Page:Durga Puja - With Notes and Illustrations.djvu/46

 is worshipped perhaps, with equal respect the Navapatrica or the group of nine plants or twigs of plants. The Mallikas of Andul establish two Navapatricas, the one on the dark navami and the other on the evening preceding the Saptami. In the minor details both in construction of the idols and in the worship there are so many variations and peculiar customs observed in different families, that it is difficult to lay down any practice as universal, except the universal celebration of the Autumnal Festival. The Chaudhuris of Makardah, for example, do not offer any eatables to the goddess on the occasion of the festival during the day. At night boiled rice is offered in dishes made of plantain leaves.(5)

 PAINTING THE IDOLS.

As soon as the idols are dry, the painter comes in and lays on the figures three or four coatings of a water-paint made of chalk. This forms the ground, and when it gets sufficiently dry, Durga, Lakshmi and Kartikeya are painted yellow with harital, sulphurate of arsenic, which is ground and mixed carefully with water and gum from the Vel fruit. Ganesa is painted similarly with hingul, a coarse ore of sulphuret [sic] of mercury, and the demon with jangal, verdigris, done up with