They worship Dulha Deo and Devi, and have a firm belief in magic. They
tell a curious story about the origin of the world, which recalls
that of the Flood. They say that in the beginning God created a man
and a woman to whom two children of opposite sex were born in their
old age. Mahadeo, however, sent a deluge over the world in order to
drown a jackal who had angered him. The old couple heard that there
was going to be a deluge, so they shut up their children in a hollow
piece of wood with provision of food to last them until it should
subside. They then closed up the trunk, and the deluge came and
lasted for twelve years, the old couple and all other living things
on the earth being drowned, but the trunk floated on the face of the
waters. After twelve years Mahadeo created two birds and sent them to
see whether his enemy the jackal had been drowned. The birds flew over
all the corners of the world, but saw nothing except a log of wood
floating on the surface of the water, on which they perched. After
a short time they heard low and feeble voices coming from inside
the log. They heard the children saying to each other that they
only had provision for three days left. So the birds flew away and
told Mahadeo, who then caused the flood to subside, and taking out
the children from the log of wood, heard their story. He thereupon
brought them up, and they were married, and Mahadeo gave the name
of a different caste to every child who was born to them, and from
them all the inhabitants of the world are descended. The fact that
the Kamars should think their deity capable of destroying the whole
world by a deluge, in order to drown a jackal which had offended him,
indicates how completely they are wanting in any exalted conception of
morality. They are said to have no definite ideas of a future life nor
any belief in a resurrection of the body. But they believe in future
punishment in the case of a thief, who, they say, will be reborn
as a bullock in the house of the man whose property he has stolen,
or will in some other fashion expiate his crime. They think that the
sun and moon are beings in human shape, and that darkness is caused
by the sun going to sleep. They also think that a railway train is
a live and sentient being, and that the whistle of the engine is its
cry, and they propitiate the train with offerings lest it should do
them some injury. When a man purposes to go out hunting, Mr. Ganpati
Giri states, he consults the village priest, who tells him whether he
will fail or succeed. If the prediction is unfavourable he promises
a fowl or a goat to his family god in order to obtain his assistance,
and then confidently expects success. When an animal has been killed
and brought home, the hunter cuts off the head, and after washing
it with turmeric powder and water makes an offering of it to the
forest god. Ceremonial fishing expeditions are sometimes held, in
which all the men and women of the village participate, and on such
occasions the favour of the water-goddess is first invoked with an
offering of five chickens and various feminine adornments, such as
vermilion, lamp-black for the eyes, small glass bangles and a knot
of ribbons made of cotton or silk, after which a large catch of fish
is anticipated. The men refrain from visiting their wives on the day
before they start for a hunting or fishing expedition.