Page:Report of a Tour Through the Bengal Provinces of Patna, Gaya, Mongir and Bhagalpur; The Santal Parganas, Manbhum, Singhbhum and Birbhum; Bankura, Raniganj, Bardwan and Hughli in 1872-73.djvu/191

Rh Baghal forest, near the village of Baghályá, he and his dogs were turned into stone, and exist to this day! In proof of the truth of this legend, they point to the Rajas of Dhalbhum, who are said to be dhobis by caste, and who are notorious for having practised human sacrifices, till very recent times, in honor, it is said, of this very Rankini, who became their tutelary deity and the principal object of worship in the country; her temple is said (and the site is pointed out at Sarangarh, near Ambikanagar) to have existed till within the last few years, and to have been regularly supplied with human victims till it was destroyed by the British authorities.

The petrified cowherd is nothing more or less than a Sati pillar, standing by itself, in the Baghályá forest (scrub jangal), near the Baghályá village; it is clear that the name of the village and of the jangal has suggested the identification of the Sati pillar (the real purpose of which was forgotten) with the petrified cowherd; the dogs are said also to be there, but one of them is certainly a lion from some temple, and the other is perhaps another from the same, or some other temple: the Sati pillar is now worshipped, if plenteous libations of milk and ghi be any criterion of worship. The Baghályá village is a couple or 3 miles off the road, between Kotrá and Jhaprá.

Párá is traditionally said to have been the seat of the Rajas, and is said to have possessed 52 tanks: one version says in Párá there are 6 coris of pokhars and 9 coris (scores) of garhwas (small ponds); there are numerous tanks and hollows to this day, and the temples noticed above stand close to a large one, and not far from several; but they are mostly either dry, or becoming rapidly choked up.

The temple of Rádháráman in the village noticed before, is said to have been built by one Purshottam Dás from Bindrában; his tomb (chhatri rather) faces the temple; the object of worship is a black two-armed male statue, 3 feet high. The founder having enshrined the statue, and provided for its maintenance, wished to return to his country, and told the statue so, but it replied—"Since you have brought me away, this is your native country; now therefore remain here." The mahant pleaded that he had no sons, and could get none unless he returned home, to perform his funeral obsequies, but the statue at once offered to do it himself; hence of all offerings to the statue the first share is set aside as an offering to the deceased mahant. Purshottam Dás is said to have built the temple during the viceroyalty of Mân