FUNERAL CEREMONIES.

The mourning of children for their parents, amongst the Tartars, consists generally in weeping over them for several days successively; and during all that time they are obliged to abstain from all manner of amusements, and from the society of women for several months. The child must inter his father or mother with all the funeral pomp and solemnity of which his circumstances will admit, and pay his annual respects to their respective tombs, which must be attended not only with tears but loud lamentations. These people, as well as the Indians, Chinese, &c., make provision for their dead, and supply them with variety of apparel. The Tunguses hang their dead upon some particular trees, and there leave them till they have nothing but skin and bone remaining; then they inter them. The Jukogaies, likewise, hang up their deceased relations in the very same manner, and when their skeletons are perfectly dry, adorn them with coral and little pieces of painted glass. Afterwards they carry them in solemn procession round their houses, and revere them as idols.

The Ostiacs either bury their dead, or hide both them and their bows, arrows, implements of household, and provisions, in the snow, from the very same principle which actuates others, who are habituated to these customs. A widow, to testify her unfeigned sorrow for the loss of her dearly beloved husband, takes an idol, dresses it up in the good man's clothes, lays it in the bed with her, and affects to have it always before her eyes, in order to aggravate her grief, and bring her departed husband to her remembrance. The widows of the Ostiacs kiss the idols of their deceased husbands, and honour them as partners of their beds during a whole year, and then they are looked upon as incumbrances, and thrown neglected into some corner of the house; no more mention is then made of their old bedfellows, for the time of their mourning is then accomplished.

The Samoides hang their deceased infants, who have not attained the age of one year, upon trees; but they inter between two boards those who are of a more advanced age. They drown or otherwise make away with those relations who are superannuated, infirm, and who have become a burden to themselves and all about them. Near the place where they bury their dead, they hang up their fire-arms, their hatchets, their hammers, and, in short, all the other implements which they made use of during their lives.

All these people in general acknowledge the doctrine of the metempsychosis, but in two different acceptations. Some are of opinion, that the very souls transmigrate from one body into another; others, that there is no other transmigration than that of the operations and faculties belonging to the soul of the deceased. These last, in all probability, imagine, that there is only an emanation of virtues, because they confound the body and the soul together.

SEC. XI. RELIGIOUS DOCTRINES, CEREMONIES, AND CUSTOMS OF THE HINDOOS.

THE most singular people on the globe, in respect to religion, are doubtless the Hindoos, or the inhabitants of Hindostan, a country in General view Asia, bounded S. E. by the Coromandel coast and Bay of of the religion Bengal, and extending north to the boundary of Cashmere, of the Hin- beginning in Lat 8°, and running to 35o, N., near 2000 miles in length.

doos.

Of the great antiquity of this people, and of the permanency of their religion and customs, there appear no reasonable grounds to doubt. In almost every respect, these are the same now as they were

Antiquities. in the most ancient periods of the history of India, of which we possess the most faint knowledge. It is supposed, however, by many authors, that the religion of Boodha*, which still remains in the Burman empire, Ceylon, &c., was, in very remote times, the prevalent religion of Hindostan. At present, it is the Brahminical. Brahma, or

Gods.

Brama, the creating power; Vishnu, the preserver; and Siva, the destroyer, are their three greatest deities. Since the creation of the world, however, Brahma interests himself little with mundane affairs. He is regarded as the father of legislators; since from his ten sons all science and laws proceeded, while he himself was the author of the Vedas, or sacred books. Of his sons, Menou is the most celebrated. From him the Hindoos derive the institutes which bear his name. Brahma is represented with four hands, and a crown on his head. The image of the flamingo, on the wings of which he is supposed to fly, is constantly placed near the statue in the temple. His wife, whose name is Seraswatee, is regarded as the patroness of learning. Vishnu, whose province it is to preserve and protect mankind, is represented as constantly attended by an eagle, or large brown kite, and as having four hands and a number of heads, emblematical of his omniscience and omnipotence, He is said to have passed through different bodily existences, in all of which he destroyed the enemies of the human race. His wife, or female favourite, is Sree, the goddess of fortune and plenty. Siva is worshipped not only as a destroyer, but also as a re-producer. His principal characters are Budra, Iswara, and Mahadeo. As the first, he is cruel; as the second, he is worshipped as the lord of all; and under the third name, he is known in the mountainous parts of India. He is a great favourite with the common people. He is generally represented with only one head; the number of his hands varies from four to thirty-two. Round his neck there are strung a number of human skulls. His hat is the skin of the tiger or elephant. His wife, Parvaty, is the goddess of time and the punisher of evil-doers. Besides these great deities, there is a number of inferior ones, the principal of whom are those who preside over death and hell; the gods of fire, of medicine, of the wind, and of the atmosphere. Ganesa, whom Sir William Jones justly compares to Janus, is invoked the first, by the Brahmins, in all sacrifices. His name, and that of Seraswatee, appear at the beginning of all writings; and his statue i

This word is spelt differently by different authors.

placed on roads, and at the boundaries of villages, &c. There are two great sects among the Hindoos; the worshippers of Vishnu, and those of Siva. Formerly the worship of the former appears to have predominated on the Coromandel coast, while on the opposite coast, especially in the neighbourhood of Bombay, that of Siva prevailed. The followers of Vishnu distinguished themselves by painting their faces with a horizontal line; the followers of Siva draw a perpendicular line. The gopee chunden, a white clay, taken from a holy tank near Positra in Guzerat, and chalk from the vicinity of the celebrated temple of Dwaraca, in the same province, are used for this purpose, as well as distinguishing the different castes. There is, however, very little difference in point of religion between these or any other Hindoo sects.

Vishnu is believed to have undergone nine avatars, or incarnations; the most celebrated is the eighth, when he appeared as Krishna, and by his victories obliged the Hindoos to substitute the offering of images instead of human sacrifices, and milk for blood. A more particular account of these incarnations will be given. The tenth incarnation of Vishnu has not yet taken place. The religion of the Hindoos is contained in their sacred books, called Vedas, the divine authority of which, however, is rejected by the Jains in the south of India,-a sect who differ in some important tenets from those who follow the Brahminical religion. All the Hindoo sects believe in the immortality of the soul, transmigration, and a future state of rewards and punishments; but their faith in these important points is intermixed and debased by the most absurd legendary tales and mystical allegories.

Having presented our readers with the foregoing general view of the religious system of the Hindoos, we shall proceed to such details in respect to their religious ceremonies and customs as our limits permit; observing, however, that such as would desire a full account of the various superstitious opinions and practices of this extraordinary people, may consult the ample account given by Dr. Ward, in his "View of the History, Literature, and Religion of the Hindoos." The first objects of worship among the Hindoos are supposed to have been fire, air, water, earth, and space, together with the heavenly bodies and aerial beings. But as such a system of mythology could in Worship. no wise account for the existence and government of the universe, later Hindoo theologians added three new gods, under the characters of the Creator, the Preserver, and the Destroyer-Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva. Besides the gods already named, and others which might be named, the Hindoo worship extends to the various objects of nature, among which we may specify the following:

1. The Worship of Human Beings.-The Hindoos worship their spiritual guides; also, Bramins, their wives, and daughters: and, among the Vamacharees, women of the lowest caste, and even prostitutes, are worshipped with rites too abominable to be recorded.

2. The Worship of Beasts.-The cow is an object of worship, and receives the homage of the Hindoos at an annual festival. The very dung of the cow is eaten as an atonement for sin; and, with its urine, is used in worship. A Hindoo does not carry anything out of his house in the morning, till he has rubbed his doorway with cow-dung. Notwith

standing this reverence, the bullocks employed in carrying burdens, and at the plough, are used more cruelly by the Hindoos than any other animals. Hunoomanu, the Monkey, has also been placed among the gods, as a form of Shivu. Temples of this god are to be seen, and in some places his image is worshipped daily; he is even chosen by many as their guardian deity. Hunoomanu bears some resemblance to Pan; and, like him, owes his birth to the god of the winds. The dog, the jackal, and a number of other animals, have also places among the Hindoo deities, though they are not greatly honoured.

3. Worship of Birds.-Gurooru, the carrier of Vishnoo, half a bird and half a man, has received deification, as well as his brother Uroonu, the charioteer of Vishnoo. Jutayoo, another bird, the friend of Ramu, receives divine honours; as do the eagle of Coromandel, (said to be an incarnation of Doorga,) the wagtail, the peacock, the goose, and the owl; but the honours they receive are not of the highest kind.

4. Worship of Trees.-The Hindoos do not seem ever to have consecrated groves, but several trees they esteem sacred. Toolusee, a female raised to deity by Vishnoo, was cursed by Lukshmee, his wife, in a fit of jealousy, and turned into a tree of his name; which the Hindoos preserve with great care near their houses, and erect pillars to its honour. The heads of these pillars, which commonly open like a cup, are filled with earth, and the plant is placed in them. Its leaves and wood are esteemed sacred; and with the latter they make their beads, with which they repeat the names of their guardian deities. Several other trees receive almost an equal homage. It is considered as a great sin among the Hindoos for any member of a family to cut down trees planted by an ancestor; and the misfortunes of many a family have been ascribed to such an act of indiscretion.

5. River Worship.-The Hindoos not only reverence their rivers, but actually worship them, dividing them into male and female deities. But Gunga (the Ganges), both in their poems, their Pooranus, and in the superstitious customs of the natives, appears to rank highest among the river deities. She is declared to have descended from Vishnoo's heaven; an anniversary of which event is celebrated by particular festivities. The most extravagant things are related in the Pooranus respecting the purifying nature of these waters; and several works have been written to extol the saving properties of the Ganges. Its waters are carried to immense distances; everything they touch becomes purified; crowds of Hindoos perform their worship on the river, daily, after purifying themselves in the stream; the sick are laid on its banks, expecting recovery from the mere sight of this goddess; and it is reckoned a great calamity not to die within sight of Gunga. Many other rivers receive the honours of divine worship.

6. Worship of Fish.-Even the finny tribes are honoured by the IIindoos, though the worship paid to them is of an inferior sort.

7. The Worship of Books is very common among this people. The lower orders have such a profound respect for a book, that they think everything in such a form must be divine. On several occasions a book i converted into an image, and worshipped with all the form used before t most popular idol.

8. Worship of Stones.-The Shalugramu, as a form of Vishnoo, is more frequently worshipped than any other idol in India, not excepting the Lingu itself; which, perhaps, ought to be placed next, and which is also a stone. The representatives of Punchanunu and other gods are shapeless stones. Many images of idols sold in the markets are made of stone, and worshipped.

9. A Log of Wood.—The pedal with which rice is cleansed from the husk has also been raised to godship by the Hindoos. The festivals of the Hindoos are numerous.

Festivals.

Our limits will permit us to notice only the following; namely, the festival in honour of the god Siva, and the festival of Juggernaut.

In the month of Choitru, an abominable festival is celebrated in honour of Siva, which is thus described by Mr. Ward :-"In the year 1806 I went to Kaleeghatu, in company with two or three friends, to witness Festival these practices; at which place we arrived about five o'clock in

of Siva.

the morning. We overtook numerous companies who were proceeding thither, having with them drums and other instruments of music; also spits, canes, and different articles to pierce their tongues and sides. Some with tinkling rings on their ancles were dancing and exhibiting indecent gestures as they passed along, whilst others rent the air with the sounds of their filthy songs. As we entered the village where the temple of this great goddess is situated, the crowds were so great that we could with difficulty get our vehicles along, and at last were completely blocked up. We then alighted, and went amongst the crowd. But who can describe a scene like this? Here, men of all ages, who intended to have their tongues pierced, or their sides bored, were buying garlands of flowers to hang round their necks, or tie round their heads; there, others were carrying their offerings to the goddess: above the heads of the crowd were seen nothing but the feathers belonging to the great drums, and the instruments of torture which each victim was carrying in his hand. These wretched slaves of superstition were distinguished from others by the quantity of oil rubbed on their bodies, and by streaks and dots of mud all over them: some of the chief men belonging to each company were covered with ashes, or dressed in a most fantastic manner, like the fool among mountebanks. For the sake of low sport, some were dressed as Englishwomen; and others had on a hat, to excite the crowd to laugh at Europeans. As soon as we could force our way, we proceeded to the temple of Kalee, where the crowd, inflamed to madness, almost trampled upon one another, to obtain a sight of the idol. We went up to the door-way, when a Bramin, who was one of the owners of the idol, addressed one of my companions in broken English: 'Money-money-for black mother.' My friend, not much liking the looks of his black mother, declared he should give her nothing. From this spot we went into the temple yard, where two or three blacksmiths had begun the work of piercing the tongues and boring the sides of these infatuated disciples of Shivu, or Siva. The first man seemed reluctant to hold out his tongue; but the blacksmith, rubbing it with something like flour, and having a piece of cloth betwixt his fingers, laid firm hold, dragged it out, and, placing his lancet under it in the middle, pierced it through, and let the fellow go. The next person whose tongue we saw cut directed the blacksmith to cut it on a con