Page:Gazetteer of the province of Oudh ... (IA cu31924073057345).pdf/210

 202 KHE Gosháins. They are celibates, theoretically at any rate, and adopt dis- ciples of all castes: they bury their dead in a sitting posture, and choose their mahant (high priest) by popular election. The present chief of the community is a Chliattri. There are only ten tombs of previous mahants, from which it is obvious that the society cannot have been above 200 years old; for even if a Musalman iconoclast had levelled the ancient tombs they would have been re-erected at once the disciples to whom they were familiar and venerable. There are a number of minor shrines, but the most sacred place is a Shiwála of ordinary construction about ten feet square; the god is simply the shaft of a round pillar, most likely one of them so common round Bnddhist stupas." The shrines and tombs are all of the same construction, a square pediment, generally an octagonal shaft and a circular roof; they are simply enlarged copies of the Buddhist relic basket, and Buddhist bas-reliefs stiil appearing in recesses of the walls sufficiently proves the origin of the wor- ship. In the neighbourhood several Buddbist images of the purest type have been dug up, they are of baked clay. The temple is supposed to be only the omphalos, or holy of holies, the central spot of a large area of sacred ground. There are four gates on the borders of this holy land, supposed to be at equal distances, twelve kos or eighteen miles from the centre. There are some in Shahjahánpur to the west on the Gumti, Gadai Náth in village Sháhpur, pargana Bhúr to the north, Deokali Náth near Kheri to the east, Barkhár in pargana Muhamdi to the south, or rather south-west. Through these four darwázas or wickets all wealthy persons are compelled to pass before approaching the shrine. They are not at opposite poiats of the compass, and it appears probable that the priests selected places already famous locally, and inaugurated a connexion between them and the temple of Mahadeo, conciliating local feelings, mutually exalting and supporting each other. Of course it would be a double attraction to the pious, a source of double profit to the priest, if one journey would carry the pilgrim to two sacred places, each of general and special sanctity, but both unitedly contributing to the welfare of the pilgrim's-body and soul, each levying contributions on his gratitude. It was the same system of reconciling Hinduism withi local superstitions, andadding to the instruments of drawing upon the coffers of sinners, which we find in the avatárs of Vishnu. There is also as at Benares and other shrines in India, Ireland, and other superstitious countries, a kind of sacra viana circuit round the shrine at a distance of two kos or three miles from it. This will be eighteen miles, and should be performed on foot by minor sinners, but by measuring successive lengths of the body, fair crowa-and-toe progress, if the crime is of great magnitude. Some say that this circuit is a relic of sun- worship, and in imitation of the apparent course of that luminary. This has also four shrines, like the satellites of the great central star, Badar Kund to the easti, Panáha to the north (a little shrine buried in the sal forest), Kirnagar to the south (also in the jungle), and Main Kund in Ahmadnagar to the west. Fergusayn's Architecture, Volume II., Ceylua,