ir.2 'llli: IIICIIl.ANDS OF (JKNTRAI. INDIA. 



Huilcil, ill r,M-l, t'l tin' lliciil;il ciIiImi' of ;i jtcopic Hf.'U-CcIy 



yet ('jncrL!,iii;^ IVoiii iinrc, Id isliisin, 



jM.'iiin- li.ivc (U)iijc(ttiin(l tli.il tlic worsliij) ol" Si'vi'i and 

 ]\'\H inylliii- coniiiMiiioiis, wliidi litims ko iii(',()n<^ruous .'in 

 iiilniHion into the iiiiMcr Lull: of IIk- Aryan Ilindi'is, 

 li;iH hccii, III lacl, (Icnvrd Iroiii iJif ;i,l)on!^nii;i,l r;i.ccs of 

 India. As rc;^Mr<ls Si'vii. liiinsclf in Jiis I'liallic loi-m there 

 Hccnis to be little loundation foi* .sucli iin liypotheslH. 

 Tin; omMcm Iimh nowhere, I lidicvc;, Ix-en Fouinl as an 

 olijcct of ;i(loiatioii .•iiiionL'; tin; iii(liL!,cnous races wlu^re 

 iirahminism has not |K;n('.trati!(l, whereas it was a very 

 ancient (01111 (d" woishi[) ainon*^ tlie i)eoj)I('s of Western 

 Asia, and wascvcii jin-vah'nt in lieathen iiomemore tlian 

 sixteen liiiiidred y(!ars ago. It was, as in Jmlia, so in tiie 

 countries ot Western Asia., connected witli human sacri- 

 fices. It is true that this forin of tlie Jlindi'i religion 

 is chielly [uevahiit in I lie wihh-r ])arts ol" the country, 

 wiierc I he ahoii^iiiai elcnii'iil ]ir(!Vails, many of its 

 chiefest shrines beiu'j; in I'aet, sil uated in se(diided wilder- 

 ni'ss(!S, and [^uard(!<l by aboii^^iiial, or semi-altoriL^inal, cus- 

 todians. It may \h\, then, that tin; |)er,--oniiied forms (jf 

 this deity were adaptations from tlie cultus of some; 

 of the aboriginal races that hav(! been absorbed in 

 llindiiism; but I lliiid< we must ;_;(» liiillici- back in the 

 history of this moveiiieiil lo liiid the oriL!;inals of K;ili' 

 and l)haira\;i than to an\l liin;^ we know (d t lie. indigenes 

 as tliey now exiht. i\Iay it not have been in ihe earliest 

 days of nraliminical revival, wheji coin{»elitors for the 

 adherence of the ])(M)|de in the great struggle with 

 ]>i'nl(lhisni had to b(! sought lor among the ]»oj)ular 

 deities— when \ ishnii was transformed into the popular 

 deniigod.s I Jama and Krishna, into the 'Jortoise, and the 

 Fibh, and the Alan-Tiger, to suit the tastes of a variety 



