278 Lieut. -Colonel Ton on (lie Religious Establishments of Mewar. 



exact hulmoh in Rajast'han, but in that country it is mitigated, and abuse is 

 prevented, by a sentiment unknown to the feudal despot of the middle ages 

 of Europe, and which, though difficult to define, acts imperceptibly, and 

 has its source in accordance of belief, patriarchal manners, and clannish 

 attachments. 



I shall now briefly consider the privileges of the Saivus and Jains — the 

 orthodox and heterodox sects of Mewar ; and then proceed to those of 

 Vishn6, whose worship is the most prevalent in these countries, and which 

 I am inclined to regard as of more recent origin. 



Mahadeva or Iswara (Osiris), the creative pozver, is the tutelary divinity of 

 the Rajputs in Mewar ; and from the early annals of the dynasty appears 

 to have been, with his consort Isani (Isis), the sole object of adoration 

 to the Gehlotes, the chief of the Sitri/as, or sun-born race. Iswara is adored 

 under the epithet of Eklinga,* and is either worshipped in his monolithic 

 symbol, the lingam or phallus, or as Iswara Chaom6k'hi, the quadriform 

 divinity, represented by a bust with four (chdo) faces (muhh). The 

 sacred bull (Nanda) has his altar attached to all the shrines of Iswara, as 

 was that of Mneves or Apis to those of the Egyptian Osiris, worshipped 

 on the Nile, as in Mewar, under his emblem, the phallus. Nanda has 

 occasionally his separate shrines, and there is one in the valley of Udyapur 

 whose reputation is oracular as regards the seasons. The bull was the steed 

 of Iswara, and carried him in battle. He is often represented with his 

 consort Isa at full speed on the bull. I will not stop to inquire whether 

 the Grecian fable of the rape of Europa+ by the tauriform Jupiter, as well 

 as the Jupiter Serapis, the Osiris, Lord of Apis, of the Egyptians, may 



* That is, with one (ek) lingam or phallus — the symbol of worship being a single cylindrical 

 or conical stone. There are others, termed SehcsUnga and Kol-iswara, with a thousand or a 

 million of phallic representatives, all minutely carved on the monolithic emblem, having then 

 much resemblance to the symbol of Bacchus, whose orgies both iii Egypt and Greece are the 

 counterpart of thoee of the Hindu Bagh-es, thus called from being clad in a tiger's or leopard's 

 hide : Bacchus had the panther's for his covering. There is a very ancient temple to Kotiswara 

 at tlie embouchure of the eastern arm of the Indus ; and there are many to Seiies-linga in the 

 peninsula of Saurashtra. 



f It might have appeared fanciful, some time ago, to have given a Sanscrit derivation to a 

 Greek proper name : but Europa might be derived from Siirupa — " of the beautiful face " — 

 the initial syllable su and eu having the same signification in both languages, viz. good — Rupa is 

 ' comitenance.' 



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