THE ABOEIGINAL TRIBES 143 



shipped by the Bheels, long before the worship of Omkar 

 (Siva) was introduced along with the Rajpiit adventurer 

 and his attendant priest, who were the ancestors of the 

 present Bhilala custodian and of the hereditary high 

 priest of Siva's shrine. The Rajput is said, by alliance 

 with the Bheels, to have obtained the headship of the 

 tribe ; and the holy man who accompanied him, to have 

 stayed by his austerities the ravages of their savage deities, 

 locking Kali up in a cavern of the hill (and if you do not 

 believe it you may still see the cavern closed up), and 

 vowing to Bhairava an annual sacrifice of human beings. 

 Listen now to the inducements which the local Sivite 

 gospel ^ holds forth to devotees to cast themselves from 

 the rock. " At Omkar-Mandhatta is Kal Bhairava. 

 Regarding it, Parbati (wife of Siva) said unto twenty-five 

 crores of the daughters of the Gandharvas (angels) : 

 ' Your nuptials will be with persons who shall have cast 

 themselves over that rock.' Whoever thus devotes himself 

 to Kal Bhairava will receive forgiveness, even though he 

 had killed a Brahman. Let the devotee make a figure of 

 the sun on a cloth; and take two flags, a club, and a 

 chawar ^ in his hands, and proceed joyously with music to 

 the rock. Whoever shall bodily cast himself down and 

 die, will be married to a Gandharva. But if he fall faint- 

 heartedly his lot will be in hell. Whosoever turns back 

 again in terror, each step that he takes shall be equivalent 

 to the guilt of kiUing a Brahman; but he who boldly 

 casts himself over, each step that he takes is equal in 

 merit to the performance of a sacrifice. Let no Brahman 

 cast himself from the rock. A devotee who has broken his 

 vows, a parricide, or one who has committed incest, shall 

 by thus sacrificing himself become sinless." 



In 1822, a European ofl&cer of our Government witnessed 

 the death of almost the last victim to Kal Bhairava at 

 this shrine. The island then belonged to a native State 



^ The Narmada Khanda, wiicli professes to be a part of the Skandd 

 Purand. A more detailed account of the Holy Island and its Shrines, 

 by the author, will be found in the "Central Provinces Gazetteer," 

 second edition. 



2 A yak's tail used for fanning, etc. 



