HINDOOSTAN. 
Jagan-Nath, and had reached and were abiding at Gope- 
gawn, where I was born. Wlien I was only ten years of 
age, I ufed to give myfelf up to meditation and mortifi¬ 
cation, lying upon thorns and pebbles ; a mode of life I 
had continued for ten years, when it was interrupted by 
jny relations, who wanted me to think of marriage; where¬ 
upon, having attained to twenty years of age, I left my 
home, determined to devote myfelf to travelling. Firft, 
after coming out of my houfe, I went towards Ootrak- 
hund, by way of Nepal and Bhote. I went into the coun¬ 
try of the Great and Little Lama, where the Teelhoo Lama 
lives. In this traft is the Maun Talaee, (i. e. tank or 
lake,) as far as which is inhabited, but not beyond it j 
and the lake called Maun Surwur is leventeen munzels, 
or days’ journey, farther on, in a jungly country, which 
prevents accefs to it. There are in this quarter the places 
known under the denominations of Muni, Mahelho, Ma- 
hadeo, and of Teloke, Nauthjee, and the Debbces, or cook¬ 
ing-places, of Nownauth; and of the eighty-four Sidhs, 
or religious perfons, thus dilfinguilhed; all fituated on 
.this fide of the Maun Surwur. Into thefe Debbees, if one 
throw in either two loaves, or as many as are wanted ; 
one in the name of the Sidh, and another in one’s own 
name; that in the name of the Sidh remains at the bot¬ 
tom, and that in one’s own name rifes up baked. Thefe 
places I vilited. At the Maun Talaee the boundaries of 
four countries meet, viz. that of China, of the Lama’s 
country, of the Belcher country, and that of the Cooloo 
country.. 
“ Proceeding thus in religious progrefs from hill to 
Jiill, I palfed through the Shaum country ; and defcending 
the hills, arrived in Cachimere, where I halted for devo¬ 
tional purpoles, as well as to profecute my ftudies. From 
Cafhimere I went through Thibet to the Great Jowallah, 
which is fituated in a country where fire rifes out of the 
ground for the fpace of twelve cols. In this Jowallah, 
whoever wants to drefs victuals, or boil water, they have 
only to dig a little fiiTure into the furface of the-ground, 
and place the article thereon, which will ferve without 
wood. On this fide of Peilhore, where the Sendhe fait is 
produced, there is a village called Dudun Khan’s Pend, 
adjoining to the falt-pits. The rajah of that country was 
called Rajah Bhenda Singh. I had here lhut. myfelf up 
in a gowpha, or cell, where I vowed to remain doing- 
penance for a period of twelve years. Vermin or worms 
gnawed my flefli, of which the marks hill remain; and, 
when one year had elapl'ed, then the rajah opened the 
door of the cell, whereupon I faid to him, ‘ Either take 
my curfe, or make me a fer-feja, or bed of fpikes and 
then that rajah made for me the fer-feja I now occupy. 
Turing the four months of the winter, I made jd-Jeja 
upon this leat. Jd-J'eja is, that night and day water is 
let fall upon my head. From thence, by the Sindh coun¬ 
try, I went to Hingoolauje, a mountain dedicated to De¬ 
bee. All the country to the well and fouth I travelled 
over upon this fer-feja, coming at length to Preyago, or 
Allahabad ; and puffing by Caihi, or Benares, I went to 
the temple of Jagan-Naut; and, viiiting Balajee, proceeded 
,on to Ramifher, and, after viiiting that place, I journeyed 
on ,to fiurat. In Surat I embarked in a veflel, and went 
by fea to Mufcat in twelve days 5 and, thence returning, 
came to Surat again. Mr. Boddam was then at Surat; 
and he afterwards went to Bombay. I hayed two years 
at Surat. Mr. Boddam granted me fomething to fubfift 
on, with my followers, and built a houfe for me ; and ftill 
jny, cheilas, or difciples, are there. It is thirty-five years 
fince I made tupifya upon this fer-feja. I have been in fe- 
veral'countries. How much fhall I caufe to be written ? 
I have been at every place of religious refort, and have 
no longer any inclination to roam ; but, being defirous of 
fettling in Benares, I have come hither. Three yugs have 
palled, and we are now in the fourth ; and in all thefe 
four ages there have been religious devotees, and theif 
difciples ; and they are firft to make application to the 
rajah, or to whoever is the ruler of the place 3 for even 
351 
rajahs maintain and ferve us; and it is befitting that I 
obtain a linall place, where I may apply to my religious 
duties, and that fomething may be allowed for my necel- 
fary expences, that I may blefs you.” 
This ftatement being addrelfed to the Englifh governor 
at Benares, the following queftion was put to the fakeer : 
—“ In all the eighteen tupifyas, or modes of penitential 
devotion, that are made mention of in the Shafter, the one 
you have chofen is not fpecified 3 wherefore it is inferable, 
that you muft have committed fome great offence, in ex¬ 
piation of which you have betaken yourfelf to the prefent 
very rude mode of difcipline. Declare, therefore, what 
crime you have perpetrated ?” 
To this, Perkalanund replied :—“ In the Suthya Yug , 
or firft age, there was a Rikh, or holy man, called Agni- 
burna, who performed this J'er-feja difcipline; as in the 
Treta, or fecond age, did Ravono, for ten thoufand years; 
and in the Dwapar , or third age, Bhikma Pitamaha did 
the fame; and in the Cale Yug, or prelent age, I have fol¬ 
lowed their example, during a period of thirty-five years; 
but not to expiate any crime or offence by me committed : 
in which refpeft if I be guilty, may Vefhweifhura ftrike 
me a leper here in Benares.” 
The generality of the Englifh government was extended 
to this felf-tormentor. See a figure of him, repofing on his 
fer-feja, or bed of iron fpikes, in the annexed Engraving-. 
There are among this deluded people a clafs who make 
jel-feja of a rude kind of palankeen, in which they are 
carried about to all great feftivals, fitting bare-breeched 
on a feat of iron-fpikes, from the pundtures of which they 
frequently contrive to let the blood flow. They are held 
in high eftimation by the ignorant multitude. Mr. Cam¬ 
bridge has very humoroufly, as well as justly, defcribed 
the objedt of thefe devout fakeers, in the following lines: 
Does the God of the'Heav’ns fuch a fervice diredt ? 
Can his mercy approve a felf-punifhing fedt ? 
Will his wildom be worfliipp’d with fpikes and with nails, , 
Or e’er fook for his rites hr your nofes and tails? 
Come qlohgjfo my houfe, and thefe penances leave ; 
Give your belly a feaft, and your breech a reprieve. 
The devotee is reprefented to have accepted the invi¬ 
tation, and to have enjoyed for a time all the pleafures of 
a liberal table, and a manfion of plenty. But after a time 
thefe luxuries palled upon the appetite; and the famenefs 
of his new condition, added to its retirement, induced . 
him to folicit permiffion to return to his old way of life ;. 
To live undifiinguifi'd to him was the pain ; 
An exiftence unnotic'd he could not fuftain. 
In retirement he figh’d for the fame-giving chair. 
For the crowd to admire him, to rev'rence, and Jiare • 
No endearments of pleafure and eafe could prevail; 
He the faintfhip refum’d, and new larded his tail. 
Pennant's Hindoojlan, vol. ii. p. 307. 
Nothing will contribute to fliow more obvioufly and 
felf-evidently the great abfurdities into which the Saniaf- 
fies have been carried, than a ftatement of the origin of 
“ the devoted to God," as they are called ; fynonymous with 
what we term hermit. It is as follows : 
“ In the midftof a wild and dreadful foreft, flourifhing 
with trees and fweet-feented flowers, and abounding in 
fruits and roots ; infefted with lions and tigers ; deftitute 
of human fociety, and frequented by the Monees, refided 
Bood-dha, the author of liappinefs, and a portion of Na- 
rayan. 
“ Once upon a time, the illuftrious Amara, renowned 
amongft men, coming here, difeovered the place of the 
Supreme Being, Bood-dha, in the great foreft. The wife 
Amara endeavoured to render the god Bood-dha propiti¬ 
ous by fuperior fervice ; and he remained in the foreft for 
the fpace of twelve years, feeding upon roots and fruits, , 
and fleeping upon the bare earth; and he performed the 
vow of Monee, and was without tranfgreffion. He per¬ 
formed acts of fevere mortification, for he was a man of 
infinite refolution, with a compaflionate heart. One night 
he 
