766 The Remarks, &c. of John Albert de Mandelfloe Book I 
olive or yellowifh Complexion, though thofe to the North 
are not quite fo dark as thofe living more to the South. 
The Men are commonly ftrong and well made, with large 
Faces and black Eyes. They ftiave their Heads and 
Beards, excepting only the Mujlachoes , like the Per fans ; 
and the Mohammedans , are clad after the fame Way, ex- 
cept that they pleat their Turbans in a different Falhion ; 
and the Indojians wear the Opening of their Garments un- 
der the Left-arm * whereas the Perfans wear it under the 
Right. The former tie their Girdle before with the Ends 
hanging down, and the latter wind it feverai Times round 
the Waift, and twill the Ends within it: To thofe they fatten 
their Daggers, which are about a Foot long, broad to- 
wards. the Handle, and very narrow towards the Point. 
Some Swords there are worn here, but the Soldiers ge- 
nerally wear Cymitars. 
As the Indian Horfes are not very valuable, and yet very 
fcarce, fo their Oxen are frequently ufed inftead of them, 
which are as fwift as Horfes, I have feen whole Bodies of thefe 
Ox-Troopers. Their Women are fhort, but well fhaped ; 
they wear their Hair hanging down over their Shoulders, 
and on their Pleads a kind of a Cap of Lawn, interwoven 
with Gold, the Ends of which come down quite to their 
Knees. The richer fort are very fumptuous in their Ap- 
parel, have Pendants of Pearls and Diamonds in their Ears, 
and very fine Necklaces of Pearls, which make the fairer 
Show upon their Necks, which are of a brown Complex- 
ion. They fometimes alfo wear Rings in their Noftrils. 
Breeches and Drawers are common to both Sexes, and are 
generally made of Taffaty or Calicoe, and that of fuch a 
Length as they would cover all the Body were it not for 
certain Strings that are fattened to them, that they can 
draw them together in Pleats like Mens Boots, though 
above the Ham they lie clofe to the Body without any 
Folds : Over thefe they wear their Shifts, which, howe- 
ver, reach fcarce to the' Navel; and over thefe again a 
Petticoat of Taffaty or Calicoe, but fo thin that you may 
fee thro’ it. Their Shoes are flat- foaled and narrow to- 
wards theToe,and commonly of red Spanijh Leather. Their 
Breads and Arms, as far as their Elbows, are bare, but 
covered with Bracelets. Women that value their Reputa- 
tion here, nev^r appear, abroad with their Faces uncover- 
ed ; and thofe of Quality fcarce ever go out of Doors. 
The Women of the Banjans are clad after a quite diffe- 
rent Manner, for they, as they don’t fnave their Fleads, fo 
they don’t wear their Hair very long ; neither do they cover 
their Faces, but wear Pendants and very rich Jewels, efpe- 
cially in their Ears. 'Black Teeth are a Angular Ornament 
among them, which is the Reafon they call us Europeans , 
in Derifion, Bondia , i. e. Apes. They alfo wear no 
Breeches, but, inftead of them, a Piece of Silk, reaching 
down to their Hams, over which they put their Smocks, 
and over them their upper Garments, which are fattened 
round their Waift with a kind of Girdle : Some of them 
wear frnall Waiftcoats, the Sleeves of which come no far- 
ther than the Elbow, being naked from the Breaft down 
to the Navel. During the Summer-feafon their Shoes 
are made of Wood, only fattened with Straps to their Feet; 
but in the Winter they have Shoes of Velvet, Brocade, or 
gilt Leather, the Quarters of which are very low, that 
they may put them off and on with more Conveniency ; 
when they are going in, or coming out of a Room, the 
Floor of which is covered with Tapeftry. Children of 
both Sexes are kept naked till they are five Years old. 
For the rfett, the Banjans live with a great deal of Circum- 
fpedtion among the Mohammedans , who treat them con- 
temptibly, and much after the fame Manner as th ejews 
are looked upon with us, in thofe Places where they are: 
fuffered to live. Notwithftanding which they are more 
ingenious and crafty than the Mohammedans , which is the 
Reafon both the Engiifh and Dutch employ them as their 
Brokers, it being next to an Impoflibility that any Stranger 
fhould be able ta find out all their Impoftures without the 
Affiftance of fome of their own Gang. 
Their Children, efpeciafly their Daughters, they marry 
at feven,; eight, nine, or ten Years of Age, it being very 
rare that they ftay till the twelfth ; for as the Indians ar- 
rive fooner at Maturity than other Nations, they are of 
Opinion, that if a Maid ftays any Time beyond that Age, 
2 
Ihe mutt be fubjedt to fome Infirmity. The Day for the 
Confummation of the Marriage being come, the Parents 
or both Parties lit round a good Fire in a ipacious Room, 
the Bride and Bridegroom take three Turns about them, 
whilft the Braman gives them his Benedidlion. If a Ban- 
jan Biidegroom happens to die before he has taken his 
three Turns thus, the Bride may challenge the Privilege of 
marrying another, the Widows of the Banjans being not 
allowed a fecond Marriage upon any Account, though 
their Plufbands fhould chance to die before the Confum- 
mation of the Marriage : So that thofe who cannot dif- 
penfe with a Angle Life, affociate themfelves to the 
Women- Dancers. The Banjan Women are not obliged 
to burn themfelves with their dead Hulbands (as the 
Wives of the Bramans and Rajhpoots are) unlefs they 
will do it voluntarily. The Men are permitted not only 
to marry a fecond or third Time, but may have two or 
three Wives at at Time, provided the Arft or fecond prove 
barren ; but the Arft challenges, and retains the Prece- 
dency. The Sons only inherit the Father’s Eftates, but 
are to maintain the Mother, and are to provide Hulbands 
for the Sifters. As they ufe neither. Baptifm or Cireumei- 
Aon, they mutt be numbered among the Pagans : And 
though they acknowledge one fupreme Being, the Cre- 
ator and Preferver of all Things, yet they pay worftiip to 
the Devil, for this Realon, becaufe that God having con- 
ftituted him to govern the World, he ought to be ap~ 
peafed by Offerings. 
The Figure under which they adore him, is to be feen 
in all their Pagodas or Temples, fome of Gold and Sil- 
ver, fome of Ivory, Ebony, and Marble, and others of 
Wood, or common Stone. The Head, which has four 
Horns, beAdesa Triple-crown in the Shape of a Crown, or 
Mitre, with a grim Countenance, and two great Teeth 
coming out of the Mouth, like the Tufks of a Wild-Boar, 
and a great rough Beard all over the Chin. The 
Arms hang down carelefly on both Sides, and the Bfeafts 
are extended as low as the Navel, under which, betwixt 
his Thighs, you fee another Head, with two Horns more 
deformed than the Arft, thrufting out of the Mouth a 
very ugly large Tongue : The Feet are like Paws of ra- 
venous Creatures, and behind a Cow’s Tail. This Statue 
is always Axed upon a Stone-table, which is the Altar 
where the Offerings are made co the Idol, On the Right- 
Ade of it ftands a Cittern, in which thofe that come to fa- 
criAce purify themfelves beforehand ; and on the Left- 
hand a Cheft, into which they put their Offerings, which 
are always made in Money. There is another Veffei not 
far from the Cittern, out of which the Braman, or Pried, 
takes a certain yellow Mixture, made of Water' and San- 
dal-wood, and therewith marks the Foreheads of fuch as 
have performed their Devotions. The Braman’s ordinary 
Place is at the Foot of the Altar, but he rifes from thence 
frequently to fay his Prayers, and before he goes away* 
he is fure to purify his Hands,- by rubbing them over in 
the Blame of the Lamps, which are placed before and 
about the Altar, and furnifh their Pagodas with Light, 
and confequently are' kept continually burning, being the 
chiefeft, if not the only Ornaments of thefe Temples, 
which look more like Caves and Holes of Darknefs than 
Places of Devotion, there being nothing to be feen on 
the Walls of them but the Figures of Beafts and Devils : 
Notwithftanding which thefe poor Wretches pay their De- 
votions with more Refpedt and Zeal than is obferved in 
moft Chriftian Churches, 
They are like the Mohammedans, much add idled to cor-, 
poral Puriftcations, which they feldom fail to ufe every 
Morning before Sun-riftng. The Bramans deduce their 
Original immediately from their God Brama , and fay that 
they are the Produdl of his Head, whereas the reft came 
out of his Thighs, Feet, and other more ignoble Parts. 
Mx.Jhraham Rogers, who lived ten Years in the Dutch 
Service, on the Coaft of Corromandel, fays, that the Bra- 
mans acknowledged for their fupreme God, one Wiflul, or 
Etwara, and that out of his Navel fprung forth a Flower 
called Tamara , which produced Brama ; the Arft of all 
Men who had Power given him, not only to create the 
World, but alfo to fettle what Order and Government he 
thought beft. They further fay, that this Brama , being 
God’s 
