February, 1873.] MARASA VAKKALIGARU. 51 his deliverance from so imminent a danger, was in his turn bewitched by the unearthly beauty of the creature standing before him. He accord¬ ingly embraced her, and the result was the immediate production of three Lingas, respect¬ ively called Jinne Linga, Kallc Linga, and Bhairava Linga, which were the very embodiment of Siva’s essence. He thereupon assigned the first to the Jains, the second to the Kurubars, and the third to the Marasa Vakkaligaru for worship. It only remained for Siva to punish the traitor whose treachery had very nearly put an end to his own existence. He accordingly con¬ demned the rayat to cut off his forefinger, which was the offending member, as atonement for his sin. The poor rayat did so without hesitation. In the meantime his wife appeared on the scene, and petitioned the god to accept her own ring and little fingers in lieu of her lord’s forefinger, as the loss would be too great to men, who are required to labour with the hand for their bread. &iva was greatly pleased with the self-sacrifice of the rayat’s wife, and granted her petition. It is the progeny of this virtuous woman who observe the vow to the present day. The place where the wicked giant was burnt to death may still be recognized by a hill in the Kolar taluka, called Siti Betta, where there is a mine of Vibhuti, or sacred ashes. Such is the history of the origin of this singular rite, given by a class of itinerant beggars called Pichiguntadavaru, who form a living encyclopa?dia of such traditions, and whose tales are implicitly believed by the Marasa Vakkaligaru, who are themselves unable to account for the strange custom. The episode in the Bhagavata, which relates to the rise and fall of Bhasmasura, or more appropriately Vrikasura, is totally different from the above story; but, as stated at the outset, the popular impressions on the subject which prevail among the ignorant Marasa Vakkaligaru are alone described here. These people may roughly be classed under three heads—viz., (1) those whose women offer the aforesaid sacrifice; (2) those who offer a golden substitute; and (3) those who do not perform the rite. These sections, however, freely intermarry with one another, and it is only in the performance of the sacrifice that the differ¬ ence between them exists. Class I. embraces exclusively worshippers of Bhairava Linga, or Bhandi Devaru. The ceremony is performed by women after they become mothers. The modus operandi is as nearly as possible the following:—About the time of the new moon in Chaitra, a certain propitious day is fixed by the aid of the village , Joyisa, or astrologer, and the woman who is to offer the sacrifice performs certain ceremonies, j or puje, in honor of Siva, taking her meals j only once a day, in the evening. For three j days before the final operation, she has to j support herself with milk, sugar, fruits, &c.— j all substantial food being eschewed. On the day appointed, a common cart is brought out, and is painted in alternate stripes with white and red ochre, and is further adorned with streamers, gay flags, flowers, &c., in imitation of a car. Sheep or pigs are slaughtered before it, their number being generally governed by the number of child¬ ren borne by the sacrificing female. The cart is i then dragged by bullocks, preceded by the usual | music, the woman and her husband following, with new pots (karaga), filled with water and small pieces of silver coin, borne on their heads, and accompanied by a retinue of friends and relatives. The village washerman has to spread clean clothes along the path of the procession, which stops near the boundary of the village, where a leafy bower or shed is prepared, with three pieces of stone installed in it, symbolizing the god Siva. Flowers, fruits, cocoanuts, incense, &c., are then offered, varied occasionally by an additional sheep or pig. A wooden seat (Mane) is then placed before the image, and the sacri¬ ficing woman places upon it her right hand, with the fingers spread out. A man holds her hand firmly, and the village carpenter, placing his chisel on the first joints of her ring and little lingers, chops them off .with a single stroke of his right hand. The pieces lopped off are thrown into an ant-hill (Ilutta), and, as soon after is possible, the tips of the mutilated fingers, round which rags are bound, are dipped into a vessel containing boiling gingili til (oil). This opera¬ tion, it is believed, prevents bleeding and swelling, and accelerates the cure. The fee of the carpenter is one kanthirayi fanam (four annas eight pies) for each maimed finger, besides presents in kind. The women undergo the barbarous and painful ceremony without a murmur, and it is an article of the popular belief that were it neglected, or if nails grow on the stumps, dire ruin and misfor¬ tune will overtake the recusant family. Staid matrons who have had their fingers maimed for life in the above manner, exhibit their stumps with a pride worthy of a better cause. At
