WORSHIP OF ANCESTORS AND SAINTS.
In the Konkan, especially among the lower classes, a strong belief
prevails regarding the mortality of the spirits of the dead and
of their re-appearance or re-birth in their children. And for this
reason, as well as for protection against evil, the dead ancestors
are worshipped.
The custom regarding the worship of ancestors prevailing at Kálshe
in the Ratnágiri District is as follows:--The worship of ancestors is
called Shráddha (anniversary). It is performed on the no moon day of
every month, on the date of the death of the person every year, and
also on the same date of the dark half of the month of Bhádrapada
(September). Among the Bráhmans, Bráhman priests are invited,
worshipped, and are given a feast, after worshipping balls of boiled
rice as representing the dead ancestors. The special materials used
for worship are sesamum and barley grain. The same custom prevails
among non-Bráhmans with the exception that the balls are made of
rice flour and not of boiled rice. To partake of the food on such
occasions, the lower classes invite married persons of their own
caste. The anniversary day of Sádhus and Mahants, i.e., saints,
is called Punya tithi, i.e., the day of merit.
It is commonly believed that spirits are mortal. The life of the
deceased remains in the spirit condition until the sins which
he may have committed are washed away by the good deeds of his
descendants. There is no belief that one spirit dies and another takes
its place, but it is believed that the ancestors are sometimes reborn
in the same family. [410]
At Ubhádánda in the Vengurla taluka of the Ratnágiri District ancestors
are worshipped every year on the same date of the month (according
to the Hindu calendar year) on which the person died, by performing a
Shráddha rite. They are also worshipped on the same date in the second
half of Bhádrapada (September) every year. This is by a rite called
Mahálaya Shráddha. On both these occasions Bráhmans are invited, and
the worshipping ceremony is performed by repeating the mantras. After
the ceremony, all the invited guests men and women partake of food.
Sádhus are worshipped after washing their feet with sandal paste,
flowers, cocoanuts and gifts of money.
It is believed that evil spirits undergo a transformation after a
lapse of twelve years. The practice of giving the names of ancestors
to children is common, and it is due to the belief that the spirits
of the dead are reborn in children in the same family. [411]
At Pendur in the Ratnágiri District the ancestors are worshipped on the
last day of every Hindu calendar month. This monthly worship is called
Darsha Shráddha. The annual anniversary of the manes is celebrated
by the ceremony called the Sámvatsarik Shráddha. If any ancestor
has died after becoming a recluse or Sanyási, his body is buried,
and a tomb called a samádhi is erected over it; and his descendants,
instead of performing the annual Shráddha, worship the tomb of the
recluse every day. It is believed that the spirits take a different
form after the lapse of seven generations. The belief that the spirits
of the dead are reborn in the same family prevails among the people
of this district. The following measures are adopted for the purpose
of identification. When a person dies in a family, a basil or bel
leaf is placed on a certain part of the body, or some familiar sign
is made in sandal paste; and when a child is born in the family,
its body is carefully examined to ascertain whether there are any
signs on the body of the child such as were made on the dead body
of the ancestor. If the same sign appears to the satisfaction of the
members of the family, it is believed that the dead person has been
reborn in the same family. [412]
At Navare in the Ratnágiri District Bráhmans are invited, worshipped
and given a feast in honour of ancestors. Sádhus and Mahants, or
saints, are worshipped by giving them the same honour accorded to
the family deities. [413]
At Basani in the Ratnágiri District the anniversary day of saints is
observed by the performance of a Bhajan, which consists in singing
the good deeds of saints and in offering prayers. It is believed
that spirits are mortal, but they do not die like ordinary human
beings. They cease to exist as spirits as soon as the period of their
release is over. The spirits obtain absolution by visiting certain
holy places. [414]
At Dabhol in the Ratnágiri District the people believe that the souls
of ancestors are reborn in children in the same family if some of
their desires remain unfulfilled at the time of their demise. [415]
At Shiravde in the Ratnágiri District ancestors are worshipped
every year by performing the rites called tarpan, which consist
in offering oblations of holy water, sesamum, barley grains and
repeating prayers. The tarpan is observed on the very date of the
month in which the person died. The procedure of worshipping the
Hindu saints is similar to that of the other deities. Owing to the
belief that the spirits of the dead are reborn in children in the
same family the name of the grandfather is given to the grandson. [416]
At Náringre in the Ratnágiri taluka ancestors are worshipped by
inviting Bráhman priests, and worshipping them with sandal paste
and flowers. These Bráhmans are supposed to represent the father,
grandfather and great grandfather of the worshipper. [417]
At Bándivade in the Ratnágiri District the leaves of the herb called
pudina, (a good medicine for worms) sesamum, and darbha grass are
required for the worship of ancestors. The man who worships the
ancestors has to turn his sacred thread from the right hand to the
left. [418]
At Anjarle in the Ratnágiri District Mahants and Sádhus are worshipped
in their life-time like family deities, and their tombs are worshipped
after their death. [419]
At Fonda in the Ratnágiri District ancestors are worshipped by
making balls of boiled rice on their anniversary day. The balls
are supposed to take the place of the dead parents, and they are
worshipped with sandal paste and flowers, and by burning incense and
lighting a lamp of clarified butter. Betelnuts and leaves, cocoanuts
and Dakshina (presents of money) are given to them. People also bow
before them. Mahants and Sádhus are worshipped by washing their feet,
sandal paste is applied to their body, and they are garlanded with
flowers. Cocoanuts, a piece of cloth and a gift in coins are given
to them according to the means of the giver. It is said that spirits
can remain as spirits for about a thousand years. [420]
At Vijayadurg in the Ratnágiri District the method of worshipping
ancestors is as follows:--In some cases elderly parents as well as
a grandfather and great grandfather are also worshipped, their feet
are washed with water, and the water is accepted as tirth or holy
water. While worshipping the Mahants and Sádhus, or saints, water
is poured on their right hand, and they are worshipped with sandal
paste and flowers, and given a dakshana or gifts of money according
to one's means and will. The pádukas, or foot prints, of saints are
worshipped after their death. [421]
At Mithbáv in the Ratnágiri District holy persons such as Sanyásis
are worshipped after their death by performing their anniversary
ceremony every year. It is believed that spirits are mortal. Evil
spirits such as munjas, etc., undergo a kind of transformation, and
it is believed that this occurs at places like Narsoba's Wádi. [422]
At Devgad in the Ratnágiri District ancestors are worshipped on their
anniversary days, the manes being represented by pieces of Darbha
grass and balls of boiled rice. [423]
At Poladpur in the Kolába District a person whose father is alive
but who has lost his mother's father, has to perform the Shráddha
of that grandfather on the 1st day of the bright half of Ashvin
(October). This Shráddha is called Duhitra. A person who has lost
his wife has to perform the Shráddha for that wife on the 9th day
of the dark half of the month of Bhádrapada. This day is called Ahev
Navami. These different sorts of Shráddhas are observed only by the
high class Hindus. The lower classes worship their ancestors on the
last day of the month of Bhádrapada by preparing a ball of boiled rice
or flour, and putting it out for the crows to eat. It is believed that
spirits are mortal. The ceremony called Narayan Nagabali is performed
when it is believed that the spirit of an ancestor is giving trouble
to the family. When this rite is performed, the spirit is saved and
the ailment ceases. It is believed that the spirits of the dead are
sometimes reborn in children in the same family, and in such cases the
names of the ancestors are given to their children by the people. [424]
At Khopoli in the Karjat taluka of the Kolába District the form
of worship of ancestors is similar to that of the ordinary Hindu
deities. In the case of the worship of the deities the person
performing the worship has to sit with his face towards the east,
while at the worship of the ancestors he has to sit with his face
towards the south. [425]
At Chaul in the Kolába District, the tombs of Sanyásis, i.e.,
ascetics and Sádhus are worshipped on their anniversary days,
and a great fair is held in their honour. The other ancestors are
worshipped by the shráddha rites. The anniversary of the founders
of the different sects is observed by their followers by a bhajan,
i.e., singing songs in their own style and exhibiting the different
insignia and flag of the sect as advised by their founders. [426]
The people of Chidhran in the Kolába District believe that the period
for which the soul has to remain in the spirit state depends upon the
sins of the person, or the wishes which remained unfulfilled during
his life time. It is not that all the spirits of the dead are reborn
in children. The rebirth depends upon the good or bad deeds of the
deceased. However, if the nature of any child suggests the nature of
any dead person in the family, it is assumed that the spirit of the
deceased has returned to the family. [427]
At Nágothane in the Pen taluka of the Kolába District some of the
communities worship small images called tánks on the anniversary of
their ancestors' death; among the Shudras food is given to the crows on
the last day of Bhádrapad. The custom of giving a grandfather's name
to the grandson prevails largely, and is due to the belief that the
spirits of the dead are sometimes reborn in the same family. [428]
It is also said that in some of the Hindu communities, if a child
cries continuously, ashes are applied to its forehead in the name of
one of the ancestors in the family; and if the child sleeps quietly
or stops crying, the name of that ancestor is given to it. [429]
At Shirgaon in the Thána District, the worship of ancestors is
performed on the day of the father's death, every year. On any
auspicious occasion the rite called Nandi shráddha is performed at
the beginning of the ceremony. It is believed that evil spirits or
ghosts have to remain in the ghostly state for about one thousand
years, or at least until one of the descendants in the family goes
to a holy place like Káshi (Benares) and there performs the shráddha
rites of his ancestors. [430]
At Málád in the Thána District, the worship of ancestors is performed
on the day of the father's death every month till the completion of
one year by inviting Bráhmans and giving them a feast. This is done
among Bráhmans only. The other communities worship their ancestors
by performing the rite called Chata Shráddha and by giving Shidha,
i.e., rice, pulse, vegetables and ghi to Bráhman priests. A feast is
then given to their castemen. [431]
At Kolhápur, ancestors, Mahants and Sádhus are worshipped by the rites
known as the Puranic ritual, that is, no Vedic mantras are repeated
while performing these rites. It is a common belief in this province
that the soul of the person who has committed a murder, or has incurred
debt and enmity, is obliged to repay the debt by being born again as
a servant or in some other subordinate capacity of the debtor. [432]
The tombs of the Hindu and Mahomedan saints are considered holy,
but they are not supposed to possess miracular powers. [433] The
following is a list of saints who have been deified and worshipped by
the people of the Ratnágiri District. (1) Mukundráj, (2) Dnyándev,
(3) Tukárám, (4) Eknáth, (5) Námdev, (6) Rámdás, (7) Akkalkotche
Swámi, (8) Ranganáth, (9) Dev Mámlatdár, (10) Kabir, (11) Kamál,
(12) Nipat Niranjan, (13) Tulshidás, (14) Pundalik, (15) Vashistha,
(16) Dattátraya, (17) Sohiroba, (18) Gorakshanath, (19) Purnanáth.
At Shiroda in the Ratnágiri District a practice prevails of making
vows to the tombs of women who burnt themselves as Satvis. Vows
are also made to the Musalman Pirs, and offerings are often made in
fulfilment of such vows. [434]
At the fort of Vishálgad there is a tomb of a Pir (saint). It is usual
to make a vow to worship this Pir with fetters on one's legs, and it
is believed that, at the time of worship, the chains break off. [435]
There is at Dahibáv in the Ratnágiri District a tomb of a Hindu saint
named Shri Anand Murti, to which the people of that locality make
vows when severe calamities befall them, and it is believed that the
saint listens to their prayers. [436]
When a Bráhman assumes the garb of a recluse or Sanyási, he is
considered by the people as sacred as a Hindu god, and is worshipped
with great reverence, provided he abides by the rules contained in
the shástras. [437]
There is a tomb of a Pir at Báwa Málangad in the Panwel taluka of
the Kolába District, where the people make vows to the Pir, and it
is believed that the Pir fulfils their wishes. Hindu saints such
as Rámdás, Dnyáneshwar, Námdev are held in great honour in this
District. [438]
There is a temple of Nágoba at Avas in the Kolába District where
persons suffering from snake-bite, if carried to the temple while
still alive, are said to be cured. [439]
At Kawad in the Bhiwandi taluka of the Thána District there is a tomb
of a Brahmachári named Sakhárám Báva who has been deified by the people
of that District. A great fair is held at the tomb every year. [440]
The following instance is given of a miracle at the tomb of Sakhárám
Báva of Kawad. A man suffering from fits showed an inclination to go
to Kawad to read Guru Charitra for seven successive days. He was taken
to that place accordingly. After his arrival, he continued to suffer
from these fits in the morning and evening at the time of the worship
at the tomb. Once during the fits he said that he would be free from
the disease if Rs. 200 were spent in giving a feast to the Bráhmans
at Páli. The relatives of the sufferer agreed to arrange accordingly,
and instantly the man put his head on the Samádhi (tomb) and threw
himself on his back. He came to his senses after ten minutes, and
from that time he was completely cured. A feast was then given to the
Bráhmans at Páli, and Rs. 200 were spent over it as promised. Another
instance of miracular power is cited, and that is of the priest of
the goddess Mahaluxmi of Kolwan. This priest goes up and hoists the
flag of the goddess on a steep hill which no other person can climb,
and it is believed that he can do this only when the spirit of the
goddess enters his body. [441]
At Umbergaon in the Thána District there is a miracle-working tomb of
a saint called the Dátár "Pir." Sakhárámbáva of Angaon Kawad, a Hindu
saint, is held in high honour in this village. [442] At this place
it is also believed that some of the Pirs walk round the village at
night, and their tombs are said to be seen in motion. The Dátár Pir
is worshipped even by the Hindus of that locality. [443]
At Shirosi in the Murbád Taluka of the Thána District, Sakhárámbáva of
Kawad, Dev Mámlatdár, Chandirámbuva of Khed, Narayanbuva of Nanuri,
the Swámi of Akkalkot, the Swámi of Kumbhar Peth at Kolhápur, and
the Dandekerbuva of Rájápur are the principal saints held in honour
by the people. [444]
At Mánikpur in the Thána District it is said that a bright light or
flames emanate from certain tombs of Musalman saints. [445]
At Umela in the Thána District it is said that flames and smoke are
given out from the tombs of certain Mahomedan saints situated in the
locality. These flames appear and disappear very suddenly. [446]
In the Kolhápur District people believe that the Samádhi of Swámi
Anandmúrti, who was a disciple of Raghunath Swámi of Bhramanál,
shakes on the Shiwarátri day, that is the 13th of the dark half of
Mágha, and on the Rámanawami day i.e. the 9th of the bright half of
Chaitra, at the time of the worship called Bhajan. Among the tombs
held most sacred by the Hindus of the Konkan may be mentioned the
following viz.: Bhujang Swámi of Lokapur, Rámdás Swámi, the Samádhi
of Shri Shankaráchárya at Shirgaon, Chintaman Swámi of Murgud,
and the Samádhi of Mangalmúrti Morya at Chinchwad near Poona. All
these Swámis were Brahmacháris or bachelors, and they spent their
lives in the service of God and preached virtue and morality to the
masses. These Samádhis are of two kinds: (1) of saints after death,
and (2) of saints on the point of death. The third kind is called
Jal Samádhi, i.e., immersion in water, but no tomb of the latter
kind is to be found in this Province. It is said that, if a lime
is placed above the Samádhi of Bhujanga Swámi, it begins to shake
at the time of the Arti ceremony. The present disciple of Bhujanga
Swámi sits in (Samádhi) meditation continuously for four to eight
days. There prevails a belief at Kolhápur that the swámi whose body
is buried in the tomb at Chinchwad is still alive. Some years ago
when the present disciple of the Chinchwad Swámi was anxious to take
Samádh, he had a dream in which the swámi in the tomb told him that
he was still living in that Samádhi, and that therefore there was no
need for his disciple to take Samádh. He was thus obliged to forego
the project. The Peshwas of Poona, who were staunch devotees of the
Chinchwad swámi, and by whose favour they were raised to a position
of social equality among the Deccan Bráhmans, granted an Inam of
some villages for the maintenance of this Samádhi, and the British
Government have allowed the descendants of the swámi to retain the
Inam. The following are the principal Musalman saints who have been
deified in the Kolhapur District:--
(1) Bába Jamál, (2) Ghod Pir, (3) Bara Imám, (4) Avachit Pir, (5)
Buran Sáheb and (5) Mira Sáheb of Miraj. All these Pirs have been
supplied with annual grants of money by the Kolhápur State. [447]
At Ubhádánda in the Vengurla taluka of the Ratnágiri District some
Hindus have adopted the worship of Mahomedan saints. Mahomedan Pirs
are worshipped in the month of Moharram. On these occasions Hindus
beg in the town in the disguise of Fakirs, and the alms thus obtained
are offered to the Pir. They make offerings of water to the Pirs,
while the tábuts are being carried to the sea for immersion. But this
practice is being slowly discontinued. [448]
At Bándivade in the Ratnágiri District Hindus offer cocoanuts and
khichadi to the Pirs at the time of the Moharram, and at some places
a lamp is kept burning every Monday in honour of a Pir. [449]
At Kálbádevi in the Ratnágiri taluka there is a tomb of a Musalmán
saint who is worshipped by the Hindus. Similarly there is a Pir at
Gaonkhádi in the Rájápur taluka who is held in reverence even by high
caste Hindus. [450]
At Ade in the Dápoli taluka of the Ratnágiri District there is a tomb
of a Musalman saint which is worshipped by the Hindus including the
Bráhmans. The building and also the mosque in that village have been
repaired from contributions obtained from high class Hindus. [451]
Many Hindus of Devagad in the Ratnágiri District worship Musalman
saints. Occasionally they offer cocoanuts to tábuts, and throw red
powder over them. They also make vows to the Pirs. [452]
There are two Pirs at Vijayadurg who are worshipped by the Hindus. The
same practice prevails at Rájápur and Khárepátan. [453]
At Chauk in the Karjat taluka of the Kolába District some Hindus
worship Pirs. The members of the Ketkar family of Chauk are the Pujáris
or ministrants of the Musalmán saint known as Báva Málangad. This
shows that even Bráhmans worship Musalmán saints. [454]
The tomb of Báva Málangad situated in the Kolába District is worshipped
first by a Bráhman and then by Musalmáns. The Bráhman worshipper
performs this task more for the pecuniary benefit which he derives
from the worship than from faith in the divinity of the Pir. [455]
At Poladpur in the Mahád taluka of the Kolába District there are no
instances of Musalmán saints being worshipped by Hindus, but persons
wishing to have children make vows to Pirs, and children born by the
favour of such Pirs are required to assume the robe of a Fakir during
the Moharram festivities. [456]
The practice of worshipping such saints exists at Khopoli in the Kolába
District. Persons in trouble, or desirous of getting children, make
vows to the saint Imám Hussein, and when their desires are fulfilled
they dress themselves as Fakirs and beg at certain places during the
Moharram festivities. [457] A certain Lakshman Gangádhar Joshi of
Rewdanda in the Kolába District is the Mujáwar (priest or ministrant)
of a Musalman saint Chánsewalli and he holds an Inám in connection
with his office of Mujáwar of the saint's Darga. [458]
At Akshi in the Kolába District there is a tomb of a Pir which
is worshipped by lower class Hindus such as Kolis, Mális and
Bhandáris. [459]
The Hindus of Bhuwan in the Murbád taluka of the Kolába District
worship the Pir of the locality. It is said that the cultivators
of the village once lost their cattle, and that a Fakir attributed
the loss to the rage of the Pir. Since that time they are careful to
worship the saint, and the result is that there has been no disease
among their cattle. They offer Malinda, i.e., bread and jágri, to
the Pir every Thursday. [460]
The Hindu inhabitants of Málád in the Thána District sprinkle water
over the roads by which the tábuts are to pass, and allow their
children to pass beneath the tábuts. Some throw sweetmeat on the
tábuts, and distribute the same to the poor. [461]
At Shirgaon in the Máhim taluka of the Thána District some Hindus
make vows to the local Pir and take part in the tábut procession. They
pour water over the feet of the tábut bearers, and throw abir (black
scented powder) and flowers on the tábuts. They also distribute to
the fakirs Malinda, or Khichadi. [462]
The Mujáwar (priest) of the saint Walli Amir Shaha of Shahápur in
the Thána District is a Marátha by caste. [463]
In the Kolhápur District Pirs are held in great reverence by
Hindus. They make vows to the Pirs in order to get a son, and when
their object is fulfilled they offer a preparation of Til (sesamum)
and sugar called Rewadi, and other sweets called Chonge, Malinda and
Pedhe at the time of Moharram. They also give Fakiri to their sons
in the tábut season. Some of them even bring a tábut and Nál sáheb
to their houses, and spend much money on them for illuminations,
etc. They dance from one Nálpir to the other saying that the Nálpir
has entered their bodies. While going through the streets they cry
out very loudly the words 'Yalli Dhulla'. The holiday of the Moharram
is observed for ten days. On the tenth day the tábuts and the Nálpirs
are taken to the river for the purpose of immersion. While returning
home from the river with the bundle of the Patka of Nálpir on their
heads they cry out loudly the following words: "Alabidáyo ála bidásha
ya Husan bani alidosháke sultán albida". On the third day after the
immersion of tábuts into the river, the Pirs devotees kill a goat
in the name of their patron Pir and make a preparation of the goat's
flesh called Konduri. [464]
The following rites are in vogue for the cure of barrenness in the
village of Dábhol in the Ratnágiri District.--(1) Walking round the
Pipal tree daily; (2) Observing a fast for sixteen successive Mondays;
(3) Performing the worship of Shiva after observing the aforesaid
fast. [465]
At Kálshe in the Málwan taluka of the Ratnágiri District a barren
woman is required to walk round a Pipal tree every day in the morning,
and if the barrenness be attributed to the disfavour of any deity
or the attack of an evil spirit, the same deity or the evil spirit
is invoked and worshipped by the woman herself, or through a medium
who knows the appropriate mode of worship. [466]
To steal an earthen image of the God Ganpati, to make a cross or a
Swástika on the bodies of children with marking nut, and the worship
of the god Máruti or some other powerful deity at midnight in the
no moon by a barren woman, after divesting herself of her clothes,
are rural methods for the cure of barrenness observed at Anjarle and
other places in the Dápoli taluka of the Ratnágiri District. [467]
At Bándivade in the Ratnágiri District copper amulets and black
cotton strings are used to cure barrenness. Some people make vows to
a particular deity, and some perform the rite of Nágabali. [468]
To walk round Pipal and Umbar trees, to circumambulate the temple
of a particular deity, and to make vows to that deity, to recite or
have recited the holy scripture Harivansha, are methods in practice
for cure of barrenness at Achre in the Málwan taluka of the Ratnágiri
District. [469]
At Vijayadurg in the Ratnágiri District, it is believed that beating
a woman at the time of an eclipse is one of the surest methods of
curing barrenness. Some people give charity, observe fasts, worship
certain deities and make vows to them to obtain children. [470]
At Ubhádánda in the Ratnágiri District, stealing the idol of Krishna
when it is being worshipped on the 8th day of the dark half of Shráwan
(August), the birth day of the god Krishna, and putting a cocoanut or
a betelnut in its place is believed to be the best method of curing
barrenness. [471]
At Chauk in the Kolába District, the same plan of stealing the idol
of the god Krishna is observed as a cure for barrenness. But here
the idol is returned with great pomp, and replaced in its original
place after the birth of a child. The godlings Hanumán and Bawan Vir
are also worshipped for the cure of barrenness. [472]
At Poladpur in the Kolába District the favourite method of curing
barrenness is to obtain copper amulets and black or red cotton strings
from a Fakir. [473]
The following are the methods in vogue for the cure of barrenness at
Khopoli in the Kolába District.
(1) To inquire from a sorcerer the cause of barrenness, and then to
perform the rites mentioned by him.
(2) To use copper amulets and cotton strings taken from a Mántrik,
i.e., one well versed in the mantras.
(3) To walk round the Tulsi (basil) plant or the Pipal or Banyan tree
daily in the morning after worshipping it.
(4) To feed another woman's child, or to give milk to a child. [474]
At Náta in the Kolába District, a woman wishing to have a child is
required to strike with a knife the Jack, the Tamarind, and the Chámpa
trees during an eclipse. It is believed that by so doing the woman will
bear a child, and the trees will also bear flowers and fruits. [475]
At Medhe in the Roha taluka of the Kolába District, the following
methods are in vogue for the cure of barrenness:--
(1) To worship the god Shiva and to observe fasts on Mondays.
(2) To worship the god Ganpati and to observe fasts on Sankasthi
chaturthi, i.e., the fourth day of the dark half of every month.
(3) To walk round the temple of Máruti and Pipal and Umbar trees
every day, in the morning. [476]
At Padaghe in the Bhiwandi taluka of the Thána District, images of
Ráma and Krishna are put into the lap of a barren woman on their
respective birthdays i.e., the 9th day of the bright half of Chaitra,
and the 8th day of the dark half of Shráwan. Cocoanuts are also placed
in her lap with these images. [477]
At Mánikpur in the Thána District the goddess Shitala is worshipped
by women to cure barrenness. They observe fasts, and go to the temple
of the goddess bare-footed with their hair loose and throwing milk on
their path. They offer to the goddess wooden cradles and children's
toys in fulfilment of their vows. [478]
At Shirgaon in the Máhim taluka of the Thána District, it is said
that the repetition of the mantra "Santán Gopál jáy" is resorted to
as a cure for barrenness. [479]
At Wáde in the Thána District, women make vows even to minor deities
such as Chedoba to get rid of barrenness. They also use copper amulets
and cotton strings procured from a sorcerer well versed in the use
of mantras. [480]
At Dahigaon in the Thána District the worship of the god Shri Satya
Náráyan is held to cure barrenness. Some women also distribute to
the poor jágri equal to the weight of a child. [481]
At Dehari in the Murbád taluka of the Thána District, the village
deity Dehari Máta is invoked and worshipped by women for the cure of
barrenness. [482] In the Kolhápur District, the help of the family
deities and of the household deities is invoked. Women take turns
round the Banyan, Pipal and Umbar, trees. Some make vows to the
gods, and perform certain propitiatory rites as well as the Náráyan
Nágabali. It is believed that the children do not live long if a
member of the family has killed a snake, or if the funeral rites
of a person in the family have remained unperformed. The following
ceremony is known as Náráyan Nágabali. A snake is made from the flour
of Rála (panie seed), and another made of gold is put into it. It
is then burnt like a dead body. All the ordinary funeral rites are
performed. After performing the eleventh day rites, homa, i.e.,
sacred fire, is kindled at night time, and after keeping vigil for
the whole night, milk and a dakshana are given to Bráhmans. A feast
is given to eleven Bráhmans on that day. On the twelfth day sixteen
Bráhmans are fed, and on the thirteenth, five Bráhmans are given a
feast, after performing the Shráddha rites. On the fourteenth day,
again, a feast is given to about 100 to 500 Bráhmans according to
the means of the host. It is believed that, after the performance of
these rites, the soul of the deceased reaches heaven, and there is
an end to the troubles and misfortunes of the family. [483]