828 Observations upon the past and present [Oc?. 



their divinity into the rishi's child, who was thence called the Datta 

 tre or the three-gifted. 



Between Rana Khan's garden and the river, a small plain but 

 much esteemed temple of Kedareswar attracts the eye : little worship 

 is however, paid there except in Aghan, during the whole of which 

 month, there is a continual mela around it, and the rest of Maha. 

 deo's temples are deserted to do it honor. The story of the moun- 

 tain god, one of the twelve chief lings is found in the purans, but the 

 brahmans of Oujein have embellished the tale a leur facon. The 

 deotas who dwelt in the snowy range complained to Maha'deo that 

 they were tortured with never ceasing frost. Mahadeo sent for Hi- 

 malaya and took him to task for being so cold. Let your abode be with 

 us said the mountain and not only will we constantly adore you, but 

 we'll abate our rigour for eight months of the year. The god con- 

 sented and settling in the hill near a warm kund, a crowd of devotees 

 came to worship him under his new name of Kedareswar, lord of 

 the mountain stream. In process of time the world became so wicked 

 that Kedareswar withdrew himself from the sight of man. One day 

 some holy men, who still lingered about the spot their lord had 

 consecrated, were lamenting his loss in most piteous strains, When 

 shall we find such a god ? Who is equal to him ? &c. &c. suddenly a 

 voice issued from the earth, "goto Mahdkdl ban, there I will appear in 

 the river Sipra." With joyful hearts they hastened to Oujein and prayed 

 by the banks of the holy river, when just as the sun shewed his first 

 rays, a stone rose out of the water, and was immediately hailed as 

 Kedareswar. Crime however has deprived Oujein of a part of the 

 god, — shocked at the desolating wars of the Pandus, Kedareswar 

 again fled the pollution of man, and concealed his countenance in the 

 shape of a buffalo. 



Bhi'm Singh in despair at the retreat of the god consulted a rishi, 

 who explained the -metamorphosis, and advised him to bestride the 

 world like a colossus, while all the buffaloes in the earth should be 

 made to pass between his legs. All passed but that which concealed 

 the divinity, who could not submit to such degradation. Bhi'm 

 thinking, (to use the expression of the celebrated Bishop Fox,) that 

 he had now " got god by the toe" ran to catch the beast, but it sank 

 into the earth : subsequently Kedareswar' s head rose up in the 

 Himalaya, while the trunk alone reappeared at Oujein. It would be an 

 endless task to recount even the names of the innumerable shrines 

 which form the boast of Oujein. It is related that Indra and his 

 court, went to pay devotions at Mahdkdl ban, a forest 16 kos in 



