50 Wilder Theodore 'Elmore 



then asks the sick man to place his finger on any number. He 

 obeys, and the doctor immediately tells the name of the demon 

 which is troubling him. He gives the same name as that given by 

 the diviner, and all are more than ever convinced of the correctness 

 of the diagnosis. 



The demon doctor now proceeds with the first part of the exor- 

 cism. Many things are done which appear to have no meaning in 

 themselves, but which by their mysteriousness have a striking 

 effect on the sick man and the bystanders. He takes a thread of 

 seven colors, seven cocoanut shells, seven dates, some leaves, and 

 a pot. Some money must be placed beneath these, and five seers 

 of rice poured over them. A goat is sacrificed, or if the people 

 are very poor, a chicken will do. Plenty of ghee, or clarified 

 butter, must be furnished, and the women prepare all the offerings 

 for a feast. Meanwhile the amount to be paid to the doctor is 

 decided upon. His fee is large compared with that which other 

 people connected with the village gods receive. An auspicious day 

 for the final ceremonies is selected, and the doctor eats the feast 

 and goes away. 



On the selected day the bhutii-vaidyadu comes again. He first 

 makes an earthen image of a Sakti. It is made as terrible as pos- 

 sible, and various incantations are employed. A goat is killed, 

 and the blood sprinkled on the image, and the demon doctor goes 

 around the image several times repeating mantrams. After a 

 little he sends for the sick man, who comes trembling. As soon 

 as he sees the image he cries out, " Alas, it is this which has taken 

 possession of me for so long!" and falls to the ground. The 

 doctor recites mantrams to him, and gives him earth which he 

 must carry to the boundary of the village and throw away, thus 

 getting rid of the demon. It is said that if he is a brave man and 

 has faith in the work of the hhuta-vaidyadu, he will recover. 

 Otherwise a greater sickness will come upon him and he will die. 



There are different methods of exorcism. Another is as follows. 

 The demon doctor makes three kinds of the sacred muggu, and 

 after a bewildering number of small ceremonies he makes an image 

 of dough. He then forms nine small lamps of dough and pours 

 three kinds of oil into them. The lamps are lighted and placed 



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