The " Koh" of Chota-Nagpore. 191 



They must go " fasting to the mount," and stay there till " there is a 

 sound of abundance of rain," when they get them down to eat and 

 drink. My informant tells me it always comes before evening. We 

 must conclude that the old women are wonderfully clever at taking a 

 ' forecast,' and do not commence the fast till they sniff the rain. 



All the villagers living in the vicinity of the hill make offerings of 

 goats, whenever they think it desirable to propitiate this spirit ; but he 

 is not invoked in cases of sickness, unless the ojha declares it necessary. 

 Sometimes bullocks are offered. 



The next in importance in Chota-Nagpore appears to be the spirit 

 Dara, whom the Oraons and Moondahs living with them adore in the 

 form of a carved post stuck up where the great jairas are held, or in 

 the village dancing place. Dara appears to be a god of rather 

 bacchanalian characteristics, worshipped amidst much revelling and 

 wassail. A sacrifice to him of fowls is followed by a feast in his 

 honour, at which all the elders drink themselves into a state of sottish 

 drunkenness, whilst the young people dance and make love ; and next 

 day comes the jatra which all the country attend. 



The Penates are generally called the " old folks." They are in 

 fact the manes of the votaries' ancestors ; votive offerings are made to 

 them when their descendants go on a journey, and they are generally 

 the first that are propitiated when there is sickness in the family. 

 By the Singbhoom Kols, the manes of the ancestors of the principal 

 lady of the house are also honoured. The offerings to them are made 

 on the path by which she was brought home as a bride. Desaoolli 

 and Jaeroolli are propitiated for harvests and for cattle, Chandoo 

 Seekur, the same probably as the Chanala of the Hos, for children. 



The Pahan has to solemnize regularly the following festivals. The 

 Hurihur, at the commencement of the planting season. Every one 

 then plants a branch of the Belowa in his field and each contributes 

 a fowl, a pitcher of beer and a handful of rice to the feast. The sacrifice 

 is offered to Desaoolli, Jaer Boori and others, in the Saerna. 



During the Sarhool — when the Sal tree blossoms — the sacrifice of a 



goat and fowls is offered in the Saerna by the Pahan to the manes of the 



founders of the village and to Dara. The introduction of the Sal 



i blossom, in memory of the forest that was cleared when the village was 



formed, is very appropriate. At the khurria Poojah, when the rice is 



