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the left side of the chest, and once on the left arm. 

 The chank is stamped twice on the right side of the 

 chest, in two places on the left arm, and once on the 

 left temple. The gatha is stamped in two places on 

 the right arm, twice on the chest, and in one spot on 

 the forehead. The padma is stamped twice on the 

 left arm, and twice on the left side of the chest. 

 Narayana is stamped on all places where other mudra 

 marks have been made. Sometimes it is difficult to 

 put on all the marks after the daily morning bath. 

 In such cases, a single mudra mark, containing all the 

 five mudras, is made to suffice. Some regard the chakra 

 mudra as sufficient on occasions of emergency." 



So far as I can learn the branding instruments 

 which are employed to sear the two chief symbols, chank 

 and chakra, by means of heat are usually made of 

 copper. In other localities brands of different metals 

 appear to be used as Risley (II, 339) states that the 

 Ramanuja, a Vaishnavite sect in Bengal, when under- 

 going the initiatory rite {tapta-miidra) are branded 

 with the chakra on the right shoulder and the chank 

 on the left, by means of a brand made of eight metals 

 (ashta-dhatu) gold, silver, copper, brass, tin, lead, iron, 

 and zinc. 



Various deviations from the standard ceremonial 

 exist in certain districts ; among these is that followed 

 by the Bedar or Boy a caste of the Southern Deccan, a 

 caste which largely constituted the old fighting stock of 

 this district. Among them the men are branded on the 

 shoulders by the priest of a Hanuman shrine with the 

 sign of the chank and of the chakra, in the belief that 

 this will enable them to go to swarga (heaven). Female 

 Bedars who are branded become Basavis (temple women) 

 and are dedicated to a male deity and called Gandu 

 Basavis or male Basavis (Thurston, I., 194). 



This branding of temple-girls, or Deva-dasi as they 

 are termed in the Tamil country, with symbols of the 

 chank and chakra is always an essential feature in the 

 ceremonies which mark their dedication to the god of 

 their temple, whom thenceforward they serve with dance 

 and song. 



Allied to branding is tattooing. The Tandans of 

 Malabar, a caste about the level of the Tiyyans, adopt 

 this method to show devotion to the deity, and among 



