gi, Ueligious sects 



and splendid scene. The same festival is held from the tenth day of the light 

 hnlf of Ktiar (Septr. Octr.), to the day of the full moon, at Bmdraban, where 

 a stone plat-form, or stage, has been built for the exhibition of the mimic 

 dance, in a square near the river side. Besides their public demonstra- 

 tions of respect, pictures and images of GoPxVLA are kept in the houses of 

 fhe members of the sect, who, before they sit down to any of their meals, take 

 care to offer a portion to the idol. Those of the disciples who have performed 

 the triple Samarpana, eat only from the hands of each other ; and the wife 

 or child that has not exhibited the same mark of devotion to the Guru, can 

 neither cook for such a disciple, nor eat in his society. 



The mark on the forehead consists of two red perpendicular lines, meeting 

 in a semicircle at the root of the nose, and having a round spot of red be- 

 tween them. The Bhalctas have the same marks as the Sri Vaishnavas on the 

 breasts and arms, and some also make the central spot on the forehead with a 

 black earth, called Sydmahandi, or any black metallic substance : the necklace 

 and rosary, are made of the stalk of the Tulasu The salutations amongst them 

 SLie, Srikrislina and Jai/a Gopdl, 



The great authority of the sect Is the BJidgavat, as explained in the Subod- 

 him, or Commentary of Vallabhacharya : he is the author also of a Bhashya 

 on part of Vyasa's Sutras, and of other Sanscrit works, as the Siddhdnta 

 Raliasya, Bhdgavat Lilci Rahasya, and Ekdnta RaJiasya ; these, however, are 

 only for the learned, and are now very rare. Amongst the votaries in 

 general, various works upon the history of Krishna are current, but the 

 most popular are the Vishnu Padas, stanzas in Bhdsha, in praise of Vishnu, 

 attributed to Vallabha himself ; the Briij Bilas, a BhdJcha poem of some 

 length, descriptive of Krishna's life, during his residence at Vrindahan, by 

 Bruj Basi Das ; the Ash'ta Chkdp, an account of Vallabha's eight chief 

 disciples, and the Vdrtd, or Bartd, a collection in Hindustani of marvellous 



