1'834.] History of the Ramoossies. 290 



which the bridegroom presents his mother-in-law with a sary or a 

 cholhe, and, dismounting, he enters the mandwah, followed by all his 

 friends. The Brahmun who is to perform the marriage ceremony 

 now enters the mandwah, a short time before which, two small heaps 

 of rice had been placed at a little distance from each other, and near 

 the boulay. The Brahmun gives directions for the sheet or curtain 

 which it is customary to place between the bridegroom (Wnrr) and 

 the bride, (Wuddoo,) to be held up by those whose duty it is to do 

 so ; and it is placed so as to separate the two heaps of rice. The 

 bridegroom is now made to stand on the eastern one, with his face 

 to the west, and the bride having been brought from within the 

 house, is made to stand on the western heap facing to the east. 

 The bridegroom holds his dagger in one hand, and a cocoanut in 

 the other, and one of his relations stands close by him holding a na- 

 ked sword over his head. The bride stands with her hands in a 

 supplicatory position, her maternal uncle standing behind her. The 

 Brahmun now repeats the miingulastick formula, (a blessing on the 

 ceremony;) and when the (supposed) moment fixed for uniting the 

 parties in marriage arrives, (the moorth,) the curtain is removed, 

 and the bride gives her hand to the bridegroom. The music be- 

 gins to play, and guns are fired. The bridegroom is now made to 

 sit down on the heap of rice that had previously been occupied by 

 the bride, while the latter sits on that on which the bridegroom had 

 been standing : all those persons who had attended the ceremony 

 as guests, take their departure after being presented with paun soo- 

 pary. 



The Brahmun takes after this a thread of a very considerable 

 length, which he casts four times round the neck and shoulders of 

 the young couple, throwing the thread round them an equal num- 

 ber of times somewhat lower down and near the loins. He now 

 asks for his customary fee,* v^hich is presented according to the 

 means of the party ; after receiving which he breaks the thread, 

 and taking off the upper part first, he steeps it in a solution of tur- 

 meric, and then, folding and twisting it, he ties a piece of turme- 

 ric root to it, and fastens it on the bridegroom's ri-ht wri^t. The 

 other half of the thread is fastened in a similar manner round the 

 bride's right wrist. This is called putting on the kunkun or brace- 

 let. The bride's father now places the municf in the brideirroom's 



* A few pyce, if the man is poor, but as many rupees, if rich, 

 t By the Brahrauns called mungulsootur. It is used by the Hindoos ai 

 we use the marriage ring. 



