206 HISTORY AND ETHNOLOGY. 



tions, nor abstain from forbidden food. They dwell in holes or huts, and 

 are only admitted into the house of a Hindoo through a particular door. 

 They are not allowed to touch a person belonging to another caste, must 

 stand far distant from him, and hold the hand in front of the mouth when 

 they speak to him. The Pariahs are herdsmen or menial servants among 

 the Hindoos, and soldiers, porters, cooks, &c., among Europeans. The 

 Poolias form a particular division of the Pariahs, living upon the west 

 coast of the peninsula, west of the Ganges. 



Rice is the principal food of the Hindoos ; besides this, other kinds of 

 grain are also eaten. Flesh diet, as has already been remarked, is not 

 permitted to every caste. At their meals they sit squatted down ; they 

 wash themselves before and after eating. The usual drink is water, but 

 also spirituous liquors. Spoons, knives and forks, dishes and plates, they 

 have not ; hands supply the places of the three first, and leaves of trees 

 those of the two latter. The household furniture is very simple. They 

 have no beds, but lie upon coverings spread upon the floor. 



The dress is for the most part plain. The lower classes usually twist a 

 piece of stuff around the hips and pass it between the legs, leaving the rest 

 of the body bare or wearing a light garment over it. Sandals and shoes 

 constitute the dress of the feet, and in several districts both sexes wear 

 wide trowsers. The head-dress of both men and women consists of a fine 

 cloth wound around the head in the manner of a turban. 



Nearly all the men shave their heads ; some castes, however, leave a 

 tuft of hair on the crown, and the Brahmins on the hind part of the head. 

 The women wear their hair according to their own fancy. Only widows 

 in their mourning, and criminals, are obliged to have their heads shaved. 

 Most of the men wear mustachios. Women usually tattoo themselves; 

 both sexes of all castes paint a black line around the eyes, and color the 

 palms of the hands and soles of the feet red. The Brahmins w^ear as a 

 sign of their rank a cotton cord, which is a combination of twenty-seven 

 small cords, and hangs over the breast, shoulder, and back. PL 20, figs. 

 1-3, Indian women and girls ; fig. 4, slaves of a harem of Santorin ; fig. 5, 

 Indian women in a harem. 



Chess, said to have been invented in the East Indies, is the usual game 

 of the Hindoos. Somewhat similar to it is the game of four kings, played 

 by that number of persons. Hunting is likewise one of their principal 

 recreations. They seek to amuse themselves besides by listening to tellers 

 of stories and ballad-singers, by witnessing the extraordinary gymnastic 

 feats of the jugglers, or the dances of the bayaderes. Theatrical per- 

 formances and pantomimes also are exhibited in India. A number of 

 musical instruments are used, but very inferior to our own. 



The Indians have a sacred language, the Sanscrit, and a language of the 

 people. The former is a dead language, and understood only by a few 

 learned men, remaining entirely unknown to the masses. In Sanscrit are 

 written most of their works esteemed classical. The Mongolo-Hindos- 

 tanee is the most common dialect of the popular language, especially in the 

 northern section. The Persian is the language of the court. The Car- 

 378 



