A BED OF FLOWERS 253 



Though colour counts for much in an Indian 

 garden, perfume counts for more. Flowers are 

 not picked unless they are an " acceptable," i.e. 

 sweet-smelling, offering to the gods. If used 

 for decorative purposes, an offering of some of 

 them is first made. This same religious senti- 

 ment is also carried out in other ways : a gift of 

 jewelry or rich clothing to a child or to a bride 

 or bridegroom being dedicated, as it were, in a 

 temple before its presentation. A favourite temple 

 offering is a bed of flowers under a little arbour 

 or " house of flowers." The bed is made of 

 sweet-scented petals strewn on a sheet, over the 

 petals a fine muslin cloth is spread, and this is 

 then considered " a bed fit for the gods." Un- 

 scented flowers may from time to time be placed 

 in private rooms just to look at for the pleasure 

 of their colours — probably with the idea of 

 following a Moslem or English custom ; but if 

 scented flowers were gathered for this purpose 

 and used without any previous offering, the Hindu 

 idea would be that the flowers had sinned. 



To inhale a scented leaf on waking in the 

 morning is thought to restore freshness and 

 health — surely a pleasanter prescription would 

 be hard to find. 



