38 Wilher Theodore Elmore 



There is still a third use of the word sakti, and it is with this 

 form of sakti worship that this chapter deals. It is common to 

 call all female Dravidian deities Saktis. It is probable that they 

 have no original connection with the Hindu Saktis, but as they 

 are female deities, this was the easiest classification. The most 

 of them are said to be incarnations of Parvati, the wife of Siva. 



While any village goddess is commonly called a Sakti, the term 

 is usually applied to the fiercer ones, and especially to those which 

 have not been incarnated, and have no fixed temple or image. 

 They are really terrible female devils. 



The Sakti ceremonies in the Dravidian worship are an entirely 

 different matter from the sakti puja of the Tantras. These cere- 

 monies are not markedly immoral, but are far more terrifying 

 than the Sakti ceremonies found in Hinduism. The worship of 

 these Dravidian Saktis is simply propitiation to prevent their 

 doing some evil, as the following illustrations will show. 



While the worship of the village deity is proceeding, it is feared 

 that Saktis will be watching, and through jealousy or some other 

 unworthy reason, may do harm, even to the extent of destroying 

 the good that was hoped for from the jatara. To prevent any 

 such consequences, the Saktis are propitiated at midnight, after 

 the day when the sacrificial buffalo was killed. An outcaste man 

 is brought to the scene of the sacrifice. He smears his body with 

 blood from the beheaded buffalo, winds the intestines around his 

 neck, and takes the liver in his mouth. A pot containing food 

 soaked in blood is placed in his hands, and accompanied by men 

 armed with sticks and old swords, he starts to go to the bound- 

 aries of the village. 



As this weird procession moves along they shout, Bali! Bali! 

 "The sacrifice, the sacrifice," and the people who are in their 

 houses remain in deathlike stillness for fear of the Saktis and 

 evil spirits which are hovering over the procession. The men in 

 the procession shout and flourish their swords and sticks, to keep 

 off these spirits. The man carrying the bloody offering is held 

 up by ropes, and even then often falls to the ground, saying that 

 he sees the spirits. When he thus falls, limes are cut in two and 

 thrown into the air, and lambs are sacrificed on the spot. The 



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