GwocGraPHy or Inp1ia. 497 
«pointest out ‘to mankind: happy the man who ascends this tree, and 
« throws himself into the river;” when, some one of the hearers, moved 
by these words, ascends the tree, and jumps into the river, and is drowned, 
whilst the spectators wish him the eternal joys of paradise. ‘This is really 
in the style of the Pauranics; and though suicide is forbidden in general, 
yet there are privileged places, where it is meritorious to kill one self, 
AccorDING 6 Rameswara,* this place is in Asdma, and its name is 
Visva-nat ha, the place of the lord of the world, or Mana-pe'va: I find it is 
well known to natives of the eastern parts of this country, and is said by 
them to be eight days to the east of Goda-grama, and about two east of 
Céli-véra, in the spoken dialects Calyd-bara, a strong place on the river. It 
is a small rock at the confluence of another river with the Brahma-putra, 
Ait the Linga or Sil of Mawa-prva upon it, and a small temple erected 
there by a Raja, above 300 years ago. According to Rames wana, this 
place of worship is not mentioned in the Puranas, but only in some 
Tantras, and more particularly m the Yogini-Tantra. 
Ir appears from the above author's account, that some people visited this 
place with a view to put an end to their own lives there, and others 
out of religious motives only, to obtain certain benefits. But even this last 
was attended with much danger, for it’ was necessary, it seems, to swim or 
wade in going, and coming back from the rock, and in the mean time 
there were Jala-manushas ready to devour the pilgrims, whom they could 
* In his Commentary on the Maha- Bharat. 
