268 



PHYSICAL HISTORY OF MAN. 



joined my former route ; and on the following day, I recrossed the 

 Godaveri. 



Hitherto, the numerous Hindoo temples and worship-places visited 

 along the road, had been found to be all dedicated to Siva. And I 

 remarked, that the offerings, like that of Cain, were confined to the 

 products of the soil ; to Tagetes, and other cultivated flowers, with 

 occasionally, fruits. 



Before however re-entering Ahmednuggur, a small temple attract- 

 ed my attention, from some peculiarities in its construction, and from 

 a second species of Sacred Fig (with the fruit devoid of an invo- 

 lucre), being planted around. The temple contained a simple flat- 

 topped altar, on which Tagetes flowers were strewed ; and it proved 

 to be dedicated to the worship of Krishna. 



Some votaries of this Hindoo deity, were encamped near; and they 

 were called by my Parsee interpreter, " fakeer or beggars, but high- 

 caste." The party consisted of men and women, several of the former 

 wearing black turbans; and it appeared, that they belonged to the 

 Manabhawa caste. Among other peculiarities, this caste is remarka- 

 ble for being kept up by purchase; for marriage is prohibited, and 

 the children are all regularly killed. 



The grain being now nearly ripe, persons were sometimes stationed 

 in the fields, to drive away the birds by slinging stones. On the 

 11th, I again arrived at Gorputi. 



The following day, the 12th of January, "was regarded by the 

 Hindoos as the winter solstice; in consequence of following the Shas- 

 tras in their calculations, without regard to the precession of the 

 equinoxes." 



On the 16th, I visited the lesser caves at Karli : but I was not aware 

 at the time, that a ' hill-fort', another work of antiquity, exists in the 

 same vicinity. On the morning of the 18th, 1 again reached Bombay. 



f Irregulai' Castes of India. 



In India, the term ' caste' is not restricted to the followers of the 

 Braminical religion ; but it is used in a general sense ; and Parsees, 

 Mushms, Jews, and Europeans, are commonly spoken of as so many 

 castes. The population is heterogeneous, made up of the remnants 

 or wrecks of a variety of nations, some of which are perhaps extinct 

 at their place of origin: for it would seem, that amid "the violence 



