156 
CHINCHOOR. 
at Chinchoor brought thither a great number of Brahmins, and one 
of great respectability offered his daughter to Mooraba. They were 
married, and after a certain time the God appeared in a dream to 
Mooraba, and told him his wife was with child, that he would 
have one son only, and that that son would be himself, " woh 
humara avatar howega." He therefore directed him to call his 
name Chintau-mun-Deo," which was one of the titles of Gun- 
putty. 
The event of course fulfilled the prophecy of the Deity, and 
Chintau-mun -Deo received the adorations of the surrounding 
country. He, in his turn, had a son, who was called Narain Deo, 
and from that time they have taken this name, and that of Chintau- 
mun-Deo alternately^ the seventh in descent being the present 
Deo, and who goes by the latter name. Major Moore calls him 
Bawa, and his father Gabajee, but these are only familiar appel- 
latives, like Baba, Appa, Nana, so common among the Mahrattas^ 
and so puzzling to strangers. Each Deity at his death has been burnt, 
and invariably a small image of Gunputty has miraculously 
arisen from the ashes, which is placed in a tomb and worshipped. 
I asked my informers whether Chintau-mun-Deo, who was him- 
self an avatar, performed pooja to his other self as taken out of the 
water; they replied, certainly, for that the statue was greatest, nor 
was his power diminished by the avatar. I then wished to know 
how it was clear that the descendants of Chintau-mun-Deo were 
avatars. They replied that when Gunputty first took up his resi- 
dence with Mooraba Gosseyn, he was asked by him how long he 
would stay with him, and was assured it should be for twenty-one 
generations. As Captain Moore had stated that it was only for 
