Page:The Indian Antiquary Vol 1.pdf/376

 [Nov 1, 1872.

THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.

340

puts it in front of a tulsi tree, which she salutes,

singing indecent songs; notice is given before

after that five or six women take the child to a

hand, and no man is allowed to leave his house that night. This ceremony is called hudundyao

well, and draw water five times in a lota, in which a mango branch has been placed, the

(## Tſii) an expression of which I have not

water is poured out as a libation, and the god to This

been able to find the exact meaning but ºf it may possibly be the Sanskrit root º' or ſłº

is called (*IT HAT) chuyáchhuyā; no purohit is

the heaven and I am told that §§I means

required for these ceremonies. The Palis are not acquainted with the usual Hindu ceremonies of shaving the head, boring the ear, and naming a

which I am acquainted.

whom it is offered is invoked by name.

child. Both the Palis and Koch worship the usual Hindu gods, but they have also deities of their own to whom they seem to pay greater

respect. The tutelary goddess of the Tista river is almost universally worshipped by them

“open” but it resembles no Bengali word with I should be glad of

suggestions on this subject. This interpretation would afford a good meaning, as the women might well be supposed to call on the heavens to open in time of dearth. The Palis are subdivided into three classes—

under the name of “barni Thakurani” in the

the Shadu, Bābū, and Desi Palis. The Bābū Palis, or Byabahari, as they are also called, eat pigs

month of Chait.

Some of the ceremonies they

and fowls and drink spirits, and the Desi Palis will

practise are very curious and appear to be quite

eat shellfish. Both the Shadu and Bābā Palis use

unknown to

or if that cannot be procured, a skull which is

cows in ploughing. The Shadu Palis for the most part follow the tenets of Chaitanya, the founder of the Bairaghi sect. The Koch are the palki bearers of the district; they seem to be about on an equality with the Palis in respect

painted to resemble life and offered before the

of caste; no Brahman will take water from

goddess with singing and dancing. When the land is suffering from want of rain, the women assemble at night, and covering their bodies with red powder go naked through the village with swords in their hands dancing and

either Koch or Palis. I am informed that a few Koch are to be found in Dakha and

the common Hindus; amongst

them is an annual festival held in honour of

Durgā, who is worshipped under the name of Gambhira.

The head of a dead man is taken,

one or two other districts, but the Palis I be

lieve are peculiar to the districts mentioned above.

ON SOME EMINENT CHARACTERS IN SANSKRIT LITERATURE. By M. SASHAGIRI SASTRI, B.A., ACTING SANSKRIT PROFESSOR, MADRAS.

(Continued from page 315.) KALIDASA.

Of this great poet nothing is known except his works; nor does he say anything of him self. Some place him at the court of Bhoja, while others say that he was a contemporary of

the contemporaries of that prince. Kālidasa is said to have been the author of Raghuvaſışa, Kumāra Sambhava, Meghasandeśa, Ritusafihāra, Nalodaya, Setuprabandha," Śakuntalā, Vikram orvasi, Mālavikāgnimitra, Jyotirvidabharana

Sringăratilaka,

Vikramārka of whose court he is said to have

Śruta-bodhini, Writatárá vali,

been one of the nine sages. An inscription found by Mr. Wilkins at Buddha Gaya, of which he published a translation, alludes to “the nine gems” (Wilson's preface to the Sanskrit Dictiona ry.) According to Bhoja charitra he was a con temporary of Bhoja; but this book forfeits all its claim to an authority since it enumerates Bāna Mayúra Bhavabhūti, Māgha and Mallinatha as

Praśnottaramālā, and Häsyårnava. We cannot believe that the author of Śakuntalá was the same as the author of Nalodaya.

But there is

a tradition that there was a poet at the court of

Bhoja, inferior to Kalidasa, who, grudging the great poet the reputation he had acquired by his excellent works, observed that he could not pro duce a poem with yamakas and prásas or puns of

• The author of a commentary on the Setuprabandha named Rāmadása says in the beginning of the work, that Kalidasa was induced by Vikramāditya to write the poem.—


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