210 
G. Singh —Superstitions connected with child birth. [No. 3, 
Century for November 1882). This will remove the influence of his eye. 
If it cannot be ascertained who was the person from whose look the child 
is suffering, recourse is had to the “cunning” man (syana). He generally 
gives some charmed water with which the face of the baby and the breast 
of the mother is to be washed, or some charmed ashes which are applied 
to the forehead of the child, or anything else which he might think fit to 
administer. To prevent the mischief of the evil eye, the following pre¬ 
caution is thought to be ordinarily quite sufficient. When the child 
is going out, or when visitors are expected, or when he has been dressed 
in new clothes, his forehead or cheek is daubed with a small black mark. 
Anything black is believed to have the power of warding off the mischief of 
the evil eye. Thus they put black woollen collars (gandas) on the necks of 
beautiful horses, buffaloes, or oxen. It is also from this belief that those 
hideous black drawings representing old sorceresses, or demons, or witches, 
we so often see on the walls of newly built houses in the bazar, are drawn. 
Sometimes a picture of a black snake or fish on the wall is thought 
to be sufficient. I must stop here, for I have gone already far from my 
subject which was to give some account of the evil eye as connected with 
the well-being of children. 
In conclusion I have to point out that the above related supersti¬ 
tions and beliefs are by no means peculiar to the Jats of any part of the 
country. The description given is of superstitions prevalent amongst 
the Jats of the Easteni Panjab, and I have gathered the information from 
the most trustworthy sources, i. e., from old native women. But I find 
that most of the above will hold good of all classes of inhabitants of the 
Panjab with a few alterations here and there. I am informed that the 
Kshatris, Brahmans and Banias of the towns are far more superstitious 
than are rural population. As to the extent to which such beliefs prevail, 
there are very few men who really believe in them, but there are very few 
women who do not believe in such things. So all such things are managed 
by women, and in most cases men do not come to know of them even. 
It will appear that on the one hand some of these superstitious beliefs 
are the relics of old faiths and manners which have in some instances been 
incorporated in the modern religions, and on the other hand they are the 
absurd beliefs of an ignorant and credulous people. It is also manifest 
that the modern religions discard such superstitions. Yet all religions 
prevalent in the Punjab, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Muhammadanism have 
failed to eradicate these superstitions, and it must be so until women are 
also educated and brought up like men. Truly, every candid native must 
confess that in India women have their own superstitious religion which 
does not practically differ much, whether they be nominally Hindus, Mu¬ 
hammadans or Sikhs. 
