OF THE HINDUS. ^ gl 



more than ten thousand : the chief place of worship is at Naraina, where 

 the bed of Bddu, and the collection of the texts of the sect are preserved 

 and worshipped : a small building on the hill, marks the place of his disap= 

 pearance-— a Mela, or fair, is held annually, from the day of new moon to that 

 of full moon in Phalgun, (Feb.— March) at Naraina. The tenets of the sect are 

 contained in several Bhdska works, in which it is said a vast number of pas- 

 sages from the Kabir writings are inserted, and the general character of v/hich 

 is certainly of a similar nature.* The Didu Panfhls maintain a friendly in- 

 tercourse with the followers of Kabir, and are frequent visitors at the Chaura„ 



RAI BASIS. 



Rai DAs was another of Ramanand's disciples, who founded a sect, con- 

 fined, however, it is said, to those of his own caste, the Ckamdrs, or workers in 

 hides and in leather, and amongst the very lowest of the Hindu mixed tribes : 

 this circumstance renders it difficult, if not impossible to ascertain whether 

 the sect still exists: the founder must once have enjoyed some celebrity, as 

 some of his works are included in the Jdi Grant' h of the Sikhs ; he is there 

 named Ravi Dasa, which is the Sanscrit form of his name : some of his com- 

 positions also form part of the collection of hymns and prayers used by that 

 sect at Benares : there appears to be but little known of him of any authentic? 

 character, and we must be contented with the authority of the Bhakta Mala, 

 where he makes a rather important figure : the legend is as follows : — 



* I had prepared a list of the contents of one of their manuals, and a translation of a few 

 passages, but the Manuscript has been mislaid. The work was lent me for a short time by one of the 

 sect, who would on no account part with it. The above notice was taken partly from a statement in 

 Hindi, procured at Naraina by Lieut. Col. Smith, and partly from verbal information obtained at 

 Benares. Dddu is not mentioned in the Bhakta Mala, but there is some account of him in the 

 Dabi&tan. 



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