  The worship of totems, or Devaks, prevails among Hindus in Western India. The term Devak is applied to the deity or deities worshipped at the beginning of a thread or a marriage ceremony. The ceremony is as follows: A small quantity of rice is put into a winnowing fan, and with it six small sticks of the Umbar tree, each covered with mango leaves and cotton thread. These are worshipped as deities. Near the winnowing fan is kept an earthen or copper vessel filled with rice, turmeric, red powder, betelnuts, sweet balls made of wheat flour, ghi and sugar; and on the top of the vessel is a small sprig of mango and a cocoanut covered with cotton thread. This vessel is also worshipped as a deity, and offerings of sweet eatables are made to it. After the worship of this vessel, the regular ceremony of PunyÁhavachana is performed. Twenty-seven MÁtrikÁs, or village and local deities, represented by betelnuts are consecrated in a new winnowing fan or a bamboo basket. Seven MÁtrikÁs are made of mango leaves, six of which contain durva grass, and the seventh darbha grass. Each of them is bound with a raw cotton thread separately. They are worshipped along with a Kalasha or a copper lota as mentioned above. This copper lota is filled with rice, betelnuts, turmeric, etc., a sprig of mango leaves is placed on the lota, and a cocoanut is put over it. The lota is also bound with a cotton thread. Sandalpaste, rice, flowers, and durva grass are required for its worship. An oil lamp called Arati is waved round the devak, the parents, and the boy or the girl whose thread or marriage ceremony is to be performed. A SuwÁsini is called and requested to wave this Arati, and the silver coin which is put into the Arati by the parents is taken by her. The father takes the winnowing fan and the mother takes the Kalasha, and they are carried from the mandap to the devak consecrated in the house. A lighted lamp is kept continually burning near this devak till the completion of the ceremony. After completion of the thread or marriage ceremony the devak is again worshipped, and the ceremony comes to an end. The deity in the devak is requested to depart on the second or the fourth day from the date of its consecration. No mourning is observed during the period the devak remains installed in the house. Among MarÁthÁs and many of the lower classes in the RatnÁgiri District the branch of a Vad, Kadamba, mango, or an Apta tree is worshipped as their devak or kul. Some MarÁthÁs have a sword or a dagger as their devak, which is worshipped by them before commencing the ritual of the marriage ceremony. The family known as RÁne at NÁringre in the Davagad taluka of the RatnÁgiri District, and the families known as Gadakari and JÁdhava at MÁlwan, consider the Vad or Banian tree as their devak, and do not make use of its leaves. In the same manner, some people consider the Kadamba tree sacred to their family. There are some people among the Hindus in Western India whose surnames are derived from the names of animals and plants, such as Boke, LÁndage, WÁgh, Dukre, KÁwale, Garud, More, Mhase, Rede, Keer, Popat, Ghode, ShelÁr, GÁyatonde, WÁghmÁre, ShÁlunke, Bhende, Padwal, WÁlke, Apte, Ambekar, Pimpalkhare, Kelkar and KÁlke. The Hindus believe that a cow, a horse, and an elephant are sacred animals. The cow is treated with special respect by the Hindus The ShelÁr family considers the sheep as their devak, and they do not eat the flesh of a sheep. The ShÁlunke family respects the ShÁlunki or sparrow. People belonging to the More family do not eat the flesh of a peacock as they consider it to be their devak. The BhandÁris whose surname is Padwal do not eat the vegetable of a snake-gourd or Padwal. Hindus do not eat the flesh of the animal respected by them, and those who offer any fruit to their guru as a token of respect do not eat that fruit in future. Some Hindus do not eat onions, garlic and the fruit of a palm tree. The fruit of a tree believed to be the devak of a family is not eaten by the members of that family. The families of RÁva and RÁne do not take their food on the leaf of a Vad or Banian tree as they consider it to be their devak. There are some Hindu families in the KolÁba District who believe that their kul or totem consists of the tortoise and the goat, and they do not eat the flesh of such animals. A certain community of the Vaishyas or traders known as SwÁr believe that a jack tree or Phanas is their kul, and they do not use the leaves of that tree. It is believed among the Hindus that the deity SatwÁi protects children for the first three months from their birth. The deity is worshipped on the fifth day from the birth of a child, and if there occurs any omission or error in the worship of that deity, the child begins to cry, or does not keep good health. On such occasions the parents of the child make certain vows to the deity, and if the child recovers, the parents go to a jungle, and collect seven small stones. They then besmear the stones with red lead and oil, and worship them along with a she-goat in the manner in which the vow was promised to be fulfilled. The horse is connected with the worship of the god Khandoba because this animal is sacred to that deity, being his favourite vehicle. For this reason all the devotees or Bhaktas of Khandoba take care to worship the horse in order that its master, the god Khandoba, may be pleased with them. It is well known that the cow is considered as most sacred of all the animals by the Hindus, and the reason assigned for this special veneration is that all the deities dwell in the cow. The Nandi, or a bullock made of stone, consecrated in front of the temple of Shiva, the VÁgh or a tiger at the temple of a goddess and cows and dogs in the temple of DattÁtraya are worshipped by the Hindus. The mouse, being the vehicle of Ganpati the god of wisdom, is worshipped by the people along with that god. In the Konkan cattle are worshipped by the Hindus on the first day of KÁrtika, and they are made to pass over fire. The mountains having caves and temples of deities are generally worshipped by the Hindus. The Abucha PahÁd, the GirnÁr, the Panchmadhi, the Brahmagiri, the SahyÁdri, the TungÁr, the Jivadancha dongar, the Munja dongar at Junnar, the TugÁbÁicha dongar, the Ganesh Lene, and the Shivabai are the principal holy mountains in the Bombay Presidency. Mount Abu, known as the Abucha PahÁd, is believed to be very sacred, and many Hindus go on a pilgrimage to that mountain. Hills are worshipped at Ganpati Pule and Chaul. At Pule there is a temple of the god Ganpati, the son of Shiva, and at Chaul in the KolÁba District there is a temple of the god DattÁtraya. The place which produces sound when water is poured over it is considered to be holy, and is worshipped by the people. In the Deccan, hills are worshipped by the people on the Narak chaturdashi day in DipawÁli, 14th day of the dark half of Ashvin (October). The legend of this worship is that the god Shri Krishna lifted the Govardhan mountain on this day, and protected the people of this world. A hill made of cowdung is worshipped at every house on the Narak chaturdashi day. Stones of certain kinds are first considered as one of the deities, or as one of the chief heroes in the family, and then worshipped by the people. Many such stones are found worshipped in the vicinity of any temple. A stone coming out of the earth with a phallus or lingam of Shiva is worshipped by the Hindus. If such a lingam lies in a deep jungle, it is worshipped by them at least once a year, and daily, if practicable, in the month of AdhikamÁs, an intercalary month which comes every third year. The red stones found in the Narmada river represent the god Ganpati, and are worshipped by the people. A big stone at Phutaka Tembha near Murud in the RatnÁgiri District is worshipped by the people, who believe it to be the monkey god HanumÁn or MÁruti. All the stone images of gods that are called Swayambhu or self-existent are nothing but rough stones of peculiar shapes. There are such swayambhu—natural-images—at Kelshi and Kolthare in the RatnÁgiri District. There is a big stone at Palshet in the RatnÁgiri District which is worshipped as KÁlikÁdevi. Stones are sometimes worshipped by the people in the belief that they are haunted by evil spirits. We have for example a stone called Mora Dhonda lying by the seashore at MÁlwan in the RatnÁgiri District. It is supposed to be haunted by DevachÁr. The stones which are once consecrated and worshipped as deities have to be continually worshipped, even when perforated. The small, round, white stone slab known as Vishnu pada, which is naturally perforated, is considered to be holy, and is worshipped daily by the Hindus along with the other images of gods. The holes in this slab do not extend right through. It is considered inauspicious to worship the fractured images of gods, but the perforated black stone called ShÁligrÁm, taken from the Gandaki river, is considered very holy, and worshipped by the people. For it is believed to be perforated from its very beginning. Every ShÁligrÁm has a hole in it, even when it is in the river. Broken stones are not worshipped by the people. But the household gods of the BrÁhmans and other higher classes which are called the PanchÁyatan—a collection of five gods—generally consist of five stones with holes in them. No instances of human sacrifices occur in India in these days, but there are many practices and customs which appear to be the survivals of human sacrifices. These survivals are visible in the offerings of fowls, goats, buffaloes, and fruits like cocoanuts, brinjals, the KohÁle or pumpkin gourd and others. Human sacrifices are not practised in these days, but among the KarhÁda BrÁhmans there is a practice of giving poison to animals in order to satisfy their family deity. It is said that they used to kill a BrÁhman by giving him poisoned food. It is believed that the people belonging to the caste of KarhÁda BrÁhmans used to offer human sacrifices to their deity, and therefore nobody relies on a KarhÁda BrÁhman in these As they cannot offer human sacrifices in these days, it is said that during the NavarÁtra holidays, i.e., the first nine days of the bright half of Ashvin (October), they offer poisoned food to crows, dogs and other animals. At KÁlshe in the MÁlwan taluka of the RatnÁgiri District, the servants of gods, i.e., the ministrants or the Bhopis of the temple prick their breast with a knife on the Dasara day, and cry out loudly the words ‘Koya’ ‘Koya’. No blood comes from the breast as the wound is slight. This appears to be a survival of human sacrifice. In the Bombay Presidency, and more especially in the Konkan districts, fetish stones are generally worshipped for the purpose of averting evil and curing diseases. In every village stones are found sacred to spirit deities like Bahiroba, Chedoba, Khandoba, Mhasoba, Zoting, VetÁl, JakhÁi, KokÁi, KalkÁi and others. The low class people such as MahÁrs, MÁngs, etc., apply red lead and oil to stones, and call them by one of the above names, and ignorant people are very much afraid of such deities. They believe that such deities have control over all the evil spirits or ghosts. It is said that the spirit VetÁl starts to take a round in a village on the night of the no-moon day of every month, accompanied by all the ghosts. When any epidemic prevails in a village, people offer to these fetish stones offerings of eatables, cocoanuts, fowls and goats. There is a stone deity named BhÁvai at Kokisare in the BÁvada State, to whom vows are made by the people to cure diseases. As the deity is in the burning ground, it is naturally believed that this is the abode of spirits. At Achare, in the MÁlwan taluka of the RatnÁgiri District, the round stones known as KshetrapÁl are supposed to possess the power of curing diseases, and are also believed to be the abode of spirits. At Adivare, in the RatnÁgiri District, there is a stone named MahÁr Purukha which is worshipped by the people when cattle disease prevails, especially the disease of a large tick or the cattle or dog louse. At UbhÁdÁnda, in the RatnÁgiri District, there are some stones which are believed to be haunted by VetÁl, BhutnÁth, RawalnÁth and such other servants of the god Shiva, and it is supposed that they have the power of curing epidemic diseases. People make vows to these stones when any disease prevails in the locality. The Hindus generally consider as sacred all objects that are the means of their livelihood, and, for this reason, the oilmen worship their oil-mill, the BrÁhmans hold in veneration the sacred thread—Yadnopavit,—and religious books, the goldsmiths consider their firepots as sacred, and do not touch them with their feet. In case any one accidently happens to touch them with his foot, he apologises and bows to them. It is believed by the Hindus that the broom, the winnowing fan, the pÁyali—a measure of four shers—the Samai or sweet-oil lamp, a metal vessel, fire and SahÁn or the levigating slab should not be touched with foot. The metals gold, silver, and copper, the King’s coins, jewels and pearls, corns, the ShÁligrÁm stone, the Ganpati stone from the Narmada river, conch-shell, sacred ashes, elephant tusks, the horns of a wild ox (Gava), tiger skin, deer skin, milk, curds, ghi, cow’s urine, Bel, basil leaves or Tulsi, cocoanuts, betelnuts, and flowers are considered as sacred by the Hindus, and no one will dare to touch them with his foot. Hindus worship annually on the Dasara day the arms and all the instruments or implements by which they earn their livelihood. The corn sieve, the winnowing basket, the broom, the rice-pounder, the plough, the Awuta or wood bill, and other such implements are worshipped on this day. The agriculturists respect their winnowing fans and corn sieves, and do not touch them with their feet. In the KolhÁpur District all the instruments and implements are worshipped by the people one day previous to the Dasara holiday. This worship is called KhÁndepujan. They also worship all agricultural instruments, and tie to them leaves of Pipal and mango trees. A new winnowing fan is considered to be holy by the Hindus. It is filled with rice, fruits, cocoanuts and betelnuts, and a Khana—a piece of bodicecloth—is spread over it. It is then worshipped and given to a BrÁhman lady in fulfilment of certain vows, or on the occasion of the worship of a BrÁhman Dampatya or married pair. The broom is considered to be holy by the Hindus. Red powder—Kunku—is applied to a new broom before it is taken into use. It should not be touched with the feet. At Rewadanda, in the KolÁba District, some people worship a wood-bill or Koyata on the 6th day from the birth of a child. The rice-pounder, or Musal, is worshipped by them as a devak at the time of thread and marriage ceremonies. Fire is considered to be holy among the high class Hindus. It is considered as an angel that conveys the sacrificial offerings from this earth to the gods in heaven. It is considered as one of the Hindu deities, and worshipped daily by high class Hindus. A BrÁhman has to worship the fire every day in connection with the ceremony Vaishwadeva—oblations of boiled rice and ghi given to the fire. It is also worshipped by the Hindus on special religious occasions. Fire is worshipped at the time of Yadnas or Sacrifices. Sacrifices are of five kinds. They are:— Devayadna, Bhutayadna or Brahmayadna, Rishiyadna or Atithiyadna, Pitruyadna and Manushyayadna. The offerings of rice, ghi, firewood, Til or sesamum, Java or barley, etc. are made in these yadnas. It is also worshipped at the time of ShrÁvani or UpÁkarma—the ceremony of renewing the sacred thread annually in the month of ShrÁvan. Among the lower classes fire is worshipped on the MahÁlaya or ShrÁddha day. They throw oblations of food into the fire on that day. The fire produced by rubbing sticks of the Pipal or Shevari tree is considered sacred, and it is essentially necessary that the sacred fire required for the Agnihotra rites should be produced in the manner described above. Agnihotra is a perpetual sacred fire preserved in Agnikunda,—a hole in the ground for receiving and preserving consecrated fire. A BrÁhman, who has to accept the Agnihotra, has to preserve in his house the sacred fire day and night after his thread ceremony, and to worship it three times a day after taking his bath. When an Agnihotri dies, his body is burnt by the people who prepare fire by rubbing sticks of Pipal wood together. There are some BrÁhmans who keep the fire continuously burning in their houses only for ChÁturmÁs or four months of the year. The fire which is preserved and worshipped for four months is called “SmÁrta Agni.” |
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