THE RELIGIOUS GATHERINGS OF THE HINDUS.
Crowds pass through the temples of Benares every day, pay obeisance, and
present offerings; but on ordinary occasions there is no combined act of
worship conducted by a leader, as is common in Christian assemblies. On
occasions of special urgency--the failure of rain, its unseasonable
fall, the fear of famine, or the dread of a great calamity coming on the
community in some other form--sacrifices are offered up by priests in
the presence of great multitudes, in which all present unite. These are
very special and occasional services, for, as a rule, all over India
persons and families act apart.
Hindus are, however, eminently social, and in their religious services
full play is given to the social feeling. This is shown by their melas,
or religious gatherings, which are held all over the country, and are
extremely popular. Some of these melas are local, and have only a local
attendance. Those to which crowds from places far and near resort are
held in so-called sacred spots. Many are periodical, and are held at
fixed periods of the year in honour of their gods, and in celebration of
their exploits. Others, again, are held on special occasions, and of
these eclipses are the most attractive.
[Sidenote: THE SATURNALIA OF THE HINDUS.]
In the course of my second year I saw a good deal of these festivals. I
have a vivid and very unpleasant recollection of the Holee of that year,
the Saturnalia of the Hindus, which is held at the setting in of the hot
weather. It lasts for several days, during which the people act as if
freed from every moral restraint. There is a general cessation of
labour; the people wander about, indulge in the wildest freaks, address
to women who venture out the vilest words, leap and dance as if
possessed of the spirit of licence, and throw red colouring-matter on
those they meet, without respect of persons; till all seen in the
streets, with their besmeared faces and soiled clothes, have a most
disreputable appearance. The night is rendered hideous, and sleep
well-nigh impossible, by the drumming, fifing, and shouting of the
revellers, kept up till break of day. During this period many think
themselves at liberty to do what at another time they would deem very
culpable. Not a few partake of intoxicating drink, and if native
statements be true they give themselves over to the grossest
licentiousness. Europeans, as a rule, except it be necessary for them to
go abroad, remain quietly in their homes while the Holee lasts, and
mission work is for the time well-nigh suspended. When, however,
Europeans have occasion to go out they have little reason to fear
insult, as even in the Holee season they are regarded, if not with
respect, at least with a dread which restrains the revellers. The
hurtful influence of this season of licence can be conceived. I have
always observed that for some time afterwards the boys in our schools
were sleepy and listless.
On the night of the Diwalee mela, held in honour of Lakshmee, the
goddess of wealth, the whole city is illuminated, tiny lamps are seen
everywhere, friends give presents to each other, sweetmeats and parched
grain are distributed among the poor. High and low give the night to
gambling. The belief is entertained that if they fail to spend the night
in this manner they will in their next birth be turned into frogs, or
some vile reptile.
The most popular festival of the year at Benares and over the
North-Western Provinces is the Ram Leela, the Play of Ram, when the life
of Ram, a very popular incarnation of Vishnu, is dramatized. This drama
is acted in the open air in different parts of the city, in the presence
of admiring thousands. The people see Ram and his faithful spouse Seeta
forced to leave their royal home by the intrigue of his mother-in-law;
they see them in the forest, where Ram leads the life of a hunter; they
see Seeta carried off by Rawan, the Demon King of Lunka (Ceylon); they
hear Ram's cries of bitter distress on finding his beloved Seeta gone;
they see him informed that Rawan is the ravisher; they see him setting
out with the divine monkey Hanuman, and his army of monkeys for the
rescue; and they rejoice with him in the taking of Lunka, the
destruction of Rawan, and the rescue of Seeta. The story furnishes
abundant material for a drama, and the people enter with the greatest
zest into the different scenes. A huge figure of Rawan is made of wood
and paper; it is set on fire, and the crowds, looking on, make the air
resound with their shouts. During this mela two things are united which
in Hindu estimation well agree--amusement and devotion. They regard the
Ram Leela as a religious service, which they are bound to render to the
conqueror of Rawan, and while rendering it they are at once performing
duty and receiving pleasure. They continually call such a service
_tumasha_, _show_, _fun_, and they regard its life and sprightliness a
pleasing contrast to the sombre and staid services of the Christian
Church.
[Sidenote: ECLIPSE OF THE MOON.]
Before the conclusion of my second year an eclipse of the moon occurred,
which drew to the city the greatest assemblage of human beings I had
ever seen. The Hindus place high among their deities the sun and moon,
and render to them daily worship. Between the gods and the demons there
is perpetual war, and victory inclines at one time to one side, at
another time to another. In Hindu mythological annals many instances are
recorded of the gods having been reduced to the utmost extremity. We are
told that eclipses are caused by the demons endeavouring to swallow the
sun and moon; and religious services on these occasions have a double
benefit--the worshipper secures a high degree of merit, of which he will
reap the reward one day; and the demons are driven off from their prey
by the drumming, the shouts, and the merit of the assembled people, to
the great relief of the endangered gods. The most extravagant promises
are held out to those who bathe in the Ganges, at any time in any part
of it; but bathing on the occasion of an eclipse, and especially in so
sacred a place as Benares, is meritorious in a degree which is
incalculable. The Pundits, the religious leaders of the people, have, it
appears, access to the council of the demons, for the exact time of the
coming attack is known by them so long before hand that the people far
and near are prepared for its approach. In fact, if it did not come on,
if the demons withdrew from their intention, there would be great
disappointment. Brahman missionaries go great distances to inform the
people the eclipse is to take place, and to press on them the benefit
they will receive by bathing at Benares on that occasion. On their
return they are accompanied by those whom they have succeeded in
persuading. Leaving the mythological for the scientific platform, we had
better mention that the Hindu astronomers have for ages been able to
calculate eclipses; and now they need not trouble themselves to make
calculations, as European almanacks are in their hands to give the
requisite information.
For a few days previous to the eclipse of which I am now to speak, the
unusual number of strangers in the city made it evident some great event
was about to occur. From the morning of the appointed day the people
poured into the city in a constant stream. As evening came on I made my
way into the city on foot, but before reaching its centre I found the
streets so blocked that I despaired of getting to the riverside. I
retraced my steps, and by a road skirting the city made my way to Raj
Ghat at the northern end. There I remained till the eclipse commenced.
Many were near, but they were few compared with the crowds pressing
towards the chief bathing places. When I arrived at Raj Ghat the
confused sound of a great multitude fell on my ear, but no sooner did
the eclipse begin than the thousands on the river's brink and crowded on
the ghats, as with one voice raised a shout so loud and prolonged, that
I should think it must have been heard for miles. I was on a high bank
of the river, and could see distinctly the people below rushing into the
stream. I could not but think of what must be occurring where the crowd
was so dense that individual motion was well-nigh impossible. It was
reported next morning that three or four hundred persons had been
trampled to death or drowned in the rush to the river when the eclipse
began. This was afterwards declared to be an exaggerated statement, but
it is certain many lives were lost, though how many was not ascertained,
as a number were carried away by the stream. Special care was afterwards
taken by the authorities to prevent such catastrophes. After stopping
some time at Raj Ghat I returned to my home, musing on what I had seen,
and longing for the time when the millions of India will seek cleansing
and life, where alone they can be found.
[Sidenote: MELA AT ALLAHABAD.]
Towards the end of 1840 I went to Allahabad, seventy miles north-west of
Benares, to take part in evangelistic work at a great mela held there
annually, as I thought I might be able to render some help to my
brethren. Allahabad, called Pryag by the Hindus, is at the confluence of
the Ganges and the Jumna, and all such places are deemed sacred. It is
said there is a third river, the Suruswatee, once visible but now
underground, and the place is therefore called Tribeni--the threefold
stream. Pryag has been for many years a famous place of pilgrimage, and
every year a mela is held, which is at its height for some seven days,
but is kept on for weeks. It is held in the cold weather, December or
January; and, next to Hurdwar, where the Ganges issues from the
mountains, draws a greater crowd than any other mela in Northern India.
Bathing at Tribeni is peculiarly meritorious in some years, and in these
there is a vastly increased attendance. Except on the occasion of
eclipses there is no such gathering even at Benares; but very many who
go to Allahabad, before returning to their home, often a distant home,
pay a visit to the sacred city.
At one time the Government imposed a tax on pilgrims to this mela, but
it was taken off in 1838 or 1839.
The mela is held below the fort, on the land lying between the Ganges
and the Jumna at their point of meeting, on a great stretch of sand,
which is covered in the rainy season. In December and January the west
wind blows freshly over the place, and as there is incessant movement,
soon all present are so covered with dust that they look like millers.
[Sidenote: EVANGELISTIC SERVICES.]
A gathering like this at Allahabad is always embraced for evangelistic
purposes. Missionaries and native brethren are thankful for the
opportunity afforded them of preaching the Gospel to many who have come
from places to which no missionary has ever gone. The missionaries at
Allahabad gladly welcome and hospitably entertain the brethren of other
missions who join them at these annual gatherings. Large tents are put
up, with the front open towards the road, and there the preachers from
morning till evening, preacher succeeding preacher, address the people,
while hearers succeed hearers. A few individuals stop a long time, as if
rapt up in what they hear, as if they were drinking in every word;
others stop a considerable time; while many, after looking on and gaping
for a few minutes, hold on their way. Every now and then questions are
asked, objections are started, and a discussion ensues. When the
questions are in any measure serious and reasonable, much benefit
results from such discussion. The interest of the people is quickened,
and opportunity is afforded for explaining, defending, and enforcing the
truth as it is in Jesus. Sometimes the questioner is neither serious nor
reasonable, and then the danger is of the discussion turning into a
wrangle, which does more harm than good. Prominent transgressors in this
line are the Pundas, specially interested in the mela, who do all in
their power to set the people against us. At this first great gathering
which I attended--I found it was the case afterwards on similar
occasions--there was less mere idle discussion than there is where the
missionary carries on his work from day to day. In addition to
preaching-stations, there were bookstalls where portions of the
Scriptures and Christian tracts and books were disposed of. On to the
time of this mela there was a large gratuitous distribution among
persons who from their look and manner were deemed suitable recipients;
but for many years it has been found best to charge a small price,
without adopting a hard and fast line against giving away.
It is very difficult, rather impossible, to estimate the effect produced
by evangelistic services on such occasions. They have not been fruitless
as to conversion, but if we look simply at results of this kind it must
be acknowledged they are very limited. Instances have occurred of
persons having been so impressed that they have followed missionaries to
places far away from Allahabad; but their courage has failed them, and
they have after a short time disappeared. One advantage is secured--the
Gospel is kept before the minds of the people, and some knowledge of it
is carried to the remotest parts of the land. Books and tracts are taken
to places which missionaries have never visited. It cannot be doubted
that such services have their part in preparing the people for the new
and better state of things which every Christian longs for and expects.
At Allahabad I had an opportunity of observing the peculiarities of a
great Hindu mela. The morning was devoted to bathing and the performance
of religious rites. As the forenoon came on, the merchants of every
class set out their wares in tents erected on sites appointed for them,
with their opening, so far as possible, away from the side exposed to
the wind. Goods of every description, useful and ornamental, cloth,
grain, cooking vessels, trinkets, and sweetmeats, were exhibited to
tempt purchasers, and buying and selling went on as vigorously as if the
people had come together solely for that end. Crowds were in constant
motion, going from place to place to see what could be seen, and
stopping where there was any special attraction, or, as happens in our
own crowded streets, stopping where a few were incidentally collected.
By the afternoon, singers, experts in tricks, and show-people of every
description, commenced their operations, and were sure of admiring
crowds. The merry-go-rounds were largely patronized. Hour after hour was
thus spent.
[Sidenote: COOKING AND MERRYMAKING.]
A few cooked food early in the day, but the vast majority staved off
hunger--in some cases by partaking of cakes reserved from the previous
evening meal; the greater number, I believe, by partaking of sweetmeats
made with flour, sugar, and melted butter, of which an enormous quantity
was offered for sale. As evening came on they scattered themselves over
the ground lying between the Ganges and the Jumna, and set to the
preparation of their one proper meal for the twenty-four hours. The
plain was alight with their fires. Nothing can be simpler than their
cooking. They make what they call a _choola_, an elevation in the shape
of a horseshoe of a half-foot or a little more of moistened mud, or
stone if they can get it. If the traveller be of a respectable caste, he
takes care to make no use of the _choolas_ which former travellers have
left. They may have been set up by impure hands, and so he makes one for
himself. It is convenient to have two such _choolas_, that they may put
on the one a small pot with rice or _dal_, a kind of pea, in it, and on
the other a girdle for bannocks of unleavened dough. Cooking is, of
course, largely women's work, but men are as expert at it as women, and
are continually seen preparing their meal. I have never travelled with a
native who seemed to think he was called to an unusual or unpleasant
work, when required to cook his food. All he needs is a couple of small
cooking vessels, which he carries with him, a little fuel, good water,
meal, and a spot on which he may set up his humble hearth. I have seen
this work done by pundits, learned men, who showed no indication of
shrinking from it as if it trenched on their dignity. Indeed the pundit
in a party that has few facilities for cooking has, as I remember well
in one instance, this honour conferred on him on account of his caste
being higher than that of those who are with him. All of every caste can
eat what he has prepared, but he helps himself first, and eats apart.
To return to the mela. The evening is well advanced before the repast is
over. We might suppose that after the stir of the day all would be ready
for sleep, and no doubt many lie down and sleep soundly; but quite a
number are too eager for the enjoyment of the fair to give themselves to
rest. Singing, drumming, and boisterous mirth go on till the small hours
of the morning, as I have known to my unpleasant experience--not at
Allahabad, but elsewhere when I have been in their close neighhourhood.
How do the vast multitudes who attend a mela, such as that of Allahabad,
dispose of themselves at night? Their arrangements are of the simplest
kind. Many wrap themselves in their sheet or blanket, if they have one,
and lie down on the ground without any idea they are enduring hardship.
Others rig out a temporary tent with sticks and a blanket over it,
creep under this, and deem themselves luxuriously accommodated. This
gathering at Allahabad is in the cold weather, and if the nights be very
cold, as they sometimes are at that season, no doubt many suffer
severely. Every now and then heavy rain falls, and then, as may be
supposed, the suffering is extreme. Sanitary precautions are of the
utmost importance where such vast crowds meet and remain together for
days, and these are taken by the authorities. They cannot, however,
provide against suffering caused by bad weather. Occasionally cholera
breaks out, and then the scenes witnessed are appalling. At the mela of
1840 the weather was good, and there was no indication of disease among
the people. Some years afterwards we were travelling towards Allahabad
at an early period of the mela, and met crowds fleeing from it on
account of the outbreak of cholera. Here and there we saw corpses at the
side of the road, occasionally without one person near, at other times
with a weeping group around, who were preparing to carry off the body to
some rivulet to have it burnt, or, as it often happens, to have it
scorched, and then left to be devoured by jackals and vultures. Some had
held on their way with weary limbs till the fell disease seized them,
and then they succumbed, lay down, and died. We remember stopping where
a young man was dying, with two or three sorrowful ones around him. We
spoke to him, but got no reply. His glazed eye told he was beyond all
human help.
One of the first things I saw at this Allahabad mela was a quantity of
human hair, and was told that it had been cut off after the fulfilment
of vows, reminding one of a custom to which we find frequent reference
in both the Old and New Testaments. I also saw a very disgusting
sight--men in stark nudity, sitting in a very composed dignified
fashion, and women approaching them with folded hands, and paying them
profound homage. These were deemed men of great sanctity, whose blessing
brought signal benefit, while their curse entailed terrible calamities.
At an early period of our residence at Benares we sometimes met these
naked creatures in the streets; but for many years they have
disappeared, as there is a magisterial order that they be flogged for
their indecency, however loud may be their pretension of sanctity. At
Allahabad there were many devotees with their tangled hair, besmeared
bodies, and _very_ scanty clothing--if what they had on could be called
clothing. These are yet seen all over the country. The time has not yet
come for stringent orders in these cases.
[Sidenote: HINDU SOCIAL FEELING.]
On the occasion of a gathering such as that of Allahabad a stranger sees
no sign of the separating influence of caste. The people move about and
mix with each other as freely as people do in Europe when assembled in
large numbers. There is nothing in caste to prevent people conversing
with each other and being on friendly terms; but the friendliness must
not go the length of eating together or of intermarriage. There are
indeed large classes deemed so low, so outside the pure Hindu castes,
that, so far as is possible, their touch is shunned, and they are not
allowed to enter temples; but even these may be spoken to and caste
purity retained. We have not in Northern India a class so low that they
must hide themselves when a Brahman appears, as Pariahs have to do in
some parts of Southern India. In fact, at Hindu melas one receives a
pleasing impression of the social character of the people, when he
observes their good humour and friendly intercourse.
We do not wonder at the popularity of these gatherings. The social
feeling is as strong among the Hindus as among any people on the face of
the earth. The vast majority lead lives of monotonous toil in places
where there is no excitement greater than that of ordinary village and
hamlet life, and to them it must be a great pleasure to resort to the
gatherings of their people, where religion, business, and amusement are
very happily combined, and where there is so much to interest,
exhilarate, and gratify them. These times are to them the red-letter
days of the year, without which life would be intolerably dull. Resort
to these gatherings no doubt involves them in toil, in expense, and
sometimes in great suffering; but they do not shrink from the cost, as
they anticipate the expected benefit.
[Sidenote: CHRISTIAN SOCIAL FEELING.]
There cannot be a doubt that Hinduism is greatly strengthened by these
melas. Judaism was greatly strengthened by the people according to the
Divine command going up thrice every year, at appointed times, to the
place where the name of the Lord was, and by their repairing in vast
numbers once a year to their sacred capital after they had become widely
scattered among the nations. Muhammadans, by long journeys and perilous
voyages, make their way to Mecca and Medina, their sacred cities, and
make it a point to be present at the most sacred season, when many
thousands are assembled. These pilgrims return to their homes more
devoted than ever to Islam. It would be strange if Christianity, which
above every other religion aims at producing and sustaining the feeling
of universal brotherhood, did not avail itself of this social feeling,
to which so much scope is given in human religions, and which is so
potent in confirming the devotion of their adherents. Our blessed
Saviour, the Head of the Church, has by the institution of Churches, and
the instruction given to them through His Apostles, provided for the
fellowship of His people; and the occasional gathering of the members of
different Churches, to which the principles of the Gospel point, and to
which it gives the fullest sanction, presents precious opportunities for
the manifestation and exercise of the brotherliness so characteristic of
the kingdom of heaven which our Lord came to set up on the earth.
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