176 H I N D O 
defcends under the knee, but lower on the left fide than 
on the other; and in cold weather, they fometimes cover 
their bodies with a lhawl, and their heads with a red cap. 
The IChatries, and in general thole who inhabit the 
country and villages, wear a piece of cotton cloth wrapped 
round the loins as above defcribed ; another piece of finer 
cloth, generally muflin, is thrown over the left Ihoulder, 
and hangs round the body, fomething in the manner of 
a Highlander’s’ plaid; a piece of clear muflin, almoft in 
the (hape of a handkerchief, is wrapped very neatly round 
the head. In the ears, which are.always expofed, all the 
Hindoo males wear large gold rings, ornamented, accord¬ 
ing to their tafte or means, with diamonds, rubies, or 
other precious Hones. 
Some, inltead of the cloth hung over the Ihoulder, wear 
a jama, or long mullin robe, neatly fhaped to the upper 
part of the body, falling very full from thence, and ex¬ 
tending fo low as almoft entirely to cover the feet. A 
muflin falh is wrapped round the waift, the ends of which 
are generally ornamented with a worked border and fringe. 
This part of their coflume, however, appears to have been 
borrowed from the Moguls, and is by no means general. 
Perfons of high rank fometimes wear a fliort clofe veil 
or fine worked muflin, or filk brocaded with fmall gold 
or filver flowers; and, in the cool feafon, a fhawl. On 
days of ceremony and rejoicing, they wear rich bracelets 
on their arms, jewels on their turbans, and firings of pearls 
round their necks, hanging down upon the brealt. On 
their feet they wear flippers of fine woollen cloth, or vel¬ 
vet, which frequently are embroidered with gold or filver; 
and thole of the princes or rajahs, at great ceremonies, 
^ven with precious Hones. The flippers are conHantly 
put off on going into an apartment, and left at the en¬ 
trance, or given to an attendant; nor is it poffible but 
they mull be fhocked at the ufual practice of Europeans, 
in walking with their fhoes on the clean linen cloth or 
carpets on which they fit, and occafionally lie down. 
. The rajahs likewife obi'erve great Hate and magnificence 
in the furniture and ornaments of their palaces, as well 
as in their drefs. The annexed Engraving is an authentic 
representation of a rajah approached with a petition ; 
wherein the cofiume is precifely that of the country, taken 
with great care on the fpot. 
Though the rajahs now hold fuprerpe authority over 
their relpeclive dillridls, yet this privilege was by no means 
inherent, fince every rajah was anciently fubjeft to the 
great emperor, or Maha-rajah, by a feodal kind of 
•tenure. Feriflita, in his Hifiory of the Deccan, opens to 
our view the knowledge of ail empire that had not before 
been heard of in Europe. “ Its emperors of the Bahmi- 
neah dynafiy (fays this diHinguifhed writer) appear to 
have exceeded in power and l'plendour thofe of Delhi, 
even-at the moH flourifhing periods of their hifiory. The 
feat of government was at Caiberga, which was centrical 
$o the great body of the empire, and is even at this day 
a confiderable city. Like other overgrown empires, it fell 
to pieces with its own weight: and out of it were formed 
four potent kingdoms, under the names of Vifiapour, Gol- 
tonda, Berar, and Amednagur.” Each of thef'e fubfifled 
with n confiderable degree of power, until the Mogul con- 
quefi; and the two firfi, as we have Seen in the former 
part of this article, preferved their independency until 
the time of Aurungzebe. This empire, however, of the 
Maha-rajah, could only have extended over the foutliern 
provinces, or Deccan ; fince the northern diftridls were 
unqueftionably governed by diftindt independent mo- 
narclis, and were fo found at the era of the invafion by 
Alexander, of which the great and noble king Porus af¬ 
fords us an example. 
The drels of the women varies in fome refpects, but 
not materially; and the difiimftion, as among the men, 
tonfifls chiefly in the finenef’s of the cloth, and the num¬ 
ber and value of their jewels. They in general wear a 
a clofe jacket, which extends forward to cover the breafis, 
OSTAN. 
but' completely fliows their form. It has tight fleeves, 
that reach about half way from the fhoulder to the elbow; 
and a narrow border round ail the edges, painted or em¬ 
broidered in different colours. A piece of white cotton 
cloth, wrapped feveral times round the loins, and falling 
down over the legs almoft to the ankle on one fide, but 
not quite fo low on the other, ferves as a petticoat. A 
wide piece of thin muflin is thrown over the left fhoul¬ 
der, which, palling under the right arm, is croffed round 
the middle, and, being faffened by tucking part of it un¬ 
der the piece of cloth that is wrapped round the loins, 
hangs down to the feet. They .fometimes lift one end of 
this piece of muflin, and fpread it over the head, to ferve 
,as a hood or veil. The hair is commonly rolled up into 
a knot, or bunch, towards the back of the head, which is 
faffened with a gold b.odkin ; it is ornamented with jewels; 
and fome have curls that hang before and behind the ears. 
They wear bracelets on their arms, rings in their ears, on 
their fingers, their ankles, and toes, and a ring or jewel on 
one fide of the noltril. Some wear a petticoat with a 
painted border, the hair piaited and hanging down be¬ 
hind, and a muflin veil, that covers the head, and falls 
down below the middle. 
The Hindoo men are averfe to many of thofe accom- 
plifhments in women that are fo jufily admired by Eu¬ 
ropeans. They fay, they would be injurious to that fim- 
plicity of manners, and decorum of behaviour, which are 
requiiite to render them effimable in their families: that, 
by too much engaging the mind, they would lead their 
attention away from their children andhufband, and give 
them a difrelifh to thofe cares to which they think Pro¬ 
vidence has defigned them : and, as they flriftly adhere 
to this opinion, there are few Hindoo women to be found 
who can either read or write. Yet, to their great praife, 
it is every where generally found, that the wife of the 
Hindoo is of a decency of demeanour,—of a folicitu'de in 
her family,—and of a fidelity to her vows,—which might do 
honour to human nature in the mofl civilized countries. 
But the dancing women, who are the votaries of plea- 
fure, are taught every qualification which they imagine 
may tend to captivate and entertain the other fex. They 
compofe a feparate clafs, live under the protection of go¬ 
vernment, and according to their own particular rules. 
In their juridical code it is written: “ If a dancing girl 
commit a crime that renders her property liable to con- 
fifcation, the magiffrate fhall confiscate all her effedls, ex¬ 
cept her clothes, jewels, and dwelling. In the fame man¬ 
ner, to a foldier fhall be left his implements of war ; and 
to a man exercifing any profeffion, the implements of that 
profeflion fhall be exempted from the confifcation of the 
reff of his property.” 
The dancing women appear in a variety of drefles. Be- 
fide thofe that have been already mentioned, they fome¬ 
times wear trowfers, like the Perfir-ns ; a jama of worked 
muflin, or gold or filver tiffue; the hair plaited and hang¬ 
ing down behind, with fpiral curls_ on each fide of the 
face ; and to the gold and filver rings on the. ankles, in 
fome of their dances they attach fmall bells of the fame 
metals. The figures of the dancing girl, lady of the ha¬ 
rem, and omrah of the court, exhibited in the annexed 
Engraving, are not Hindoos, but Mohammedans ; who 
were correftly fketched at the court of Delhi, in their, 
true cofiume. It may be here likewife proper to remark, 
that the terms omrah, vizier, emir ul omra, &c. are Moham¬ 
medan titles, with which the Hindoos have no connexion ; 
nor do they, like the Mohammedans, keep a harem of 
women. Manouchi, who refided many years as phyfician 
at the Mogul court, gives the following defcription of the 
la'dies of the harem: “ Their hair, perfumed with the fineft 
efiences, and braided with pearls, falls down in graceful 
trefles. Some, on the crown of the head, wear turbans 
adorned with plumes of feathers, glittering with precious 
Hones, while long fcarves of gold tiffue faftened to them 
behind, hang down, and reach to the very ground. Others 
wear 
