Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1842-09-22
HUMAN SACRIFICES IN INDIA.
Blackwood's Magazine of Angus

Blackwood's Magazine of August
contains notice Of a paper recently |
published by the Royal Asiatic Society
of London, written by Capt. AIacpher-
son Of the Madras Army and giving
some account of the Khonds, one of the
three races that inhabit the territory
when formed the ancient kingdom Of
Orissa. they are Polytheists have an
hereditary priesthood-are rigid obser-
vers of veracity, and preserve in their
religious worship and opinions many Of
the distinctive but not most beautiful
features of the Grecian system il the
Pelasgic period. They are almost the
only people that ofer human sacrifices;
and of their festivals at these horrld rites
we find the. following account from
Capt. Macpherson's work:
esThey are generally attended By a
large concourse Of people Of both sexes,
and continue for three days; which are
passed in the indulgence Of every form
of GROSS excess-in more than Sat4r-
naliah license. M
"rhe first day and night are spent
exclusively drunken feasting and OBJ
scene riot. Upon the second morning,
the victim, who has tasted from the pre-
ceding evening, is carefully washed,
- =. :, = garment. and led forth
with music and dancing.
"The Meria grove, clump of deep
and shadowy forest trees,-
Sylvia alto Jovis, lucusque Diannn,'
in which the mango, the bur, the dam
mar, and the pipala generally prevail,
usually stands at short distance from
the hamlet, by rivulet, which is called
the Merla stream. 1t is kept sacred
from the axe, and is avoided by the
Khond as haunted ground. My fol-
lowers were always warned to abstain
from seeking shelter within its awful
shade. .,
"In its centre, upon the second day,
an upright stake is fixed, generally be-
tween two plants Of the sankissar or
bazaar danti shrub. The victim is sea-
ted at its foot, bound back to.it by
priest. He is then Amounted with oil,
ghee and tumeric, and adorned with
flowers; and species Of reverence,
aohich 1t IS not easy to distinguish from
alteration, is paid to him throughout
the day. And there is now infinite
contention to obtain the slightest relic
Of his person; particle Of the tumerie
paste with which he is smeared, or
drop of his spittle, being esteemed,
ESPECIALLY by the woman, of supreme
virtue.
"In some districts, instead of being
thus bound IN grove. the victim is eX-
posed in or near the village, upon a
couch, after being led in procession
round the place of sacrifice. And in
some parts Of Goomsur where this prac--
tice prevails, small rude images of
beasts and birds in clay are made IN
great numbers at this festival, and stuck
on poles; practice, of the origin or
meaning Of which,, have been able to
obtain no satisfactory explanation.
"Upon the third morning, the VIC
tim is refreshed with a>little milk and
palm sage, while the licentods feast,
which has scarcely been intermitted du-
ring the night, is loudly renewed. a
bout noon, these orgies terminate, and
the assemblage issues forth, with stun
ming shouts and pealing music, to con-
the sacrifice.
GAS the victim must not suffer bound, ,
nor, on the other hand, exhibit any
show of resistance the bones of his i
arms, and, if necessary, those of his
legs, are now broken in several places:
1.-THE acceptable place of sacrifice ,
has been discovered during the prevl- |
ous night, by persons sent out for this {
purpose into the fields of the village, or |
Of the private oblator. The ground is {
probed' in the dark with long sticks,
and the first deep chink that is pierced .