144 THE LATE REV. P. DEHON ON 



woman can acquire such a power, viz., the power of commanding bhuts. Something, 

 however, leaked out as to how it is done, and here is what is known. When a would-be 

 Dain Bisahi wishes to learn, she strips off all her clothes and puts them near her Akhara or 

 dancing place. She then puts on a pcridzoma made with broken sticks of an old broom 

 and goes to a cave which is the resort of Dains. There she makes a hole in the ground. 

 As the boys and girls are dancing, she is learning the mantras, and before leaving puts a 

 small pebble in the hole. Her education can only last one year ; if at the end of that time 

 the hole is filled to the top with pebbles it is a sign that she has learnt everything. She 

 then has the power to take away life and restore it. Otherwise, if she has only succeeded 

 in partially filling the hole, she can only take away life. Every year the Dain Bisahi has 

 to sacrifice a black cat, the blood of which is poured in the hole she made before learning. 

 Now to understand well what a Dain Bisahi is, and what role she plays in a village, it is 

 necessary to know that bhuts do not leave their habitat or attack people before being put up 

 to it by a Dain or a Dain Bisahi. As the people believe that every sickness is due to a 

 bhut, and the bhuts except Bhula do not leave their dwelling-places without the intervention 

 of a Dain, it can be imagined what an amount of suspicion is rife in every village. In 

 every village there is certainly one and very often several Dain Bisahis. There is not the 

 smallest ailment that is not attributed to them. More especially on the death of a child 

 does the mother become beside herself with rage and madly attacks any of the women 

 that are suspected to be Dain Bisahis. They go straight to the suspected Dain Bisahi 

 and tell her that she has " eaten " their child, as they graphically term it. There will be 

 a tremendous row, and the people will always take the part of the bereft mother. One 

 can well imagine what a miserable life the women suspected of being Dain Bisahis lead. 

 They are generally old, ugly-looking women with a bad character which such scenes 

 are not calculated to improve. It is not to be wondered at if the poor creatures 

 take their revenge in hating everyone and living up to their character, and take a 

 certain pleasure in seeing the fear a threat to "eat " her tormentors or their children will 

 produce. 



Now that we have got a sufficient knowledge of the invisible world and of its organi- 

 sation, let us come to the functions of the baiga or pahan, and afterwards to those of 

 the ojha. 



The pahan or baiga has to officiate at the three great feasts of the year, namely, 

 the sarhul, the kadlcta, and the kanhiari. 



The feast of sarhul takes place in May when the sal tree is in flower. To Uraons 

 the feast is known as khaddi, namely the flower of the sal tree. The object of this 

 feast is to celebrate the mystical marriage of the Sun-god (Bhagawan) with the Goddess- 

 earth {Dharti-mai), to induce them to be fruitful and give good crops. At the same time 

 all other bhuts of the village are propitiated, so that they may not frustrate the efforts of 

 the Sun God and Goddess Earth. This is the greatest feast of all. 



On the eve of the appointed day no one is allowed to plough his fields, and the baiga, 

 accompanied by some people of the village, goes near the sarna or the sacred grove. 

 He sounds the drum and invites all his invisible clients to the great feast that will take 

 place the next day, promising to give them a good treat. The next morning, even before 



