l’homme-dieu fut change en un trone de tchandana ou sandal; et qu’ayant été jeté dans l’Yamouna, près de Mathoura, il passa de là dans les eaux saintes du Gange, qui le portèrent sur la côte d’Orissa: il y est encore adoré à Djagannatha ou Jagrenat, lieu fameux par les pélerinages, comme le symbole de réproduction et de la vie.[1] Il est certainment fort remarkable, quelques variantes que l’on puisse, découvrir dans les différens récits, de voir Siva et Crichna réunis à Djagannatha, nom qui signifie le pays du maître du monde, en sous-entendant Kchetra; car, par lui-même, ce nom est une epithète de Crichna. La Mythologie Egyptienne nous offrira une tradition sur le corps d’Osiris, toute a fait analogue à la dernière que nous verrons de rapporter.[2]
The first part of the above-cited passage respecting the nailing of Cristna to the fatal tree, and his prediction of the future evils of the world, is very remarkable, particularly when coupled with the following recital:
Mr. Moore describes an Avatar called Wittoba, who has his foot pierced. After stating the reason why he cannot account for it, he says, “A man who was in the habit of bringing me Hindoo deities, pictures, &c., once brought me two images exactly alike: one of them is engraved in plate 98, and the subject of it will be at once seen by the most transient glance. Affecting indifference, I inquired of my Pundit what Deva it was: he examined it attentively, and, after turning it about for some time, returned it to me, professing his ignorance of what Avatar it could immediately relate to, but supposed, by the hole in the foot, that it might be Wittoba; adding, that it was impossible to recollect the almost innumerable Avataras described in the Puranas.
“The subject of plate 98 is evidently the crucifixion; and, by the style of workmanship, is clearly of European origin, as is proved also by its being in duplicate.”[3]
This incarnation of Vishnu or Cristna is called Wittoba or Ballaji. He has a splendid temple erected to him at Punderpoor. Little respecting this incarnation is known. A story of him is detailed by Mr. Moore, which he observes reminds him of the doctrine of turning the unsmote cheek to an assailant. This God is represented by Moore with a hole on the top of one foot just above the toes, where the nail of a person crucified might be supposed to be placed. And, in another print, he is represented exactly in the form of a Romish crucifix, but not fixed to a piece of wood, though the legs and feet are put together in the usual way, with a nail-hole in the latter. There appears to be a glory over it coming from above. Generally the glory shines from the figure. It has a pointed Parthian coronet instead of a crown of thorns. I apprehend this is totally unusual in our crucifixes. When I recollect the crucifix on the fire tower in Scotland, (Celtic Druids, plate 24,) with the Lamb on one side, and the Elephant on the other, and all the circumstances attending this Avatar, I am induced to suspect I have been too hasty in determining that the fire tower was modern because it had the effigy of a crucified man upon it, and relating to this we shall find something very curious hereafter.
All the Avatars or incarnations of Vishnu are painted with Ethiopian or Parthian coronets.[4] Now, in Moore’s Pantheon, the Avatar of Wittoba is thus painted; but Christ on the cross, though often described with a glory, I believe is never described with the Coronet. This proves that the figure described in Moore’s Pantheon is not a Portuguese crucifix. Vide plates, fig. 7.
2. Mr. Moore endeavours to prove that this crucifix cannot be Hindoo, because there are duplicates of it from the same mould, and he contends that the Hindoos can only make one cast from
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