76 Some Account of the Ramsanehis, a Sect of [Feb. 



Festival of Pkiil Dol. 



Annually in the month Phalgun*, a festival called Phul-dol, is ob- 

 served at Shahpura, attended by as many of the priests and laity as 

 are within reasonable distance : the Sadh rarely allow two seasons to 

 pass in succession without attending. The five or six last days in 

 Phalgun are, strictly speaking, the festival, but people begin to assem- 

 ble upwards of a month earlier from distant parts of India. 



The name of the festival, signifying " Flowers swinging" is borrowed 

 I understand from one of the eighteen Purans called Srimath Bhag- 

 avat, which contains an account of Krishna, and is intended more par- 

 ticularly for the instruction of his followers. A festival is annually 

 observed in Bengal, and probably in other parts of Hindustan, by the 

 worshippers of the god on the full moon of Chyt or Bysakh, when 

 he is encircled with wreaths of flowers, placed in a sort of cradle, 

 and swung by his votaries. I obtained no satisfactory reason why the 

 Ramsanehis, who do not observe the rite alluded to, should give 

 the name of Phul-dol to their great annual meeting. 



Two or three Sadh reside in every village of consideration, and 

 from eight to twelve, and upwards, in each city andlarge town, accord- 

 ing to its populousness : they are always relieved at the Phul-dol, 

 a regulation framed by Dulha Ram, the third mahant, to prevent 

 their forming friendships and improper connections with the inhabi- 

 tants : on no account are they permitted to remain for two successive 

 years at one place. 



Each of the princes of Udipur, Jodhpur, Jypur, Kotah, Bundi and 

 of some of the smaller Rajput states, although orthodox Hindus, 

 to evince their respect for the Ramsanehis, send from eight to twelve 

 hundred rupees to Shahpura on the anniversary of Phul-dol, to furnish 

 forth a day's entertainment of sweetmeats to the sect. 



Besides the Ram-dwara or temple outside Shahpura, there is an- 

 other religious edifice within the city wall, called Ram-meri, which 

 has an establishment of five brahman cooks, five females to grind 

 meal, and a similar number of water-carriers for the service of the 

 brotherhood. Hither the high priest resorts with a few of the most 

 pious of the Sadh, on the last day of each month, to keep a solemn vigil 

 during the night, in commemoration of the death of Ramcharan. Pray- 

 ers are offered up, and the holy writings expounded, and respectable 

 people of all persuasions are admitted to the building. The priests 

 distribute sweetmeats and food collected in the town to the congrega- 

 tion, reserving their own share till morning. 



* February, March. 



