods1 on arriving at ,kailasa
 he thus addressed ,shiva's             

door-keeper3--,quickly inform ,shankara 
that ,i1 the ,brahman ,bhrigu1 am come  
to see him4 ,but the door-keeper        
said1--',stop1 stop1 if thou wishest to 
preserve thy life2 for my lord cannot be
 approached at present1 as he is engaged
 in amorous dalliance with ,devi4' ,the 
divine sage being thus denied access1   
waited some time at the gate of ,shiva's
 abode1 and at length incensed with     
anger imprecated this curse3--',since   
thou1 ,o ,shankara6 hast thus treated me
 with contempt1 in consequence of thy   
preferring the embraces of ,parvati1    
your forms shall on that account become 
the lingam in the yoni4' ,it is         
generally understood that it was in     
consequence of this curse1 that ,shiva  
was deprived of his lingam in the       
,daruvanan1 and that ,parvati assumed   
the form of the yoni in order to receive
 and render it innocuous4  ,the ,lainga 
,puran relates the origin of the worship
 of the linga1 differently4  ,brahma1   
addressing the angels4--',when ,i sprang

 into existence1 ,i beheld the mighty   
,narayana reposing on the abyss of      
waters2 and1 being under the influence  
of delusion1 awakened him with my hand  
and thus addressed him1--',who art thou 
that thus slumberest on this terrible   
ocean8' ,hari awoke1 and dispelling     
sleep from his lotos eyes1 looked upon  
me1 and then arising said1--',welcome1  
welcome1 ,o ,pitamaha6 my dear son6' ,on
 hearing the first of gods smiling thus 
speak1 ,i1 confined within the bonds of 
the quality of impurity1 replied1--',why
 dost thou say my dear son8 for know me 
to be the eternal god1 the universal    
spirit1 the creator1 preserver1 and     
destroyer of the three worlds4' ,but he 
immediately answered1--',hear the truth1
 ,o four-faced6 and learn that it is ,i 
who am the creator1 the preserver1 and  
the destroyer1 how canst thou thus      
forget ,nayarana the self existent and  
eternal ,brahm8 but thou committest no  
fault1 for thy error proceeds from the  
delusion of ,maya4' ,hence arose between

 us a terrible combat amidst the waters 
of the deluge1 when1 to appease the     
contest and recall us to our senses1    
appeared a lingam blazing like a        
thousand suns4 ,bewildered by its       
radiant beams1 ,hari thus said to me1   
lost in amazement1--',i will proceed    
downwards in order to ascertain the     
termination of this wondrous column of  
fire1 do thou1 ,o ,lord6 proceed upwards
 and seek for its top4' ,having thus    
spoken1 he assumed the form of a boar1  
and ,i that of a swan1 and we both      
prosecuted our search for four thousand 
years but being unable to ascertain its 
terminations1 we then returned back     
wearied and disappointed4 ,thus still   
under the influence of delusion1 we     
prostrated ourselves before the lingam1 
and were reflecting on what it could be1
 when we heard a voice1 saying1 om1 om1 
om1--and shortly after appeared ,shiva  
in the midst of that column of fire4'   
,in commemoration of this event1        
therefore1 was the worship of the lingam

 instituted4  ,the ,skande ,puran       
relates that the abolition of the       
worship of ,brahma is at the present day
 generally attributed to the inevitable 
consequences resulting from the curse of
 ,shiva4  ,the lingam of ,shiva1 having 
in ,daruvanam fallen on the ground in   
consequence of the curse of the holy    
sages1 instantly increased in size1     
until its base went far beyond the      
lowest profound1 and its head towered   
above the heavens2 and ,brahma1 ,vishnu1
 ,indra1 and all the gods1 having       
hastened to behold this wonder1 thus    
spoke to one another3--',what can be its
 length and breath8 ,where can be       
situated its top and base8' ,having thus
 considered1 the gods said1--',o        
,vishnu6 do thou ascertain the base of  
this lingam1 and ,o ,lotos-born1 do thou
 discover its head1 and let this be the 
place where you shall return to relate  
what you may have seen4' ,having heard  
these words1 ,vishnu proceeded to       
,tartarus1 and ,brahma to heaven2 but   

high as he ascended1 ,pitamaha could not
 perceive the head of that lingam1 and  
he was therefore returning and had      
arrived at the top of ,meru1 when       
,surabhi1 as he reclined under the shade
 of a ketaki tree1 saw him and thus     
spoke1--',where hast thou gone1 ,o      
,brahma6 whence dost thou return8 ,say1 
can ,i do anything for you8' ,brahma    
smiling1 replied1--',i have been sent by
 the gods to discover the head of this  
wonderful lingam which fills the three  
worlds1 but ,i have not been able to    
reach it4 ,what1 therefore1 shall ,i say
 to them when ,i return2 for1 if ,i     
falsely assert that ,i have seen its    
top1 they will require witnesses to     
attest the truth of it8 ,do thou1 then1 
with this ketaki1 give testimony to what
 ,i shall declare4' ,surabhi and the    
ketaki tree consented to act as ,brahma 
desired2 and he1 having made this       
agreement1 proceeded to where the angels
 had remained1 and thus addressed       
them3--',o gods6 ,i have seen the top of

 this lingam1 which is spacious1 pure1  
delightful1 adorned with the leaves of  
the ketaki1 and wonderful to behold1 but
 without my assistance no one can see   
it4' ,on hearing these words the        
immortals were astonished1 and ,vishnu  
said1--',this is most surprising2 for ,i
 have penetrated through all the lower  
worlds1 and have not been able to       
discover its base2 but most assuredly   
this lingam form of ,mahadeva has       
neither beginning1 nor middle1 nor end2 
for it was through his divine will that 
you1 ,o gods and holy sages6 were       
produced1 and also this universe with   
all that it contains1 movable and       
immovable2 and in this lingam of the    
lord is centred creation1 preservation1 
and destruction4' ,brahma then          
said1--',o ,vishnu6 why art thou        
surprised that ,i have seen the top1    
because thou hast not been able to reach
 the base of this lingam2 but what proof
 dost thou require to convince thee that
 ,i have seen it8' ,vishnu1 smiling1    

replied1--',explain1 ,o ,brahma6 how    
thou could'st have seen the head in     
heaven1 while ,i could not discover the 
base in ,tartarus2 but if this be really
 the case1 who are the witnesses to your
 having seen it8' ,brahma quickly       
replied1--',the ketaki and ,surabhi2    
these1 ,o ye gods6 will attest that ,i  
speak the truth4' ,the immortals then   
immediately sent for them2 and when they
 arrived1 ,surabhi and the ketaki       
declared that ,brahma had actually seen 
the top of the lingam4 ,at this instant 
a voice was heard from heaven1          
saying1--',know1 ,o ,suras6 that        
,surabhi and the ketaki have spoken     
falsely1 for ,brahma has not seen its   
top4' ,the immortals then imprecated    
this curse on ,surabhi1--',since thou   
hast with thy mouth uttered a falsehood1
 may thy mouth be henceforth deemed     
impure6' and on the ketaki1--',though   
thou smellest sweetly1 mayest thou be   
considered unworthy to be offered to    
,shiva6' ,after the gods had ceased     

speaking1 the voice from heaven thus    
cursed ,brahma3--',since thou hast      
childishly and with weak understanding  
asserted a falsehood1 let no one        
henceforth perform worship to thee4'    
,lieutenant ,colonel ,vans ,kennedy     
remarks that these are the only accounts
 of the origin of this worship which    
occur in the ,puranas1 but ,mr4 ,ward in
 his ,account of the ,writings1         
,religion1 c41 of the ,hindus1          
says3--,there are several stories in the
 ,puranas respecting the origin of the  
lingam worship1 three of which ,i had   
translated1 and actually inserted in    
this work1 leaving out as much as       
possible of their offensive parts2 but  
in correcting the proofs1 they appeared 
too gross1 even when refined as much as 
possible1 to meet the public eye4       
,lieutenant ,kennedy alluding to this1  
says3--,mr4 ,ward takes every           
opportunity of objecting indecency and  
obscenity to the ,hindu mythology2 but1 
after a most attentive examination of   

the subject1 ,i have not been able to   
discover1 unless calling a spade a spade
 be considered a sufficient ground1 the 
slightest foundation for such an        
objection in either the ,purans1        
,upa-,purans1 ,ramayanum1 or            
,mahabharat2 and with regard to other   
,sanscrit works1 ,i agree entirely in   
the justness of the opinion expressed by
 ,mr4 ,wilson in a note to his          
translation of the ,magha ,duta4 ,he    
says3--',i have1 indeed1 in this place  
concentrated1 and in part omitted1 two  
verses of the original1 as offensive to 
our notions of the decorum of           
composition4 ,i cannot admit1 however1  
that ,hindu literature1 speaking        
generally1 is more liable to the        
reproach of indecency than that of      
,europe3 nothing can be found in their  
serious works half so licentious as many
 passages in the writings of ,ovid1     
,catullus1 ,propertius1 and even the    
elegant ,flaccus4 ,to descend to modern 
times1 ,ariosto and ,boccaccio amongst  

the ,italians1 ,brantome1 ,crebillon1   
,voltaire1 ,la ,fontaine1 and the       
writers of many recent philosophical    
novels amongst the ,french1 furnish us  
with more than parallels for the most   
indelicate of the ,hindu writers4 ,with 
respect to ourselves1 not to go back to 
the days in which obscenity was wit1 we 
have little reason to reproach the      
,hindus with want of delicacy1 when we  
find the exceptionable1 though elegant1 
poetry of ,little generally circulated  
and avowedly admired4 ,we should also   
recollect the circumstances of ,indian  
society1 before we condemn their authors
 for the ungarbled expressions which we 
conceive to trespass upon the boundaries
 of decorum4 ,these authors write to men
 only1 they never think of a woman as a 
reader4'  ,moor in his ,hindu ,pantheon1
 bears general testimony to the         
perfectly decent character of ,hindu    
worship1 on the whole1 whatever may take
 place in exceptional cases4 ,speaking  
of the sect of naked gymnosophists1     

called ,lingis1 and the ,sactas1 he     
says3--,in this last mentioned sect1 as 
in most others1 there is a right-handed 
and decent path1 and a left-handed and  
indecent mode of worship2 but the       
indecent worship of this sect is most   
grossly so1 and consists of unbridled   
debauchery with wine and women4 ,this   
profligate sect is supposed to be       
numerous1 though unavowed4 ,in most     
parts of ,india1 if not in all1 they are
 held in deserved detestation2 and even 
the decent ,sactas do not make public   
profession of their tenets1 nor wear on 
their foreheads the marks of their sect1
 lest they should be suspected of       
belonging to the other branch of        
it,,horizontal ,,ellipsis4 ,it is some  
comparative and negative praise to the  
,hindus1 that the emblems under which   
they exhibit the elements and operations
 of nature1 are not externally          
indecorous4 ,unlike the abominable      
realities of ,egypt and ,greece1 we see 
the phallic emblem in the ,hindu        

,pantheon without offence2 and know not1
 until the information be extorted1 that
 we are contemplating a symbol whose    
prototype is indecent4 ,the plates of my
 book may be turned and examined1 over  
and over again1 and the uninformed      
observer will not be aware that in      
several of them he has viewed the       
typical representation of the generative
 organs or powers of humanity4 ,from the
 very nature1 also1 of this symbol1 says
 ,kennedy1 it will be evident that it   
was never intended to be carried in the 
processions consecrated to ,shiva1 and  
,abraham ,roger1 two hundred years ago1 
has in consequence correctly            
stated1--,mais quand on fait la         
procession par les villes avec l'idole  
,eswara1 ce qui arrive en certains      
temps1 on ne la porte pas sous la figure
 de lingam1 mais sous la figure d'homme3
 la raison est1 comme le ,brahmine      
temoignoit1 pour ce que les hommes ont  
plus de plasir et de contentement en la 
veue d'une figure humaine que dans la   

veue du lingam1 en laquelle figure il   
est dans son pagode4#f          #f ,la  
,porte ,ouverte1 p4 #aeg4  ,both        
,herodotus and ,diodorus ,siculus1 as   
noticed by ,gyraldus1 though speaking of
 the phallus1 fail to explain its       
precise nature and form4 ,mr4 ,payne    
,knight in his ,symbolical ,language of 
,ancient ,art and ,mythology1 says3--,in
 ,egypt and all over ,asia1 the mystic  
and symbolical worship appears to have  
been of immemorial antiquity4 ,the women
 of the former country carried images of
 ,osiris in their sacred processions1   
with a movable phallus of               
disproportionate magnitude1 the reason  
for which ,herodotus does not think     
proper to relate1 because it belonged to
 the mystic religion4 ,diodorus         
,siculus1 however1 who lived in a more  
communicative age1 informs us that it   
signified the generative attribute2 and 
,plutarch1 that the ,egyptian statues of
 ,osiris had the phallus to signify his 
procreative and prolific power1 the     

extension of which through the three    
elements of air1 earth and water1 they  
expressed by another kind of statue1    
which was occasionally carried in       
procession1 having a triple symbol of   
the same attribute4 ,the ,greeks usually
 represented the phallus alone1 as a    
distinct symbol1 the meaning of which   
seems to have been among the last       
discoveries revealed to the initiated4  
,it was the same1 in emblematical       
writing1 as the ,orphic epithet1        
,pan-genetor1 universal generator1 in   
which sense it is still employed by the 
,hindus4 ,herodotus1 in allusion to the 
above1 says3--,to ,bacchus1 on the eve  
of his feast1 every ,egyptian sacrifices
 a hog before the door of his house1    
which is then given back to the         
swineherd by whom it was furnished1 and 
by him carried away4 ,in other respects 
the festival is celebrated almost       
exactly as ,bacchic festivals are in    
,greece1 excepting that the ,egyptians  
have no choral dances4 ,they also use1  

instead of phalli1 another invention1   
consisting of images a cubit high1      
pulled by strings1 which the women carry
 round to the villages4 ,a piper goes in
 front2 and the women follow1 singing   
hymns in honour of ,bacchus4 ,they give 
a religious reason for the peculiarities
 of the image4 ,payne ,knight supports  
his statement relative to the discovery 
of the meaning of the symbol by a       
quotation from ,tertullian3 ,concerning 
the ,valentinians 7a sect of ,ophites or
 of ,gnostics7 ,after many sighings of  
the seers1 the entire sealing of the    
tongue 7from divulging it7 an image of  
the virile organ is revealed4 ,this     
opinion1 however1 has been pronounced by
 others as extremely questionable2 but  
were it admitted1 says ,colonel         
,kennedy1 it seems indisputable that the
 phallus was always formed in such a    
manner as to leave no doubt with respect
 to the object which it represented1 and
 that in religious processions it was   
always attached to a human figure4 ,it  

hence appears evident that the phallus  
bore no similarity to the lingam1 and   
that1 though the causes which may       
originally have produced the worship of 
these objects may have been the same in 
,egypt and ,india1 still the symbols    
adopted for their representation1 and   
the adoration paid to them by the       
,egyptians and the ,hindus1 differed    
most materially4  ,clement of           
,alexandria was most severe in his      
condemnation of the abominations        
connected with certain festivals in     
which the phallus occupied a conspicuous
 position1 but as the lingam is never   
carried in procession1 and its worship  
is not celebrated by bacchanalian rites1
 his castigation could have had no      
reference1 or at any rate1 was not      
applicable to the ,hindus4 ,extinguish  
the fire1 ,o hierophant6 he said1 be    
ashamed of thy own torches1 ,o          
torch-bearer6 the light betrays thy     
,jacchus3 permit1 if thou wish them to  
be reverenced1 thy mysteries to be      

concealed by night1 and thy orgies to be
 covered with darkness2 fire does not   
dissimulate1 but exposes and punishes   
all that is subjected to its power4     
,these1 therefore1 are the mysteries of 
atheistical men2 atheists ,i call them  
justly1 because ignorant of the true    
,god1 they unblushingly worship an      
infant who was torn in pieces by the    
,titans1 and a lamenting woman1 and     
those parts of the body which modesty   
forbids us to name4  ,the games and     
phalli consecrated to ,bacchus1 not only
 corrupt manners1 but are considered    
shameful and disgraceful by all the     
world4  ,clement then speaks of a       
certain event1 in commemoration of      
which1 was this mystery instituted1 and 
phalli erected in every city in honour  
of ,dionusos2 so that ,heraclitus even  
says that misfortune would ensue1 if    
processions were not made1 and hymns    
sung1 and pudenda shamelessly           
worshipped1 in honour of ,dionusos4     
,this then is the ,hades and the        

,dionusos1 in whose honour men become   
agitated with bacchanalian madness and  
fury2 not so much1 in my opinion1 an    
account of natural inebriation1 as in   
consequence of the reprehensible        
ceremonies which were first instituted  
in commemoration of that abominable     
turpitude4  ,the event just referred to 
is this3--,dionysus was particularly    
anxious to descend to ,hades1 but was   
ignorant of the way2 a certain man named
 ,prosymnus offered to shew him the     
same1 provided he would grant him a     
specified reward4 ,the reward1 says     
,clement1 was a disgraceful one1 though 
not so in the opinion of ,dionysus3 it  
was an ,aphrodisian favour that was     
asked4 ,the god was not reluctant to    
grant the request made to him1 and      
promised to fulfil it should he return1 
conforming his promise with an oath4    
,having learned the way1 he departed and
 again returned3 he did not find        
,prosymnus for he had died4 ,in order to
 acquit himself of his promise to his   

lover1 he rushed to his tomb1 burning   
with unnatural lust4 ,cutting a         
fig-branch that came to his hand1 he    
shaped the likeness of the membrum      
virile1 and sat over it2 thus performing
 his promise to the dead man4 ,as a     
mystic memorial of this incident1       
phalloi are raised aloft in honour of   
,dionysus through the various cities4   
,the character of ,lingam worship may be
 gathered from the ritual prescribed in 
the ,lainga ,puran1 which we find to be 
as follows3 ,having bathed in the       
prescribed manner1 enter the place of   
worship2 and having performed three     
suppressions of the breath1 meditate on 
that god who has three eyes1 five heads1
 ten arms1 and is of the colour of pure 
crystal1 arrayed in costly garments1 and
 adorned with all kinds of ornaments3   
and having thus fixed in thy mind the   
real form of ,maheshwara1 proceed to    
worship him with the proper prayers and 
hymns4 ,first1 sprinkle the place and   
utensils of worship with a bunch of     

darbha dipped in perfumed water1        
repeating at the same time the sacred   
word ,om1 and arrange all the utensils  
and other things required in the        
prescribed order2 then in due manner and
 repeating the proper invocations1      
prayers and hymns1 preceded by the      
sacred word ,om1 prepare thy offerings4 
,for the padiam 7water for the ablution 
of the feet71 these should consist of   
ushiram 7the root of the ,andropogon    
muricatus71 sandal1 and sweet-smelling  
woods3 for the achamanam 7water for     
rinsing the mouth71 of mace1 camphor1   
bdellium1 and agallochum1 ground        
together2 and for the arghya 7a         
particular kind of oblation1 which1     
consisted of different articles in the  
worship of different deities71 of the   
tops of ,kusha grass1 prepared grains of
 rice1 barley1 sesamum1 clarified       
butter1 pieces of money1 ashes and      
flowers4 ,at the same time1 also1 must  
be worshipped ,nandi 7the principal     
attendant of ,shiva1 and supposed to be 

a portion of that god1 who granted a son
 as a boon to a holy ascetic named      
,shilada1 and also consented that he    
would be born as that son71 and his     
wife1 the daughter of ,marut4 ,having   
then1 with due rites1 prepared a seat1  
invoke with the prescribed prayers the  
presence of ,parameshwara1 and present  
to him the padiam1 achamanam and arghya4
 ,next bathe the lingam with perfumed   
water1 the five products of the cow1    
clarified butter1 honey1 the juice of   
the sugar-cane1 and lastly pour over it 
a pot of pure water1 consecrated by the 
requisite prayers4 ,having thus purified
 it1 adorn it with clean garments and a 
sacrificial string1 and then offer      
flowers1 perfumes1 frankincense1 lamps1 
fruit1 and different kinds of prepared  
eatables1 and ornaments4 ,thus worship  
the lingam with the prescribed          
offerings1 invocations1 prayers and     
honours1 and by circumambulating it1 and
 by prostrating thyself before ,shiva1  
represented under this symbol4  ,colonel

 ,vans ,kennedy says that at the present
 day the whole of this ritual is not    
observed1 nor is this worship performed 
in that costly manner which is          
recommended in the ,purans4 ,but the    
worship of all the deities consists of  
sixteen essential requisites3--#a1      
,asanam1 the preparing a seat for the   
god2 #b1 ,asahanam1 the invoking his    
presence2 #c1 padiam2 #d1 achamanam2 #e1
 ,arghya2 #f1 bathing the image2 #g1    
clothing it2 #h1 investing it with a    
sacrificial string3 offerings of2 #i1   
perfumes2 #aj1 flowers2 #aa1 incense2   
#ab1 lamps2 #ac1 naivedya1 i4e4         
offerings consisting of fruits and      
prepared eatables2 #ad1 betel leaf2 #ae1
 prayers1 c42 #af1 circumambulation4    
,the more of these acts that are        
performed the more complete is the      
worship2 but at present it in general   
consists of nothing more than presenting
 some of the prescribed offerings1 and  
muttering a short prayer or two while   
the lingam is circumambulated3 the rest 

of the acts being performed by the      
officiating priest4  ,this worship1 it  
seems1 need not be performed at a       
temple1 any properly purified place will
 do2 it is most efficacious when        
performed on the bank of some holy      
river1 before a lingam formed of clay1  
which1 on the termination of the        
worship1 is thrown into the sacred      
stream4         99       99       99    
99       99  ,colonel ,kennedy          
says3--,the legends respecting the      
origin of the worship of the lingam1    
cannot satisfy the philosophical        
enquirer2 and the real cause1 therefore1
 which produced the adoration of so     
singular an object might appear to be a 
curious subject of speculation4 ,but1   
though in the ,purans there are copious 
descriptions of the high importance of  
this worship1 and of the spiritual      
advantages to be derived from it1 still 
these works contain not the slightest   
indication from which any just          
conclusion could be formed1 with respect

 to either the period when it was first 
introduced1 or the motives which may    
have occasioned the substitution of this
 symbol for the image of ,shiva4 ,yet it
 seems probable that this change had not
 been effected at the time when the     
,vedas were composed1 and that the      
earliest record of this worship which   
has been preserved is contained in the  
,purans4 ,but1 as in those sacred books 
there is not the least appearance of its
 being either mystical or symbolical1 it
 must be evident that if it originated  
in such causes they have long ceased to 
exist2 and consequently that the        
speculations on this subject1 in which  
the literati of ,europe have indulged1  
are totally incompatible with the simple
 principles1 as far as they are known1  
on which this worship is founded4 ,for1 
in fact1 both in the ,purans and by the 
,hindus of the present day1 the lingam  
is held to be merely a visible type of  
an invisible deity2 and nothing whatever
 belongs to its worship1 or to the terms

 in which this is mentioned1 which has  
the slightest tendency to lead the      
thoughts1 from the contemplation of the 
god1 to an undue consideration of the   
object by which he is typified4 ,but it 
is impossible to understand by what     
process of reasoning the founders of the
 ,hindu religion were induced to place  
,shiva among the divine hypostases2 for 
they supposed1 at the same time1 that   
dissolution and death proceeded from the
 fixed laws of nature1 and that his     
power was not called into exertion until
 after the termination of twelve        
millions of years4 ,during the whole1   
therefore1 of this inconceivable period1
 what functions could be ascribed to    
this god consistent with his character  
of destroyer8 ,this difficulty1 however1
 seems to have been very soon obviated  
by investing him with the attributes of 
the ,supreme ,being1 and even in the    
,purans it is under this character that 
he is generally represented4 ,as1       
therefore1 the attributes which are1    

according to the ,hindus1 peculiar to   
the one god are immovability and        
inaction1 ,shiva is described as being  
principally engaged in devout           
meditation1 and as exerting his divine  
power through the means either of ,devi 
7or his energy personified7 or of       
certain forms which he creates for the  
occasion1 such as ,bhairava and         
,virabhadra4 ,in ,hindu mythology1      
consequently1 there are only three      
legends1 the destruction of the ,tripura
 ,asuras1 and of the ,asuras ,audhaka1  
and ,jalandhara1 in which ,shiva appears
 as the actor1 unconnected with any     
reference to the worship of the lingam4 
,but on the introduction of this        
worship1 not a lingam seems to have been
 erected without its foundation having  
been ascribed to some miraculous        
appearance of ,shiva2 and hence have    
originated a multiplicity of legends in 
the highest degree puerile1 and everyone
 erring against the just principle1--   
,nec deus intersit1 nisi dignus vindice 

nodus   ,inciderit4  ,for in the ,shiva 
,puran1 ,suta thus speaks3 ,innumerable 
are the lingams which are adorned1 as   
the type of ,shiva1 in heaven1 earth1   
and ,tartarus2 but where some of these  
are erected1 there ,shiva for the good  
of the three worlds appeared1 and       
consequently whoever visits and worships
 them1 acquires more complete remission 
of sins and a greater degree of         
holiness4 ,even of these1 however1 the  
number is unascertainable1 but the      
twelve ,jyolisha lingams are considered 
the most sacred2 there are1 of course1  
many others1 the worship of which       
insures the remission of sins and final 
blessedness4   ,legend from the ,shiva  
,puran4  ,a ,rakshasa1 named ,bhima1 the
 son of ,kumbakarna1 having obtained    
invincible might as a boon from ,brahma1
 commenced exerting his newly acquired  
power by attacking the king of          
,kamarupa4 ,him he conquered1 and having
 seized his riches and kingdom1 he      
placed him in chains in a solitary      

prison4 ,this king was eminently pious1 
and1 notwithstanding his confinement1   
continued daily to make clay lingams1   
and to worship ,shiva with all the      
prescribed rites and ceremonies4        
,meanwhile the ,rakshasa continued his  
conquests1 and everywhere abolished the 
religious observances and worship       
enjoined by the ,vedas2 and the         
immortals also1 were reduced by his     
power to great distress4 ,at length the 
gods hastened to implore the protection 
of ,shiva1 and to obtain his favour by  
the worship of clay lingams2 and        
,shambu1 being thus propitiated1 assured
 them that he would effect the          
destruction of the ,rakshasa through the
 medium of the king of ,kamarupa1 who   
was his devoted worshipper4 ,at this    
time the king was engaged in profound   
meditation before a lingam1 when one of 
the guards went and informed the        
,rakshasa that the king was performing  
some improper ceremonies in order to    
injure him4 ,on hearing this1 the       

,rakshasa1 enraged1 seized his sword and
 hastened to the king1 whom he thus     
addressed3--,speak the truth1 and tell  
me who it is that thou worshippest1 and 
,i will not slay thee1 but otherwise ,i 
will instantly put thee to death4 ,the  
king having considered1 placed his firm 
reliance in the protection of ,shiva1   
and replied undauntedly1--,in truth1 ,i 
worship ,shankara3 do thou what thou    
pleasest4 ,the ,rakshasa said1--,what   
can ,shankara do to me8 for ,i know him 
well1 and that he once was obliged to   
become the servant of my uncle          
7,ravana72 and thou1 trusting in his    
power1 did'st endeavour to conquer me1  
but defeat was the consequence4 ,until1 
however1 thou showest me thy lord1 and  
convincest me of his might1 ,i shall not
 believe in his divinity4 ,the king     
replied1--,vile as ,i am1 what power    
have ,i over that god8 but mighty as he 
is1 ,i know that he will never forsake  
me4 ,then ,rakshasa said1--,how can that
 delighter in ganja 7an intoxicating    

drug prepared from the hemp plant7 and  
inebriation1 that wandering mendicant1  
protect his worshippers8 let but thy    
lord appear1 and ,i will immediately    
engage in battle with him6 ,having thus 
spoken1 he ordered the attendance of his
 army1 and then1 revisiting the king1   
the mighty ,rakshasa1 while he smote the
 lingam with his sword1 thus1 laughing1 
said1--,now behold the power of thy     
lord4 ,but scarce had the sword touched 
the lingam than ,hara instantly issued  
from it1 exclaiming1--,behold6 ,i am    
,ishwara1 who appears for the protection
 of his worshipper1 on whom he always   
bestows safety and happiness2 and now   
learn to dread my might4 ,on hearing    
this spoken1 ,shiva engaged in combat   
with the ,rakshasa1 and after fighting  
with him for some time1 at length with  
the fire of his third eye reduced him   
and all his army to ashes2 and in       
commemoration of this event was the spot
 where it occurred rendered sacred1 and 
the lingam1 under the name of           

,bhimashankara1 an object of pilgrimage 
and worship until all succeeding ages4  
7,from the legend ,jyolisha-linga       
,mahatmyam74  ,colonel ,kennedy         
says3--,on perusing this legend1 it will
 immediately occur that it is a mere    
imitation of the fourth avatar of       
,vishnu1 the concluding part of the     
account of which is thus given in the   
,padma ,puran3--',hiranyakashipu having 
ordered his son ,pralhada to be put to  
death on account of his devotion to     
,vishnu1 and all means employed for this
 purpose having proved ineffectual1 the 
king of the ,daityas was astonished1 and
 with gentleness addressed his          
son3--',where is that ,vishnu whose     
pre-eminence thou hast declared before  
me1 and who1 as thou sayest1 was called 
,vishnu because he pervades all things1 
and consequently1 being omnipresent1 he 
must also be the ,supreme ,being8 ,show 
to me a proof of the divine power and   
qualities which thou ascribest to him1  
and ,i will acknowledge the divinity of 

,vishnu2 or let him conquer in battle   
me1 who have obtained the boon of being 
unslayable by any existing thing4'      
,pralhada1 astonished1                  
replied1--',narayana1 the eternal1      
omnipotent1 omnipresent1 and ,supreme   
,spirit dwells in heaven1 and man cannot
 obtain the view of his divine form     
through anger and hatred1 but1 though   
unseen1 he is present in all things4'   
,having heard these words1              
,hiranyakashipu was incensed with anger1
 and1 reviling his son1 said1--',why    
dost thou thus with endless boasts exalt
 the power of ,vishnu8' and then        
striking a pillar of his royal hall1    
thus continued3 ',if ,vishnu pervades   
all things let him appear in this       
pillar1 or ,i will this moment put thee 
to death4' ,this said1 he struck the    
pillar with his sword1 and instantly    
from it burst a loud and dreadful sound1
 while ,vishnu issued forth under a     
fearful form1 half man and half lion4'  
,but as the avatars of ,vishnu are      

unquestionably an essential part of the 
,hindu religion1 since they are noticed 
in the ,vedas1 ,upanishads1 and ,purans1
 and as the miraculous appearances of   
,shiva1 on which the sanctity of various
 lingams is founded1 are not generally  
acknowledged by the ,hindus1 and are    
mentioned only in the ,shanka and ,shiva
 ,purans1 it must necessarily follow    
that the fourth avatar of ,vishnu is the
 original from which the above legend of
 ,bhima ,shankara has been merely       
copied4 ,the introduction1 however1 of a
 new mode of worship1 is always1 as     
experience has shewn1 supported by      
miracles2 and it may therefore be       
concluded that the legends respecting   
the ,jyolisha lingams1 at least1 are as 
ancient as the first institution of the 
worship of the lingam4 ,in which case it
 will be evident that the transferring  
by the ,shaivas to ,shiva of the        
peculiar attribute of ,vishnu1 that of  
preservation1 and their founding various
 miracles on such transfer1 are         

convincing proofs that ,vishnuism must  
have existed before the present form of 
,shivaism2 and that1 in inventing these 
miracles1 the ,shaivas have wished to   
ascribe to the god of their particular  
adoration similar manifestations of     
divine power to those by which ,vishnu  
was supposed to be peculiarly           
distinguished4#g  #g ,vaus ,kennedy1    
,hindu ,mythology4         99       99  
99       99       99  ,an account was   
published1 about a hundred years ago1 by
 ,captain ,colin ,mackenzie1 of a visit 
he had lately paid to the ,pagoda at    
,perwuttum1 the home of the ,linga      
,mallikarjuna or ,sri ,saila4 ,he       
said3--,having sent notice to the       
manager of the revenues1 that ,i was    
desirous of seeing the pagoda1 provided 
there was no objection1 ,i was informed 
at noon1 that ,i might go in4 ,on       
entering the fourth gate1 we descended  
by steps1 and through a small door1 to  
the inner court1 where the temples are3 
in the centre was the pagoda of         

,mallecarjee1 the principal deity       
worshipped here4 ,from hence ,i was     
conducted to the smaller and more       
ancient temple of ,mallecarjee1 where he
 is adored1 in the figure of a rude     
stone1 which ,i could just distinguish1 
through the dark vista of the front     
building on pillars4 ,behind this       
building1 an immense fig tree covers    
with its shade the devotees and         
attendants1 who repose on seats1 placed 
round its trunk1 and carpeted4 ,among   
these1 was one ,byraggy1 who had devoted
 himself to a perpetual residence here2 
his sole subsistence was the milk of a  
cow1 which ,i saw him driving before    
him3 an orange coloured rag was tied    
round his loins1 and his naked body was 
besmeared with ashes4  ,the weather     
being warm1 ,i was desirous of getting  
over as much of this bad road1 as ,i    
could1 before noon3 my tents and baggage
 had been sent off at four ,a4,m41 and  
,i only remained near the pagoda with   
the intention of making some remarks on 

the sculptures of its wall1 as soon as  
daylight appeared4  ,but the ,brahmins1 
with the ,rajpoot amuldar 7who had      
hitherto shewn a shyness that ,i had not
 experienced in any other part of the   
journey71 came to request1 that as ,i   
was the first ,european who had ever    
come so far to visit ,mallecarjee1 and  
had been prevented from seeing the      
object of their worship1 by yesterday   
not being a lucky day1 ,i would remain  
with them that day1 assuring me that the
 doors would be opened at ten o'clock4  
,i agreed to wait to that hour1 being   
particularly desirous of seeing by what 
means the light was reflected into the  
temple1 which the unskilfulness of my   
interpreter could not explain           
intelligibly to my comprehension4       
,notice being at last given1 at about   
half-past eight1 that the sun was high  
enough1 the doors on the east side1 the 
gilt pagoda were thrown open1 and a     
mirror or reflecting speculum was       
brought from the ,rajpoot amuldar's     

house4 ,it was round1 about two feet in 
diameter1 and fixed to a brass handle1  
ornamented with figures of cows2 the    
polished side was convex1 but so foul1  
that it could not reflect the sunbeams2 
another was therefore brought1 rather   
smaller1 and concave1 surrounded by a   
narrow rim1 and without a handle4       
,directly opposite to the gate of the   
pagoda is a stone building1 raised on   
pillars1 enclosing a well1 and ending in
 a point2 and being at the distance of  
twelve or fourteen feet1 darkens the    
gateway by its shadow1 until the sun    
rises above it3 this no doubt has been  
contrived on purpose to raise the       
expectation of the people1 and by       
rendering the sight of the idol more    
rare1 to favour the imposition of the   
,brahmins4 ,the moment being come1 ,i   
was permitted to stand on the steps in  
front of the threshold without 7having  
put off my shoes1 to please the         
directors of the ceremony1 though it    
would not have been insisted on71 while 

a crowd surrounded me1 impatient to     
obtain a glimpse of the awful figure    
within4 ,a boy being placed near the    
doorway1 waved and played the concave   
mirror in such a manner1 as to throw    
gleams of light into the pagoda1 in the 
deepest recess whereof was discovered by
 means of these coruscations1 a small1  
oblong1 roundish white stone with dark  
rings1 fixed in a silver case4 ,i was   
permitted to go no further1 but my      
curiosity was now sufficiently          
satisfied4 ,it appears1 that this god   
,mallecarjee1 is no other than the      
,lingam1 to which such reverence is paid
 by certain castes of the ,gentoos2 and 
the reason why he is here represented by
 stones unwrought1 may be understood    
from the ,brahmin's account of the      
origin of this place of worship4 ,my    
interpreter had been admitted the day   
before into the sanctum sanctorum1 and  
allowed to touch the stone1 which he    
says is smooth and shining1 and that the
 dark rings or streaks1 are painted on  

it2 probably it is an agate1 or some    
other stone of a similar kind1 found    
near some parts of the ,kistna1 and of  
an uncommon size4  ,the ,brahmins gave  
me the following account of the origin  
of the pagoda4 ,at                      
,chundra-gumpty-patnum1 twelve parvus   
down the river1 on the north side1      
formerly ruled a ,raja1 of great power2 
who being absent several years from his 
house1 in consequence of his important  
pursuits abroad2 on his return1 fell in 
love with his own daughter1 who had     
grown up during his long absence4 ,in   
vain the mother represented the impiety 
of his passion2 proceeding to force1 his
 daughter fled to these deserts of      
,perwuttum1 first uttering curses and   
imprecations against her father2 in     
consequence of which1 his power and     
wealth declined1 his city1 now a        
deserted ruin1 remains a monument of    
divine wrath1 and himself1 struck by the
 vengeance of heaven1 lies deep beneath 
the waters of ,puttela-gunga1 which are 

tinged green by the string of emeralds  
that adorned his neck4  ,the princess   
was called ,mallicadivi1 and lived in   
this wilderness4 ,among her cattle1 was 
a remarkably fine black cow1 which1 she 
complained to her herdsman1 never gave  
her milk4 ,he watched behind the trees1 
and saw the cow daily milked by an      
unknown person2 ,mallicadivi informed of
 this1 placed herself in a convenient   
situation1 and beholding the same       
unknown person milking the cow1 ran to  
strike him with the iron rod1 or mace1  
which she held in her hand2 but1 the    
figure suddenly disappeared1 and to her 
astonishment1 nothing remained but a    
rude shapeless stone4 ,at night1 the god
 appeared to her in a dream1 and        
informed her1 he was the person that    
milked the cow2 she therefore1 on this  
spot1 built the first temple that was   
consecrated to the worship of this      
deity1 represented by a rude stone4     
,this is the second temple that was     
shewn yesterday1 where he is exhibited  

in the rude state of the first          
discovery1 and is called                
,mudi-,nulla-carjee or ,mallacarjee2 the
 other temples were afterwards built1 in
 later times1 by ,rajahs and other      
opulent persons4 ,the ,lingam shewn by  
reflected light in the gilded temple1   
has also its history1 and stories1 still
 more absurd and wonderful1 attached to 
it4 ,it was brought from the city of    
,chundra-goompty-patnam4 ,the princess1 
now worshipped as a goddess1 is also    
called ,brama-,rumbo or                 
,strichillumrumbo1 from which the pagoda
 is sometimes called ,strichillum4      
,,chapter ,,iii4      ,representations  
of ,siva--,siva's quarrel with his      
father-in-law--,quarrel between ,brahma 
and ,vishnu--,misconduct     of         
,siva--,bengal temples of               
,siva--,ancient linga idols--,siege of  
,somnath--,ferishtah's history--,the    
twelve great     lingams--,account of   
the ,viri-,saivas--,the                 
,jangamas--,legend of     ,ravunu4      

,siva1 has the second place among the   
,hindoo deities1 though in general1 in  
allusion to their offices1 the principal
 gods are classed thus3 ,brahma1        
,vishnu1 ,siva4 ,siva1 personifies      
destruction or reproduction1 for ,hindu 
philosophy excludes1 while time shall   
exist1 the idea of complete             
annihilation3 to destroy is1 therefore1 
but to change1 or recreate1 or          
reproduce4  ,this god is represented in 
various ways4 ,in the dhyanu he appears 
as a white or silver coloured man with  
five faces2 an additional eye 7one of   
his names is ,trilochunu1 the three     
eyed71 and a half-moon on each forehead2
 four arms2 in the first a purushao2 in 
the second a deer2 with the third giving
 a blessing1 and with the fourth        
forbidding fear2 sitting on a           
water-lily1 and wearing a tiger's skin4 
,he is worshipped in the daily puja of  
the brahmins1 who silently meditate upon
 him in this form4  ,at other times     
,siva is represented with one head1     

three eyes1 and two arms1 riding on a   
bull1 covered with ashes1 naked1 his    
eyes inflamed with intoxicating herbs1  
having in one hand a horn1 and in the   
other a musical instrument called a     
dumbooru4  ,another of his images is the
 linga1 a smooth black stone very much  
like a sugar-loaf in shape1 with a      
projection of a spoon shape4  ,there are
 three different stories respecting the 
origin of this image4 ,the ,purana      
called ,doorga-bhagavata gives the      
following account3 ,king ,dukshu1 having
 had a quarrel with ,siva1 refused to   
invite him to a sacrifice which he was  
performing4 ,siva had married ,sutee1   
the daughter of ,dukshu4 ,she resolved1 
uninvited1 to attend at this sacrifice2 
but while there1 she was so overcome by 
the abuse which ,dukshu poured upon her 
husband1 that she died4  ,the ground of 
the quarrel between ,siva and his       
father-in-law was this3 ,it was the     
custom for the junior branches of a     
family1 as they arrived at an assembly1 

to bow to their older relation4 ,on a   
certain occasion ,siva neglected1 or    
refused1 to bow to his father-in-law1   
who began to abuse him in such a manner 
that a dreadful enmity was raised which 
ended in the destruction of ,dukshu4    
,on hearing the news of the fate of his 
beloved wife1 ,siva1 in vexation1       
renounced a secular life1 and assumed   
the profession of a religious mendicant 
called a sunyasee4 ,as a naked sunyasee 
he wandered from forest to forest1 in   
the bitterness of grief4 ,at length he  
arrived in a certain wilderness where   
many moonees were performing religious  
austerities1 by the side of the river at
 a distance from their homes4 ,the wives
 of these moonees1 on beholding this    
naked1 dirty1 and withered sunyasee1    
asked him who he was1 and why he was    
wandering up and down in this state8 ,he
 related to them the cause of his       
sorrow1 viz41 that he had been deprived 
of his wife1 and was overwhelmed with   
distress on her account4 ,the women     

laughed at him1 and pretended to doubt  
his relation1 declaring that his body   
was so withered1 that all desires must  
have been extinguished4 ,in this manner 
they provoked ,siva1 till at length he  
seized the wife of one of the moonees   
and deflowered her4 ,the moonee on      
hearing this relation1 pronounced a     
curse on ,siva1 and he became an        
hermaphrodite4 ,as soon as the curse had
 taken effect1 the linga sunk into      
patalu1 the world of serpents1 and      
ascended into the boundless space4      
,before this period1 a fierce quarrel   
had taken place betwixt ,brahma and     
,vishnu1 as to which of them was the    
greatest1 the former as the creator1 or 
the latter as the preserver or          
cherisher1 of all4 ,they appealed to    
,siva1 who left it to be determined by a
 trial of strength at some future time1 
when he should have leisure4  ,siva at  
length proposed to the two gods to      
settle their quarrel in this way3 one of
 them should ascend1 and endeavour to   

ascertain the height of the linga1 and  
the other descend1 and bring up word of 
its depth4 ,brahma ascended1 and ,vishnu
 plunged into patalu4 ,in this way both 
the gods tried their utmost efforts1 but
 could not find either the height or the
 depth of the linga4 ,as ,brahma        
ascended1 he met a flower which had     
fallen from the top of the linga1 and   
asked how far it was to the top4 ,the   
flower told him that it had been falling
 from the head of the linga so many     
kulpus 7one kulpu is four hundred and   
thirty-two millions of years of mortals7
 and had not reached the earth yet2 what
 hope was there then of his reaching the
 top8 ,brahma related the account of the
 difference betwixt him and ,vishnu1 and
 that upon this trial of their powers   
the point of pre-eminence was to be     
decided4 ,the flower advised ,brahma to 
tell the assembled gods1 that he had    
gone to the top1 and if they doubted the
 fact1 he might call him to confirm it4 
,brahma descended1 and ,vishnu came up  

disappointed in his attempt to get to   
the bottom of the linga4 ,when the two  
gods arrived in the assembly1 ,brahma   
declared that he had been to the top1   
and brought the flower to prove it4     
,vishnu confessed his disappointment1   
and charged the flower with witnessing a
 falsehood4 ,to this all the gods       
assented1 and ,vishnu pronounced a curse
 upon the flower1 that it should never  
be received among the offerings         
presented to ,siva4  ,after the matter  
was thus disposed of1 the gods resolved 
that the worship of the linga should    
have the precedency of every other      
worship2 that the benefits attending its
 worship should be boundless1 and that  
the heaviest curses should fall on those
 who neglected to worship this image4   
,so much for the account in the         
,doorga-bhagavata3 in the ,kaduru-khundu
 the origin of the worship is thus      
mentioned3  ,when the gods resolved to  
churn the sea1 in order to obtain the   
water of life1 become immortal1 and     

overcome the usoorus1 they were greatly 
afraid lest the usoorus should seize the
 water of life1 and become immortal     
also4 ,when the water of life came up1  
they contrived to send the usoorus to   
bathe2 but after bathing1 they arrived  
before the gods had drank the           
life-giving beverage4 ,to draw off their
 attention1 ,vishnu assumed the form of 
a most beautiful female4 ,this          
contrivance was successful4  ,the god   
,siva hearing that ,vishnu had assumed  
this form1 went to the spot1 and was so 
overcome by the charms of ,mohinee1 that
 he was about to seize her by force3 she
 fled1 and ,siva followed her2 mad with 
lust1 he pursued her till she could run 
no longer1 when she turned1 and         
pronouncing a curse upon him by which he
 became a hermaphrodite1 she immediately
 assumed her original form1 viz41 that  
of ,vishnu4 ,siva was so enraged1 that  
all the gods1 full of fear1 arrived to  
soften him by praise4 ,he at length     
consented to dismiss his anger on       

condition that the linga should become  
an object of universal worship4         
,another account of the origin of this  
worship is contained in some of the     
other puranas3 ,at the time of a        
universal destruction of the world all  
the gods are absorbed in what is called 
akashu2 the linga alone remains4 ,the   
puranas1 therefore1 say that as all the 
gods except the linga are absorbed in   
the akashu1 he who worships the linga1  
obtains the unbounded merit of embracing
 all the deities at once4 ,from these   
stories1 temples innumerable have arisen
 in ,india1 and a ,siva linga placed in 
each of them1 and worshipped as a god4  
,the worship of ,siva under the type of 
the ,linga1 is almost the only form in  
which that deity is reverenced4 ,its    
prevalence throughout the whole tract of
 the ,ganges1 as far as ,benares1 is    
sufficiently conspicuous4 ,in ,bengal   
the temples are commonly erected in a   
range of six1 eight1 or twelve1 on each 
side of a ,ghat1 leading to the river4  

,at ,kalna is a circular group of one   
hundred and eight temples1 erected by   
the ,rajah of ,bardwan4 ,each of the    
temples in ,bengal consists of a single 
chamber1 of a square form1 surmounted by
 a pyramidal centre2 the area of each is
 very small1 the ,linga1 of black or    
white marble1 occupies the centre2 the  
offerings are presented at the          
threshold4 ,benares1 however1 is the    
peculiar seat of this form of worship3  
the principal deity1 ,visweswara1 is a  
,linga1 and most of the chief objects of
 the pilgrimage are similar blocks of   
stone4 ,particular divisions of the     
pilgrimage direct visiting forty-seven  
,lingas1 all of pre-eminent sanctity2   
but there are hundreds of inferior note 
still worshipped1 and thousands whose   
fame and fashion have died away4 ,if we 
may believe ,siva1 indeed1 he counted a 
hundred ,pararrdhyas in the ,kasi1 of   
which1 at the time he is supposed to    
tell this to ,devi1 he adds sixty crore1
 or six hundred millions were covered by

 the waters of the ,ganges4 ,a          
,pararrdhya is said1 by the commentator 
on the ,kasi-,khanda1 in which this     
dialogue occurs1 to contain as many     
years of mortals as are equal to fifty  
of ,brahma's years4  ,this worship of   
,siva1 under the type of the ,linga1 is 
also1 perhaps1 the most ancient object  
of homage adopted in ,india1            
subsequently to the ritual of the       
,vedas1 which was chiefly1 if not       
wholly1 addressed to the elements1 and  
particularly to ,fire4 ,how far the     
worship of the ,linga is authorised by  
the ,vedas1 is doubtful1 but it is the  
main purport of several of the          
,puranas--such as the ,skanda-,purana1  
the ,siva1 ,brahmanda1 and ,linga       
,puranas4 ,there can be no doubt of its 
universality at the period of the       
,mohammedan invasion of ,india4 ,the    
idol destroyed by ,mahmud of ,ghizni1   
was nothing more than a ,linga1 being1  
according to ,mirkhond1 a block of stone
 of four or five cubits long1 and of    

proportionate thickness4 ,the passage   
from the ,rozet as ,sefa 7cited in the  
,asiatic ,researches1 vol4 #ag71 runs   
thus3--,the temple in which the idol of 
,somnath stood1 was of considerable     
extent1 both in length and breath1 and  
the roof was supported by fifty-six     
pillars in rows4 ,the idol was of       
polished stone1 its height was about    
five cubits1 and its thickness in       
proportion3 two cubits were below       
ground4 ,mahmud having entered the      
temple1 broke the stone ,somnath with a 
heavy mace2 some of the fragments he    
ordered to be conveyed to ,ghizni1 and  
they were placed at the threshold of the
 great ,mosque4  ,another authority1 the
 ,tebkat ,akbeeri1 a history of ,akber's
 reign1 with a preliminary ,sketch of   
,indian ,history1 has the following3 ,in
 the year #dae 7,hijera7 ,mahmud        
determined to lead an army against      
,somnath1 a city of the seashore1 with a
 temple appertaining to the followers of
 ,brahma2 the temple contained many     

idols1 the principal of which was named 
,somnath4 ,it is related in some        
histories that this idol was carried    
from the ,kaaba1 upon the coming of the 
,prophet1 and transported to ,india4    
,the ,brahminical records1 however1     
refer it to the times of ,krishna1 or an
 antiquity of #djjj years4 ,krishna1    
himself1 is said to have disappeared at 
this place4  ,when the ,sultan arrived  
at ,neherwaleh 7the capital of ,guzerat7
 he found the city deserted1 and        
carrying off such provisions as could be
 procured1 he advanced to ,somnath3 the 
inhabitants of this place shut their    
gates against him1 but it was soon      
carried by the irresistable valour of   
his troops1 and a terrible slaughter of 
its defenders ensued4 ,the temple was   
levelled with the ground3 the idol      
,somnath1 which was of stone1 was broken
 to pieces1 and in commemoration of the 
victory1 a fragment was sent to ,ghizni1
 where it was laid at the threshold of  
the principal mosque1 and was there many

 years4  ,ferishtah1 the historian1     
supplies a much more graphic1 if not    
reliable account4 ,he says3 ,when the   
garrison of ,sumnat beheld their defeat1
 they were struck with confusion and    
fear4 ,they withdrew their hands from   
the sight1 and issuing out at a gate    
towards the sea1 to the number of four  
thousand embarked in boats1 intending to
 proceed to the island of ,sirindiep4   
,but they did not escape the eyes of the
 king4 ,he seized upon boats which were 
left in a neighbouring creek1 and       
manning them with rowers and some of his
 best troops1 pursued the enemy1 taking 
and sinking some of their boats while   
others escaped4 ,having then placed     
guards round the walls and at the gates1
 he entered ,sumnat1 with his son and a 
few of his nobles and principal         
attendants4 ,when they advanced to the  
temple1 they saw a great and antique    
structure1 built of stone1 within a     
spacious court4 ,they immediately       
entered it1 and discovered a great      

square hall1 having its lofty roof      
supported by fifty-six pillars1         
curiously turned and set with precious  
stones4 ,in the centre of the hall stood
 ,sumnat1 an idol of stone1 five yards  
in height1 two of which were sunk in the
 ground4  ,the king was enraged when he 
saw this idol1 and raising his mace1    
struck off the nose from the face4 ,he  
then ordered that two pieces of the     
image should be broken off1 to be sent  
to ,ghizni1 there to be thrown at the   
threshold of the public mosque1 and in  
the court of his palace4 ,two more      
fragments he reserved to be sent to     
,mecca and ,medina4 ,when ,mahmood was  
thus employed in breaking up ,sumnat1 a 
crowd of ,brahmins petitioned his       
attendants1 and offered some crores 7ten
 millions7 in gold1 if the king should  
be pleased to proceed no further4 ,the  
,omrahs endeavoured to persuade ,mahmood
 to accept the money2 for they said that
 breaking up the idol could not remove  
idolatry from the walls of ,sumnat1 that

 therefore it would serve no purpose to 
destroy the image1 but that such a sum  
of money given in charity1 among        
believers1 would be a very meritorious  
action4 ,the king acknowledged that what
 they said was1 in some measure1 true2  
but should he consent to that bargain1  
he might justly be called a seller of   
idols2 and that he looked upon a breaker
 of them as a more honourable title4 ,he
 therefore ordered them to proceed4 ,the
 next blow having broken up the belly of
 ,sumnat1 which had been made hollow1   
they discovered that it was full of     
diamonds1 rubies1 and pearls1 of a much 
greater value than the amount of what   
the ,brahmins had offered1 so that a    
zeal for religion was not the sole cause
 of their application to ,mahmood4  ,it 
is said1 by some writers1 that the name 
of this idol is a compound word of ,sum 
and ,nat2 ,sum being the name of the    
prince who erected it1 and ,nat the true
 name of the god2 which in the language 
of the ,brahmins1 signifies ,creator4   

,in the time of eclipses we are told    
that there used to be forty or fifty    
thousand worshippers at this temple2 and
 that the different princes of          
,hindostan had bestowed1 in all1 two    
thousand villages1 with their           
territories1 for the maintenance of its 
priests2 besides the innumerable        
presents received from all parts of the 
empire4 ,it was a custom among these    
idolaters1 to wash ,sumnat1 every       
morning and evening1 with fresh water   
from the ,ganges1 though that river is  
above one thousand miles distant4       
,among the spoils of this temple was a  
chain of gold1 weighing forty maunds1   
which hung from the top of the building 
by a ring4 ,it supported a great bell1  
which warned the people to the worship  
of the god4 ,besides two thousands      
,brahmins1 who officiated as priests1   
there belonged to the temple five       
hundred dancing-girls1 three hundred    
musicians1 and three hundred barbers1 to
 shave the devotees before they were    

admitted to the presence of ,sumnat4    
,the dancing-girls were either          
remarkable for their beauty or their    
quality1 the ,rajas thinking it a honour
 to have their daughters admitted4 ,the 
king of ,ghizni found in this temple1 a 
greater quantity of jewels and gold1    
than1 it is thought1 any royal treasury 
contained before4 ,in the history of    
,eben ,assur1 it is related that there  
was no light in the temple1 but one     
pendant lamp1 which being reflected from
 the jewels1 spread a strong and        
refulgent light over the whole place4   
,besides the great idol above mentioned1
 there were in the temple some thousands
 of small images1 in gold and silver1 of
 various shapes and dimensions4  ,the   
idol destroyed by ,mahmood was1 in fact1
 one of the twelve great ,lingas1 then  
set up in various parts of ,india1      
several of which besides ,somesware1 or 
,somanath1 which was the name of the    
,siva demolished by ,mahmood1 were      
destroyed by the early ,mahommedan      

conquerors4  ,in the ,kedara ,kalpa1    
,siva says3 ,i am omnipresent1 but ,i am
 especially in twelve forms and places4 
7#a7 ,somanatha1 in ,saurashtra4 7#b7   
,mallikarjuna1 or ,sri ,saila4 7#c7     
,mahakala1 in ,ougein4 7#d7 ,omkara1    
said to have been in ,ujayin4 7#e7      
,amareswara1 also placed in ,ujayin4    
7#f7 ,vaidyanath1 at ,deogerh in        
,bengal4 7#g7 ,ramesa1 at ,setubandha4  
7#h7 ,bhimasankara1 in ,dakini4 7,the   
#ith is missing from the list enumerated
 by ,mr4 ,wilson in the ,asiatic        
,researches1 said to be unknown74 7#aj7 
,tryambaka1 on the banks of the ,gomati4
 7#aa7 ,gautamesa1 site unknown4 7#ab7  
,kedaresa1 or ,kedaranath1 in the       
,himalaya4  ,one of the forms in which  
the ,linga worship appears1 is that of  
the ,lingayets1 ,lingawauts1 or         
,jangamas4 ,these are the               
anti-braminical worshippers of ,siva1   
who are distinguished by their wearing a
 small idol1 either hung on the breast1 
round the neck or arm1 or placed in the 

turban2 the idol is of silver or copper4
 ,in common with the ,saivas1 generally 
the ,jangamas smear their foreheads with
 ,vibhuti or ashes1 and wear necklaces  
and rosaries of the ,rudraksha seed4    
,the priests stain their garments with  
red ochre4 ,they have never been very   
numerous in the north of ,india1 being  
rarely met with except as beggars1      
leading about a bull1 the living type of
 ,nandi1 the bull of ,siva1 decorated   
with housings of various colours and    
strings of ,cowri shells3 the conductor 
carries a bell in his hand1 and thus    
accompanied goes about from place to    
place1 subsisting upon alms4 ,these are 
the disciples of ,basava1 whom they     
regard as a form of the god ,siva4 ,they
 are numerous in the ,south of ,india1  
among the ,canarese1 the ,telugus1 and  
the ,tamils1 the officiating priests of 
the ,saiva shrines are generally of this
 sect1 when they bear the designations  
of ,aradyha1 and ,pandaram4 ,the sect is
 also known by the name of ,vira ,saiva4

  ,many years ago1 ,professor ,wilson   
supplied certain information relative to
 this sect in his paper in the #agth    
volume of the ,asiatic ,researches4     
,that information was sufficiently      
interesting to create a desire for      
further particulars4 ,additional        
researches were accordingly entered upon
 and we are now able to supply a much   
fuller account than had hitherto been   
possible4  ,among ,brahmins the ,smartas
 7followers of ,sancar ,achari7 are     
generally called saivites1 but are in   
fact freethinkers1 equally willing to   
adore ,siva and ,vishnu4 ,their creed   
may be found in the ,mahabharat1 the    
,bhagavat1 and the ,ramayan1 all of     
which are entirely rejected by the      
disciples of ,basava4 ,there are indeed 
some few ,siva ,brahmins who officiate  
as priests in the ,siva temples1 and    
though but little is known of their     
peculiarities they certainly are        
different from the ,smartas1 who refuse 
to receive the holy water and rice4     

,the ,vira-,saivas are divided into two 
sects3 one is semi-braminical1 called   
,aradhyas2 the other is anti-braminical1
 and is called ,jangam4 ,the ,aradhyas  
claim to be descendants of saivite      
brahmins1 and between them and the      
,smartas there is a certain degree of   
reluctant intercourse3 founded upon the 
rites of initiation which both parties  
use4 ,their history1 when divested of   
fabulous decoration seems to be that1   
their creed was founded by ,basava1 whom
 they adore as their one deity2 looking 
upon him as an avatar or incarnation of 
,siva1 the god of this creed4  ,basava  
was the son of a ,saivite brahmin1 named
 ,madenga ,madamantri1 at               
,hinguleswaram1 a village near ,bagwari 
in ,belgaum1 in the southern ,mahratta  
country4 ,when he was a boy he refused  
7they allege7 to wear the braminical    
thread1 because the rites that confer   
this mark of initiation require the     
adoration of the sun in the manner      
prescribed in the ,vedas4 ,perhaps in   

truth he did assume it1 but if so1 he   
subsequently renounced it4 ,shortly     
after this time he escaped from his     
parents1 and accompanied by his sister  
,acca ,nagamma1 he fled to ,calianum1   
the capital of the ,carnataca country1  
where the reigning prince was ,bizzala  
or ,vijala1 a ,jaina by religion1 whose 
minister1 a brahmin1 was ,basava's      
maternal uncle3 he bestowed employment  
on ,basava1 and ultimately gave him his 
daughter in marriage4 7,this proves1    
says a writer in the ,madras ,journal1  
in my opinion1 though opposed to that of
 his followers1 that he did not lay     
aside the braminical thread in          
childhood1 for had he done so no brahmin
 could have given him his daughter in   
marriage47 ,at his death ,basava        
succeeded to his office1 and gradually  
usurped great power4  ,it would seem    
that at this time he began to compare   
the opposed statements of ,jainas and   
,brahmins1 and perceived that both      
creeds were idolatrous4 ,in the end he  

determined on getting rid of the        
braminical priestcraft1 and accordingly 
refused to worship any deity but ,siva1 
whose image1 the lingam1 is the most    
ancient idol known among the ,hindus4   
,a writer on the subject says3--,this   
symbol is as separate from indecency in 
the ,hindu mind as circumcision is to   
the ,mahomedan mind4 ,the ,brahmins with
 their usual love of filth have         
connected a variety of obscenities with 
the linga worship1 but these are wholly 
unknown to the ,jangams1 who look upon  
this idol just as the catholics do upon 
a reliquary1 with deep veneration       
',hanging a golden stamp about their    
necks   ,put on with holy prayers4'     
,the image erected in the ,saiva temples
 being denominated ,sthavara ,linga1 or 
the stable image1 he denominated this   
reliquary the ,jangama ,lingam or       
,locomotive image3 a phrase borrowed    
from the ,vedas1 where it is used for   
living being4 ,hence he and his         
followers are denominated ,jangams1 or  

living images of the deity4  ,basava's  
determined opposition to the ,saivite   
,brahmins and to the ,jainas raised him 
many enemies2 while his bounty to the   
poor gained him friends equally         
numerous4 ,at last the prince's jealousy
 was roused1 and a civil war ensued1    
wherein ,bizzala was slain1 and this    
event was soon succeeded by the death of
 ,basava1 who1 according to his         
followers was absorbed into the image1  
or vanished2 while the ,jaina account   
declares that he fled to ,capila        
,sangam1 where the ,malparba and        
,krishna rivers meet1 about one hundred 
and four miles west of ,bellary4  ,the  
name ,basava is a very common one among 
,hindus3 the ,jangams have taken        
occasion from their teacher having borne
 it to feign that he was an incarnation 
of ,nandi or ,bassava 7the ,apis or bull
 appertaining to ,siva or ,osiris71 and 
this has been the source of numerous    
idle legends in the subject4  ,the      
,basava ,purana after recording the     

events just alluded to1 enumerates      
various marvellous actions1 performed by
 ,basava and several of his disciples1  
such as converting grains of corn to    
pearls1 discovering hidden treasures1   
feeding multitudes1 healing the sick1   
and restoring the dead to life1 and then
 gives various anecdotes from which we  
make a selection4  ,basava having made  
himself remarkable for the profuse      
bounties he bestowed upon the ,jangamas1
 helping himself from the royal treasury
 for that purpose1 the other ministers  
reported his conduct to ,bijala1 who    
called upon him to account for the money
 in his charge4 ,basava smiled1 and     
giving the keys of the treasury to the  
king1 requested him to examine it1 which
 being done1 the amount was found wholly
 undiminished4 ,bijala thereupon caused 
it to be proclaimed1 that whoever       
calumniated ,basava1 should have his    
tongue cut out4  ,a ,jangama1 who       
cohabited with a dancing-girl1 sent a   
slave for his allowance of rice to the  

house of ,basava1 where the messenger   
saw the wife of the latter1 and on his  
return reported to the dancing-girl the 
magnificence of her attire4 ,the        
mistress of the ,jangama was filled with
 a longing for a similar dress1 and the 
,jangama having no other means of       
gratifying her1 repaired to ,basava1 to 
beg of him his wife's garment4 ,basava  
immediately stripped ,gangamba1 his     
wife1 and other dresses springing from  
her body1 he gave them all to the       
,jangama4  ,a person of the name of     
,kanapa1 who regularly worshipped the   
image of ,ckamreswara1 imagining the    
eyes of the deity were affected1 plucked
 out his own1 and placed them in the    
sockets of the figure4 ,siva1 pleased   
with his devotion1 restored his         
worshipper his eyes4  ,a devout ,saiva  
named ,mahadevala ,machaya1 who engaged 
to wash for all the ,jangamas1 having   
killed a child1 the ,raja ordered       
,basava to have him secured and         
punished2 but ,basava declined          

undertaking the duty1 as it would be    
unavailing to offer any harm to the     
worshippers of ,siva4 ,bijala           
persisting1 sent his servants to seize  
and tie him to the legs of an elephant1 
but ,machaya caught the elephant by the 
trunk1 and dashed him and his attendant 
to pieces4 ,he then proceeded to attack 
the ,raja1 who being alarmed1 applied to
 ,basava1 and by his advice1 humbled    
himself before the offended ,jangama4   
,basava also deprecated his wrath1 and  
,machaya being appeased1 forgave the    
king1 and restored the elephant and the 
guards to life4  ,a poor ,jangam having 
solicited alms of ,kinnaraya1 one of    
,basava's chief disciples1 the latter   
touched the stones about them with his  
staff1 and converting them into gold1   
told the ,jangam to help himself4  ,the 
work is also in many places addressed to
 the ,jainas1 in the shape of a dialogue
 between some of the ,jangama saints and
 the members of that faith1 in which the
 former narrate to the latter instances 

of the superiority of the ,saiva        
religion1 and the falsehood of the ,jain
 faith1 which appears to have been that 
of ,bijala ,raza1 and the great part of 
the population of ,kalyana4 ,in order to
 convert them ,ckanta ,ramaya1 one of   
,basava's disciples1 cut off his head in
 their presence1 and then marched five  
days in solemn procession through and   
round the city1 and on the fifth day    
replaced his head upon his shoulders4   
,the ,jain ,pagodas were thereupon1 it  
is said1 destroyed by the ,jangamas4 ,it
 does not appear1 however1 that the king
 was made a convert1 or that he approved
 of the principles and conduct of his   
minister4 ,he seems1 on the contrary1 to
 have incurred his death by attempting  
to repress the extension of the ,vira   
,saiva belief4 ,different authorities1  
although they disagree as to the manner 
in which ,bijala was destroyed1 concur  
in stating the fact4  ,in the city of   
,kalyana were two devout worshippers of 
,siva1 named ,allaya and ,madhuvaya4    

,they fixed their faith firmly on the   
divinity they adored1 and assiduously   
reverenced their spiritual preceptor1   
attending upon ,basava whithersoever he 
went4 ,the king1 ,bijala1 well knew     
their merits1 but closed his eyes to    
their superiority1 and listening to the 
calumnious accusations of their enemies1
 commanded the eyes of ,allaya and      
,madhuvaya to be plucked out4 ,the      
disciples of ,basava1 as well as        
himself1 were highly indignant at the   
cruel treatment of these holy men1 and  
leaving to ,jagaddeva1 the task of      
putting ,bijala to death1 and denouncing
 imprecations upon the city1 they       
departed from ,kalyana--,basava fixed   
his residence at ,sangameswara4         
,machaya1 ,bommidevaya1 ,kinnara1       
,kannatha1 ,kakaya1 ,masayana1          
,kolakila1 ,bommadeva1 ,kesirajaya1     
,mathirajaya1 and others1 announced to  
the people1 that the fortunes of ,bijala
 had passed away1 as indicated by       
portentous signs2 and accordingly the   

crows crowed in the night1 jackals      
howled by day2 the sun was eclipsed1    
storms of wind and rain came on1 the    
earth shook1 and darkness overspread the
 heavens4 ,the inhabitants of ,kalyana  
were filled with terror4  ,when         
,jagaddeva repaired home1 his mother met
 him1 and told him when any injury had  
been done to a disciple of the ,saiva   
faith1 his fellow should avenge him or  
die4 ,when ,daksha treated ,siva with   
contumely1 ,parvati threw herself into  
the flames1 and so1 under the wrong     
offered to the saints1 he should not sit
 down contented3 thus saying1 she gave  
him food at the door of his mansion4    
,thither also came ,mallaya and         
,bommaya1 two others of the saints1 and 
they partook of ,jagaddeva's meal4 ,then
 smearing their bodies with holy ashes1 
they took up the spear1 and sword1 and  
shield1 and marched together against    
,bijala4 ,on their way a bull appeared1 
whom they knew to be a form of ,basava  
come to their aid1 and the bull went    

first1 even to the court of the king1   
goring any one that came in their way1  
and opening a clear path for them4 ,thus
 they reached the court1 and put ,bijala
 to death in the midst of all his       
courtiers1 and then they danced1 and    
proclaimed the cause why they had put   
the king to death4 ,jugaddeva on his way
 back recalling the words of his mother1
 stabbed himself4 ,then arose dissension
 in the city1 and the people fought     
amongst themselves1 and horses with     
horses1 and elephants with elephants1   
until1 agreeably to the curse denounced 
upon it by ,basava and his disciples1   
,kalyana was utterly destroyed4  ,basava
 continued to reside at ,sangameswara1  
conversing with his disciples1 and      
communing with the divine ,essence1 and 
he expostulated with ,siva1 saying1 ',by
 thy command have ,i1 and thy attendant 
train1 come upon earth1 and thou hast   
promised to recall us to thy presence   
when our task was accomplished4' ,then  
,siva and ,parvati came forth from the  

,sangameswara ,lingam1 and were visible 
to ,basava1 who fell on the ground      
before them4 ,they raised him1 and led  
him to the sanctuary1 and all three     
disappeared in the presence of the      
disciples1 and they praised their       
master1 and flowers fell from the sky1  
and then the disciples spread themselves
 abroad1 and made known the absorption  
of ,basava into the emblem of ,siva4#h  
#h ,see the ,mackenzie ,collection1 vol4
 #b1 ,halakanara ,,mss4  ,a writer in   
the ,madras ,literary ,journal1 upwards 
of fifty years ago1 said that by        
perusing the books and observing the    
customs of the ,jangams1 we might       
plainly see the grounds of that hatred  
in which ,brahmins held the ,jangams4   
,their leader was the resolute opponent 
of every braminical principle4 ,the     
,brahmins inculcated the adoration of   
many gods4 ,he declared that there was  
only one sole deity4 ,they venerated    
goddesses and subordinate beings2 they  
reverenced cows1 hawks1 monkeys1 rats   

and snakes2 they used fasts and feasts1 
penance and pilgrimage1 rosaries and    
holy water4 ,all these he renounced2 he 
set aside the ,vedas which they         
venerated4 ,they declared ,brahmins to  
be literally gods upon earth1 women to  
be vastly inferior to men in all things1
 and parias to be utterly abominable4   
,basava abolished these distinctions4   
,he taught that all men are holy in     
proportion as they are temples of the   
great spirit2 that by birth all are     
equal2 and amongst those whom the       
,jangam books describe as saints1 we    
find not a single ,brahmin1 but many    
parias and many women4 ,in the          
braminical writings1 women are usually  
treated in a manner abhorrent to        
,european feelings1 but in the ,jangama 
books we find a very different temper4  
,the three words ,guru1 ,linga1 ,jangam1
 are said to comprise the creed of the  
sect1 and were evidently intended to    
disavow every part of the braminical    
priestly tyranny4 ,this mystic phrase is

 thus expounded4 ,the image 7lingam7 is 
the deity3 the ,jangam is the wearer or 
fellow worshipper3 and he who breathes  
the sacred spell in the ear is the      
,guru4 ,thus he supplies the link       
between the god and the worshipper1 and 
ever after is looked upon with affection
 as the true parent3 even more respected
 than the father according to the flesh4
 ,for1 says the ,jangam1 ,i am one with 
the deity1 and he alone is my father who
 conferred this unity on me4  ,brahmins 
frequently allege that the ,jangams are 
a depraved sect1 who are guided by the  
,tantras or heretical books1 says ,mr4  
,brown1 but we should not incautiously  
believe this4 ,the ,jangams are in all  
respects opposed to licentiousness1     
which is the main-spring of the         
,tantras4 ,the ,jangams came from the   
west1 the ,tantricas from the north4    
,the ,jangams adore the ,linga1 and     
abhor ,maia the goddess of delusion     
7,venus or ,cali1 as ,devi71 who is     
expressly the goddess 7,yoni1 or ,bhaga 

,malini7 of the ,tantricas4 ,the        
,tantricas take no notice of the        
,lingam2 they adore ,betala 7the devil71
 and other malevolent powers4 ,the      
,jangams honour ,siva as ,daxina ,murti1
 or the beneficent and loving deity4    
,the ,tantricas say they aim at a       
perfect release from fleshly lusts4 ,the
 ,jangams do the same4 ,but the former  
being hypocrites pretend to yield to    
their passions as the path to freedom4  
,whereas the ,vira ,saivas call on their
 votaries to deny themselves in all     
respects4 ,they attend especially to the
 rules concerning funerals1 marriage2   
and placing infants in the creed4 ,on   
all these points the ,tantras are       
silent4 ,the ,tantras inculcate the use 
of flesh1 wine1 magic and debauchery1   
the ,jangam creed abhors these4 ,the    
,jangams are an avowed sect2 the        
,tantricas assume the guise of ,smartas4
 ,the ,jangams train up their children  
in their creed2 the ,tantricas merely   
admit proselytes4 ,the ,jangams are     

sober1 devout and humble2 the ,tantricas
 are debauched1 atheistical and proud4  
,the ,jangams are rigid puritans3 the   
,tantricas are licentious atheists4     
,herein their depravity resembles that  
of the worshippers of ,isis in ,rome1   
the ,st4 ,simonians in ,france1 the     
,illuminati1 and other philosophers of  
,germany1 the followers of ,cagliostro  
in ,italy1 and the ,nessereahs at       
,kerrund in ,persia4  ,with a few       
touches of his felicitous pencil1       
,shakespeare has given a view of their  
system1 or philosophy which is the      
,sacti ,puja or ,worship of ,power4     
,thus everything includes itself in     
,power3  ,power into will3 will into    
,appetite3  ,and ,appetite1 an universal
 wolf1  ,so doubly seconded with ,will  
and ,power  ,must make perforce an      
universal prey1  ,and1 last1 eat up     
himself4                                
,,troilus ,i4  ,again 7,,antony ,,and   
,,cleopatra1 ,,ii41 #a47--   ,let       
witchcraft join with beauty1 lust with  

both3  ,tie up the libertine in a field 
of sweets  ,keep his brain fuming1 c4   
,indeed1 the sottish aspirations of     
,gonzalo 7,tempest1 ,act ,,ii1 ,scene   
#a71 give a summary of the bacchanalian 
rites taught in the ,tantras4 ,and if   
the reader has any curiosity regarding  
their system of magic1 he will find it  
in ,dr4 ,herklot's ,english translation 
of the ,canom-e-,islam1 or customs of   
the ,moosulmans of ,india4  ,knowing the
 deserved odium that attaches to the    
,tantras1 ,brahmins assert that these   
constitute the ,jangam system4 ,but were
 this the case how does it happen that  
the ,tantra volumes are found only in   
the possession of ,brahmins8 ,the fact  
is that both parties read the ,tantras  
from motives of curiosity1 just as a    
,protestant might read the ,koran       
without in any point adopting the       
,mahommedan faith4 ,the ,jangams        
honestly avow1 and vindicate all they   
do1 they have no motive for concealment4
 ,the ,brahmin acts on an opposite      

principle and assures us that the       
,jangams are a depraved and senseless   
set of heretics1 who obey the levelling 
principles of the ,tantras1 and pay     
honour to the vilest castes4  ,it is to 
be observed that no instance is known of
 a ,vira ,saiva acting on the principles
 laid down in the ,tantras4 ,to excuse  
their aptness to read these abominations
 they allege that the ,tantras belong to
 their creed because they describe ,siva
 as the great deity1 and countenance1 as
 ,basava does1 the abolition of caste4  
,these are but slender apologies1 for   
such an imitation of the evil example   
set them by the ,brahmins4  ,the ,minda 
,jangamas or ,bachelors are spoken of in
 various passages of the ,lingadhari    
poems4 ,they are confessed to be        
libertines1 but are devout4 ,they have  
interviews with 7,vesias7 courtezans who
 are likewise devout66  ,the following  
is the received opinion4 ,the ,jangams  
are entirely forbidden to have          
intercourse with prostitutes3 but among 

the earliest proselytes were some       
unmarried men1 who were permitted by    
,basava to have intercourse with        
courtezans who belonged to the sect4    
,these men were called ,minda ,jangams  
or libertines1 and in the present age   
there are none2 for all are bound either
 to marriage or to virtuous celibacy4   
,in the western districts there are     
prostitutes who are called ,basvinis1   
and are said to be thus devoted by their
 parents1 on their lives being in danger
 through illness in infancy4 ,some of   
these are daughters of ,jangams3 but all
 are not so1 being children of ,hindus  
of other castes4 ,i have heard of some  
,jangams in similar cases attempting to 
remove a child's illness by giving it a 
braminical name1 with a view to appease 
some god or goddess1 whose displeasure  
is imagined to have caused disease4     
,these statements certainly shew the    
purity of the creed not to be so        
complete as its devotees assert4  ,the  
,vira ,saivas illustrate their creed by 

a comparison quite in the ,hindu style4 
,they say1 the guru is the cow3 whose   
mouth is the ,jangam or brother in the  
faith2 and the lingam or image is the   
udder4 ,the cow benefits its owner by   
means of the udder3 but what fills the  
udder8 the mouth4 ,and what connects the
 mouth and the udder8 the body4         
,accordingly if a ,vira ,saiva wishes   
the image to benefit him 7that is1 if he
 desires to obtain the favour of the    
deity71 he must feed the mouth--that is 
sustain and comfort his brethren4 ,and  
then the blessing will be conveyed to   
him by means of the teacher4            
,accordingly the ,jangams blame the     
,aradhyas for neglecting this command1  
and ask how they can expect the image to
 nourish them if they neglect to sustain
 brethren and fellows in the faith1 for 
the ,aradhya refuses to look upon any   
but ,aradhyas as brethren4  ,the        
strangest part of their legends         
regarding ,siva is that wherein he is   
represented in the most contemptible    

light as completely the servant of      
various worthies or saints4 ,such       
stories abound in the ,basava ,puran but
 are excluded from the ,lila4 ,in these1
 some personages are represented under  
most degraded circumstances1 as obeying 
or waiting upon the saint whom the      
legend extols4 ,thus in the fourth book 
of the ,basava ,puran is a story of a   
certain worthy named ,nambi1 who by     
force of faith got ,siva so completely  
into his hands that he employed the god 
as a mere slave4 ,in another story one  
of the worthies scolded ,siva1 who was  
so much alarmed that he slunk round the 
other side of the image1 and ran away   
into the jungle4 ,other stories         
represent this paltry demi-god acting   
either as a thief or as a receiver of   
stolen goods1 to protect his adorers2   
and they frequently represent him as    
acting the part of a pander1 at the     
bidding of one of the worthies4  ,in    
apology for these stories ,jangams      
allege that they all establish the      

necessity of faith as the great means of
 attaining happiness and miraculous     
power4 ,as the ,brahmins1 say they1 call
 themselves gods upon earth1 we will    
shew that our worthies are quite a match
 for them4 ,accordingly there are many  
legends to prove that food or the       
leavings of food blessed by a worthy1   
can perform all sorts of miracles4 ,for 
instance1 a ,brahmin1 who1 by a curse1  
had become a swine1 ate what a ,jangam  
had spit out and hereby resumed the     
human form4 ,elsewhere a ,jangam's shoe 
works miracles4         99       99     
99       99       99  ,ravunu was once  
carrying an unadee-lingu from ,himaluyu 
to ,lunka1 in order that he might       
accomplish all his ambitious schemes    
against the gods1 for it was the        
property of this stone1 also called     
,kamu-lingu1 to grant the worshipper all
 his desires1 whatever they might be4   
,shinu1 however1 in permitting him to   
remove this1 his image to ,lunka1 made  
,ravunu promise that wherever he let it 

touch the ground1 there it should be set
 up4  ,when the gods saw that ,ravunu   
was carrying this stone to ,lunka1 all  
their heavens were in an uproar1 for    
they knew that if ,ravunu could do what 
he pleased1 neither ,indru nor any other
 god would be able to sit on his throne4
 ,council after council was held1 and   
appeals to this and to that god made1 in
 vain4 ,at last it was resolved that    
,vurvonu should be sent1 to cause the   
sea to enter the belly of ,ravunu1 who  
would thereby be compelled to set the   
stone down while he discharged his      
water4 7,ravunu could not continue to   
hold the lingu while in this act1 as a  
person becomes unclean at this time     
until he has bathed74 ,vurvonu          
accordingly set off1 and entered the    
belly of ,ravunu1 as he was carrying the
 lingu on his head1 and the latter soon 
began to feel the effect of his visit4  
,his belly swelled prodigiously1 but he 
went on till he could hold his water no 
longer4 ,at this moment ,indru1 in the  

form of an old ,bramhun1 met him4       
,ravunu asked him who he was1 and where 
he was going8 ,the latter told him he   
was an old ,bramhun going home4 ,ravunu 
entreated him to take hold of the lingu 
for a short time1 and he would bestow   
upon him the greatest favours4 ,at      
length the ,bramhun consented1 and      
,ravunu1 setting the lingu on his head1 
squat on his hams to ease himself4 ,the 
,bramhun agreed to hold the stone an    
hour but no longer4 ,ravunu told him he 
should not keep him half that time4     
,after ,ravunu had thus sat for four    
hours1 the ,bramhun complained he could 
hold the stone no longer1 and he threw  
it down1--when the bottom part sunk into
 patulu1 and the top part remains to    
this day in a place in the zillah of    
,beerbhoom1 called ,voidyunathu1 which  
is also the name of this lingu1 and the 
river at that place called ,khursoo is  
said to have arisen from the water of   
,ravunu4 ,ravunu when he arose1 seeing  
what had taken place1 full of rage and  

disappointment1 went home3 some accounts
 say1 having discovered that the gods   
had played him this trick1 he went and  
fought with them in the most furious    
manner4     ,,chapter ,,iv4      ,lingam
 worship in the ,sheeve ,pouran4   ,in  
the ,sheeve ,pouran are the following   
references to lingam-worship4 ,chapter  
#ch--,particularisation of the ,lings of
 ,seda ,sheev2 and first of the twelve  
,jyotee ,lings1 with the history of the 
first1 called ,somentathe4 ,chapter     
#dj--,of sundry ,lings2 and of ,atree1  
the ,reshee1 and his wife ,anesoomya1   
procuring the access of the ,ganges in a
 most extraordinary drought4 ,chapter   
#da--,sheev's appearance in ,mertye ,lok
 to the ,reeshees' wives1 with a ,ling  
in his hand1 while the husbands were    
absent4 ,their curses on returning1 in  
consequence of which ,sheev's ,ling fell
 off2 and moving along on the ground1   
burnt wherever it touched4 ,the         
,deivetas1 in despair1 applied to       
,brahma1 who advised them to sacrifice  

to ,parvetee1 and importune her to      
assume the correspondent form4 ,she did 
so1 and the two ,lings becoming united1 
have ever since been worshipped under   
that shape by ,brahma1 ,vishnu1 etc4    
,chapter #fg--,krishna worships a ,ling 
for seven months1 covering it every day 
with leaves and flowers1 all of which   
were afterwards thrown into a heap3 at  
the end of that time ,sheev appears in  
the midst of a heap1 and his august name
 was ,beleishwer4 ,chapter #gb--,more   
particular account of the ,mahatmye of  
the ,sheeve ,ratree4 ,the history of a  
hunter who was converted to religion by 
the accidental falling of the leaves of 
a tree1 where he had placed himself to  
shoot deer on a ,ling1 which had been   
turned up by the deer's foot3 the deer  
and his whole family had engaged        
themselves by strong oaths to return and
 offer themselves as food for the       
hunter's children1 and all kept their   
promise4  ,another4--,the attendants of 
,sheev and ,dherma ,raj dispute about   

the property in the soul of a thief1 who
 was slain in stealing the victuals     
belonging to a sacrifice2 but having    
lighted a lamp on the ,vrete ,sheeve    
,ratree1 for the mere purpose of        
distinguishing his prey1 the holy act of
 lighting the lamp was held sufficient  
to secure his salvation4   ,fourth      
,adhyaye4  ,brehma is ordered to create 
the ,world4  ,on the ,smerene of these  
five ,mentres which were taught to      
,vishnu1 ,shree ,meha ,deiv1 who is the 
compilation of all perfections1 came    
himself and taught ,vishnu other        
,mentres1 and ,vishnu taught those      
,mentres1 and the mode of ,gyan for     
them1 to ,brehma4 ,brehma1 with deep    
foresight and capacious understanding1  
having practised the ,smerene of all    
these ,mentres in purity of heart1 thus 
addressed his prayers to the majesty of 
,shree ,meha ,deiv4   ,a distich4  ',o  
thou who knowest both what is present   
and what is concealed1 ,o thou1 who art 
the understanding of the sinner and the 

saint1 ,o teach thy devotees the several
 works which it will please thee to     
perform1 and by what means we may       
imprint on our obsequious hearts the    
reflection of thy majestic essence4'    
,shree ,bhegewan1 out of the            
loving-kindness which he exerts towards 
his devotees1 turning himself that way1 
said1 ',attentively listen3 having      
imprinted the ,dhyan of this ,ling      
firmly in your heart1 be diligent in the
 ,pooja thereof4 ,from piety and        
devotion to this ,ling shall innumerable
 benefits redound upon you4' ,then      
addressing himself to ,vishnu1 he       
proceeded3 ',perform worship to me with 
perfect fidelity4' ,vishnu1 submissively
 signifying assent with his eyes1 and   
performing ,nemeskar1 returned for      
answer3--  ',thou art our ,lord and we  
thy slaves1 we live one by one in thy   
power4'  ,after this1 ,shree ,meha ,deiv
 said3 ',having thoroughly impressed    
your minds with the image of my form1   
compose all your doubts and             

perplexities2 and since your origin is  
from ,prekreetee1 ye are strong and     
mighty3 and ,i have divided my person   
into three parts3 ,i have fixed ,brehma 
on my right hand1 ,vishnu on my left1   
and myself in the place of the breast4  
,and1 whereas your faithful attachment  
is beyond all bounds2 whatever desire ye
 shall have in your minds1 it shall be  
fulfilled4'--',after that1' said        
,brehma1 ',i and ,vishnu1 performing    
,nemeskar1 humbly observed1 that1 having
 bound ourselves with complete          
attachment to his munificent service1 we
 were hopeful that we should1 under no  
circumstance or place1 ever let slip    
from our hearts the recollection of his 
,majesty4'   ,distich4  ,in terms of    
gracious import he answered3 ',since    
your creation is for the purpose of     
producing the world1 your request hath  
obtained its accomplishment2 and your   
,bekt1 i4e41 adoration1 shall ever be   
firm and orthodox towards me4 ,you must 
make a ,preteema1 i4e41 my image1 of    

clay1 and perform ,pooja to it3 in which
 ye shall both consult your own         
advantage and my contentment4 ,moreover1
 another figure in this same form of    
mine1 shall appear from a wrinkle of    
,bremha's forehead1 and be named        
,roodre1 and shall apply to compose the 
perplexities of the creatures2 and he   
shall possess power not inferior to my  
own4 ,between him and me there is no    
distinction4 ,thou1 too1 and ,bremha1   
and ,roodre1 we are in fact all one     
form1 and in no manner whatsoever is    
there any difference between us four to 
be be admitted3 except only that there  
is this one distinction between us1 that
 your origin is from ,prekreete and mine
 is not4 ,wherefore1 keeping this in    
your minds1 be diligent in ,dyan to me4 
,the four castes also1 which are the    
,brehmen1 the ,khshtree1 the ,vishye1   
and the ,soodre2 and the four ,ashreme1 
i4e41 the ,brehmecharee1 the ,grehest1  
trye1 the ,waneprest1 and the           
,sanyassee2 together with all other     

creatures1 shall thou introduce into the
 field of existence1 that they may      
become capable of ,gyan and ,aghyan4'   
,and to ,vishnu he said3 ',be thou the  
granter and bestower of ,mooktee in this
 world1 and that1 which in my sight is  
good1 shall appear the same in thine2   
and whosoever shall admit any doubts    
herein is no ,gyanee 7i4e41 learned in  
the truths of divinity74 ,and1 of the   
,lings which have been already          
mentioned1 having made one of pearl1    
another of the dung of a milch cow1 a   
third of gold1 and a fourth of clay1 and
 joined them together1 be diligent in   
worshipping them4' ,after giving these  
orders he vanished2 and the ,ling of the
 ,pooja of ,shree ,meha ,deiv made its  
appearance from that same day4 ,he1 who 
in presence of ,ling shall open his     
mouth in praise of ,shree ,meha ,deiv1  
is for six months in the form of ,shree 
,meha ,deiv4 ,there is no doubt of it4  
,fifth ,adhyaye4  ,the ,reeshes again   
mentioned to ,soote that1 by the        

particulars of the production of the    
,ling1 their greatest crimes were       
entirely done away1 and they became     
liberated and redeemed4 ,but the        
,mahatemye1 i4e41 the mightiness of     
,sheev and the production of all        
creatures1 was what they wished more    
expressly to hear specified4 ,soot      
,pouraneeke said3 ',a mercy on your     
understanding1 for ye have well         
demanded4 ,the ,ling of ,seda ,sheev1   
which is ,anente and ,neergoone1        
announced to ,vishnu1 ',all creatures   
shall employ themselves in worshipping  
thee1 and whosoever shall be in         
straights and difficulties shall obtain 
release thence by thy favour4 ,thou must
 therefore assume a variety of          
appearances in the world1 and obtain    
fame and glory by the ,avetars1 and     
conduct the inhabitants of the world to 
the degree of liberation4 ,i1 also1     
becoming ,roodre1 in this very form of  
mine1 will closely attend to the        
different necessities of those who shall

 be created and sooth their griefs and  
calamities4 ,as there is no difference  
between thee and me1 and ,dhyan1 i4e41  
thought of me1 dwells constantly in thy 
heart1 ,i1 too1 will never be forgetful 
of thy ,dhyan3 and1 whosoever shall be a
 faithful devotee of mine1 and hath at  
the same time evil thoughts towards     
thee1 ,i will set aside1 all his merits 
and deserts towards me1 and precipitate 
him to the lowest abyss6' ,vishnu also  
answered1',o6 ,meha ,raja1 whosoever    
shall be devoted to my ,bhekt1 and who1 
shall in the least instance be deficient
 of respect to thee1 ,i will hold him   
guilty of the blackest offence1 and     
dispatch him to hell1 nor will release  
him thence until the universal          
dissolution of all things4' ,after that1
 ,vishnu said to ,brehma1 ',whenever any
 difficulty shall shew itself to me1 be 
thou my protector2 and since thou art   
the most exalted and chief of all the   
,deivetas1 pay attention to all matters 
both in gross and detail4 ,he who shall 

acknowledge thee1 acknowledgeth me also2
 and he1 who between us two shall start 
the least distinction1 takes the        
securest method to fix himself in hell4 
,for the space of one hundred grand     
years1 no obscurity1 nor diminuition    
shall be obtruded on the light of thy   
being2 and one of thy days1 which is    
composed of four thousand ,yoogs1 and is
 called ,kelpe2--for that time1 be thou 
rigorous and absolute4'   ,thirty-eighth
 ,adhyaye4  ,of the particular ,lings of
 ,seda ,sheev4  ,the ,reesheeshwers     
demanded of ,soote an account of the    
,lings of ,seda ,sheev1 that are known  
upon this part of the earth1 and are    
worthy to be worshipped1 and where they 
are stationed4  ,soote answered3 ,the   
,lings of ,seda ,sheev are innumerable4 
,the whole earth is replete with them2  
and whatsoever is visible is a form or  
species of ,ling4 ,besides which1 no    
place whatsoever is void of them2 both  
,paradise and ,patal are stocked with   
them2 and all the ,deivetas and ,reeshes

 are occupied in their worship4 ,and    
those who with complete devotion and    
entire faith have worshipped them1      
,bhegewan1 for the gratification of such
 devotees1 hath appeared and established
 himself there1 at the desire of his    
votaries1 with a ,ling for each         
particular case of demand4  ,the ,lings 
which are thus extant over the land1 are
 not to be counted3 but of such as are  
now more especially in repute ,i shall  
immediately state to you the twelve     
,jyotee ,lings4    ,chapter #dd4        
#a4--,on the confines of the country of 
,soorashtree1 on the                    
south side is ,somenathe1--a ,ling of   
,seda ,sheev4   ,chap4 #cg1dd4 #b4--,on 
the mountain                            
,shree-,shile--,mellekarjoone4          
,chapter #de4  #c4--;,and in the city of
 ,oojeyeenee--two2 the first ,mahakate4 
#d4--;,and the second ,omkaree4         
,chapter #df4  #e4--,on the back of the 
mountain ,heemachel is ,keidarenathe4   
,chapter #dg4  #f4--;,and in the        

,dakshenee is ,bheeme ,shenker4         
,chapter #dh4  #g4--;,in ,benares is    
,veesheishmer4   ,chapter #eb4          
#h4--;,and on the bank of the river     
,gotemee1 ,treembeke4   ,chapter #ec4   
#i4--;,in ,jete ,bhoom1 ,veidenathe4    
,chapter #ed4 #aj4--;,and in the desert 
belonging to ,dareka1 ,nageishwer4      
,chapter #ee4 #aa4--;,in ,leitoo        
,cendhe1 ,rameishwer4   ,chapter #ef4   
#ab4--;,and on the confines of the      
,dekshen1 adjoining the                 
mountain ,geere ,deive1 ,doohshemeishe4 
,he1 who rising early in the morning    
shall repeat the names of these twelve  
,jyotee ,lings1 will be freed from all  
his crimes1 and shall obtain his        
desires3 and whoever1 on any particular 
account1 addresses a particular ,ling1  
he will succeed accordingly1 and such   
person is not freed from the crimes by  
the ,dershene1 or view of the twelve    
,jyotee ,lings4 ,it is enjoined all the 
four casts to perform ,pooja to those2  
and1 after ,pooja1 if they eat the      

sacrificial morsels they are purified   
from their crimes on the spot4 ,and if  
they worship any one of these twelve    
,jyotee ,lings for six months1 ,mooktee 
becomes their destiny1 and they are no  
more subject to birth3 and1 if ever a   
,meicke1 or ,chandale1 or deceiver1     
obtains ,deersheene of the ,jyotee1 in  
another generation he is born in the    
house of a ,veidread ,brahmin1 and      
becomes ,mookte4     ,,chapter ,v4      
,the four kinds of ,stone lingas--,siva 
under a form called                     
,muhakalu--,temporary images of         
,siva--,siva's wives--,siva's and       
,parvati's quarrels--,siva and          
,doorga--,siva's names--,the heaven     
of ,siva--,latsami---,power of the      
priests--,tamil     poetry--,indecent   
worship--,dancing girls at religious    
ceremonies--,christian and ,pagan       
idolatry--,religious                    
prostitution--,worship of the           
female--,development of indecent        
practices--,saktipuja4   ,mr4 ,ward     

informs us that besides the clay images 
of the linga1 there are four kinds of   
stone lingas which are set up in the    
,hindu temples4 ,the first1 he says1 is 
called swuyumbhoo1 that is1 the         
self-existent linga4 ,the second is     
named unadee1 or that which has no      
beginning4 7,at the time of a great     
drought1 the ,hindoos1 after performing 
its worship1 throw very large quantities
 of water upon this unadee-linga1 in    
order to induce ,siva to give them      
rain74 ,the third they call vanu-linga1 
because a king named ,vanu first        
instituted this worship4 ,the fourth is 
the common1 or factitious linga4 ,these 
images are all of stone1 brought from   
the neighbourhood of the river          
,gundhukee1 which falls into the ,ganges
 near ,patna4  ,the ,hindoos of every   
caste and of both sexes1 make images of 
the linga with the clay of the river    
,ganges1 every morning1 after bathing1  
and worship it1 making bows1 presenting 
offerings1 and repeating incantations   

before it4 ,this is most frequently done
 by the side of the river4  ,besides the
 linga1 there is another form in which  
,siva is worshipped1 called ,muhakalu4  
,this is the image of a smoke-coloured  
boy1 with three eyes1 his hair standing 
erect1 clothed in red garments1 his     
teeth very large2 he wears a necklace of
 human skulls1 and a large juta2 in one 
hand he has a stick1 and in another the 
foot of a bedstead2 a half moon appears 
on his forehead2 he has a large belly2  
and presents a very terrific appearance4
 ,siva is called ,muhakalu1 because he  
destroys all1 or all is absorbed in him 
at the time of a kalpu1 and afterwards  
reproduced4  ,images of this form of    
,siva were not made in ,bengal1 but a   
pan of water1 or an unadee-linga1 was   
substituted1 before which bloody        
sacrifices were offered1 and other      
ceremonies performed1 in the month      
,kartiku1 at the new moon4  ,in the     
month ,phalgoonu1 every year1 the       
,hindoos made the image of ,siva1 and   

worshipped him for one day1 throwing the
 image the next day into the water4     
,this worship was performed in the      
night1 and was accompanied with singing1
 dancing1 music1 feasting1 c4 ,the image
 worshipped was either that of ,siva    
with five faces or that with one face4  
,in the month ,maghu a festival in      
honour of ,siva is held for one day1    
when the image of this god1 sitting on a
 bull1 with ,parvutee his bride on his  
knee1 is worshipped in the principal    
towns in ,bengal4  ,siva had two wives1 
,sutee and ,parvutee4 ,sutee was the    
daughter of king ,dukshu1 and ,parvutee 
the daughter of the mountain ,himaluyu4 
,the fourth chapter of the              
,shreebhaguvutu1 contains the history of
 ,dukshu1 the son of ,brahma2 of his    
daughter ,sutee1 who was married to the 
god ,siva2 of the abuse of ,siva by     
,dukshu2 of ,siva's cursing ,dukshu2 of 
the grand sacrifice of ,dukshu2 the gods
 all arrive at this sacrifice2 the      
daughters of ,dukshu are also present2  

,sutee wishes to go1 but is forbidden of
 ,siva her husband2 ,siva1 however1 at  
last consents to her going2 she goes1   
and while her father is abusing her     
husband1 she dies of grief2 ,siva on    
hearing of the death of his wife1 was   
transported with rage1 and taking his   
juta from his head1 threw it on the     
ground with great force1 and up sprang a
 monster1 in the form of a sunyasee1    
covered with ashes1 having three flaming
 eyes1 with a trishoolu in his hand1    
wearing a tiger's skin1 and a necklace  
of human bones2 and having a round red  
mark like a ball betwixt his eyebrows2  
this monster asked ,siva why he created 
him2 ,siva ordered him to go and destroy
 ,dukshu2 this monster then took along  
with him armies of pratus1 bhootus1     
yukshus1 pishacus1 etc4 7wandering      
spirits71 and destroyed ,dukshu's       
sacrifice2 ,siva's great sorrow at the  
loss of ,sutee2 the gods come to comfort
 him2 ,sutee is again born2 her father's
 name ,heemaluyu1 her mother's ,manuku2 

,dukshu1 after repairing the injuries   
which ,siva's juta-formed monster had   
made1 completes his sacrifice1 etc4  ,a 
number of stories are contained in some 
of the ,hindoo books respecting the     
quarrels of ,siva and ,parvutu1 some of 
them arising out of the revels of the   
former1 and the jealousy of the latter4 
,these quarrels resemble those of       
,jupiter and ,juno4 ,the chief fault of 
,juno is said to have been jealousy4    
,when ,siva and ,parvatu quarrelled1 she
 frequently upbraided him with his      
filthy condition as a yogee4 ,when they 
were about to be married1 the mother of 
the girl1 and the neighbours poured the 
utmost abuse on ,siva3 the neighbours   
cried out1 ,ah6 ah6 ah6 this image of   
gold1 this most beautiful damsel1 like  
whom there is hardly such a beauty in   
the three worlds1 to be given in        
marriage to such a fellow--an old fellow
 with three eyes2 without teeth2 clothed
 in a tiger's skin2 covered with ashes2 
encircled with snakes2 with a necklace  

of human bones2 with a human skull in   
his hand2 with a filthy juta1 viz41 a   
bunch of hair like a turban1 twisted    
round his head2 who chews intoxicating  
drugs2 has inflamed eyes2 rides naked on
 a bull1 and wanders about like a       
madman4 ,ah6 they have thrown this      
beautiful daughter into the river6 ,in  
this manner the neighbours exclaimed    
against the marriage1 till at last1     
,narudu1 who had excited this hubbub1   
settled the matter1 and the wedding was 
consummated4         99       99        
99       99       99  ,on a certain     
occasion ,siva ordered his servants     
,nundee and ,bhringee to prepare his    
bull that he might go a-begging2 he     
himself bound the rag round his loins1  
twisted snakes as ornaments round his   
wrists1 made a poita of three other     
snakes2 put a tiger's skin on his back1 
a drum and a trident in his right hand1 
and in his left a horn2 his body was    
covered with ashes4 ,thus arrayed he    
mounted his bull1 ,nundee going before  

and ,bhringee behind1 and went into     
different places begging from door to   
door4 ,where-ever he went1 he saw the   
people happy and contented1 enjoying all
 the pleasures of life4 ,at the sight of
 all this happiness1 ,siva was full of  
grief1 and said in his mind1 ,all these 
people are surrounded with their friends
 and children1 and are happy2 but after 
marrying1 ,i have obtained nothing4 ,i  
beg for my daily bread4 ,having         
collected a little rice1 etc41 ,siva    
returned home1 full of vexation4        
,doorga1 his wife1 gave him water to    
wash his feet1 and ,siva ordered her to 
prepare an intoxicating beverage called 
siddhee1 and asked her whether she had  
prepared his food8 ,she told him that   
she had not yet kindled the fire4 ,what6
 said ,siva1 it is now two o'clock in   
the afternoon1 and you have not begun to
 prepare the dinner8 ,filled with anger1
 he began to use the most violent       
language3 ,how is this8 ,i have married 
a wife destitute of fortunate signs1 and

 ,i spend my life in misery4 ,i see     
other families have bathed and sit down 
to dinner by noon4 ,i beg three times a 
day1 and yet ,i cannot obtain sufficient
 to support nature4 ,it has always been 
said in the three worlds1 that he who   
obtains a lucky wife1 will through her  
become rich2 through a lucky husband1   
sons are born4 ,see now 7addressing     
himself to those present71 ,i have two  
sons2 but where are the riches which a  
fortunate wife procures8 ,i suppose that
 in marrying the wife of ,himaluyu 7a   
mountain7 every one is become hard as   
the rock towards me4 ,in constantly     
begging ,i have obtained the name of    
,shunkuru1 the beggar4 ,a person        
marrying a lucky wife sits at his ease  
in his house1 and eats excellent food1  
and ,i go a-begging1 and yet starve4    
,narudu has given me such an unlucky    
wife1 what shall ,i say to him1 a fellow
 without ancestry8 ,he is not content   
unless he insult the dead4 ,i can no    
longer support my family by begging4 ,i 

can support myself1 but how can ,i      
provide for so many8  ,doorga1 hearing  
all this1 was full of sorrow1 and began 
to utter her grief to her two maids     
,juya and ,vijuya3 ,hear6 without       
thought1 why does he abuse me in this   
manner8 ,if he call me an unlucky wife1 
why did he marry me8 ,when a person's   
fate is bad1 they say his forehead is on
 fire4 ,why does he call me unlucky8 ,is
 not his own forehead on fire1 and are  
we not suffering through his bad fate8  
,true1 ,i have neither a beautiful form1
 nor excellent qualities1 nor conduct1  
nor honour1 nor wisdom1 nor learning1   
nor property1 nor race1 nor brother1 nor
 friend1 nor father1 nor mother1 nor    
relations1 nor ornaments2 but1 look at  
his form2 he covers himself with the    
ashes of the dead2 at his qualities2 he 
is known as the smoker of intoxicating  
herbs 7the drunkard72 at his conduct2 he
 resides in cemeteries1 and dwells with 
the bhootus2--at his wisdom3 amidst the 
assembled guests at his wedding he sat  

naked2 rides on a bull1 and is hooted at
 by the children in the streets as a    
fool2--at his learning2 he does not know
 the names of his father and mother2 at 
his property1 he owns a bull1 a drum1   
and a tiger's skin2--at his ornaments3  
he is covered with snakes2--at his      
honour3 at the time of marriage he was  
not able to obtain anything richer than 
a tiger's skin for a garment1 though he 
begged for something better4 ,it is true
 he has had two sons born1 and on this  
account1 ,i suppose1 he is filled with  
pride4 ,but such sons1 in the three     
worlds1 were never born before1 and ,i  
hope will never be born again4 ,behold  
his eldest son ,kartiku1 he drinks      
intoxicating beverage like his father2  
he is full of rage if his food be       
delayed but a moment2 what his father   
begs1 he1 with his six mouths1 devours2 
the peacock that carries him devours the
 snakes with which his father clothes   
himself2 his other son ,gunashu has four
 arms1 an elephant's head1 and eats like

 an elephant2 he is carried by a rat1   
which steals and eats the unshelled rice
 brought by ,siva4 ,thus the children   
and the father are equally forsaken of  
fortune4 ,the companions of ,siva are   
either ghosts or bhootus4  ,as soon as  
,siva had mounted his bull to go        
a-begging1 ,doorga said to ,juya and    
,vijuya1 ,i will stay no longer here4   
,he tells me to keep my hair clothed    
with dirt1 and to cover my body with    
ashes4 ,i will go to my father's house1 
come along4 ,the maids endeavoured to   
pacify her1 and to shew her the danger  
of leaving her husband4 ,after a number 
of expostulations1 she was persuaded to 
assume the form of ,unnu-poorna1 by     
which means the wealth of the whole     
world flowed into her lap4 ,she gave a  
splendid entertainment on mount ,koilasu
 to all the gods1 at the close of which 
,siva arrived from a begging journey4   
,struck with astonishment at what he    
saw1 he was wonderfully pleased1 and ate
 for once till he was nearly surfeited4 

,when he and ,doorga were sitting       
together on the evening of this feast1  
he apologised to his wife for the unkind
 language he had used towards her1 to   
prevent which in future1 he proposed    
that they should be united in one body4 
,doorga at first strongly objected1 but 
was at length persuaded to consent1 and 
,siva and ,doorga became one1 the right 
side 7white7 being ,siva1 and the left  
side 7yellow7 ,doorga4 ,in this form an 
image is annually worshipped in ,bengal4
  ,other stories are told of ,siva's    
descending to earth in the form of a    
sunyasee1 for the preservation of some  
one in distress1 or to perform religious
 austerities4  ,amongst the fanciful    
names 7a thousand in number7 belonging  
to this god1 are the following3--,siva1 
the benefactor--,muhashwuru1 the great  
god--,ceshwuru1 the glorious            
god--,chundrushakuru1 he on whose       
forehead is seen a                      
half-moon---,bhootashu1 he who is lord  
of the bhootus--,miriru1 he who         

purifies--,mirityoonjuyu1 he who        
conquers death--,krittivasa1 he who     
wears a skin--,oogru1 the               
furious--,shree-kuntu1 he whose throat  
is beautiful--,kupalubhrit1 he whose    
alms dish is a skull--,smuruhuru1 the   
destroyer of ,kama-davu1 the god of     
love--,tripoorantuku1 he who destroyed  
an usooru named ,tripooru--,gungadhuru1 
he who caught the goddess ,gunga in his 
bunch of hair--,vrishudhwujn1 or he who 
rides on a bull--,shoolee1 he who wields
 the ,trident--,st'hanoo1 the           
everlasting--,survu1 he who is          
everything--,gireeshu1 lord of the      
hills--,undhuku-ripoo1 he who destroyed 
an usooru named ,undhuku--,sunkurshunu1 
he who destroys the world--,trilochunu1 
the three-eyed--,ruktupu1 the drinker of
 blood--,siddhusavitu1 the drinker of an
 intoxicating beverage called ,siddhe4  
,the work called ,krityu-tuttwu         
describes the heaven of this god as     
situated on the mountain ,koilasu1 and  
called ,shivu-pooru4 ,it is said to be  

ornamented with many kinds of gems and  
precious things1 as pearls1 coral1 gold1
 silver4 ,on the mountain reside gods1  
the heavenly choristers1 dancers and    
courtezans1 gods who act as servants to 
the other gods1 sacred sages1 divine    
sages1 great sages1 and a number of     
moonees4 ,these persons constantly      
perform the worship of ,siva and        
,doorga1 and the upsurus are continually
 employed in singing1 dancing1 etc4 ,the
 flowers of every season are always in  
bloom here1 the winds shvityu1 sangundu1
 and mandyu--gentle winds accompanied   
with coolness and sweetness--always blow
 on these flowers1 and diffuse their    
fragrance all over the mountain wherein 
many birds are constantly singing and   
repeating the names of ,doorga and      
,siva1 where the waters of the heavenly 
,ganges pass along in purling streams1  
where the six seasons--the spring1 the  
summer1 the rainy1 the sultry1 the dewy1
 the cold--at once exist1 and where on a
 golden throne1 adorned with jewels1 sit

 ,siva and ,doorga1 holding             
conversation1 in which ,doorga asks     
questions of her husband4  ,when the    
mountain ,mervuva was whirled about in  
the sea1 the motion produced a foam     
which was like the cradle of a beautiful
 woman named ,latsami4 ,this second     
,venus was bestowed on ,vishnvu1        
preferably to the ,devetas1 who were all
 in love with her4 ,the ,seivias1 who   
assert that ,eswara is the sovereign    
,god1 say also1 that he has a wife      
called ,parvati4 ,they tell us that she 
had a double birth2 first she was       
daughter to ,datsja1 son of ,brahma1 and
 of ,sarasvati his wife4 ,her father    
gave her in marriage to ,eswara1 and    
some time after intended to perform a   
,jagam or sacrifice1 to which he invited
 the ,devetas1 such as ,deuendre1 the   
,sun1 the ,moon1 and the rest1 but      
neglected ,eswara1 his son-in-law4      
,parvati told him he should also have   
invited him1 but he1 instead of agreeing
 with her1 made her the following       

injurious answer3--,eswara1 says        
,datsja1 is not worthy of that honour1  
he is a fellow that subsists only on    
alms1 and has no clothes to put on4 ,we 
are to suppose that ,eswara was at that 
time incog41 and veiled under such a    
shape as made him unknown to all4       
,parvati inflamed with rage1 cried out  
to her father1 ,i myself am therefore   
not worthy to assist at it2 and saying  
these words1 she leaped into the fire   
that was prepared for this solemnity4   
,eswara1 exasperated in the highest     
degree at this unhappy accident1 was all
 over in a sweat1 and one of the drops  
of it happening to fall on the earth1   
,virrepadra sprung from it1 who         
immediately asked his father what       
commands he had for him4 ,eswara bid him
 go and destroy the ,jagam of ,datsja1  
and was obeyed2 for he killed some of   
the guests1 drove away others1 cut off  
,datsja's head1 kicked the sun1 and     
broke all his teeth1 so that he had not 
one left1 and drubbed the moon so       

heartily1 that her face was covered all 
over with the marks of the blows he gave
 her1 which continue to this day4 ,the  
,devetas implored ,eswara's mercy1 and  
obtained it2 he was softened by their   
entreaties1 and restored ,datsja to     
life1 on whose body he fixed the head of
 a he-goat instead of his own4 ,parvati 
being consumed in the fire into which   
she had thrown herself1 was indulged a  
new birth1 and was daughter of the      
mountain ,chimawontam1 who married her  
to ,eswara4 ,her husband was so         
passionately in love with her1 that he  
gave her half his body1 so that she     
became half man and half woman2 for     
which reason the ,brahmins call her     
,andhanari-,eswara1 a name implying such
 an union4  ,these people are of        
opinion1 that both ,vishnu and ,eswara  
can procreate children without the      
commerce of the other sex1 since they   
ascribe to them a power of getting them 
by the bare act of the will1 so that    
they suppose they only have them for    

dalliance sake4 ,eswara is represented  
in the temples under a very immodest    
shape1 expressing by an action1 the     
union of both sexes4 ,this is grounded  
on a tradition which the ,brahmins      
themselves are partly ashamed of1 and is
 as follows3 ,it fell out one day that a
 ,moniswara came to visit ,eswara in a  
place where the latter used to caress   
,parvati4 ,the ,moniswara came at a very
 unseasonable hour2 in vain the porter  
shut the gate upon him1 and even told   
him the reason why he could not be      
admitted2 for the ,moniswara was so     
enraged to find he must be forced to    
stay till ,eswara should please to shew 
himself1 that he broke out into an      
imprecation1 which he immediately       
repented of4 ,eswara had overheard him1 
but pardoned him when he found he was   
sorry for it4 ,the ,moniswara1 not      
satisfied with being pardoned for his   
offence1 requested that all who should  
worship the image of ,lingam--the figure
 representing the union of the sexes in 

the manner above mentioned1 should reap 
greater advantages from it than if they 
were to worship ,eswara when represented
 with his whole body4 ,he obtained his  
desire1 and it is to this circumstance  
that those scandalous images under which
 ,eswara is worshipped in the ,pagods1  
owe their original4#i          #i       
,picard1 ,ceremonies et ,coutumes       
,religieuses4         99       99       
99       99       99  ,mahadeu signifies
 the sovereign ,god4 ,he is represented 
under the shape of a pillar which       
diminishes insensibly from its base to  
its extremity at top4 ,it is evident    
that this figure is the same as the     
,priapus of other nations2 and that the 
modern ,indians1 as well as those of    
antiquity1 have equally considered it as
 the ,god of ,nature4 ,pictures which   
have reached us from ,india exhibiting  
the interiors of the ,pagods of ,mahadeu
 reveal beyond all doubt the nature of  
this pillar2 it cannot be mistaken for  
any else than what we have just         

suggested1 viz41 the male organ of      
generation4 ,it is of gigantic size1    
rising many feet from the floor1 and the
 most profound veneration is rendered to
 it by the worshippers who completely   
uncover their feet before passing the   
threshold4  ,ixora 7,mahadeu7 bears also
 the name of ,lingam4 ,the ,jogins wear 
the ,lingam about their necks2 but it   
would be impossible for fancy1 says     
,picard1 to invent anything more        
obscene1 than the posture in which they 
represent this double figure1 to whom   
they assiduously offer the first fruits 
of their meals4 ,we ascribe to the      
notion the ,indians entertain that      
everything is formed by generation1 the 
blind devotion they pay to this ,lingam1
 in which they confound the agent with  
the means he employs4 ,it will be       
impossible to justify them in any manner
 on this head1 but by considering it as 
a type or symbol1 which still cannot but
 be shocking to decency and good        
manners2 some1 however1 cannot help     

thinking that those who first invented  
these figures1 were naturally inclined  
to satiate by lust1 what they exhibited 
for the emblem of a ,deity4  ,it cannot 
be denied1 but that the worship which is
 paid to nature1 may have migrated from 
the east into the west1 together with   
the symbolical figures under which they 
represented it2 we are therefore not to 
wonder1 that the same idea should have  
discovered itself under different names1
 to people who live at a great distance 
one from the other2 since1 as they both 
received the object of their worship    
from the same source1 they were under a 
necessity of receiving the same images  
with the same ceremonies4 ,to do these  
people justice1 nothing can better      
express the fruitfulness of nature than 
the union of both sexes1 and the vigour 
of ,priapus1 whose name is very         
expressive2 however1 it is surprising   
that men1 who1 if we except some of the 
most brutal savages1 have always paid   
some regard to decency1 should be so    

lost to all sense of it1 as to carry in 
procession with great pomp and          
solemnity1 those parts of the body1     
which ought never to be revealed but in 
cases of the highest necessity2 and     
expose them publicly in the roads1 in   
houses and temples1 as is the custom in 
,india4#aj          #aj ,picard1        
,ceremonies et ,coutumes ,religieuses4  
,pietro ,dello ,valle1 observes1 that   
the gods of the ,indians are always     
represented naked1 and that several     
figures in very indecent postures are   
seen in the pagods2 undoubtedly he saw  
the ,lingam above-mentioned there4 ,the 
other figures might possibly represent  
the vows or homages of the devout       
,indians1 among whom the women do not   
scruple to prostitute themselves in     
honour of the gods4 ,husbands behold    
with the most profound humility these   
meritorious prostitutions1 which so     
often revive what we in ,europe look    
upon as the greatest injury and affront2
 so true it is1 that false principles in

 religion easily destroy those of common
 decency1 and even frequently change the
 very ideas which nature has implanted  
in us4 ,as a husband is fully persuaded 
he has been cuckolded by a god1 he is   
therefore very well satisfied4 ,the     
,jognis is the idol's curate1 and       
performs the ceremony in quality of his 
proxy1 while the devoutly patient       
husband1 in the meantime1 washes the    
saint's feet1 and pays him the utmost   
veneration4 ,the people of the house    
withdraw1 and leave the lady to the     
saint's embraces4 ,when this institution
 was made1 the crafty ,indians          
undoubtedly insinuated some hopes of    
future felicity at the same time4 ,when 
we have once found out the secret of    
gaining an ascendant over people's      
minds1 can it be a difficult matter to  
assure the female devotees1 that1   ,si 
quelque chose les empeche  ,d'aller tout
 droit en paradis1  ,c'est d'epargner   
pour leurs maris1  ,un bien dont ils    
n'ont plus que faire1  ,quand ils ont   

pris leur necessaire4                   
,la ,fontaine dans ses ,contes4  ,the   
sense of which is1      ,if anything    
prevents their being immediately wafted 
to     ,paradise1 'tis to reserve for   
their husbands a pleasure which     they
 have no farther occasion for1 when they
 have had their     quantum of it4  ,we 
mention an instance which manifestly    
shews1 that the ,indians look upon the  
obscene devotions just alluded to1 as   
highly meritorious4 ,over the gate of   
one of the cities of the little kingdom 
of ,sirinpatau1 says ,dellon in the     
preface to his ,voyages1 printed in     
#agji1 stands a stone statue            
representing ,sita1 wife to ,ram1 one of
 their gods1 about as big as the life4  
,on each side of her are three famous   
,faquirs1 or ,penitents1 naked1 on their
 knees1 their eyes lifted up towards    
her1 and holding with both hands what   
decency will not permit me to mention4  
,they pretend by this posture1 to pay   
such an homage1 at they judge to be most

 grateful to this pretended goddess4#aa 
#aa ,picard1 ,ceremonies et ,contumes   
,religieuses4         99       99       
99       99       99  ,mr4 ,r4 ,c4      
,caldwell1 writing in ,johnson's        
,universal ,cyclopaedia1 says3--,of old1
 pious ,hindus who spiritualised their  
religion1 even the grossest forms of it1
 linga-worship included1 were not1      
lacking4 ,for instance1 the great       
,tamilian poet1 ,sivavakkiar1 writes as 
follows 7see the ,indian ,antiquary1    
,bombay1 ,apr41 #ahgb1 first paper on   
,tamil ,popular ,poetry73   ,my thoughts
 are flowers and ashes1    ,in my       
breast's fane enshrined1  ,my breath1   
too1 is therein it1    ,a linga         
unconfined3  ,my senses1 too1 like      
incense    ,rise1 and like bright lamps 
shine1  ,there1 too1 my soul leaps ever 
,a dancing god divine4  ,this1 is my    
opinion1 is one of the finest stanzas   
penned by ,sivavakkiar4 ,the drift of it
 is this3--,you popular ,hindus1 you    
have your temples1--you have your       

flowers1 and sacred ashes1--you have    
your phallus1 or emblem of divine       
creative power1--you have also your     
incense and lamps1 and you have your    
divine dancer1 ,siva4 ,i1 too1 have my  
flowers and ashes1 but they are of the  
mind6 ,i1 too1 have my linga1 but it is 
my breath or spirit4 ,i1 too1 have my   
incense and lamps1 but they are my five 
senses4 ,and ,i1 too1 have my deity     
leaping in divine sport within me1 but  
that is my soul4 ,in a word1 mine is the
 true spiritual worship4  ,here the sage
 speaks of his body as a metaphorical   
temple 7using language similar to that  
employed in the ,new ,testament1 ',ye   
are the temples of the ,holy ,ghost'72  
then he likens his thoughts to flowers  
and ashes1 which are used in the        
services of temples2 lastly1 he declares
 that his breath or spirit--which as a  
part of universal life has no bound or  
limit--is the true linga1 creative1 and 
a part of the creation1 of his own      
being4         99       99       99     

99       99  ,the serious consequences  
of adopting erroneous principles1 even  
such as are commonly called metaphysical
 ones1 seemingly the most remote from   
practice1 is perhaps in nothing more    
apparent than with respect to the ideas 
which were in early ages entertained    
concerning nature1 when its attributes  
came to be objects of worship4 ,as there
 must be a concurrence of male and      
female powers for the production of all 
living creatures1 it was supposed that1 
in the great productive powers of       
nature1 there must be both male and     
female qualities4 ,the ,egyptians had   
this idea1 and accordingly several of   
their principal deities were said to be 
both male and female4 ,having little    
idea of delicacy1 they represented those
 powers by the figures of the parts of  
generation4 ,the constant exhibition of 
these figures in their religious worship
 could not but lead to much lewdness1   
first as an act of religion1 acceptable 
to their gods1 and then in common life2 

though this might be far from the       
intention of those who formed the plan  
of the popular worship4  ,hence1        
however1 it is that1 in the ancient     
heathen religions1 we find rites of the 
most opposite nature1 the extreme of    
severity and cruelty in some1 and the   
extreme of indecency and sensual        
indulgence in others4 ,this is well     
known to have been the case in ,egypt1  
the mother of religion and of science1  
to a great part of the ,western world4  
,we cannot without the utmost disgust   
and horror think of what1 according to  
the testimony of ,herodotus1 whose      
authority in this case cannot be        
questioned1 women did before the bull   
,apis1 and especially with the goat that
 was worshipped at ,mendes1 to say      
nothing of the peculiarly indecent      
manner in which he says that in their   
religious processions1 they carried the 
phalli1 and of their behaviour2 when1 in
 some of their festivals1 they went in  
boats along the ,nile1 and exhibited    

themselves to the inhabitants of the    
villages on its borders4 ,the ,nile     
itself1 according to the testimony of   
,christian writers1 was worshipped with 
the most obscene and execrable rites1   
even ,sodomitical practices4  ,the idea 
that ,plutarch gives us of the ,egyptian
 rites is sufficiently disgusting4 ,many
 of their religious ceremonies1 he says1
 were of a mournful cast1 and celebrated
 with much austerity4 ,some of their    
festivals and direful sacrifices were   
considered as unfortunate and mournful  
days1 and were celebrated by eating raw 
flesh1 torn with men's nails4 ,on other 
days they fast1 and smite their breasts1
 and in several places filthy and       
indecent words are used during the      
sacrifices4 ,in their festivals and     
processions1 the greater part act       
ludicrous things both1 speaking and     
thinking words of the most wicked and   
lewd meaning1 and that even of the gods 
themselves4 ,but when they consult their
 oracles they are advised to have pious 

thoughts in their hearts1 and words of  
good sound in their mouths4  ,no revels 
of the most irreligious persons could be
 more extravagant and indecent than the 
festivals of ,bacchus2 and the same     
people who sacrificed men1 and even     
their own children1 had places          
appropriated to prostitution1 even of   
both sexes1 adjoining to their temples1 
the profits arising from which were a   
part of their revenues4  ,the ,hindoo   
religion has much in it in this respect1
 that is similar to that of the ancient 
,egyptian4 ,nothing1 says ,de la ,crose1
 is more revered by the ,hindoos than   
the lingam4 ,their most solemn worship  
is presented to their gods in this form4
 ,lighted lamps are continually burning 
before it1 in the inmost recesses of    
their temples1 surrounded by other lamps
 with seven branches1 like that of the  
,hebrews4 ,besides those in the temples1
 they have small ones of stone or       
crystal1 which they hang to their necks1
 and fasten upon their heads4 ,to these 

they address almost all their prayers1  
and frequently have them buried with    
them4  ,captain ,campbell1 after        
describing the lascivious dancing of    
,hindoo girls1 who get their living by  
it1 says1 that such enticements to vice 
should make a part of the system of any 
society is to be lamented3 yet in all   
ceremonies and great occasions1 whether 
religious worship or domestic enjoyment1
 they make a part of the entertainment2 
and the altars of their gods1 and the   
purity of the magic rites1 are alike    
polluted by the introduction of the     
dancing girls4 ,the impurity of this    
custom1 however1 vanishes1 when compared
 with the hideous practice of           
introducing dancing boys4  ,with respect
 to the pagoda of ,jaggernat1 which he  
calls a curious and grotesque monument  
of superstitious folly1 he says1 it is  
an immense barbarous structure of a kind
 of pyramidal form1 embellished with    
devices cut in stone work1 not more     
singular than disgusting4  ,christian   

idolaters1 in forming types and figures 
of divine things1 always endeavour to   
represent them with personal beauty1 as 
proportionate to their divine nature as 
human skill can make it4 ,those ,pagans1
 on the contrary1 in forming their      
idols1 cast out every vestige of        
beauty--everything that1 by the consent 
of mankind1 is supposed to convey       
pleasing sensations2 and1 in their      
place1 substitute the most extravagant1 
unnatural deformity1 the most loathsome 
nastiness1 the most disgusting          
obscenity4 ,it is not in language to    
convey an adequate idea of their temples
 and idols2 and if it was1 no purpose   
could be answered by it1 only the       
excitement of painful and abominable    
sensations4 ,to keep pace with the      
figures of their idols1 a chief         
,brahmin1 by some accursed artificial   
means 7by herbs1 ,i believe71 has       
brought to a most unnatural form1 and   
enormous dimensions1 that which decency 
forbids me to mention2 and the pure and 

spotless women who from infancy have    
been shut up from the sight of men1 even
 of their own brothers1 are brought to  
kiss this disgusting and misshapen      
monster1 under the preposterous belief  
that it promotes fecundity4  ,tavernier 
mentions the same abominable custom1 as 
also does ,alexander ,hamilton1 in his  
account of the ,east ,indies4  ,in this 
pagoda1 ,capt4 ,campbell says1 stands   
the figure of ,jaggernat1 but it is     
nothing more than a black stone of an   
irregular pyramidal form1 having two    
rich diamonds in the top by way of eyes1
 and a nose and mouth painted red4 ,for 
this god1 he says1 five hundred priests 
are employed in spoiling food4  ,every  
pagoda1 says ,la ,crose1 has a certain  
number of prostitutes annexed to it1    
dedicated to its use by pompous and     
solemn ceremonies4 ,they choose the     
handsomest1 and educate them in such a  
manner1 that when they come to a proper 
age they may bring the greatest gain to 
the temple by the price of their        

prostitution4 ,they can never marry1 or 
leave the idol2 and their children1 if  
they have any1 are also dedicated to it4
  ,some1 says ,mr4 ,william ,chambers1  
devote their own children to this       
profession4 ,this is customary in the   
,decan1 but not with the ,hindoos of    
,bengal or ,hindoostan proper4 ,he says 
this custom was probably derived from   
the religion of ,buddha4 ,but almost all
 the ancient heathen religions had the  
same custom4 ,it is described at large  
by ,herodotus1 as it was practised at   
,babylon in his time2 and it is         
frequently alluded to in the ,old       
,testament4 ,lucian in his ,treatise on 
the ,syrian goddess1 says that those    
women who refuse to cut off their hair  
on her festival1 must prostitute        
themselves during one day2 and that what
 they receive on that account is given  
to the goddess for a sacrifice4 ,in     
,malabar it is reckoned meritorious to  
bring up girls1 who are commonly        
bastards1 for the service of the        

temples1 and they are taught music and  
dancing4 ,when they are of a proper age1
 they go through the ceremony of a      
marriage to the god4  ,the ,shastrus    
declare that the daughters of ,brahmins1
 till they are eight years old1 are     
objects of worship as forms of the      
goddess ,bhagavatee4 ,many persons      
performed the worship of these girls    
daily4 ,they took the daughter of some  
neighbouring brahmin1 and placing her on
 a seat1 with flowers1 paint1 water1    
garlands1 etc41 performed her worship1  
and then presented to her1 if they were 
rich1 offerings of cloth1 ornaments1    
etc4 ,at the close1 the worshipper      
offered incense1 and prostrated himself 
before this girl4 ,at the worship of    
some of the female deities also1 the    
daughters of ,brahmins have divine      
honours paid to them4 ,many of the      
,tantra ,shastrus1 and particularly the 
,roodru'yamulu1 the ,yoni-tantra1 and   
the ,neelu-tantra1 contain directions   
for a most extraordinary and disgusting 

puja1 which is understood in a private  
manner amongst the ,hindoos by the name 
of ,chukru4  ,these ,shastrus direct    
that the person or persons who wish to  
perform this puja must first1 in the    
night1 take a woman as the object of    
worship4 ,if the person who performs    
this worship be a dukshinacharu1 he must
 take his own wife1 and if a vamacharu1 
he must take the daughter of a dancer1 a
 kupalee1 a washerman1 a barber1 a      
chundalu1 or of a mussulman1 or a       
prostitute1 and place her on a seat or  
mat2 and then bring boiled fish1 flesh1 
fried peas1 rice1 spirituous liquors1   
sweetmeats1 flowers1 and all the other  
offerings and things necessary for the  
puja4 ,these offerings1 as well as the  
female1 must next be purified by the    
repeating of incantations4 ,to this1    
succeeds the worship of the person's    
guardian deity2 and after this the      
worship of the female1 with all the     
ceremonies included in the term puja4   
,the female must be naked during the    

worship,,horizontal ,,ellipsis4 ,here   
indecencies not fit to be recorded in   
the present age and country1 are        
contained in the directions of the      
shastru for this worship1 relating to   
every part of the body in turn4 ,ward   
said that the learned ,brahmin who      
opened to him these abominations1 made  
several efforts--paused and began again1
 and then paused again1 before he could 
pronounce the shocking indecencies      
prescribed by his own shastrus4  ,as the
 object of the worship was a living     
person1 at the close of the puja she    
partook of the offerings in the presence
 of the worshipper or worshippers4      
,hence she drank of the spirituous      
liquors1 ate of the flesh1 though it was
 that of the cow1 and also of the other 
offerings4 ,the orts were to be eaten by
 the person or persons present1 while   
sitting together1 however different     
their castes may be1 nor might any one  
despise any of the offerings1 or refuse 
to eat of them2 the spirituous liquors  

were to be drunk by measure4 ,the       
company while eating had to put food    
also in each other's mouths4  ,ward     
wrote3--,the person who performs the    
ceremonies1 in the presence of all1     
behaves towards this female in a manner 
which decency forbids to be mentioned4  
,the persons present must then perform  
puja in a manner unutterably abominable1
 and here this most diabolical business 
closes4 ,at present persons performing  
these abominations are becoming more and
 more numerous4 ,they are called        
vamacharees4 ,in proportion as these    
things are becoming common1 so much the 
more are the ways of performing them    
more and more beastly4 ,they are done in
 secret3 but that these practices are   
becoming very frequent among the        
,brahmins and others is a fact known to 
all4 ,the persons who perform these     
actions agreeably to the rules of the   
,shastrus are very few4 ,the generality 
do those parts that belong to gluttony1 
drunkenness and whoredom only1 without  

being acquainted with all the minute    
rules and incantations of the shastrus4 
99       99       99       99       99  
,pratapuchandra ,ghosha1 in reading a   
paper before the ,asiatic ,society of   
,bengal1 in ,september1 #ahgj1          
said3--,in the earliest portraits of the
 ,aryan race1 as delineated in the      
,vedas1 we find their ideas and their   
thoughts centred in their homes1 their  
cattle1 their fields1 and in the        
discomfiture of their enemies4 ,their   
wants were few1 and their prayers1      
therefore1 were less varied2 and their  
ceremonies were1 probably1 equally      
simple4 ,but this simplicity wore within
 itself the seed of a very complex      
system of thought4 ,everything that was 
useful in some way or other1 everything 
that was beautiful or awful in nature1  
or that excited unusual feelings1 or    
suggested new ideas1 was estranged from 
the ordinary and associated with the    
supernatural4 ,a new current of thought 
soon after set in4 ,in the freshness of 

imagination during the primitive state  
of society1 comparisons1 metaphors1 and 
allegories1 were soon changed into real 
entities1 and mythology rapidly gained  
ground in men's minds4 ,thus1 the       
,puranas1 by a natural poetical idea1   
made the sun and the moon1 which witness
 all that is done on the earth1 the     
spies of the divine ruler--a myth       
describing the all-pervading nature of  
their rays4 ,in the ,vedas1 they are    
regarded as the universal witnesses of  
all ceremonies4 ,the ,rahu1 the         
ascending node1 is derived from the verb
 literally meaning to abandon1 void1    
hence also black1 darkness1 shadow1     
etc41 and is represented in mythology as
 having no body1 the umbra of the       
astronomers4 ,the umbra may be said to  
devour as it were the luminaries4 ,later
 mythology makes ,rahu a trunkless head1
 an ingenious mythological adaptation of
 the umbra which devours1 but inasmuch  
as it has no body1 the moon comes out   
from the throat4 ,again1 poetic         

imagination or extreme fear1 personifies
 qualities1 and that to such an         
extraordinary extent1 that while        
describing the bloodthirsty vengeance of
 ,sakti1 she is said to have1 in the    
,chhinnamasta incarnation1 cut off her  
own head from the trunk1 and with the   
gaping trunkless skull gluttonously     
drank her own blood which springs with  
the warmth of life4 ,however hideous the
 conception is1 it is the result of the 
license allowed to poets to use partial 
similitudes4 ,to such flights of        
unshackled imagination1 the variously   
formed sphinxes of the ,chaldeans are   
but mere flutters of the wings4 ,as     
allegories illustrative of the          
concentration of force to overcome      
difficulties1 and the adaptation of     
means to a purpose1 the achievements of 
,durga offer many interesting instances4
 ,on the occasion of vanquishing the    
mighty ,asuras1 ,sumbha and ,nisumbha1  
and their general1 named ,mahishasura   
7the buffaloe-demon71 the several gods  

are made to direct their energy to their
 weapons for the purpose4 ,the goddess  
,durga1 representative of this union1   
sprung forth with ten arms1 fit to crush
 several ,asuras at one fell swoop4     
,kali1 another incarnation of ,sakti1 in
 the war with ,raktavija1 a demon       
multiplying his race1 as his name       
implies1 from the drops of blood flowing
 from his body1 and touching the earth1 
is represented as having licked up the  
blood as it streamed forth from his     
person with a view to arrest that       
dreadful propagation4  ,many of these   
myths1 again1 may be traced partly to   
oriental hyperbole1 and partly to the   
many-sided meanings of the words used in
 describing them3 figurative expressions
 were seized and new myths were invented
 in illustration of them4 ,others again 
are illustrative of national customs2   
thus the protruded tongue of ,kali has  
been the theme of several fanciful      
tales4 ,with some1 in the heat of the   
battle1 ,kali was so maddened1 that the 

gods despaired of the world1 and sent   
,siva1 her husband to appease her4 ,siva
 crept among the dead soldiers lying in 
the field1 and contrived to pass under  
the feet of ,kali1 who no sooner        
perceived her husband trampled under her
 feet1 than she became abashed1 and in  
the fashion of the women of the country1
 bit her tongue as expressive of her    
regret and indelicacy4  ,it is amusing  
to follow the line of argument put forth
 in the ,puranas in support of these    
myths4 ,in some instances1 they approach
 so near the ludicrous1 that were it not
 for their thorough adaptability to the 
state of native society of the time1    
their fallacies would have been long ago
 exposed1 and the whole ,puranic system 
spurned and despised4  ,sakti is ,force4
 ,originally a sect of ,hindoos         
worshipped force and matter as eternal4 
,the word being in the feminine gender1 
its personification is a female divinity
 of supernatural powers1 and every      
occupation which called for great       

exercise of energy and power at once    
selected her as tutelary goddess1 and   
she is now the most popular of all the  
three and thirty millions of the ,hindu 
pantheon4 ,saktaism has since imbibed so
 many brutal practices of cannibalism1  
human sacrifices1 and bacchanalian      
rites1 that the very name of a ,sakta1  
inspires horror and disgust1            
nevertheless the unholy ,tantras1 which 
propound and explain the principles of  
this doctrine1 and give rules for       
worshipping the different forms of      
,sakti1 are increasing in number and    
popularity4 ,they were1 until lately1   
comparatively unknown beyond the        
frontier of ,bengal1 but copies of      
,,mss4 are now demanded from every      
quarter of ,hindustan4 ,the ,tantric    
system is of ,bengali origin1 and its   
rites and customs are ultimately        
interwoven with those of the hill       
tribes1 especially those of ,nepal and  
,assam4 ,demonology is a principal      
feature in the ,sakta faith1 and the    

various nocturnal ceremonies are fixed  
which were much in vogue in ,bengal1    
even as late as about fifty years ago4  
99       99       99       99       99  
,the great feature of the religion      
taught by the ,tantras is the worship of
 ,sakti--,divine power personified as a 
female1 and individualised1 not only in 
the goddesses of mythology1 but in every
 woman3 to whom1 therefore1 in her own  
person religious worship may be and is  
occasionally addressed4 ,the chief      
objects of adoration1 however1 are the  
manifold forms of the bride of ,siva2   
,parvati1 ,uma1 ,durga1 ,kali1 ,syama1  
,vindhya-vasini1 ,jaganmata1 and others4
 ,besides the usual practices of        
offerings1 oblations1 hymns1            
invocations1 the ritual comprises many  
mystical ceremonies and accompaniments1 
gesticulations and diagrams1 and the use
 in the commencement and close of the   
prayers of various monosyllabic         
ejaculations of imagined mysterious     
import4 ,even in its last exceptionable 

division it comprehends the performance 
of magical ceremonies and rites1        
intended to obtain super-human powers1  
and a command over the spirits of       
heaven1 earth1 and hell4 ,the popular   
division is1 however1 called by the     
,hindus themselves1 the left-hand ,sakta
 faith4 ,it is to this that the bloody  
sacrifices offered to ,kali must be     
imputed2 and all the barbarities and    
indecencies perpetrated at the ,durga   
,puja1 the annual worship of ,durga1 and
 the ,churuk ,puja1 the swinging        
festival1 are to be ascribed4 ,there are
 other atrocities which do not meet the 
public eye4 ,this is not a random       
foundationless charge1 we have the books
 describing the rites and ceremonies1   
some of them are in print1 veiled       
necessarily in the obscurity of the     
original language1 but incontrovertible 
witnesses of the veracity of the charge4
 ,of course no respectable ,hindu will  
admit that he is a ,vamachari1 a        
follower of the left-hand ritual1 or    

that he is a member of a society in     
which meat is eaten1 wine is drunk1 and 
abominations not to be named are        
practised4 ,the imputation will be      
indignantly denied1 although1 if the    
,tantras be believed1 many a man who    
calls himself a ,saiva1 or a ,vaishnava1
 is secretly a ,sakta1 and a brother of 
the left-hand fraternity4#ab            
#ab ,wilson's ,lectures4  ,the          
worshippers of ,sakti have always been  
divided into two classes1 a right and a 
left-hand order1 and three sub-divisions
 of the latter were enumerated1 who     
until lately were still well known--the 
,purnabhishiktas1 ,akritarthas1         
,kritakrityasamas4  ,time1 and the      
presence of foreign rulers1 it is       
evident to all observers1 have very much
 modified the character of much of the  
,hindu worship2 if the licentious       
practices of the ,saktas are still as   
prevalent as ever1 which may well be    
questioned1 they are1 at least1         
carefully concealed from observation1   

and if they are not exploded1 there are 
other observances of a more ferocious   
description1 which seem to have         
disappeared4 ,the worship of ,bhairava1 
still prevails amongst the ,saktas and  
the ,jogis2 but in upper ,india1 at     
least1 the naked mendicant1 smeared with
 funeral ashes1 armed with a trident or 
a sword1 carrying a hollow skull in his 
hand1 and half intoxicated with the     
spirits which he has quaffed from that  
disgusting wine-cup1 prepared1 in short1
 to perpetrate any act of violence and  
crime1 the ,kapalika of former days1 is 
now rarely1 if ever1 encountered4  ,a   
hundred years ago1 the worshippers of   
the ,sakti were exceedingly numerous    
amongst all classes of ,hindus1 it was  
computed that of those of ,bengal1 at   
least three-fourths were of this sect4  
,the bride of ,siva in one or other of  
her many and varied forms1 was by far   
the most popular emblem in ,bengal1 and 
along the ,ganges4  ,the worship of the 
female principal1 as distinct from the  

divinity1 appears to have originated in 
the literal interpretation of the       
metaphorical language of the ,vedas1 in 
which the will or purpose to create the 
universe1 is represented as originating 
from the creator1 and co-existent with  
him as his bride1 and part of himself4  
,thus in the ,rig ,veda1 it is said1    
,that divine spirit breathed without    
afflation single1 with her who is       
sustained within him2 other than him    
nothing existed4 ,first desire was      
formed in his mind1 and that became the 
original productive seed1 and the ,sama 
,veda1 speaking of the divine cause of  
creation1 says1 ,he felt not delight1   
being alone4 ,he wished another1 and    
instantly became such4 ,he caused his   
ownself to fall in 'twain1 and thus     
became husband and wife4 ,he approached 
her1 and thus were human beings         
produced4 ,in those passages it is not  
unlikely that reference is made to the  
primitive tradition of the origin of    
mankind1 but there is also a figurative 

representation of the first indication  
of wish or will in the ,supreme ,being4 
,being devoid of all qualities whatever1
 he was alone1 until he permitted the   
wish to be multiplied to be generated   
with himself4 ,this wish being put into 
action1 it is said1 became united with  
its parent1 and then created beings were
 produced4 ,thus this first             
manifestation of divine power is termed 
,ichchhaupaa1 personified desire1 and   
the creator is designated as            
,swechchamaya1 united with his own will2
 whilst in the ,vedanta philosophy1 and 
the popular sects1 such as that of      
,kabir1 and others1 in which all created
 things are held to be illusory1 the    
,sakti1 or active will of the deity1 is 
always designated and spoken of as      
,maya1 or ,mahamaya1 original deceit or 
illusion4     ,,chapter ,,vi4           
,further account of ,right-hand and     
,left-hand worship--,the     practices  
of the ,vamis or ,vamacharis--,the rite 
of ,mantra     ,sadhana--,ceremony of   

,sri ,chakra--,claim of the priests to  
supernatural power--,legends4   ,with   
regard to what have been called         
right-hand and left-hand worship we     
proceed to develop a few further        
particulars on the authority of certain 
statements made in the ,calcutta ,review
 for #ahdh4 ,when the worship of the    
,shakti is publicly performed1 and in a 
manner quite harmonious to the ,vaidik  
or ,puranik ritual1 and free from all   
obscene practices and impurities1 it is 
termed the ,dhakshina or right-hand form
 of worship2 and those who adopt this   
pure ritual are termed ,dhakshinacharis4
 ,the peculiarities of this sect were   
described at length1 many years ago1 in 
a work compiled by ,kasinath1 and       
entitled ,dhakshinachara1 ,tantra ,raja4
 ,according to this authority--the      
ritual declared in the ,tantras of the  
,dhakshinacharis is pure1 and           
conformable to the ,vedas4 ,its leading 
parts are3--  #ast4--,auchmana4 ,the    
object of this1 as well as some other   

ceremonies that follow1 is the          
purification of the worshippers4 ,it    
consists in taking up water from a      
copper vessel1 with a small spoon of the
 same metal1 by the left hand1 and      
pouring a small quantity of it on the   
half-closed palm of the right hand3 in  
sipping up this water thrice with the   
lips1 and in touching with the fingers  
in rapid succession1 the lips1 the eyes1
 and other parts of the head1 along with
 the repetition of proper formulae4     
,with respect to the quantity of water  
to be sipped1 it is directed and        
strictly enjoined that it must be such  
as to run down the throat to the mouth  
of the oesophagus1 and no further4      
#bnd4--,shasti ,buchana4 ,this part of  
the ceremony is performed with the view 
of rendering the result of adoration    
beneficial to the worshipper4 ,mention  
is now made of the month1 the age of the
 moon1 and the day in which the ceremony
 takes place1 and then appropriate      
mantras are repeated1 such as1 like good

 omens1 are believed to prognosticate   
happy results4  #crd4--,sankalpa4 ,this 
is like the prayer part of a petition4  
,in this the adorer discloses the       
immediate object of his worship1        
mentioning again by name the month1 the 
fortnight1 whether dark or bright1 and  
the age of the moon4 ,he mentions also  
his own proper name and his gotra1 which
 is always the name of some rishi or    
saint4 ,a fruit1 generally a betel-nut  
or a haretaki1 is necessary1 which is   
held in the water contained in the      
copper vessel called ,kosha4            
#dth4--,ghatasthapana4 or the placing of
 a pot4 ,this consists in placing a pot 
or jar1 generally made of earth1 but    
sometimes of brass or any pure metal1 on
 a small elevation formed of mud1--the  
mud of the thrice sanctifying ,ganges is
 of course preferable to any other4 ,the
 jar is filled with water1 a bunch of   
mango leaves1 with a green cocoanut1 or 
a ripe plantain1 is placed on its top1  
and the sectarial mark called the yantra

 is painted with red lead on its front4 
,this is to serve for a temporary abode 
of the goddess1 whose presence in it is 
worshipfully solicited4  #eth4--,samanya
 ,argha ,sthapana4 ,this part of the    
devotion is opened by offering prayers  
to the ten cardinal points1 which1      
according to the ,hindus1 are the ,east1
 ,south-east1 ,south1 ,south-west1      
,west1 ,north-west1 ,north1 ,north-east1
 the ,zenith1 and the ,nadir1 presided  
over by ,indra1 ,agni1 ,yama1 ,nairit1  
,baruna1 ,bayu1 ,kubera1 ,isha or       
,mohadeva1 ,brahma and ,ananta4 ,after  
this1 what is called an ,argha1 composed
 of a small quantity of soaked rice and 
a few blades of durva-grass1 is to be   
placed on a dumb-conch shell1 on the    
left side of the worshipper2 and if1    
besides the worshipper1 any ,brahman1 or
 ,brahmans be present1 a few grains of  
rice must be given to each of them1     
after which1 they all throw the rice on 
the pot4  #fth4--,ashan ,suddhi1 or     
literally the purification of the seat1 

but technically1 of the posture in which
 the worshipper is to sit or stand while
 engaged in his devotion4 ,this varies  
according to the immediate object of    
worship4 ,the ,tantras prescribe eighty 
thousand different sorts of postures4   
,some of these are impossible1 others   
are very painful1 all are more or less  
ludicrous4  #gth4--,bhuta ,shuddhi1 or  
the purification of the body4 ,it is    
called ,bhuta ,suddhi1 for the body is  
believed to be composed of the five     
elementary substances called bhuta1     
viz41 earth1 water1 fire1 air1 and      
ether4 ,in this observance1 the         
worshipper is to conceive1 that his old 
body is consumed1 and that a new and    
purified one is put on4 ,it is declared 
that fire and nectar are deposited in   
every man's forehead2 and it is by this 
brain-fire that the old body is to be   
conceived to be reduced to ashes1 on    
which nectar being mentally sprinkled   
over1 a regenerated body must be        
conceived to come to existence by virtue

 of the mantras4  #hth and              
#ith4--,pranayain and ,rishyadinyas4    
,these are introductory prayers1        
inviting the presence of the goddess4   
#ajth and #aath4--,matrikanyas and      
,barnanyas4 ,these are singular rites1  
in which the worshipper repeats in order
 the letters of the ,sanskrit alphabet1 
each with the ,anaswara combined1 as    
ang1 ang1 kang1 khang1 gang1 ghang1 and 
so on with the rest4 ,and as he repeats 
these letters1 which are fifty in       
number1 he touches fifty different parts
 of his own body1 according to          
directions minutely laid down in the    
,tantras2 and when an earthen image of  
the goddess is to be worshipped for the 
first time1 the officiating priest      
touches also the corresponding parts of 
the idol4  #abth4--,dyana4 ,in this1 the
 worshipper is required1 by closing both
 his eyes1 to form the image of his     
guardian divinity in his mind1 and to   
fix his mental vision upon it for some  
time4  #acth4---,abahan1 ,chakshudan1   

and ,pranpratistha4 ,when the worship is
 performed without an image of the      
goddess1 she is invoked to vouchsafe her
 presence in the jar4  #adth4--,pujah1  
or the presenting of offerings of rice1 
fruit1 incense1 etc4  #aeth4--,lelehi   
,mudra1 or the performance of the       
gesticulation called ,lelehi1 which     
consists in putting the palm of the     
right hand upon the back of the left1   
and shaking the fingers4 ,there are no  
less than sixty-four thousand different 
sorts of ,mudra prescribed in the       
,tantras4  #afth4--,abarana ,pujah1 or  
the worship of the attendants of the    
goddess4  #agth4--,mahakala ,pujah1 or  
the adoration of ,mahakala1 a form of   
,shiva4  #ahth4--,balidan1 or the       
offering of sacrifice1 commonly a blood 
offering4  #aith4--,kabajan ,patheth4   
,in praise of the exploits of the       
goddess4  #bjth4--,homa4 ,pouring       
clarified butter upon the consecrated   
fire1 made for the purpose on a bed of  
sand about one foot square4 ,the ashes  

are worn on the forehead1 and the       
residue carefully deposited or buried in
 a corner of the house4  ,the ,vamis1 or
 the left-hand worshippers1 adopt a form
 of worship contrary to that which is   
usual1 and they not only worship the    
,shakti of ,siva in all her terrific    
forms1 but pay adoration to her numerous
 fiend-like attendants1 the ,yoginis1   
,dakinis1 and the ,sankinis4  ,the rites
 practised by the ,vamis or ,vamacharis 
are so grossly obscene1 as to cast into 
shade the worst inventions which the    
most impure imagination can conceive4   
,in this last mentioned sect 7the       
,shaktas71 says a learned ,sanskrit     
scholar1 as in most others1 there is a  
right-handed and decent path1 and a     
left-handed and indecent mode of        
worship1 but the indecent worship of    
this sect is most grossly so1 and       
consists of unbridled debauchery1 with  
wine and women4 ,this profligate sect is
 supposed to be numerous1 though        
unavowed4 ,in most parts of ,india1 if  

not in all1 they are held in deserved   
detestation2 and even the decent        
,shaktas do not make public profession  
of their tenets1 nor wear on their      
foreheads the mark of the sect1 lest    
they should be suspected of belonging to
 the other branch of it4 ,solitude and  
secrecy being strictly enjoined to the  
,vamis1 they invariably celebrate their 
rites at midnight1 and in most          
unfrequented and private places4 ,they  
neither acknowledge their participation 
in these most scandalous orgies1 nor1 as
 we have already remarked1 confess that 
they belong to any branch of the ,shakta
 sect1 although their reserve in this   
respect is becoming every day more and  
more relaxed1 if not of all1 at least1  
of many4 ,those1 whose immediate object 
is the attainment of super-human powers1
 or whose end is specific1 aiming at    
some particular boon or gift1 are more  
strict on the point1 lest they reap no  
fruits of their devotion4 ,they never   
admit a companion1 nor even one of their

 own fraternity1 into the place of their
 worship4 ,even when they are believed  
by the credulous ,hindus to have become 
,shiddas1 that is1 possessed of         
supernatural powers2 or in other words1 
when they have acquired sufficient art  
to impose upon their ignorant and       
superstitious countrymen1 and have      
established their reputation as men     
capable of working miracles1 they take  
every care not to disclose the means    
through which they have attained the    
object of their wishes1 unless revealed 
by some accidental occurrence or        
unlooked-for circumstance4 ,those whose 
object is of a general character1 hold a
 sort of convivial party1 eating and    
drinking together in large numbers1     
without any great fear of detection4    
,but yet they always take care to choose
 such secluded spots for the scenes of  
their devotion1 as lie quite concealed  
from the public view4 ,they generally   
pass unnoticed1 and are traced out only 
when we make it our aim to detect them  

by watching over their movements like a 
spy4 ,at present1 as their chief desire 
appears to be only the gratification of 
sensual appetites1 they are at all times
 found to be more attentive to points   
which have a direct reference to the    
indulgence of their favourite passions1 
than to those minor injunctions which   
require of them secrecy and solitude4   
,these1 however1 they are obliged to    
observe1 at least in part1 for their own
 account2 for the abominations which1   
under the name of religious rites1 they 
practice1 cannot but expose them to     
disgrace and reproach1 even among the   
degenerate ,hindus4#ac          #ac     
,religious ,sects of ,india by ,h4 ,h4  
,wilson4  ,guided by the same authority 
we present a brief summary of the       
principal rites observed by the above   
sect4 ,the drinking of spirituous       
liquors1 more or less1 is with them1 we 
are told1 no less a habit than a        
religious practice4 ,they will perform  
no religious ceremony without wine4 ,in 

their various forms of daily worship1 in
 the performance of all their ceremonial
 rites1 in the celebration of all their 
public festivals1 wine is indispensable4
 ,every article of food which they offer
 to their goddess1 is sprinkled over    
with the intoxicating liquor4 ,here it  
should be observed that the orthodox    
,vamis will never touch any foreign     
liquor or wine1 but use only the country
 doasta1 which they drink out of a cup  
formed either of the cocoa1 or of a     
human skull4 ,the liquor is first       
offered to their especial divinity in   
quart bottles or pints1 but more        
frequently in chaupalas and earthen     
jars1 and then distributed round the    
company1 each member having a cup       
exclusively his own4 ,if there be no    
company1 the worshipper pours the liquor
 into his own cup and after certain     
motions and prayers1 empties it at a    
single draught4 ,they call themselves   
and all other men that drink wine1 birs 
or heroes1 and those that abstain from  

drinking1 pasus1 i4e41 beasts4 ,no      
sooner is a child born1 than they pour  
into its mouth a drop or two of wine2 at
 the time of its ,sankara1 called the   
,anna prasana1 which takes place at the 
sixth moon from its birth1 if it be a   
male1 or at the seventh moon1 if it be a
 female1 they give it pieces of cork or 
shola dipped in wine to be sucked1 so   
they habituate the child from its       
cradle1 in the drinking of spirituous   
liquors4 ,at the time of the principal  
initiation1 or mantra grahana1 that is1 
when the specific or ,bij mantra is     
received from the ,guru1 he and his new 
disciple drink together1 the former at  
intervals giving instructions to the    
latter as to the proper mode of         
drinking4 ,whenever the spiritual guide 
visits a ,kaula family1 all its members1
 men1 women1 and children1 gather round 
him1 and with great cheers and feasting1
 drink his health as he drinks theirs4  
,the fact is1 drinking is carried on to 
an infamous and degrading extent1 their 

principle is said to be1 drink1 and     
drink1 and drink again1 till you fall   
flat on the ground2 the moment you rise1
 drink again1 and you shall obtain final
 liberation4  ,in justice to some who   
are exceptions to this rule1 we must    
observe that all ,vamacharis are not    
drunkards1 though they all drink4 ,some 
of the ,tantras prescribe the exact     
quantity to be drunk4 ,according to     
their prescription1 the least dose to be
 taken is an ounce1 and the largest not 
exceeding three ounces4  ,there is      
another variety of the ,vamis who       
substitute certain mixtures in the place
 of wine4 ,these mixtures are declared  
in the ,tantras to be equivalent to     
wine1 and to possess all its intrinsic  
virtues without the power of            
intoxication2 such as the juice of the  
cocoanut received in a vessel made      
kansa3 the juice of the water-lemon     
mixed with sugar1 and exposed to the    
sun2 molasses dissolved in water1 and   
contained in a copper vessel1 etc4  ,in 

all the ceremonies1 which not only      
comprehend the worship of the ,shakti1  
but are performed for the attainment of 
some proposed object1 the presence of a 
female1 as the living representative1   
and the type of the goddess1 is         
indispensably necessary4 ,such          
ceremonies are specific in their nature1
 and are called ,shadhanas4 ,some who   
are more decent than the rest of the    
sect1 join their wives in the           
celebration of the gloomy rites of      
,kali4 ,others make their beloved       
mistresses partners in their joint      
devotion4 ,here the rite assumes a      
blacker aspect4 ,the favourite concubine
 is disrobed1 and placed by the side or 
on the thigh of her paramour who is in  
the same condition4 ,in this situation1 
the usual calmness of the mind must be  
preserved1 and no evil lodged in it4    
,such is the requisition of the         
,shastras1 say the ,vamis1 when         
reproached for their brutal practices4  
,in this way is performed the rite      

called the ,mantra ,sadhana4 ,it is1 as 
must be expected1 carried on in great   
secrecy1 and is said to lead to the     
possession of supernatural powers4 ,the 
religious part of it is very simple1    
consisting merely of the repetition of  
the ,mula mantra1 which may or may not  
be preceded by the usual mode of ,shakta
 worship4 ,hence it is called the       
,mantra ,sadhana1 to distinguish it from
 other sorts of ,sadhanas4 ,after ten   
,p4,m41 the devotee1 under pretence of  
going to bed1 retires into a private    
chamber1 where1 calling his wife or     
mistress1 and procuring all the         
necessary articles of worship1 such as  
wine1 grains1 water1 a string of beads1 
etc41 he shuts the doors and the windows
 of the room1 and1 sitting before a     
lighted lamp1 joins with his partner in 
drinking4 ,the use of this preliminary  
is obvious4 ,when1 by the power of the  
spirits1 the veil of shame is withdrawn1
 he1 making his wife or mistress sit in 
the manner already described1 begins to 

repeat his mantra1 and continues to do  
so till one1 two1 or three o'clock in   
the morning4 ,at intervals the glass is 
repeated1 and the ceremony is closed in 
a manner which decency does not allow us
 to state4  ,we now come to the blackest
 part of the ,vama worship4 ,nothing can
 be more disgusting1 nothing more       
abominable1 nothing more scandalously   
obscene1 than the rite we are about to  
describe4 ,the ceremony is called       
,shi-,chakra1 ,purnabhisheka1 the ring  
or full initiation4 ,this worship is    
mostly celebrated in mixed societies1   
composed of motley groups of various    
castes1 though not of creed4 ,this is   
quite extraordinary1 since1 according to
 the established laws of the caste      
system1 no ,hindu is permitted to eat   
with an inferior4 ,but here the rule is 
at once done away with1 and persons of  
high caste1 low caste1 and no caste1    
sit1 eat1 and drink together4 ,this is  
authorised by the ,shastras in the      
following text3--,while the ,bhairavi   

,tantra 7the ceremony of the ,chakra7 is
 proceeding1 all castes are             
,brahmans--when it is concluded they are
 again distinct4 ,thus while the        
votaries of the ,shakti observe all the 
distinctions of caste in public1 they   
neglect them altogether in the          
performance of her orgies4  ,the        
principal part of the rite called the   
,chakra is ,shakti ,sadhana or the      
purification of the female representing 
the ,shakti4 ,in the ceremony termed    
mantra ,sadhana1 we have already noticed
 the introduction of a female1 the      
devotee always making his wife or       
mistress partner in his devotion4 ,this 
cannot be done in a mixed society4 ,for 
although the ,vamis are so far          
degenerated as to perform rites such as 
human nature1 corrupt as it is1 revolts 
from with detestation1 yet they have not
 sunk to that depth of depravity as to  
give up their wives to the              
licentiousness of men of beastly        
conduct4 ,neither is it the ordination  

of the ,shastras4 ,for this purpose they
 prescribe females of various           
descriptions1 particularly a dancing    
girl1 a female devotee1 a harlot1 a     
washerwoman1 or barber's wife1 a female 
of the ,braminical or ,sudra tribe1 a   
flower girl1 or a milk maid4 ,some of   
the ,tantras add a few more to the list1
 such as a princess1 the wife of a      
,kapali1 or of a ,chandal1 of a ,kulala1
 or of a conch seller4 ,others increase 
the number to twenty-six1 and a few even
 to sixty-four4 ,these females are      
distinguished by the name of ,kula      
,shakti4 ,selecting and procuring       
females from the preceding classes1 the 
,vamacharis are to assemble at midnight 
in some sequestered spot1 in eight1     
nine1 or eleven couples1 the men        
representing ,bhairavas or ,viras1 and  
the women ,bhairavas or ,nayikas4 ,in   
some cases a single female personating  
the ,shakti is to be procured4 ,in all  
cases1 the ,kula ,shakti is placed      
disrobed1 but richly adorned with       

ornaments on the left of a circle       
7chakra7 described for the purpose1     
whence the ceremony derives its name4   
,sometimes she is made to stand1 totally
 destitute of clothing1 with protuberant
 tongue and dishevelled hair4 ,she is   
then purified by the recitation of many 
mantras and texts1 and by the           
performance of the mudra or             
gesticulations4 ,finally she is         
sprinkled over with wine1 and if not    
previously initiated1 the ,bij mantra is
 thrice repeated in her ear4 ,to this   
succeeds the worship of the guardian    
divinity2 and after this1 that of the   
female1 to whom are now offered broiled 
fish1 flesh1 fried peas1 rice1          
spirituous liquors1 sweetmeats1 flowers1
 and other offerings1 which are all     
purified by the repeating of            
incantations and the sprinkling of wine4
 ,it is now left to her choice to       
partake of the offerings1 or to rest    
contented simply with verbal worship4   
,most frequently she eats and drinks    

till she is perfectly satisfied1 and the
 refuse is shared by the persons        
present4 ,if1 in any case1 she refuses  
to touch or try either meat or wine1 her
 worshippers pour wine on her tongue    
while standing1 and receive it as it    
runs down her body in a vessel held     
below4 ,this wine is sprinkled over all 
the dishes which are now served among   
the votaries4  ,such is the preliminary 
called the purification of the ,shakti4 
,to this succeeds the devotional part of
 the ceremony4 ,the devotees are now to 
repeat their radical mantra1 but in a   
manner unutterably obscene4 ,then follow
 things too abominable to enter the ears
 of men1 or to be borne by the feelings 
of an enlightened community2 things1    
from which the rudest savage would turn 
away his face with disgust4         99  
99       99       99       99  ,here the
 diabolical business closes4  ,the      
religious practices of the ,shaktas     
being such as are believed to lead to   
the possession of supernatural powers1  

many persons of this sect1 taking       
advantage of the religious blunders of  
the great mass of the people1 practice  
the most barefaced impositions4 ,the    
credulity of the ,hindus becomes to many
 an inexhaustible source of wealth1     
especially to those who are at the head 
of any religious establishment1 where   
any form of the ,shakti is the presiding
 divinity4 ,these priests who day and   
night attend on the goddess1 and perform
 various mystical rites1 gradually      
acquire the credit of having close      
intimacy and secret communication with  
her2 and then gifts1 presents1 and      
votive offerings are incessantly poured 
on the altar4 ,under pretence of healing
 diseases of children1 and curing       
barrenness1 mothers and young women are 
induced to join in the worship of ,kali1
 when the worthy votaries of the black  
goddess1 the priests1 thank her for     
having fulfilled the object of their    
wishes4 ,offerings are presented1 not   
only for receiving blessings1 but also  

for personal safety4 ,life and death are
 said to be in the hands of these       
,shiddhas4 ,they1 if provoked1 can      
sooner or later1 kill the offender by   
the power of their mantras4 ,this deadly
 ceremony is called ,maranuchchatan4    
,there is in one district1 a temple     
dedicated to ,shiddheswari1 a form of   
,kali1 the late attending priest of     
which was a man universally believed to 
be of no common rate4 ,the belief yet   
prevails in the neighbourhood1 that once
 in the height of indignation he caused 
the death of a rich native for having   
indirectly called him a drunkard4 ,the  
story runs thus3--,at a feast given to  
the ,brahmans by this native gentleman1 
the priest of ,shiddheswari was invited 
to his house1--the latter1 on account of
 the manifold duties of the temple1 was 
late in his attendance1 on which the    
host1 being displeased with his conduct1
 said to him as he entered the door1    
,well1 ,bhattacharjya1 now ,i believe   
the dimness of your eyes has vanished1  

alluding to his known habit of drinking4
 ,at this raillery1 the rage of the     
favourite of ,kali knew no bounds4 ,he  
instantly returned to the temple and    
closed its doors1 strictly enjoining his
 servants not to disturb his meditation 
before flames from the funeral pile of  
the wretched host ascended to the skies4
 ,and1 wonderful to relate1 an hour had 
scarcely elapsed1 before the sons of the
 host came to the priest with clothes   
around their necks1 fell suppliant on   
their knees1 and with folded hands      
implored his mercy1 saying1 ,o6 ,sir1   
save us and our family4 ,the priest     
smiling1 asked them what was the matter1
 to which they replied1 weeping1 ,our   
father is no more4 ,no sooner had your  
holy feet left our doors1 than on a     
sudden blood came out rushing from his  
mouth1 he fell on the ground and        
expired4 ,save us1 we entreat thee1 and 
the rest of his family1 for we have not 
offended against thy holy divinity4 ,on 
this1 the wrath of the priest was       

pacified1 and he spoke to them in an    
affectionate tone2 ,no fear1 my         
children1 you are safe1 go home and     
perform your father's funeral obsequies4
  ,another marvellous anecdote is told  
of him1 as well as of many others of    
similar character4 ,when on one occasion
 he was bringing liquor concealed in a  
water-pot1 a person whose object was to 
expose him1 stopped him on the way and  
wanted to see what was in the pot4 ,to  
this he calmly replied1 nothing but     
milk4 ,saying this1 he poured out the   
contents1 and the liquor was found      
converted into milk4 ,such persons1 by  
taking advantage of the fears of the    
superstitious ,hindus1 extort money and 
other presents from them4  ,much of the 
splendour of the ,hindu idolatry        
consists in the celebration of the      
,shakta rites4 ,the great festivals1    
which are annually celebrated in        
,bengal1 such as the ,durga ,puja1 the  
,jagaddhari and ,kali ,pujas1 the       
,charak1 the ,basanti1 ,rutanti and     

,falahari ,pujas1 are all ,shaktya      
observances1 and for the most part      
performed by the worshippers of the     
,shakti4 ,these festivals themselves1   
and the exhibitions that accompany them1
 exert a pernicious influence over the  
morals of the people4 ,the spirit in    
which these religious days are kept1 the
 splendid and fascinating ceremonies    
connected with them1 and the merry      
exhibitions1 including savage music and 
indecent dancing1 that form a part of   
the worship1 cannot but captivate and   
corrupt the heart and overpower the     
judgment of youth4  ,the ,shakta        
processions are utterly abominable4 ,one
 of them takes place after the          
blood-offerings at public festivals4 ,of
 a similar character are those which go 
before and follow the images1 when      
carried to be thrown into the river or  
into a pond4 ,on these occasions the    
,shaktas utter terms most grossly       
obscene1 loudly and repeatedly1 and make
 gestures the most indecent that can be 

imagined2 and all this before their     
goddess and the public4  ,the habit of  
drinking wine1 which prevails so widely 
among the ,shaktas1 produces baneful    
effects on the minds of the ,hindus4    
,leaving the ,kaulas as out of the      
question1 since they themselves train up
 their children in the habit of         
drinking1 the ,shaktas in general are   
more forward in trying the qualities of 
the prohibited article than any other   
sect of the orthodox ,hindus1 and their 
example stimulates others to do the     
same4 ,this is one of the reasons why   
the drinking of spirituous liquors1     
which was almost unknown among the      
,hindus of yore1 has gradually become so
 prevalent among them1 as at this day4  
,the tenets of the ,shaktas open the way
 for the gratification of all the       
sensual appetites1 they hold out        
encouragement to drunkards1 thieves and 
dacoits2 they present the means of      
satisfying every lustful desire2 they   
blunt the feelings by authorising the   

most cruel practices1 and lead men to   
commit abominations which place them on 
a level with the beasts4 ,the ,shaktya  
worship is impure in itself1 obscene in 
its practices1 and highly injurious to  
the life and character of men4#ad       
#ad ,see ,calcutta ,review for #ahee4   
,,chapter ,,vii4      ,considerations   
respecting the origin of ,phallic       
worship--,comparisons between ,indian   
and ,egyptian practices and             
doctrines4   ,for the bulk of the       
evidence respecting ,phallic or ,nature 
,worship1 and for illustrations of its  
original character and ultimate         
developments1 it is evident that ,india 
is the land to which we must chiefly    
look for information3 for this reason   
the majority of the preceding pages deal
 with that part of the world4           
,historically perhaps there is          
considerable difficulty in deciding as  
to where this worship originated2 its   
antiquity is so great1 and its diffusion
 throughout various countries so general

 and extensive1 that it appears         
impossible to say whether ,greece1      
,rome1 ,india1 or ,egypt was its        
earliest home or birthplace4  ,there are
 some considerations1 however1 which    
render it probable that it was in ,india
 where its earliest manifestations were 
exhibited4 ,whatever impurities and     
abominations may have clustered round it
 in comparatively modern times1 the fact
 must not be lost sight of1 that in its 
earlier phases in that country nothing  
was associated with it that was         
calculated to cause any offence to the  
most refined and modest of minds4 ,very 
little judgment is needed to understand 
that the tendency of practices thus     
appealing to the most easily excited of 
the animal passions would be downward   
rather than upward1 that instead of     
growing pure and free from the taint of 
lustful desires1 the almost inevitable  
fruit would be impurity and licentious  
indulgence2 it is not likely therefore  
that the more respectable worship of    

early ,india would be the product of the
 gross practices of the other nations we
 have named4 ,we can see clearly enough1
 we think1 the origin of this worship   
resting upon the highest aspirations of 
the human soul4 ,in endeavouring to     
frame a theological system and arrange a
 method of worship to meet the cravings 
of the mind for intercourse with the    
creative powers of the universe1 men    
would be sure to fix their thoughts upon
 those means and agents by which living 
beings and things were brought into     
existence1 and which1 to say the least  
of it1 acted as secondary causes in the 
creative work4 ,these1 of course1 would 
be the generative organs of men and     
animals in general1 and for want of     
better and more exalted teaching1 they  
would easily enough persuade themselves 
that it was a proper thing to worship   
the power symbolized by such objects1 if
 they did not actually worship the      
objects themselves4 ,perhaps originally1
 the first of these two ideas was all   

that was intended or contemplated1 for  
it is undeniable that many cases have   
come under our notice in which men were 
really rendering adoration to an unknown
 spiritual power when they appeared to  
be doing nothing but worshipping a      
graven image4  ,there is no doubt the   
religious system of the ,hindus is very 
ancient1 and it has been supposed by    
some that it was formed about the same  
time as that of the ,egyptians1 from    
which that of the ,greeks and other     
western nations was in some measure     
derived4 ,many points of resemblance    
have been observed between them1 too    
many1 and too striking1 to have been    
fortuitous4 ,even some of the           
inhabitants of ,ethiopia appear to have 
been of the same origin with those of   
,hindostan1 and both the ,ethiopians and
 ,egyptians seem to have had some       
connection or intercourse with the      
,hindoos2 but of what kind it was1 or   
when it subsisted1 we have no certain   
account2 and they appear to have been so

 long separated1 that at present they   
are in total ignorance of each other4   
,according to ,eusebius and ,syncellus1 
some people from the river ,indus       
settled in the neighbourhood of ,egypt  
in the reign of ,amenophis1 the father  
of ,sesostris1 and many ,egyptians1     
banished by their princes1 settled in   
other countries and went as far as      
,india4 ,it is also supposed that many  
of the priests of ,egypt left the       
country on the invasion of it by        
,cambyses4 ,but such circumstances as   
these are not sufficient to account for 
the great resemblance between the two   
systems4 ,the ,hindoos themselves say   
that their sacred books came from the   
,west1 but they themselves1 no doubt1 as
 well as their books1 came from that    
quarter1 and their sacred books1 it is  
supposed1 were probably composed while  
the seat of the empire was in ,persia4  
,there are a few ,egyptian words similar
 to those in the ancient language of    
,hindostan1 which seem to shew that the 

two people had some affinity to each    
other4 ,brama1 pronounced birouma in    
,malabar1 signifies man1 and so did     
pirouma in the language of ,egypt4 ,the 
name of the river of ,egypt1 ,nile1 is  
probably ,sanscrit1 since nila in that  
language1 signifies blue1 and the       
ancients say it had its name from that  
colour4  ,but circumstances of much more
 importance than these discover some    
early connection between ,hindostan and 
,egypt4 ,the names and figures of the   
twelve signs of the ,zodiac among the   
,hindoos are nearly the same with ours1 
which came from ,egypt through ,greece1 
and each of these signs is divided into 
thirty degrees4 ,both the ,egyptians and
 ,hindoos had also the same division of 
time into weeks1 and they denominated   
each of the days by the names of the    
same planets4  ,the resemblance between 
the ,oriental and ,occidental systems   
extends much farther than ,egypt4 ,the  
office and power of the ,druids in the  
northern parts of ,europe1 did not      

differ much from those of the ,brahmins2
 and the ,etruscans1 from whom the      
,romans derived the greatest part of    
their learning and religion1 had a      
system which had a near affinity with   
that of the ,persians and ,indians1 and 
they wrote alternately to the right hand
 and the left4  ,several remarkable     
general principles were held alike by   
the ancient ,egyptians and the ,hindoos4
 ,they both believed that the souls of  
men existed in a prior state1 and went  
into other bodies after death4 ,they had
 the same ideas of the body being a     
prison to the soul1 and imagined that   
they could purify and exalt the soul by 
the mortification of the body2 and from 
the idea of the great superiority of    
spiritual to corporeal substances1 they 
held all matter in great contempt4 ,they
 also believed 7according to ,la ,croze7
 that plants had a principle of         
animation4  ,several religious ideas and
 customs were common to both countries4 
,the ,egyptians of ,thebais represented 

the world under the figure of an egg1   
which came from the mouth of ,cneph1 and
 this resembled the first production    
according to the ,hindoo system4        
,several of the ,egyptian deities were  
both male and female1 which corresponds 
with the figure of the lingam with the  
,hindoos4 ,this obscene figure1 at least
 the phallus1 was much used in the      
,egyptian worship1 and from ,egypt it   
was carried into ,greece1 where it was  
used in the mysteries of ,bacchus4 ,as  
the ,hindoos worshipped their god ,siva 
under this figure1 and carried it in    
procession1 the ,egyptians and ,greeks  
did the same with the phallus4 ,also1   
the lascivious postures of the ,egyptian
 women before their god ,apis1 were the 
same as those of the ,hindoo women      
before their idols4 ,the ,hindoos also  
chose their sacred bulls by the same    
marks as were used by the ,egyptians4   
,then1 again1 the account of the flight 
of the ,egyptian gods1 as given by the  
,greeks1 and their concealing themselves

 under the forms of animals1 bears some 
resemblance to the various              
transformations of ,vishnu4 ,also1 the  
,egyptians worshipped the ,nile and the 
,hindoos the ,ganges4 ,some of the      
,hindoo temples have the same remarkable
 form1 viz41 that of a pyramid1 or cone4
 ,that the pyramids of ,egypt had some  
religious use can hardly be doubted4    
,all the pagodas are in that form1 or   
have towers of that form in the         
buildings which surround them4 ,the     
temples in ,pegu are also of a conical  
form4 ,sir ,william ,jones says that the
 pyramids of ,egypt1 as well as those   
discovered in ,ireland1 and probably    
also the tower of ,babel1 seem to have  
been intended for images of ,mahadeva1  
or ,siva4 ,one other thing1 the onion1  
which was held in veneration by the     
,egyptians1 is not eaten by the         
,hindoos4  ,not only do we find the same
 general principles1 and the same1 or   
similar1 religious customs1 but some of 
the same gods among the ,hindoos1       

,egyptians1 and ,greeks4 ,the ,egyptian 
,cneph was the ,supreme intelligence1   
which was never lost sight of by the    
,hindoos4 ,with the ,egyptians1 ,isis   
represented not only the moon1 but      
sometimes the powers of ,nature1 which  
were supposed to have been in a great   
measure derived from the moon2 and in   
,bengal and ,japan1 also1 the same is   
called ,isari1 or ,isi1 and is described
 as a goddess with many arms4 ,according
 to ,sir ,william ,jones1 ,iswara of the
 ,hindoos is the ,osiris of the         
,egyptians1 and ,nared1 a distinguished 
son of ,brahma1 resembles ,hermes1 or   
,mercury4 ,a statue of ,jupiter had a   
third eye in its forehead1 and ,siva has
 three eyes4 ,diodorus ,siculus and     
,plutarch say that ,osiris signifies a  
person that has many eyes1 and ,siva is 
drawn with an additional eye in his     
forehead1 though the phallus is his     
usual form4 ,osiris was said to have    
been killed by ,typhon1 and ,chib cut   
off the head of ,brahma4  ,indra of the 

,hindoos1 called also ,divespiter1 is   
,jupiter1 or ,diespiter2 the bull of    
,iswara is the ,apis1 or ,ap1 of ,egypt4
 ,cartraya1 with six faces and many     
eyes1 was the ,egyptian ,orus1 and the  
,mars of ,italy4 ,sri1 or ,iris1 called 
also ,pedna1 and ,camala1 was ,ceres1   
and according to ,herodotus1 she was the
 ,egyptian ,isis4 ,ganesu was ,janus4   
,visuacarman1 the ,indian forger of arms
 for the gods1 was ,vulcan4 ,the ,rama  
of ,india is ,dyonisus1 called also     
,bromius by the ,greeks3 ,krishnu or    
,vishnu1 is ,apollo1 and in ,irish1 it  
signifies the sun4 ,according to the    
,vedas and other sacred works1 a bad    
genius1 or giant1 seizes on the sun and 
moon when they are eclipsed1 and the    
,egyptians ascribed the same thing to   
their ,typhon1 who was said even to have
 swallowed their god ,horus1 or the     
,sun4  ,the ,egyptians at certain       
festivals carried the images of their   
gods in procession4 ,herodotus says they
 drew one of them in a carriage with    

four wheels1 and the same was done by   
the ,hindoos4 ,the ,egyptians held cows 
in much greater veneration than any     
other animals2 they were sacred to      
,isis1 and never sacrificed4 ,some      
superstitious respect was also paid to  
horned cattle by the ,persians4 ,in an  
account of the ,zendavesta1 ,ormusd1 the
 ,supreme ,being1 directs ,zerdusht to  
render worship and praise to the        
,supreme ,ox1 and to the rain1 of which 
the angel ,jashter1 who subsists in the 
form of an ox1 is the distributor4 ,the 
,hindoos made some use of the image of a
 bull1 as ,mr4 ,sonnerat relates in his 
account of some of their ,temples1      
though they never carried their         
superstition in this respect so far as  
the ,egyptians1 who made live bulls the 
immediate objects of their worship4  ,it
 may be said that in all this there is a
 great deal of mere conjecture1 and     
therefore of uncertainty2 the evidence1 
however1 upon which it is founded1      
coming from a number of independent     

sources from writers of repute1         
learning1 and veracity--is not easily   
disposed of4 ,it seems conclusive that  
systems very like one another indeed    
prevailed in different parts of the     
world1 and though similar situations may
 lead to similar sentiments1 and        
corresponding practices1 the above      
mentioned similarity is too great1 and  
extends to too many particulars1 to be  
thus accounted for4 ,it is not at all   
extraordinary that men who had no       
communication with each other should be 
equally worshippers of the sun1 moon1   
and stars1 that they should fancy deep  
caverns1 or thick woods1 to be haunted  
with spirits1 that particular rivers    
should have their several genii1 or     
deities dispensing their waters at their
 pleasure1 as the sun1 they might       
suppose1 did his heat1 and the moon1 the
 stars1 and the planets their peculiar  
influences2 but that they should adopt  
the same rites in the worship of these  
natural deities1 and especially that    

they should give them attributes1 and   
even names1 so nearly alike1 is beyond  
the effect of accident4  ,the conclusion
 we come to1 and which we think is fully
 warranted by all the circumstances1 is1
 that the great mass of phallic worship 
existing in different parts of the world
 began in ,india1 and gradually found   
its way into the western nations1       
becoming1 as was perfectly natural with 
such a system1 more and more depraved as
 time went on1 and as it was found that 
it could be made subservient to the     
desires and passions of licentious men4 
,our frontispiece represents a pious    
female propitiating ,mahadeva or ,siva  
in his generative character1 indicated  
by the ,linga1 inserted in its          
appropriate receptacle1 the ,argha1 or  
,yoni4 ,the engraving is taken from a   
picture which ,moor describes as being  
delicately executed1 the female being   
young1 handsome1 and elegantly dressed4 
,she is performing the ceremony of      
,linga puja1 to which such frequent     

references is made in these pages1 and  
she has spread out in front of her the  
various objects required in that        
service4 ,the symbol is placed in one of
 the many domestic temples1 common at   
one time in ,india1 known as ,dewal1 or 
,devel1 from ,deva1 a deity1 and havela1
 a house1 literally a house of ,god4 ,it
 is this erection which is ordinarily   
written pagoda1 by the ,english1 a word 
not used in ,india4 ,the stone of the   
building is white1 its lines gold1 and  
it is surmounted by a gold spire1 called
 ,sekra2 when temples1 or other things  
have a conical1 or pine-apple shaped    
termination1 such ornament is called    
,kalasa4 ,the exterior of the temple is 
white1 its interior1 ash coloured1 like 
its patron deity1 the ,linga and ,asgha 
are of black stone with gilt edges3 the 
,linga 7the upright conical stone71     
which has mystical orange coloured lines
 traced on it1 is crowned with encircled
 folds of ,bilva flowers2 and a chaplet 
of three strings of them1 white with    

yellow buds at regular distances1 hangs 
pendent from the top of the ,linga1     
falling towards the termination or spout
 of the ,argha4 ,the ,bilva is a shrub  
consecrated to ,mahadeva1 who alone     
wears a chaplet of its flowers1 which   
are offered in sacrifice to no other    
deity4 ,the various implements used in  
the puja to ,siva are1 five lighted     
lamps2 7or one lamp with five wicks7 a  
spouted vessel holding lustral water2 a 
cup for ghee2 another cup for water with
 which to sprinkle the flowers2 and a   
bell rung at certain times to scare away
 evil spirits4  ,the woman sits on an   
embroidered carpet1 called ,asana3 her  
right hand is in a bag of gold brocade1 
the hand being supposed to hold a rosary
 of round beads1 #ajh in number without 
the connecting ones4  ,this picture     
admirably illustrates the true character
 of the original lingam-worship of      
,india1 and fully bears out all that has
 been said respecting its original      
freedom from the indecencies which      

afterwards became so flagrant and       
universal4     ,,chapter ,,viii4        
,vocabulary of words of ,indian and     
,sanscrit origin4   ,abadi--,an         
inhabited place4  ,aban--,the name of   
the eighth month4  ,abashan--,a low     
caste of labourers4  ,abd--,a slave4    
,abdali--,fakirs of the bashara order4  
,abdar--,a servant who prepares water   
for domestic use4  ,abdhut--,a sect of  
religious mendicants4  ,abhir--,a caste 
employed as cowherds and shepherds4     
,abkar--,a maker of strong waters4      
,abri--,a building stone found at       
,kabul4  ,achargya--,a caste of         
,bengalese1 said to have originated from
 the ,brahmins4  ,acharya--,a teacher4  
,achatur--,a caste of cultivators of the
 soil4  ,adalat--,a court of justice4   
,adar--,the ninth month4                
,adbhutasanti--,a burnt sacrifice used  
to counteract evil omens4               
,adhipati---,a ruler4  ,adhwaryu--,the  
third class of priests employed at a    
vedic sacrifice4  ,adi ,granth--,the    

chief scripture of the ,sikhs4          
,adinath--,the first arhat of the       
,jains4  ,aditya--,the sun4             
,adlingadawar--,a caste of              
agriculturists4  ,advichinchi--,a caste 
of cultivators of the land4  ,afrit--,a 
demon4  ,agarwala--,a trading caste4    
,agasa--,a caste of washermen4          
,aghora--,religious mendicants who      
sometimes feed on human flesh4          
,agiari--,a temple in which perpetual   
fire is maintained4  ,agni--,the god of 
fire4  ,aguri--,a ,bengalese caste of   
cultivators4  ,ahri--,one of the        
,himalayan gods4  ,ahriman--,the        
personification of evil in the          
,zoroastrian religion4  ,akshamala--,a  
string of beads4  ,alifshai--,the       
,benawa fakirs4  ,amanth--,a ,bengalese 
caste employed as servants4             
,amaras--,immortal4  ,ambattan--,a caste
 employed as barbers4  ,amma            
,kodagas--,a sect driven away by the    
,brahmins4  ,anant--,endless1 a name    
applied to ,vishnu and other gods4      

,andhyaru--,a ,parsi priest4  ,andra--,a
 ,buddhist dynasty considered to have   
reigned in ,india from #ca ,b4,c4 to    
#dbi ,a4,d4  ,anila--,the god of fire4  
,annapurna--,the goddess who is said to 
feed the inhabitants of ,benares4       
,aranyaka--,a part of the ,veda1        
considered so holy that it may be read  
only in the solitude of a forest4       
,archaka--,an officiating priest at a   
pagoda4  ,ardha-matra--,a mysterious    
word applicable to the deity4           
,ardhanarisa--,name of ,siva in his form
 as half male1 half female4  ,arja--,a  
female mendicant4  ,asani--,a small     
seat1 also a carpet used at prayers4    
,asiloma--,a demon who had swords       
instead of hair4  ,asthal--,a temple4   
,asura--,a spirit4  ,atasil--,the eight 
precepts binding on an upasaka4         
,atharwa--,the name of the fourth veda4 
,aukamma--,a village goddess4           
,avasta--,the ,zoroastrian scriptures4  
,ayenar--,a god of ,india who is        
supposed to guard the fields from       

demons4  ,azad--,an order of fakirs4    
,bagh--,a garden4  ,bahucharaji--,a     
goddess worshipped in ,gujarat4         
,bahuta--,an amulet worn on the arm by  
the worshippers of ,narsingh4  ,bai--,a 
lady4  ,baidni--,a woman of the ,baidya 
caste4  ,baidya--,a caste supposed to be
 the offspring of a ,brahman father and 
,vaisya mother4  ,balai--,a caste of    
,sudras4  ,balaram--,the elder brother  
of ,krishna1 sometimes an incarnation of
 ,vishnu4  ,bana--,an arrow4            
,bandha--,a slave or bondmen4           
,barahan--,a goddess who is supposed to 
cure swelled hands and feet4            
,barat--,the final ceremony of a        
marriage4  ,barwa--,a wise man of the   
,bhils4  ,basani--,a prostitute1 or     
female dedicated to a god4              
,basawa--,the sacred bull4              
,bashkala--,a demon4  ,benawa--,a       
community of fakirs of the beshara      
order4  ,beshara--,those fakirs who hold
 themselves above the law4              
,bhadaria--,mendicant astrologers of    

,brahman origin4  ,bhadu--,a low class  
of ,uriya ,brahmans4  ,bhagat--,a       
worshipper4  ,bhagvan--,the divine      
spirit4  ,bhagwat--,a name for ,god4    
,bhairawa--,a name of ,siva4            
,bhairawanath--,a name of ,siva4        
,bhairon--same as ,bhaironath4          
,bhakta--,a devotee4  ,bhavin--,a woman 
devoted to the service of the ,temple4  
,bhikhu--,a religious mendicant4        
,bhopi--,a priest of a village temple4  
,bhu--,the earth4  ,bhut--,the spirit of
 the dead2 a goblin4  ,bhuteswara--,a   
name of ,siva as destroyer4             
,bhutya--,devotees of ,bhawani4         
,bilwa--,the bel tree4  ,bisheswar--,a  
name of ,siva1 alluding to his having   
swallowed poison4  ,boa--,a ,temple4    
,bo-tree--,the pipal4  ,brahma--,the    
,creator4  ,brahman--,the first of the  
,hindu castes4  ,brahmani--,a woman of  
,brahman caste4  ,broto--,a vow4        
,budibudaki--,a religious beggar who    
smears himself with ashes4              
,burha-,deo--,the great ,god4           

,but--,the name of a devi4              
,catanar--,a priest of the ,syrian      
,church4  ,chakra--,the weapon of       
,vishnu4  ,chattur--,a consecrated cake 
of cow-dung4  ,chhandas--,a sacred hymn4
  ,chhandoga--,a name of the udgatri    
priest4  ,chillah--,a forty days' fast4 
,chitpawan--,a subdivision of the       
,maharashtra ,brahmans4                 
,chitragupta--,the first of the         
ministers of ,yama4  ,cholipanth--,a    
sect of ,panjabis allowing free sexual  
intercourse4  ,chori--,a marriage hall4 
,churel--,a hobgoblin in the form of a  
hideous woman4  ,crore--,ten millions4  
,dada--,an elderly person1 or a paternal
 grandfather4  ,dadupanthi--,a          
,vaishnawa sect founded by ,dadu4       
,daftar--,a register4  ,dagoba--,a      
dome-like structure built over the      
relics of a saint4  ,dain--,a witch4    
,daitya--,a demon4  ,daiwatapka--,parsi 
betrothal ceremony4                     
,dakaut--,braminical astrological       
mendicants4  ,dakiri--,a female imp who 

feeds upon human flesh4  ,dachocha--,a  
caste said to be descended from a       
,brahman father and a ,gauli mother4    
,dakshina--,a cow fit to be given to a  
,brahman4  ,danawa--,a demon4           
,dargah--,the tomb of a saint4          
,dasi--,a woman dedicated to a temple4  
,dastur--,a ,parsi high priest4         
,devi--,a goddess2 especially ,durga4   
,devrukhi--,the room of a temple where  
the idol stands4  ,dewa--,a god4        
,dewanga--,one who wears the emblem of  
,siva4  ,dewasthan--,a temple4          
,dewata--,a deity4  ,dhumra--,a giant4  
,dinesha--,lord of the day4             
,diwar---,divinity of a village1 for    
whom a portion of the grain is set apart
 at each harvest4  ,dobe--,a brahma who 
has studied two of the four ,vedas4     
,durdhara--,a leader in the army of     
demons4  ,durga--,the consort of ,siva4 
,durga-puga--,the worship of ,durga4    
,durmukha--,the name of a demon--the    
fury faced4  ,dwaparayuga--,the ,third  
age of the world4   ,eshana--,one of the

 names of ,siva4   ,fakir--,a           
,mohammedan religious mendicant4        
,gabhara--,the inner room of a temple   
where the idol stands4                  
,gadipati--,chief of a body of religious
 mendicants4  ,ganesa--,a god1 the son  
of ,siva4  ,garudi--,a snake charmer4   
,gentoo--,another name for a ,hindu4    
,ghaus--,a fakir of the highest         
sanctity4  ,gomedha--,the sacrifice of a
 cow4  ,gondhal--,a noisy festival in   
honour of ,devi4  ,gopura--,building    
over the gate of a temple4              
,gorakhnath--,a name of ,siva4          
,gosain--,an ascetic4  ,goshanashin--,a 
,mohammedan ascetic4                    
,gramadewata--,tutelary deity of a      
village4  ,granthi--,a reader of the    
,granth1 or ,sikh ,scriptures4          
,grihadava--,the tutelary god of a      
house4  ,grihastha--,a ,brahman in the  
second asrama4  ,guga--,a saint to whom 
offerings are made to avert danger from 
snakes4  ,guru--,a religious teacher4   
,haj--,a pilgrimage4  ,haji--,one who   

has performed the ,haj4  ,hambali--,one 
of the orthodox schools of ,sunnis4     
,har--,a name of ,siva4  ,hara--,the    
destroyer4  ,harpuji--,the worship of   
the plough4  ,homa--,an oblation made by
 pouring butter on a fire4  ,hotri--,the
 highest class of priest employed at a  
,vedic sacrifice4  ,huttari--,festival  
in honour of the rice harvest4          
,id-al-fitr--,festival of breaking fast4
  ,idgah--,a place of prayer for        
,mussalmans4  ,imam--,the officiating   
priest of a mosque4  ,indra--,the king  
of the firmament4  ,iravata--,the       
elephant of ,indra4                     
,ishna-namaz--,prayer of sunset4        
,ishrak-namaz--,prayer at sunrise4      
,ishtadewa--,a favourite deity4         
,iswara--,a name of ,siva4   ,jag--,a   
vigil kept by ,sudras on the tenth night
 after a sudden death1 in order to      
summon the spirit of the deceased into  
the body of his son1 or other person1   
and reveal the cause of death1 the place
 where his treasures are hidden1 or     

other matter desired to be known4--,j4  
,t4 ,melesworth4  ,jagannath--,a name of
 ,vishnu4  ,jajman--,a patron4          
,janardan--,a name of ,vishnu4          
,janhavi--,a name of the ,ganges4       
,jatra--,a pilgrimage to a holy place4  
,jin--,a goblin4  ,jivagar--,a ,buddhist
 ascetic4  ,jnandewa-panthi--,a supposed
 incarnation of ,vishnu4                
,kabir-panthi--,a ,vaishnawa sect1      
followers of ,kabir4  ,kailasa--,the    
heaven of ,siva4  ,kali--,the wife of   
,siva4  ,kalki--,the name of ,vishnu in 
his tenth awatar1 which is to take place
 at the end of the present1 or kali1    
age1 when he will destroy the wicked and
 inaugurate a new age of                
purity4--,whitworth4  ,karniji--,a      
goddess worshipped in ,bikaner4         
,katayani--,a name of the goddess       
,parvati4  ,kesari--,the name of the    
lion of ,durga4  ,keshava--,one of the  
names of ,vishnu4  ,khatib--,the        
preacher in the mosque on ,fridays and  
feast-days4  ,khirakasi--,a sect of     

,hindus who renounced idolatry and      
,brahmanism4  ,khodiar--,the devi of one
 of seven sisters of the ,charan caste4 
,koti--,a crore1 or ten millions4       
,kowmari--,a appellation of ,durga4     
,kowshiki--,a goddess that emanated from
 ,parvati4  ,kuber--,the god of riches4 
,lakshmi--,wife of ,vishnu4             
,linga--,the phallus or emblematic      
representation of ,siva4  ,lingait--,a  
sect of ,saiwas who wear the emblem of  
the linga4  ,lohana--,the most numerous 
class of ,hindus in ,sindh4             
,lokas--,the world4   ,madhu--,the name 
of a demon4  ,madhwacharya--,a ,vaishava
 sect4  ,mahadeva--,a name of ,siva4    
,mahajanwadi--,a place where caste      
feasts are celebrated4  ,mahakala--,a   
name of ,siva4  ,maheswar--,a name of   
,siva4  ,manbhawa--,a ,vaishnava sect4  
,mantra--,form of worship in the oldest 
part of the veda4  ,manu--,man4 ,founder
 of the ,manvantara4  ,maruta--,wind4 ,a
 god of the wind4  ,masjid--,a          
,mohommedan church4  ,mastan--,the      

,rasulshahi fakirs4  ,mata--,name       
applied to various goddesses4           
,matia--,a believer4  ,matsya--,the     
first principal awater of ,vishnu4      
,mobed--,a ,parsi priest4  ,mund--,a    
demon4  ,muni--,a saint4                
,mundphoda--,the ,gurzmar fakirs1 who   
beat their heads until they bleed in    
order to extort charity4  ,musa         
,sohag--,a body of fakirs who dress as  
women4  ,mutawalli--,the warden of a    
mosque4   ,nadiya--,a bull marked as    
sacred4  ,naga--,naked4                 
,nageswaraswami--,a serpent deity4      
,nama--,a mark worn on the forehead by  
followers of ,vishnu4  ,namadari--,a    
,vaishnava4  ,nandana--,a beautiful     
garden in ,indra's heaven4  ,nanda      
,devi--,a name of ,durga4               
,nandi--,siva's bull4  ,narak--,the     
place of punishment for souls4          
,narakasur--,a demon son of ,bhumi1     
slain by ,vishnu4  ,narangkar--,the     
maker of men4  ,narayana--,the divine   
spirit moving on the waters4            

,narsinh--,a form assumed by ,vishnu in 
order to destroy the demon              
,hiranyakasipu4  ,nat--,a spirit        
supposed to have the power to ward off  
evil4  ,navar--,a ,parsi priest of low  
order4  ,nazar--,the evil eye4          
,nimbarka--,a ,vaishavan sect           
worshipping ,krishna and ,riadha        
conjointly4  ,nirwana--,having the fire 
of life extinguished4   ,pagoda--,a     
,hindu temple in the south of ,india4   
,parameshvari--,a name of ,durga4       
,paramahansa--,a sect of ,siva's        
devotees4  ,pariah--,an outcast from    
society4  ,parvati--,the consort of     
,siva4  ,pasupati--,a name of ,siva4    
,patala--,the nether regions4           
,pavaka--,the god of fire4  ,pinaki--,a 
name of ,siva4  ,prakriti--,a goddess4  
,pundarikaksha--,lotus-eyed4            
,purusha--,man2 the human soul4         
,rajasuya--,a sacrifice performed at a  
coronation4  ,rali--,the deified spirit 
of a woman who drowned herself on being 
married to a child4  ,ramanandi--,a sect

 of ,vaisnavas4  ,ramanuja--,a          
,vaishawan sect in the south of ,india4 
,ramban--,a priest of high rank4        
,rath--,a war chariot4  ,rig--,the first
 ,veda4  ,rishi--,a sage or hermit4     
,rozah--,a fast4  ,rudra--,the          
storm-god4   ,sadhu--,a saint4          
,sadra--,the sacred shirt worn by the   
,parsis4  ,saduba--,the name of a       
goddess4  ,sakta--,a worshipper of a    
sakti4  ,sakti--,power4  ,sama--,the    
third ,veda4  ,sanhita--,a collection of
 ,vedic hymns4  ,sannyasi--,an ascetic4 
,saptapadi--,seven steps taken round the
 sacred fire1 part of a ,hindu marriage4
  ,saravasti--,goddess of eloquence and 
literature4  ,sastri--,a teacher4       
,sattra--,a sacrifice4  ,sanra--,a      
worshipper of the sun4  ,savitri--,one  
of the incarnations of ,sarasvati4      
,shakra--,one of the denominations of   
,indra4  ,shakti--,power4  ,shambu--,an 
appellation of ,siva4  ,siva--,the third
 person of the ,hindu triad4            
,srawak--,a ,buddhist saint4  ,sura--,a 

deity4   ,tarpana--,offering of water4  
,trinetra--,three-eyed4   ,ugni--,god of
 fire4  ,umbika--,a name of ,durga4     
,vaishnavi--,the consort of ,vishnu4    
,vanhi--,one of the names of the god of 
fire4  ,vidhi--,one of the names of     
,brahma4  ,vipra--,a person who recites 
,vedas4  ,vishnu--,the second person of 
the ,hindu triad1 the preserver4        
,vrutra--,the name of a demon4          
,yogini--,a class of malicious female   
fiends4     ,nature ,worship and        
,mystical ,series4  ,cr4 #hvo1 ,vellum1 
#gs4 #f;d4 each1 nett4  ,only a very    
limited number1 ,,privately ,,printed4  
,,phallicism4--,a ,description of the   
,worship of ,,lingam-,,yoni in various  
parts of the ,world1 and in different   
,ages1 with an ,account of ,ancient and 
,modern ,crosses1 particularly of the   
,,crux ,,ansata 7or ,handled ,cross7 and
 other ,symbols connected with the      
,mysteries of ,,sex ,,worship4 7,only in
 sets71 or #ajs4 #f;d4 separately4      
,the importance of this subject1 may be 

gleaned from the     following remarks  
of ,major ,gen4 ,forlong4 ,our ,queen   
rules     over1 according to the latest 
census returns1 some #ajj     millions  
of ,,pure-,,phallic worshippers1 that is
 three times the     population of these
 ,islands1 and if we say merely         
,phallo-,solar     worshippers1 then    
#bjj millions4   ,,ophiolatreia4--,an   
,account of the ,rites and ,mysteries   
connected with the ,origin1 ,rise1 and  
,development of ,,serpent ,,worship in  
various parts of the ,world1 enriched   
with ,interesting ,traditions1 and a    
full description of the celebrated      
,serpent ,mounds and ,temples1 the whole
 forming an exposition of one of the    
phases of ,,phallic1 or ,,sex ,,worship4
   ,,phallic ,,objects1 ,,monuments     
,,and ,,remains2 ,illustrations of the  
,rise and ,development of the ,,phallic 
,,idea 7,sex ,worship71 and its         
embodiment in ,works of ,nature and     
,art4 ,etched ,frontispiece4   ,,cultus 
,,arborum4--,a ,descriptive ,account of 

,,phallic ,,tree ,,worship1 with        
illustrative ,legends1 ,superstitious   
,usages1 etc42 exhibiting its ,origin   
and ,development amongst the ,eastern   
and ,western ,nations of the ,world1    
from the earliest to modern times4      
,this work has a valuable bibliography  
which will be of the     greatest use   
and value to the student of ,ancient    
,faiths4 ,it     contains references to 
nearly five hundred works on ,phallism  
and kindred subjects4   ,,fishes1       
,,flowers1 ,,and ,,fire as ,,elements   
,,and ,,deities in the ,,phallic        
,,faiths ,,and ,,worship of the ,ancient
 ,religions of ,,greece1 ,,babylon1     
,,rome1 ,,india1 etc41 with illustrative
 ,myths and ,legends4   ,,archaic ,,rock
 ,,inscriptions2 an ,account of the ,cup
 and ,ring ,marking on the ,sculptural  
,stones of the ,old and ,new ,worlds4   
,with etched frontispiece4      ,let any
 one inspect the plates in works        
delineating the ,hindu     ,pantheon1   
and compare the drawings of the         

lingam-yoni with     many of the rock   
markings we have described1 with those  
for     instance on the frontispiece of 
this book1 and they will find     it    
difficult to avoid the conclusion that  
there is a manifest     and striking    
connection4 ,the fact is1 the phallic   
idea1 has     prevailed all over the    
world to a far greater extent than many 
have ever imagined1 and superficial     
observers have passed by     many things
 as inexplicable which came properly    
within its     domain1 and which thus   
recognised1 would have been readily     
understood4 ,it is not1 of course1 to   
the gross forms of the     ,priapus used
 in ancient ,greek1 ,roman1 or ,egyptian
 ,festivals     that we allude1 but to  
the much more refined1 and1 if we may   
so call it1 modest lingam worship of    
,india4--,,the ,,author4   ,,nature     
,,worship1 or an ,account of ,,phallic  
,,faiths and ,practices1 ,ancient and   
,modern1 including the ,adoration of the
 ,male and ,female ,powers1 and the     

,,sacti ,,puja ,,of ,,indian            
,,gnosticism1 by the author of          
,phallicism1 with etched frontispiece4  
,the subject reaches from the earliest  
dawn of history through     long and    
eventful ages1 down to the most modern  
times1 and     touches almost every     
kingdom of the past and present1 in the 
four quarters of the earth4 ,the        
unearthing of long-buried     statues1  
monuments1 and mystifying inscriptions1 
has suggested     and provoked new lines
 of study among symbolical remains1 and 
the key to so much that for long was    
unreadable has been found     in the    
singular revelations of this peculiar   
worship4   ,,mysteries ,,of ,,the       
,,rosie ,,cross1 or the ,history of that
 ,curious ,sect of the ,middle ,ages1   
known as the ,,rosicrucians1 with       
,examples of their ,pretensions and     
,claims4      ,in this work an attempt  
has been made to convey an              
intelligible idea of the peculiar mystic
 sect of the     ,rosicrucians4 ,it is  

the first serious attempt to penetrate  
the     secret recesses of this occult  
body1 whose strange beliefs and         
curious practices have1 ever since the  
days of ,rosenkreutz1     been enveloped
 in a cloud of profound mystery4        
,transcriber's ,note ,the spellings are 
inconsistent as presented in the        
original work4