818 March between Mhow and Saugor, 1838. [Oct. 



3rd. A Shesh Sohai, sculptured with admirable skill and taste. On 

 a table supported,— at the back, by the stalks of the lotus, — in front on 

 the heads of worshippers, — lies folded the Nag, whose hood shades, as 

 its body furnishes a bed for, the sleeping Bhugwan. The god is repre- 

 sented as Chatoor Bhooja, and is surrounded by attendants, choristers, 

 &c. In front kneels, expecting his waking, Luchmi ; before the image 

 are the Churrun, two pair of which are also sculptured on a loose 

 square stone near it. 



4th. A curious image of the " Fulfiller of Hope," from whom the 

 village takes its name ; her immense breasts distinguish her as the 

 Indian Juno Lucina. 



The drawing represents a small conical cup or basket which appears 

 to issue from her thigh : out of it peeps forth a child's face, round which 

 the edges of the cup closely fitting, have much the appearance of a" 

 baby's cap. 



On the other side of the village lie the ruins of what must have 

 been a very large Jain temple: jungle, and thorns had grown over 

 them ; crawling among which, not without difficulty and pain, we dis- 

 covered, — a statue of Santinath, standing sixteen feet high, a large 

 sitting figure without sanchun, — and many smaller images. 



At a village near this, we were received with the country welcome 

 of the kullus ; a few women brought two lotas of water, one put over 

 the other, with a pan leaf at the top, and placing them at our feet, 

 began singing a song, which they expect one to reward by dropping 

 a trifle into the kullus. The officiators at this little ceremony are usu- 

 ally those of the lower Jats, such as live in the outskirts of towns, 

 near which they take a position when a great man is passing on any 

 particular occasion, standing silent with their lotas on their heads. 

 They thus waited outside Maheswar, when Hurry Holkar escaped 

 from his prison. Occupied with more important matters, or perhaps 

 having no superfluous cash, he passed them all, it is said, without no- 

 tice, merejy dropping one rupee into the last kullus. This so unusual a 

 proceeding was considered most impolitic; the old crones in the neigh- 

 bourhood shook their heads, and prophesied all manner of evil ; and a 

 failure would have been doubtless looked upon as omened by, or con- 

 sequent on, this ill-timed parsimony. To pay this compliment (kullus 

 budhana) is a not uncommon practice ; Tod and others allude to it.* 



* Near Purra and Saush in Afghanistan the old ladies have a less agreeable custom, 

 though somewhat similar to this— they throw water over the traveller and his horse as 

 he approaches, to guard him from the evil eye. 



