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form of darkness, with three eyes, clothed with the four quarters of heaven (i. e. naked), mounted on a bull, the destroyer of this universe!" Siva became incensed, and while he viewed the contemptuous head, his own five heads became white, red, golden, black, and yellow, and fearful to behold. But although Brahma observed these heads, thus "glowing like the sun' before him, the flippant tongue still continued to urge on the destruction of the head which contained it, by telling Siva, "why dost thou agitate thyself, and attempt to appear powerful; for, if I chose, I could this instant make thy heads appear like bubbles of water?" Which so inflamed the deity to whom it was addressed, that he immediately cut off the offending member with the nail of his left thumb. Having performed this operation, Siva would have thrown the head to the ground, but it would not fall from his grasp. We thus see him, in his destructive character, usually pourtrayed

with one in his hand.

Siva is principally worshipped under the form of the linga; for the understanding of which I must refer the reader to that article, and to figs. 1, 2, and 3, plate 33. Some of these emblems, usually of basalt, are of an enormous size; and they are also made morning and evening of the clay of the Ganges, which, after worship, are thrown into the river. The linga is never carried in procession. The temples dedicated to it are square gothic buildings, the roofs of which are round, and tapering to a point. In many parts of Hindustan they are more numerous than those dedicated to the worship of any other of the Hindu idols; as are the numbers of the worshippers of this symbol, beyond comparison, more extensive than the worshippers of the other deities or their emblems. The Binlang stone is also sacred to Siva.

Besides the daily worship of the linga in the temples, there are several other periods in which the image of Siva is worshipped under the different forms which I have before described: but it is not correct to suppose that images of him are not now made, as they are seen in numbers, like figs. 1 and 2, plate 16, conveyed through the streets of Calcutta, after the festivals in honour of Siva, to be cast into the river. In the month Phulgunu he is worshipped for one day as a mendicant. On the following day the

images of him, with a bloated countenance, matted locks, and inflamed eyes, are, as I have just stated, carried in procession, attended by a large concourse of people, dancing, singing, and playing on various instruments, and thrown into the river. In the month Mughul there is another festival in honour of him, called Hari Gauri, in which he is represented riding on a bull, with Parvati on his knee, as in fig. 1, plate 16. But the most celebrated occasion of his worship is in the month Choitru, at the time that the ceremony of the churaka, or swinging by hooks fastened in the flesh of the back, is performed.

This festival derives its name Churuk (or chakra), a wheel or discus, from the circle performed in the swinging part of it, that terminates the ceremonies, which should properly last a lunar month; but the term is now much shortened, and the observances of it are limited to the followers of Siva. The higher classes do not engage in it, although they contribute towards the expense of, and countenance it. The initiatory ceremonies of purification, abstinence, and exercises of devotion, take place several days before the commencement of the rites, during which time the Sanyasis, or worshippers, form themselves into parties, and wander about the streets with horns, drums, &c., making a most intolerable and horrid din. The first exhibition is that of suspension, which is performed by two posts being erected, on the top of which is placed a strong bar, from which the Sanyasi, or worshipper, is suspended by his feet over a fire kindled beneath him, into which rosin is occasionally cast. His head is then completely enveloped in the smoke, though sufficiently high to be beyond the reach of the flame. On the following day the Sanyasis dance and roll themselves upon the downy beds of various descriptions of prickly plants.. Their next ceremony is called the Jamp Sanya, or jumping on a couch of pointed steel, which has been thus described :

A bamboo scaffolding of three or four stages is erected, on which the Sanyasis stand, tier above tier, the principal and most expert occupying the upper row, which is sometimes between twenty and thirty feet high. A kind of bedding, supported by ropes, is stretched beneath the scaffolding by a number of men. Upon the mattrass are attached several bars of wood, to

which are fixed very loosely, and in a position sloping forward, semicircular knives, upon which the Sanyasis throw themselves, in succession. In general, the effect of the fall is to turn the knives flat upon the bedding, in which case they do no harm; but occasionally severe wounds, and even death, are the consequences of this rite. Before they take their leap, the performers cast fruits, as cocoa-nuts, bels, plantains, &c. among the crowd, in which there is a great scramble for them, as they are supposed to possess much virtue. Women desirous of progeny are very anxious to get these donations; and those of the first families send persons to obtain and bring them for their private eating." The ensuing day is spent in revelling and dancing among burning ashes, and afterwards casting them at each other. On the following one they again infest the streets, attended by music of such an abominable description, that our old national instruments of hymeneal serenade (now, like many other good old things, become obsolete from the march of intellect) would be almost celestial harmony to it.

In the immediate neighbourhood of Calcutta, at Kalighat, stands the celebrated temple of Kali: the energy of Siva in his destructive character of Kal, or Time, on the altar of which myriads of animals are annually sacrificed. To this temple the collected crowds, from miles round our Indian metropolis, pour, like a living stream of frantic bacchanals, exhibiting in their progress sights which the imagination of those who have not witnessed them could scarcely form a conception of. On this occasion they practise the most painful self-inflicted tortures; piercing their tongues and sides, and sticking in the holes heavy pieces of iron, arrows, canes, living snakes, &c. &c., with which they dance, with indecent gestures, to the obscene songs of the surrounding multitude. Mr. Ward says that, in one year, a man thrust his finger through the tongue of another, and they thus proceeded dancing with much indecency together through the streets; and that another had his breast, arms, and other parts stuck entirely full of pins, as thick as nails or packing-needles. These acts are devotional, and are considered proofs of holiness and merit. The tortures, however, thus inflicted are temporary: but some of these religious mendicants impose

* Asiatic Journal.

upon themselves others which are of a more durable description; such as carrying the arm erect over the head, till it becomes so fixed that the miserable devotee is unable to bend it; sitting in the same manner with both the arms or legs similarly placed; clinching the hand, and allowing the nails to grow through it to a considerable length from the back; sliding backwards and forwards on their bellies, from which position they will not stir; preserving a sitting posture, from which they never move; dwelling surrounded by fires, and beneath a scorching sun in the summer, and exposed to the rigours of the seasons in the winter. These, and many other selfinflicted tortures, may be daily witnessed in the streets of our Indian cities and their neighbourhoods, some of which are represented in figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, plate 28. These wretched fanatics are covered with filth and ashes, and go entirely naked, except a small piece of cloth between the thighs, fixed round the waist with a cord.

The next is the day of the churuk, or swinging ceremony (fig. 1, plate 28). Posts, about thirty feet in height, are erected in the suburbs of a town, across the upper part of which are loosely suspended long bamboos, so as to enable them to traverse freely. To one end of the bamboo two hooks are fixed, by ropes, which are run through the fleshy parts of the back, near the shoulders. A rope is also fastened to the other end of the bamboo, which, as soon as the party who is to swing is secured to the hooks, is pulled by several men, who thus raise the other end somewhat higher than the post. They then go round with it, with considerable velocity; by which means the man at the other end describes a circle of about thirty feet in diameter. Sometimes a cloth is tied round the body and secured to the hooks, to prevent, if the flesh should be torn away, the man from being dashed to pieces; but such is frequently not the case, and the party falling is often killed upon the spot. Some of these men, while swinging, amuse themselves in smoking and in throwing fruit and flowers (which they take up on purpose) among the spectators. Mr. Ward relates a story of a man who had a monkey's collar run through his hinder parts, in which state the man and monkey whirled round together, and on another occasion, of a man who took a large log of wood in his mouth, and swung

for a considerable time, without having any cloth round him to preserve him from falling. He also states, that in the year 1800, five women swung with hooks through their backs and thighs, in the neighbourhood of Calcutta. The parties sometimes swing for a considerable time, and appear to make very light of the business. A gentleman, with whom I was some years ago acquainted in Calcutta, missed, on one of these festivals, one of his bearers or palanquin carriers; and, as he was going out, left home without him. On his return he found him carrying his palanquin ; and when he arrived at his home, questioned him where he had been? The man coolly answered, "he had only been performing churuk;" that is, had been swinging: and, on his master inspecting his back, the spots, pierced by the hooks, were conspicuous enough. The wounds are very simply treated. The parts are first well pressed with the flat palm of the hand, or trodden on with the sole of the foot, to cause their reunion. Clarified butter is then spread over on a leaf, and the place is bandaged : this dressing is renewed two or three times.

On the morning following the churuk Siva is worshipped in the temple, and the festival is concluded. During each day of the festival, says Mr. Ward, the Sunyasis worship the sun, pouring water, flowers, &c. &c. on a clay image of the alligator, and repeating mantras.

The consort or energy of Siva is Parvati, or Durga, &c.; the mountainborn goddess, whom I shall presently have occasion to notice. Numerous stories are related of his marriage with this goddess, and of the abuse lavished on him by her first father, Daksha; for, having been twice born, her second was no other than the Himalaya mountain. I can discover no good reason for such ungodlike treatment, or for Daksha's ungenerous representations of him as an intoxicated Bacchanal; except that one day, in an assembly of the gods, he did not rise up and salute him on his entrance, as a dutiful son-in-law should have done. Bacchus, however, (to whom Siva has, in some points, been compared) was occasionally represented of a drunken bloated form, wandering about almost naked, and having only a tiger's skin wrapped round his loins. But Bacchus was the god of wine, a personage not to be found in the Hindu Mythology:

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