100 
E, T. Atkinson —Notes on the history 
[No. 1, 
answers on the part of the arlm that it is of the Kasyapa gotra, the great- 
granddaughter of Aditya, the granddaughter of Sava and the daughter of 
Arka ; then follows the caste, name. &c., of the real bride. A thread is 
then wound ten times around the arlm^ accompanied each time by a man¬ 
tra, and again around the neck of the kalasa. To the north of the arha^ a 
fire-altar is raised and the dghdra-homa is made to Agni with gifts and 
dedication. Next comes the pradhdna-lioma with the mantras, “ Om 
sangohhih” and “ Ow yasmaitvdM the vydhriti-homa with its own 
mantra and the bhurddi-navdhiiti-homa with its nine mantras closing 
with the gjurndjpdtra and dedication. After this a second circumam- 
bulation follows and a prayer and hymn. Four days the arka remains 
where it has been planted, and on the fifth day the person is entitled to 
commence the marriage ceremonies with his third wife. If, however, 
she be already a widow, he can take her to his home without any further 
ceremony. 
Kumhlia-vivdha .—The Kumbha-vivdha or marriage to an earthen vessel 
takes place when from some conjunction of the planets the omens for a 
happy union are wanting, or when from some mental or bodily defect no 
one is willing to take the boy or girl.* The ceremony is similar to the 
preceding, but the dedication enumerates the defects in the position of 
the planets in the worshipper’s horoscope and states that the ceremony 
is undertaken to avoid the malign influences of the conjunction of the 
adverse planets or of the bodily or mental defects of the native as the 
case may be. The nine planets are honoured and also Vishnu and Varu- 
na, whose forms stamped on a piece of metal are amongst the furniture 
of the ceremonial. The ahchala or border of the garment used in the 
knot-tying is represented by connecting the neck of the girl or boy with 
the neck of the vessel, when the aspersion is made from the water of the 
kalasa with a brush made of the five leaves. 
Gasiial ceremonies. On killing a snake .—Several ceremonies are pre¬ 
scribed for alleviating {sdnti) the evil effects of accidents, bad omens, 
portents, unlucky acts, &c., which may be briefly noticed here. Thus, 
if in ploughing, the share injures or kills a snake, a short ritual is pre¬ 
scribed to appease the lord of the snakes. Ganesa, the Matris and 
Kshetrapala are first worshipped on the spot: then the figure of Mrityuh- 
jaya is drawn on cloth and with it that of the snake-god, and both are 
worshipped with the invitation, &c., and the surpa-mantra is recited and 
a lioma made. 
Death of a plough-bullock. —One-sixteenth of the value of the cattle 
* The Vishnu py'dtimd-vivdha is similar to the Kumhha-vivdha. The girl is first 
married to a picture of Yishnu in order to avert the influence of the planets when the 
conjunction of the latter would show her to become a widow or a bad character. 
