DOOS. 
135 
Manners, Dresses, and Maiiiiiage C^eremonies, of the ■ 
Hindoos. 
In ordinary life, ilie Hindoos are lively, fond of conversation and 
amuseoients, and particularly dancing. They do not, however, learn or 
practise dancing themselves, but have women taught for the purpose, 
and in viewing these they will spend whole nights. They disap^ 
prove of many parts of the education of European ladies, as suppos- 
ing that they engage the attention too much, and draw away a 
woman’s attention from her husband and children. Hence there are 
few women in Hindoostan who can either read or write. In general 
they are finely shaped, gentle in their manners, and have soft and 
' even musical voices. The women of Kashmere, according to Mr. 
Forster, have a bright olive complexion, fine features, and delicate 
shape ; a pleasing freedom in their maimers, but without; any ten- 
dencv to immodesty. 
The d ress of the modest women in Hindoostan consists of a close 
jacket, which covers their breast, hut perfectly shews their form. 
The sleeves are tight, and reach half way to the elbows, with a narrow 
border painted or embroidered round the edges. Instead of a petti- 
coat, they have a piece of white cotton cloth wrapped round their 
loins, and reaching near the ankle on the one side, but not quite so 
low on the other. A wide piece of muslin is thrown over their right 
shoulder, which, passing under the left arm, is crossed round the 
middle, and hangs down to the feet. The hair is usually roiled up 
into a knot or bunch towards the back of the head ; and some have 
curls hanging before and behind the ears. They wear bracelets on 
their arois, rings in their ears^ and on their fingers, toes, and ankles, 
with sometimes a small one in the nostril. The dress of the dancing 
women, w'ho are deemed votaries of Venus, is very various. Some- 
times they wear a jaina, or long robe, of wrought muslin, or gold and 
silver tissue ; the hair plaited, and hanging down behind, with spiral 
curls on each side of the face. They ^re taught every accomplishment 
which can be supposed to captivate the other sex, form a class 
entirely different from the rest of the people, and live by their own 
rules. Their clothes, jewels, and lodging, are considered as imple- 
ments of their trade, and must be allowed them in case of confisca-^ 
tion for debt ; they may drink spirituous liquors, and eat any kind of 
meat except beef ; their dances are said to resemble those of the ancient 
Bacchanalians, represented in some of the old paintings and bas- 
reliefs., In some of their dances they attach gold and silver bells to 
the_ rings, of the same metal they wear on their ankles. The men 
generally shave their heads and beards, leaving only a pair of small 
\vhiskers, and a lock on the back of their heads, which they take 
great care to preserve. 
In Kashmere and some other places they let their beards grow to 
the length of two inches. They wear turbans Dn their heads, but the 
brahmins, who officiate in the temples, commonly go with their heads 
uncovered, and the upper part of their body naked. Round their 
shoulders they hang the sacred string called Zemar, made of a kind 
of perennial cotton, and composed of a number of threads of a de- 
