The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1884-04-10
The Matches Dancing Before the Col
dess Sri.

As we approached this city, and l
for one saw India for the first time,
the great rosy sun was ris ng out of the
sea. elo eating itself, then springing
aloft, sla ing the darkness-the old ser
pent Ali tn storm of sunbeams,
AMI the colors of dawn, breaking over
an ocean that knows no twilight,
tran muting every wave to opal, IL
lumined any remembered rapture
of the Vcdas Carried ashore on q
boat made of bambooS tied together
with strings of piIm bark, no nail in
1t. a goo survival from Nedic times,
| foun flu Their and more interesting
il less salts factory rehe ton OF the
sdored sun in front of small but very
ancient temple near the market place.
A pr ocesson of the poor was formed,
and deity was pre- emily seated on
tn ,ir pdlanquin. 1t was Sri, sister
goddess of prosperity, and she sat in
round red and golden frame, sur
rounded with tongues Of flame repre-
senting the sun. Tie great disc was
bas d on q chariot drawn Ly five metal
horses, green and red, driven by
Aruna, tn, legless phaeton OF
horses paint d with tolors of the rain
bow. l was the only white person
present, and as the managers of the
affair were polite, making an opening
through the crowd that l might see the
Nautch dancers, | followed with them
through the streets for fifteen minutes.
Three times the three Matches danced
before the goddess. The general move
ment OF the procession was to the beat
ing of tom-toms and music of pipes
much like hagpipes in sound. But
every now and then a leading parsonage
turned and gave fine linking stroke
or two on metal cup which he held,
whereupon the procession paused, the
panlaquin was let down from the mems
shou de and rested on the ground, a !
other instruments ceased and man e.
gan n chant, accompanying himself
with tinkle of the fine metal cup.
Then the Matches began their dance.
There were three of them. They We're
naked a. the waist. but carefully aud as
richly dressed in the ancient Aryan cos
tune. They were all young and covered
with Jewels. Their dance wasnot meant
to be gra eful, but mystical. 1t was
mainlv with their hands and fingers that
they dan ed; so far as the feet were CON
cerned they moved to and fro. Their
ieweled hands were continually moving,
the fingers sonnet mes crossed only, at
others stretched out, q, if in benediction,
were yet never raised heavenward.
This morning | went out at seven
o'clock to the same temple. The god
brought out on this occasion was Gunesa,
the elephant-headed deity. He was
mounted on the same sun chariot, drawn
by the five metal horses (whOse
attitudes reminded me of those of St.
Mark in Nenice). Two poles upheld
large red hearts, with sun and moon
(featured) embroidered on hem, and
there were two large umbrellas. On
this occasion there wcrt five Matches,
three of whom were girls of eight or ten
years. The little things watched their
leader and initiated her every move
m mt. The dance, interesting as a nov
city, was quite perfunctory; there was
ntt even any emotion, mucl less costa
CIV or passion about it. Whe the
dancers and the god came out of the
temple, beneath an arch of palm
branches, they were preceded by a very
fair woman, who bore in her hand a
large brass pot, on the top of which a
flame was burning. hen the process.
sion started she moved back into the
temple and we saw herno more. Mud
raS Cor. Ih!tdde'3 htd TmcS.