1837.] 



An Account of the Tribe of Mliadeo Kolies. 



109 



Kolies imagine it is produced by the agency of some evil spirit or of- 

 fended deity, and, after some time, having in vain attempted to cure the 

 disease by the application of such medicinal remedies as they may be 

 acquainted with, theyconsuft some Deolushy, or an exorcist (or caster 

 out of evil spirits), regarding the matter. The chief person, or any 

 male or female, of the family, goes to the residence of a Deolushy,* 

 (there is not one in every village), to beg, he will give his advice and 

 assistance in removing the infliction with which they have been 

 visited. The Deolushy is the Bhuggut, or attendant of the gods 

 Khundobah, Bhyroo, Bhoany and Heerobbah. He makes minute in- 

 quiries, or affects rather to do so, respecting the nature of the sickness, 

 and when ail the necessary information has been communicated, he 

 tells the person applying for his aid to go home, and to return to him 

 the following day ; that he will in the mean time consult his god, and 

 that when he comes back, he will inform him what steps it will be ne- 

 cessary to take, in order to procure the wished for cure. When the 

 person arrives on the following day, the Deolushy tells him that 

 his family have neglected, for a length of time, paying - their 

 adorations to his deity, Heerobbah, and vows that were made, have 

 never been fulfilled, or probably the Deolushy will remark that 

 Bhoany, or Khundobah, is offended with the family, and that they 

 must pacify the offended deity by suitable peace offerings. Should 

 the Deolushy have informed the person that Heerobbah was offend- 

 ed, and that some one of the family, or their cattle, was now 

 suffering in, consequence, and that they had better make the ne- 

 cessary sacrifices and offerings to appease the deity — he would be 

 asked to say, in what number of days the disease could be removed. 

 The Deolushy possibly says in 15 days, and at the same time, prescribes 

 for the sick person, recommending that he should follow a particular 

 regimen, &c. He then goes to the censer in front of the shrine of his 

 deity, and takes up some of the consecrated frank incence ashes, and 

 gives a portion of it to the man to be rubbed on the forehead of the in- 

 valid, and he blows the rest into the air from between his fingers. 

 Vows are now made that the necessary sacrifices shall be made, if the 

 sick person recovers, within the time mentioned by the Deolushy. In 

 this case it is announced that the ceremony will be performed during a 

 particular month (after the termination of the rains) ; should the Deo- 

 lushy's prophecy not prove correct, no further notice will probably be 

 taken of it. The Deolushy mentions at the time, that, in addition to the 

 offerings made to Heerobbah, sacrifices must be made to the other house- 

 hold gods. When the time for doing so approaches, three or four sheep 

 are purchased for the occasion, if the family of the invalid can afford to 

 expend so much money. Then, on a Monday evening, at the going 

 down of the sun, two or three sheep are sacrificed as a peace offering to 



* Various castes follow this profession, goldsmiths, carpenters, smiths, Kolies, Tka« 

 koors and even Dheres ; but, among all of them, the Thakoors are most noted, 



