CAVES OF ELLORA. 77 



inhabitants of this country, who soon spread the news, and 

 millions from all parts of the world came to worship at these 

 magnificent shrines. The presiding deity of most of the 

 temples is Maha Deo, or Siva, with his wife Parvati, who 

 is thus described by Major Moore :* 



" Maha Deo, or Siva, and his consort Parvati, are more 

 generally worshipped than any other of the numerous deities 

 on the western side of India. He has been likened to Osiris, 

 to Saturn, and in his character of Rudra, to Jupiter. Like 

 Saturn, he delights in human sacrifices, and also represents 

 Time. As with Osiris the ox, apes are sacred to him. He 

 has usually a collar or chaplet of skulls to denote his san- 

 guinary character. In Ellora he is generally represented with 

 four hands; in Elephanta he has eight. From his head the 

 Ganga (Ganges) descends, and on his forehead is represented 

 the moon. Sometimes he has three eyes, denoting, as some 

 suppose, the past, present, and future. Serpents are seen, 

 issuing from the locks of his hair, hence his name Dhow 

 Ghati, or with twisted locks, but his general compound 

 name is Cal, Agni, Rudra; Time, Fire, and Fate. His 

 colour is a dirty white, and his votaries, the Sunayasses, 

 bedaub themselves with the dust of cinders. The sectaries 

 of this deity are named Saivas. Parvati, or Bhavani, or Mala 

 Cali (the great goddess of Time), like her lord, has skulls and 

 snakes as her symbols. As Doorga, or active virtue, or difficult 

 of access, she is held in great veneration, and great re- 

 joicings take place at the Doorga Puja. Human sacrifices were 

 formerly offered to this Hecate or Proserpine. In the Calica 

 Pavana, one of her prayers, it is enjoined: 'Let princes, 

 ministers of state, counsellors, and vendors of spirituous 

 liquors make human sacrifices, for the purpose of obtaining 

 prosperity and wealth. Let the victim offered, if a buffalo, 



* Major Moore in Ms work on The Pantheon of India. 



