Book ITI. Travels in India. 



chap. XIII. 



Of the 'Pilgrimages of the Idolaters to their Tagods. 



ALL the Idolaters under the Dominion of the Great Mogul, and othef 

 Princes, both on this fide and beyond Ganges, at leaft once in their liveà 

 go in Pilgrimage to one of thefe Pagods that I have nam'd ; but molt gene- 

 rally to that of fngrenate, as being the firft and moft confiderable above all thé 

 reft. The Bramins and rich people go oftner. For fome go every four years, 

 fome every fix, or eight 5 and putting the Idols of their Pagods upon Pallekies 

 coverM with TilTues, they travell with their Bramins , as it were in proceflion to 

 the Pagod which they moft efteem. 



They go not in Pilgrimage one by one, or two and two, but whole Towns, 

 and many times fcveral Towns together. The poor that go a great way, 

 are fupply'd by the rich j who fpend very freely in fuch ads of Charity. Thé 

 rich travel in Pallekies or Chariots, the poor on foot, or upon Oxen ; the Wife 

 carrying the Child, and the man the K : tchin Implements. 



The Idol which they carry in proceflion, by way of vifit, and out of refpedt 

 to the great Ram-Ram, lies at length in a rich Palleky, cover'd with Tiftué 

 of Gold and Silver, fring'd as richly ; the Mattrefs and Bolfter being of thé 

 lame ftuff under the head, feet, and elbows. The Bramins alio diftribute Fla- 

 bels to the moft confiderable of the Company, the handles whereof being eight 

 foot long, are plated with Gold and Silver. The Flabel being tirree foot in Dia- 

 meter, of the fame Tiftue as the Pallekies ; round about, it is adorn'd with 

 Peacocks Feathers to gather more wind, and fometimes with Bells to make a 

 kind of tingling. There are fix of thefe FÏabels ufually employ'd to keep off 

 the Flies from their God ; the better fort taking it by turns, that thé honour 

 of waiting upon their God may be more equally fhar'd. 



C K A P. XIV. 

 Of divers Gif cms of the Indian Idolaters. 



TH E Bramins are well skill'd in Aftrology ; and will exactly foretell to the peo- 

 ple the Eclipfes of the Sun and Moon. The fécond of fttly 1666 3 about one 

 a Clock in the afternoon, at Patna in Bengala, there was an Eclipfe 

 of the Sun ; at which time it was a prodigious thing to fee the multitudes of 

 people, men, women, and children, that ran to the River Ganges, to wafh them- 

 felves. But it behoves them to begin to wafh three days before the Eclipfe ; 

 all which time they labour day and night in providing all forts of Rice^ Milk, 

 Meats, and Sweatmeats, to throw to the Fifh and Crocodiles, as foon as thé 

 Bramins give the word. Whatever Eclipfe it be whether of the Sun or Moon, 

 the Idolaters as foon as it appears, breàk all their Earthen Pots and Difhes in 

 the houfe, which makes a hideous noife altogether. 



Every Bramin has his Magick Book, wherein are abundance of Circles and 

 Semicircles, Squares, Triangles, and feveral forts of Cifers. They alfo make 

 feveral Figures upon the ground, and when they find that the good hour is 

 come, they cry aloud to the people to feed the fifh. Then there enfues 

 a moft horribledin of Drums, Bells, and great noife of founding Mettal,which they 

 twang one againft another. And as foon as the viduals are thrown into the Ri- 

 ver, the people are to go in and wafh and rub themfelves till the Eclipfe be 0- 

 ver. So that in regard the waters were at that time very high,for more than three 

 Leagues above and below the City, and all the breadth of the River,- there 



* Aa î was 



