^i^ OF THE ORIGIN OF 



secret spring of this concurrence of sentiment in 

 sects, otherwise so irreconcilable to each other? 

 What is intended by a representation, so extraor- 

 dinary, of the Deity of the place : a figure that re- 

 sembles nothing in the heavens above, or the earth 

 beneath, or in the waters under the earth. 



These questions will naturally arise upon a view 

 of the accompanying drawing, taken from a large 

 picture brought from the temple, in possession of 

 Raja Paras' u Ram. 



It is a representation of the Sxa'n Jatra, when 

 the images, stripped of their ornaments, are bathed. 

 But it is this unadorned condition of the image 

 that leads to the discover}'' of the mystery. 



The Pra?iava, or mystical character which re- 

 presents the name of the Deity, is thus expressed 



2^ . By making a cypher thereof in this man- 



ner, ^uo^ filling them up, and giving a bodj 



to the central and connecting part of the cypher, 

 you have 



From this cypher, they have m.ade three distinct 

 Idols; probably, to prevent the original allusion 

 from being too obvious to the multitude. Subha- 

 dra"s place is, however, always between the other 

 two, for she represents the connecting participle ot 

 the cypher; the propriety of her being so situated 

 is therefore evident; and as the actual connection 



