JO Wilber Theodore Elmore 



the stone image. This indicates a long step toward the adoption 

 of Ladothamma into the Hindu pantheon. 



The unusual feature of the deifying of Ladothamma is that 

 while the ghosts which become deities commonly bring injury to 

 people and cattle, and thus secure worship, there is nothing of the 

 kind connected with this little girl. Even the children did not 

 fear her. Unfortunately, also, not many of the stories are so 

 pure and so pleasing in their nature as this one is. The following 

 story is an example of those which are far more general. 



In the Nizam's dominions in the Deccan there lived a Sudra 

 girl named Nagamma, who in due time was married to a man of 

 her own caste. Later she had illegitimate relations with a bar- 

 ber, and her husband and brothers drove her from home. She 

 went to her parents, but they would not receive her, so she lived 

 by herself in her native village, Chetty Palem. 



At this time a village doctor became infatuated with her. Soon 

 a son was born to her, of whom the barber was the father, but 

 the doctor took both her and her son to his house, and she lived 

 with him. But now the village kernam, or clerk, a Brahman, 

 became interested in her. The doctor observed what was taking 

 place, but as the kernam is a man of importance and authority, 

 he raised no objections. After some time her relations with the 

 kernam became so intimate that he openly took her to his house, 

 where she lived until her death, some ten or fifteen years later. 



When the kernam took Nagamma to his house he was a poor 

 man, but she was of the farmer caste and immediately took hold 

 of his affairs and handled the servants and farm work so effi- 

 ciently that soon he became well-to-do. After she died he built 

 a temple for her, and as a sign of especial honor, made an image 

 with his own hands to represent her. As she was particularly 

 interested in agriculture, the temple was built outside the village 

 in the fields. The kernam himself became the pujari, which no 

 doubt continues to add to his prosperity. The worship is simple, 

 the especial object being for good crops. There are offerings of 

 blood. 



This is a very recent goddess, as the death of Nagamma oc- 



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