The Thole-jatha. This means the amusement of Krishto and his female friends with a swing. In the temple hall, or on some high altar, a throne is set, and the images are placed upon it. This comes in the time of the full moon. A few days previous to this the boys become very troublesome to each other, and to the men in general. They buy small hand-pumps, made of bamboos or tin, fill some jars with colored water, station themselves by the wayside, and seeing men pass by, pump out the water on their clothes. There is no remedy against this plague, for you do not know where they are; they lie in ambuscades, and, to your surprise, wet you with the red or yellow colored water. They will take you unawares, as did the Indians the troops of General Braddock. Sometimes they meet you in the street, four or five at once, and trouble you from every direction. As they seldom attack men with dirty clothes, one might escape the boys by wearing a less showy dress. Again, they make a kind of seal, by cutting an apple into halves, which they dip into ink and stamp on your side, breast, or back. This is worse indeed, for sometimes it is difficult to wipe out the stain-mark by several washings. In the evening before Thole-jatha, the image of Krishto is conducted to witness _Cha-churr_. A long bamboo, covered with straw, is stuck into the ground by the side of the river or in the field. The Brahmuns who carry the idol and its throne on their shoulders walk round the bamboo post seven times, while the drums, flutes, violins, are playing by hundreds. They then set fire to the post, and fireworks of various descriptions are burned. Early in the next morning the idols are placed on the hanging throne. The people witness the scene with great pleasure, for it is said, “The sight of Krishno will effect salvation.” There is some trouble, again, arising from the chief amusement of the day. Abeer, a kind of red powder which the god is especially fond of, is scattered everywhere. They make balls of it, and hit each other’s face and eyes. Fortunately, Abeer does not blind the eyes; for when it falls in, it waters them a little while, and thus makes them brighter than before. In a rich man’s house, the guests are almost buried with Abeer, without which the Thole-jatha is nothing.