THE ABORIGINAL TEIBES. 151 



respect they are far behind the sorcerers of the Byga 

 race further to the east, who will be subsequently 

 alluded to. 



In a still more advanced stage, the Gonds have 

 resorted to hero worship ; but it is curious that all the 

 deified heroes they reverence are of purely Hindii 

 derivation. The chief are Bhima, one of the fi.ve Pandu 

 brethren, who is represented by his mythical club either 

 in stone or wood ; Hardy al, a Eajpiit hero of much later 

 date ; Dulha Deo, the apotheosis of a bridegroom, and 

 many others. 



Lastly come the recognised divinities of the Hindii 

 pantheon. Amongst a race whose blessings are few and 

 hardships many it is not surprising that the malevolent 

 members of the Hindii pantheon should have found 

 more acceptance than the benevolent deities. Vishnii 

 is scarcely recognised by them, except in his one terrible 

 development of Narsingha or the Man-Tiger ; while 

 Siva the Destroyer, with his formidable consort Kali, 

 and son Bhairava, are the favourite objects of reverence 

 amonof the more advanced of the tribes. These are 

 represented by rude idols, Siva himself in his usual 

 Phallic form ; and a Brahman in many cases officiates 

 at their shrines. Here for the first time we find my- 

 thology — the science of priests — at work. In their 

 earlier stages the tribes had no priests, no hierarchy of 

 gods, and consequently no mythology. Now legends 

 are invented to connect the tribes, and their earlier 

 gods, with the great web of Hindii fiction, and bring 

 them within the dominion of caste and priestdom. In 

 the succeeding chapter w411 be found a version of one 

 of these frasjments. Their art is of the rudest character, 

 often outraging the requirements of Hindii orthodoxy — 



