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it is said to be the form of this carp which Vishnu 

 assumed in his second avatar, for the purpose of 

 recovering the Vedas or sacred books, that had been 

 carried away by a demon during the devastation 

 caused by a deluge. The Mahometans respect the 

 Bohita for a very different reason, as they allege. 

 There is an Oriental legend recorded in the Koran, 

 to the effect that Abraham, after sacrificing a goat 

 instead of his son Isaac, threw the sacred knife away, 

 which falling into water miraculously struck this fish, 

 thereby intimating that it was suitable for human 

 food; and, consequently, a fish is the only animal 

 that can be eaten by a Mussulman without previously 

 having its throat cut. The Bohita is one of the most 

 valuable fishes found in the rivers of the Gangetic 

 provinces, and its beauty both in form and colour 

 fully equals its excellence for the table. It need 

 scarcely surprise us, then, to find that a fish of such 

 value, having so high and ancient a mythical history, 

 should be selected as the appropriate emblem or badge 

 of a peculiar honour, styled in Persian, the diplomatic 

 and court language of the East, Mahi Maratib the 

 Order or dignity of the fish. Those admitted to the 

 Order receive the high-sounding titles of " Victorious 

 in War, Saviour of the State, and Hero of the Land ;" 

 and are distinguished by a representation of this carp, 

 formed of gilt metal and partly enveloped in a mantle 

 of green embroidered cloth, the sacred colour of the 



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