\?j3 
H I N D O 
great virtue and purity of the defn lift, it was the pleafure 
of the idol that his foul lhould be transferred into a higher 
order of human beings, or perhaps among the aerial genii. 
Mr. Solvyns, in his book of Collumes of India, pub- 
iilhed at Calcutta, in Bengal, has given a plate of the 
grand feltival of “ wafhing the goddel's Cali,” decked out 
in various emblems of the deftruftive power of Siva, her 
conlort. From that plate the annexed engraving has 
partly been taken. In this form of Cali Hie has only 
four arms. In her upper hand, on the right fide, lhe 
holds.the knife of facrifice; and in the one beneath file 
holds by the lock the head, of a human facrifice, which 
has juft been made a voluntary offering to her. Her 
other hands are held forth empty, but ftained with blood, 
and with her tongue protruded, to fhow her deiire of fur¬ 
ther facrifices. The fkulls hung round her neck are em¬ 
blematic of one of the attributes of Siva, her lord ; at the 
lame time that they denote her delight in the blood of 
human beings. The bloffoms on her crown are thofe of 
the Egyptian lotus, the emblem of purity ; Ihowing that 
none are to approach her but with great purity of mind 
and body ; and that every human facrifice mull be a vo¬ 
luntary offering, wafhed and purified for this exprefs occa- 
lion ! 
One of the principal ceremonies in domeftic life, among 
the higher orders of the Hindoos, is the ritual of mar¬ 
riage. The religion of Brahma inculcates marriage as a molt 
” important duty ; and parents are ftriftly enjoined to marry 
their children before the expiration of their eleventh year 
at the latelt. Polygamy is allowed, but not always prac- 
tifed, unlefs there be no profpeft of a legitimate heir by 
the firft wife ; and, as it is an objeft of the higheft confe- 
quence with the Hindoos to leave behind them a repre- 
fentative, who may perform the ufual ceremonies for the 
advancement of their fouls, lhould the marrying a fecond 
wife, and their facrifices - to the procreative-idol Lingam, 
prove ineffectual, they commonly adopt a Ion from among 
their relations. ( 
"The Hindoos being extremely fcr'upulous with refpecl 
to the virginity of their brides, is the reafon that they 
marry fo extremely young, although confummation is de¬ 
ferred till the parties arrive at the age of puberty ; nor 
will they marry a woman with whom thofe fymptoms have 
appeared, to which the lex is by nature fubjefted. In- 
ftances frequently occur, of a man far advanced in life 
being married to a child of eight or ten years of age ; 
and a widow cannot marry again, even if her hulband 
lhould die, before lhe has attained the age proper to be 
admitted ro his bed. 
The Hindoo women are not entitled to any inheritance. 
If a man dies' without male ifl'ue, His fortune aefcends to 
his adopted l’on ; or, if he has none, to his nearelt kinf- 
man, who is obliged to maintain the women and children 
that belonged to, and were maintained by, the deceafed. 
And, if there ffiould even be no property, that duty falls 
upon thofe who enjoy the right of inheritance. All or¬ 
phans are received into the family of the nearelt of kin 
to the deceafed’s father, who is obliged by the law to 
bring them up in the lame manner as his own children ; 
to marry* the girls, and place the Ions in the profeifions 
of their fathers. 
When a Hindoo has no children of his own, and re- 
folves to adopt a child, he affembles his relations and 
tI\ofe of the boy who is to be adopted. A large brafs 
plate is placed on the floor, upon which the child Hands, 
alone, if l'ufflciently old ; if not, he is held by a Brahmin. 
The hulband and wife then fay, with a loud voice, “ Hav¬ 
ing no fon of our own, we wilh to adopt the child who 
is now .before you. We chul'e him to be our fon ; and 
henceforward he has, and is to enjoy, the fame right to 
our fortune, as if he were really begotten by, and born 
of, tis; nor is he to expeft any thing from his natural pa¬ 
rents. In confirmation of which we lhall proceed to 
make our vows, if you who are prefient have nothing to 
object.” A fign of approbation being then made by thole 
VqIi X. No. 647. 
O S T A N. 
who afiiit at the ceremony, the hulband and wife drink 
fome water mixed with laffron, and pour what remains 
on the child’s feet. An atteftation of the tranfaftion is 
then made out, and figned in the prefence of the,cofnpany. 
Should the perfons who have adopted the boy have after¬ 
wards children of their own, the adopted fon ftili retains, 
his right of inheritance as the eldeft, and is the ; firft to be. 
provided for in marriage; and, far from repenting of what 
they have done, they are taught to believe, that this fa¬ 
vour of the gods is to be al'cribed to the llranger whom 
they had introduced into their houfe. 
The marriage ceremonies are both tedious and expen- 
five. Although the match be previoufly agreed on by 
the parents, the father of the boy goes with much forma¬ 
lity, and demands the girl for his l'on. The anl'wer is 
returned with equal ceremony ; and, many preliminary 
forms being obferved, the day of marriage is fixed. It 
is always celebrated at the houfe of the bride. Befides 
the ufual rooms for receiving vifitors, a large area is co¬ 
vered, and formed into a pandal, or great temporary hall, 
which is lined with white linen, or chintz, and hung 
round and decorated with garlands of flowers. The bride’s 
father fills a veflel with honey, curds, and clarified but¬ 
ter, which he covers with another veflel, and prelents it 
to the bridegroom, exclaiming three times, “ Take the 
mad'huparca .” The bridegroom accepts it; places it on 
the ground ; and looks into it, faying, “ I take thee with 
the aflent of the generous fun ; with the arms of borli 
fons of Afwini ; with the hands of the cherifliing lumi¬ 
nary.” He then mixes it, faying, “ May I mix thee, O 
venerable prefent ! and remove whatever might be hurt¬ 
ful in the eating of thee.” He taftes it three times, fay¬ 
ing, “ May I eat that lweet, bell, and nourilhing, form of 
honey; and may I thus become excellent, fweet-tempered, 
and well nourilhed, by food.” After eating until lie be 
fatisfied, and alter lipping water, he touches his mouth 
and other parts of his body with his hand, laying, “ May 
there be fpeech in my mouth ; breath in my noftrils ; light 
in my eye-balls ; hearing in my ears ; llrength in my 
arms ; firmnefs in my thighs : may my limbs and members 
all remain unhurt, together with my foul.” 
While the bridegroom is welcomed with thefe ceremo¬ 
nies, the bride bathes during the recital'of the following 
texts. Three vefiels of water are feverally poured on her 
head, with three different prayers, 1. “Love ! I know 
thy name. Thou art called an intoxicating beverage. 
Bring [the bridegroom] happily. Forthee was framed the 
inebriating draught. Fire! thy belt origin is here. 
Through devotion wert thou created. May this obla¬ 
tion be efficacious.”. 2. “ Damiel ! I anoint this thy ge¬ 
nerative organ with, honey, becaule it. is the fecond mouth 
of the Creator : by that thou fiubduelt all males, though 
unfubdued ; by that thou art lively, and doll hold domi¬ 
nion. May this oblation be efficacious.” 3. “ May the 
primeval ruling (ages, who framed the female organ, as a 
fire that confumeth fiefli, and thereby framed a procreat¬ 
ing juice, grant the prolific power, that proceeds from 
the three-horned [bull] and from the fun. May this ob¬ 
lation be efficacious.” 
The bride and bridegroom are now to be feated at one 
end of the pandal or hall, under a kind of canopy, with their 
faces to the eaft. The bride is placed on the left hand of 
the bridegroom, and a certain number of Brahmins Hand 
on each fide of them. The relations and guefts fit round 
the room on the floor, which is fpread with new mats* 
covered with carpets, and thefe, generally likewife covered 
with white linen. Chairs are unknown, but in the pof- 
feffions of Europeans ; and to have a feat elevated above 
the level of the floor, is a mark of diltinftion and luperri 
orit'y, due only to thofe who are intitled to fit on the 
mulnud or throne, or on folds, See. 
A particular circle for performing the facrifice is mark¬ 
ed out by the Brahmin in the centre of the room, with 
flowers diltributed on the floor in various figures. If 
thofe who are to be married be of the Vilflnu left, the 
M m Braiimiu 
