Page:Hindu Feasts Fasts and Ceremonies.djvu/89

Rh elevated position as far as the eyes can reach to the Kast, South, North and West. For, Mahamakham is considered the greatest occasion in India, and large crowds flock to witness it. The municipal authorities take the precaution of reducing the depth of the water in the tank and leave only water just sufficient to enable the pilgrims to bathe without danger of being drowned. This wise precaution has been taken from time immemorial; but instead of the steam engines now used, piccotahs or country water-lifts were used in those old days. The idols of gods that march in procession are temporarily accommodated in the mandapams on the banks of the tank. The trident which is the emblem of Siva is taken out by the priest of each god and immersed in water. This is the signal that that particular god to whom the trident belongs has himself performed the bathing ceremony in the tank This is also the signal that the holy occasion for the bathing of the people has set in. The twelve tridents are immersed simultaneously in twelve different spots of the tank, and along with these, thousands of devotees plunge their heads into the waters with the firm belief