The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1875-08-31
Brahminism.


to the Christian al Work. From q re.
cent one we make the following extract,
in which she describes q religious gather.
ing:
And now to turn TO sad sight which
| witnessed during my visit to Allaha.
bad. | went down to see the mela, at
which thousands Of pilgrams had collect.
ed from all parts of the country. 1t is
held on the strip or tongue Of sandy
ground which runs out betNe the two
rivers. Here arc erected long rows Of
booths or stalls, and the merchants from
all parts of the continent bring their
wares here for sale. Bcggars innumer-
able, with all sorts Of diseases and de.
formities, exposing these to the public
eye to attract attention, ply their trade.
Most of these sit on the ground near the
public road, with large, filthy cloth
spread on the ground They sit on one
end of this, and it is kept from blowing
up by large stones set at the other end.
On this cloth are different little piles Of
rice and wheat, and variety of other
different kinds of grain, with one lit.
tie pile of pice, ths is small copper
coin, rather less in value than our cent, J
this pile. however, was very small, and
another pile of cowries this is shell
which is used az a coin | believe forty
Of them make pice.
Pilgrims who 60 there for religious
purposes generally buy their rice at the
stalls, and as they pass they will throw
few grains on the pile of each Of these
beggars, as it is considered an act of
merit to help each one and though each
person passing gives but half dozen
grains, yet from the multitude that pass
the aggregate amount becomes consider.
able. The purpose for which pilgrims
come here is this; they are told that if
at this season of the year they bathe at
this spot and are shaved, for every hair
they shall have a year of happiness in
one Of the heavens Of their gods. So on
one position of the grounds you will see
some three or four hundred BARRIERS bust
ly occupied shaving the heads of men,
women and children, and it is marvel.
lous to see the immense piles of hair col
lected. You could hardly believe it pos.
sible. Each one of these BARRIERS is
obliged to pay tax Of eight rupees to
be permitted to ply his trade here. Each
man also who has a shop here is obliged
to pay the government for license to
sell his goods. The shops or booths are
arranged in regular streets
There was an immense crowd the day
we were there, it being one OF the great
days it was almost impossible TO get
near any Of the booths to see what they
had for sale. But We saw the thousands
bathing, and the thousands being shaved.
But o the saddest sight of all was one
street which appeared to be entirely de.
voted to fakirs, or religious medicants or
devotees-men who are supposed by
self-intiictcd toiturcs to have become very
holy. and to have overcome all the pas
sions and appctitcs of the body. There
was aTrayed long row Of booths, in
which were some Of the most hideous
images Of the gods, and each holy man
sat on the ground in front of his own
peculiar god, which is also his personal
property. He is the priest who receives
all goods offered at the shrine Of his god.
Most OF them were seated on filthy cloths,
on which were piles of rice, grain, cow
ries and picc, like the beggars, only their
piles of offerings were much larger than
those Of the latter They we're also in
many cases surrounded by number Of
disciples, who profess profound admira.
tion for them, and whose duty it is to at
tend to all their personal wants, and who
are fed and sustained by the gifts present
ed to the holy men. But to describe
these men themselves.
They were about the vilest looking crea.
makes IL mt shudder to think that fhSif"hha haman
ty could be so degraded, and that, too,
under the sacred namo Of religion. These
men were all OF them almost entirely
nude-nonc of them had any covering
but one filthy little piece of rag, not
more than fg.lcaf, and this was all the
clothing they wore winter and summer.
There were about three hundred Of these
wretches, and each one had become very
holy by some method of self. torture.
Their hair and boards were all long and
matted with filth ; their bodies smeared
with mixture of cowdung and ashes /;
some of them had thick mixture of
whitewash or white plaster, with one,
two or three broad stripes like blood
down the forehead In fact every one
of them was most loathsome to look at
One man l felt very sorry for. His
body was all most foully smeared, but
his face was tolerably clean. and his hair
and his beard were all shaved off. He
was an old man, with really very mild,
benevolent expression. lie sat on a bed
of ashes, with four fires built around him
on either side; not of course close
enough to burn him, but close enough to
scorch him and cause great suffering
and Of course he could not move to re.
lieve the pain, as the fire was on either
side. He sat all the time with his eyes
fixed on the ground, apparently never
moving amuscle, except when he would
take up some oe the smouldering ashes
and place them on his bare bald head.
He would keep them there till they were
cold, then remove them to replace them
with others equally hot.
As l stood and looked at this man |
could only think Of Job. The same bow.
ed, detected form (; the same sad, mourn.
ful, yet patient almost holy expression
that you always imagine that saint Of
God had and l could not but ask my.
self, might not this man really be in
earnest in thinking he was thus accepta.
bly, worshiping his god ? And if SO,
would not he rise up at the last day in
condemnation of many a one in our
Christian land who, never knew what self.
denial was for the sake of Christ A? There
was another, miserable looking crea.
ture, who for many years had held his
arms m over his head with h;s bonds