RALPH FITCH ad 



1583-91. 



they be all Gentiles, and be the greatest idolaters that 

 ever I sawe. To this towne come the Gentiles on pil- A pilgrimage 

 grimage out of farre countreys. Here alongst the waters V the Gentiles. 

 side bee very many faire houses, and in all of them, or 

 for the most part they have their images standing, 

 which be evill favoured, made of stone and wood, 

 some like lions, leopards, and monkeis, some like men 

 & women, and pecocks, and some like the devil with 

 foure armes and 4. hands. They sit crosse legged, some 

 with one thing in their hands, & some another, & by 

 breake of day and before, there are men & women 

 which come out of the towne and wash themselves in 

 Ganges. And there are divers old men which upon 

 places of earth made for the purpose, sit praying, and 

 they give the people three or foure strawes, which they 

 take & hold them betweene their fingers when they 

 wash themselves : and some sit to marke them in the 

 foreheads, and they have in a cloth a litle Rice, Barlie, 

 or money, which, when they have washed themselves, 

 they give to the old men which sit there praying. After- 

 wards they go to divers of their images, & give them 

 of their sacrifices. And when they give, the old men 

 say certaine prayers, and then is all holy. And in divers 

 places there standeth a kind of image which in their 

 language they call Ada. And they have divers great 

 stones carved, whereon they poure water, & throw there- 

 upon some rice, wheate, barly, and some other things. 

 This Ada hath foure hands with clawes. Moreover, 

 they have a great place made of stone like to a well 

 with steppes to goe downe ; wherein the water standeth 

 very foule and stinketh : for the great quantitie of 

 flowers, which continually they throwe into it, doe 

 make it stinke. There be alwayes many people in it : 

 for they say when they wash themselves in it, that their 

 sinnes be forgiven them, because God, as they say, did 

 wash himselfe in that place. They gather up the sand in 

 the bottome of it, and say it is holy. They never pray 

 but in the water, and they wash themselves overhead, 



477 



