^ree ^ralrlLa*. 



79 



these tlie Persians call Pir and Imam.'' The Persians, however, 

 entertaining a profound regard for trees of unusual magnitude, were 

 of opinion that only the spirits of the pure and holy inhabited 

 them. 



In this respect they differed from the Indians, who believed 

 that both good and evil spirits dwelt in trees. Thus we read in 

 the story of a Brahmadaitya (a Bengal folk-tale), of a certain 

 Banyan-tree haunted by a number of ghosts who wrung the necks 

 of all who were rash enough to approach the tree during the night. 

 And, in the same tale, we are told of a Vakula-tree {Miniusops 

 Elengi) which was the haunt of a Brahmadaitya (the ghost of a 

 Brahman who dies unmarried), who was a kindly and well- 

 disposed spirit. In another folk-tale we are introduced to the 

 wife of a Brahman who was attacked by a Sankchinni, or female 

 ghost, inhabiting a tree near the Brahman's house, and thrust by 

 the vindictive ghost into a hole in the trunk. The Rev. Lai 

 Behari Day explains that Sankchinnis or Sankhachirnis are female 

 ghosts of white complexion, who usually stand in the dead of night 

 at the foot of trees. Sometimes these tree-spirits appear to leave 

 their usual sylvan abode and enter into human beings, in which 

 case an exorcist is employed, who detects the presence of the 

 spirit by lighting a piece of Turmeric root, which is an infallible 

 test, as no ghost can put up with the smell of burnt Turmeric. 



The Shanars, aborigines of India, believe that disembodied 

 spirits haunt the earth, dwelling in trees, and taking special delight 

 in forests and solitary places. Against the malignant influence of 

 these wandering spirits, protection is sought in charms of various 

 kinds; the leaves of certain trees being esteemed especially effica- 

 cious. Among the Hindus, if an infant refuse its food, and appear 

 to decline in health, the inference is drawn that an evil spirit has 

 taken possession of it. As this demon is supposed to dwell in 

 some particular tree, the mothers of the northern districts of 

 Bengal frequently destroy the unfortunate infant's life by de- 

 positing it in a basket, and hanging the same on the demon's tree, 

 where it perishes miserably.* 



In Burmah the worship of Nats, or spirits of nature, is very 

 general. Indeed among the Karens, and numerous other tribes, 

 this spirit-worship is their only form of belief. The shrines of 

 these Nats are often, in the form of cages, suspended in Peepul 

 or other trees — by preference the Le'pan tree, from the wood of 

 which coffins are made. When a Burman starts on a journey, he 

 hangs a bunch of Plantains, or a spray of the sacred Eugenia, on 

 the pole of his buffalo cart, to conciliate any spirit he may intrude 

 upon. The lonely hunter in the forest deposits some Rice, and 

 ties together a few leaves, whenever he comes across some 

 imposing-looking tree, lest there should be a Nat dwelling there. 



• * The Land of the Veda,' by Rev. P. Percival. 



