Folk Lore Notes. Vol. II—KonkanJackson, A. M. T. (Arthur Mason Tippetts)
Religion
Folk Lore Notes. Vol. II—Konkan
Jackson, A. M. T. (Arthur Mason Tippetts)
Folklore -- India
Iron nails and horseshoes are driven into the threshold or on to
the door of a house on the full moon day or the last day of the
Hindu calendar month at evening time, to prevent the entrance of
evil spirits. Dirty localities being considered to be haunts of evil
spirits, people living in such localities burn incense in their houses
every day. While exorcising evil spirits the sorcerers throw charmed
Udid grains and Rále panic seeds on the body of the diseased, or place
these things below his bed. Rings made of metals of five kinds,--iron,
copper, brass, silver and gold--are charmed on an eclipse day, and
worn by people. Red lead and cowries are tied to the necks or feet of
animals as protection against evil spirits. The spirits that haunt
buried treasures are pacified by the blood of fowls and goats when
digging up such treasures. [650]
Certain mantras are written on a paper, and the paper is tied to a
black cotton string, or the paper is put into a copper amulet, and
then tied to a black cotton string. The black cotton string with the
amulet is then tied round the arm or the neck of a person attacked
by evil spirits, or suffering from malarial fevers. These mantras
are never disclosed to anybody. [651]
Nádádora is a black cotton thread having seven or nine knots with a
charmed paper in one of these knots. The thread is first held over
burning incense, and then tied round the neck or the arm of the
diseased. Sunday is generally chosen for attaching these threads. [652]
At Poladpur in the Kolába District, there lived a sorcerer who used to
give such amulets and charmed threads. He placed about ten or twelve
copper rings or amulets in a copper plate kept in the sun. While thus
exposed to the sun, these amulets were continuously watched by the
sorcerer for some two hours, repeating certain mantras. [653]
At Málád in the Thána District, copper amulets and charmed black cotton
threads in the name of Kál Bhairav, an incarnation of the god Shiva,
are used as protective against evil spirits. They are tied to the arms
or the neck of the diseased on an eclipse day, on the last day of the
Hindu calendar month, or on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday. [654]
At Kolhápur, the use of amulets is generally resorted to by people
suffering from the attacks of evil spirits or from malarial fevers. The
sorcerer who exorcises the evil spirits writes certain mantras on a
paper, or draws certain symbols and repeats the mantras over them. The
paper is then wrapped in an amulet made of copper or silver, and
fastened to a cotton thread. This amulet is tied round the arm or
the neck of the diseased. Before tying it to the arm or the neck,
it is once held over burning incense. [655]
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