284 On the Marriage Rites and Usages (Jung, 
variety of jewels, both such as are peculiar to men, as also some which 
are ordinarily worn only by women. Thus, besides bracelets on his 
wrists, he wears the poncht, a sort of bangle usually worn only by 
females. On his neck too, in addition to the common necklace which 
all Hindis wear (kanth2), he has the hansli, a kind of collar made 
of gold or silver, and the shape of which is that of a horse shoe, 
thus &. He has also rings on his little and fore fingers. 
Thus attired, the bridegroom proceeds to his mother’s apartment, 
where he has one more ceremony to go through prior to starting : 
after the usual obeisances, the Raja applies his mouth to his mother’s 
breast, and affects to imbibe someof the milk contained (or supposed to 
be contained) therein. This is of course a mere form, but it is never 
omitted by any caste of Hindus, and is obviously meant to remind 
them of the period when they derived strength and nourishment from 
their mother’s breast alone, and of the duty imposed on them of pro- 
tecting the parent who cherished them in the days of helplessness. 
This sentiment is simply and beautifully expressed in one of SAp1’s 
odes, of which I presume to offer the following version. (See Appen- 
dix, C.) 
Having received his mother’s benediction, the bridegroom leaves the 
inner apartments, and joins the marriage procession, which is mar- 
shalled outside the mehal. He is then lifted into a palankeen or 
howdah, as the case may be, or rather as the Brahmans may have 
directed. The chief thing at issue is the direction in which he is to 
proceed, particular kinds of conveyances being considered fortunate to 
persons travelling in particular directions: thus, should a person be 
journeying towards the east, he should proceed on an elephant; if 
to the south, in a rath; to the west, on a horse; to the north, in 
a palki, | These directions are of course seldom observed by persons 
of inferior condition; indeed, they are manifestly intended only for 
indeed by all Asiatic women as rouge was (I will not venture to say is) by our own 
fair country women. There is this distinction however to be observed in the two 
otherwise similar cases, no Hindu would think it ungallant to inform his mis- 
tress that she was in the habit of ‘“rouging.’’ The custom is prettily alluded to 
in the ‘‘ Hindi Theatre,” Vikrama and Urvasi, Act 4, Parura Vas thus speaks: 
** How shall I learn, if she hath passed this way : the pleasing soil, softened by 
showers, perchance may have retained the delicate impression of her feet, 
and show some vestige of their ruby tincture,’ The subject has been some- 
what differently handled by the wits and poets of Europe from the days of MARTIAL 
down -to those of BreBEuF, who is said to have produced no less than 150 con- 
ceits on this topic. Some specimens are given by Bann in his “ Illustrations to 
the Greek Anthology.”’ 
