334 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



and demands alms as a reward for its exhibition. 

 The original Aghori worship seems to have been that 

 of Devi, in some of her terrific forms, and to have 

 required even human victims for its performance. In. 

 imitation of the formidable aspect under which the 

 goddess was worshipped, the appearance of her votary 

 was rendered as hideous as possible, and his wand 

 and water-pot were a staff set with bones and the 

 upper half of a skull. The practices were of a similar 

 nature, and flesh and spirituous liquors constituted at 

 will the diet of the adept. In proof of their indiffer- 

 ence to worldly objects, they eat and drink whatever 

 is given to them, even carrion, &c. They also inflict 

 gashes on their limbs, that the crime of blood may 

 rest upon the head of the recusant ; and they have a 

 variety of similar disgusting devices to extort money 

 from the timid, credulous Hindu. They are fortun- 

 ately not numerous, and are universally detested and 

 feared." 



Gfrnar is exactly the place where this order of de- 

 votees would be likely to be found lingering ; and, 

 from what one of the officers of the JS~awab reluct- 

 antly admitted to me, I doubt not they do exist there, 

 and that I saw some of them ; though, to make any- 

 thing like intimate acquaintance with them, it would 

 be necessary to live for some days in the jungly basin 

 at the foot of Kalika. Many of the Indian devotees 

 go through terrible privations, and pass into a state 

 in which they are hardly responsible for their actions, 



