5. The water of the Ganges, with which the image of the god Vishnu has been washed, is considered a very holy draught, fit for princes. That with which the image of the god Siva, alias Mahâdêo, is washed must not be drunk. The popular belief is that in a dispute between him and his wife, Pârvatî, alias Kâlî, she cursed the person that should thenceforward dare to drink of the water that flowed over his images on earth. The river Ganges is supposed to flow from the top- knot of Siva's head, and no one would drink of it after this curse, were it not that the sacred stream is supposed to come first from the _heel_ of Vishnu, the Preserver. All the little images of Siva, that are made out of stones taken from the bed of the Nerbudda river, are supposed to be absolved from this curse, and water thrown upon _them_ can be drunk with impunity. [W. H. S.] The natural emblems of Siva, the Bâna-linga quartz pebbles found in the Nerbudda, have already been referred to in the note to Chapter 19, _ante_, note 9. In the Marâthâ country the 'household gods' generally comprise five sacred symbols, namely, the _sâlagrâma_ stone of Vishnu, the _bâna-linga_ of Siva, a metallic stone representing the female principle in nature (Sakti), a crystal representing the sun, and a red stone representing Ganesh, the remover of obstacles. The details of the tiresome ritual observed in the worship of these objects occupy pp. 412 to 416 of Monier Williams's _Religious Thought and Life in India_. 6. 'Beearee' in author's text. 7. Then worth more than thirty thousand pounds sterling. 8. On the customs of the sweeper caste, see _ante_, Chapter 8, following note [11]. 9. The Parihârs were the rulers of Bundêlkhand before the Chandêls. The chief of Uchhahara belongs to this clan. 10. Wealthy Hindoos, throughout India, spend money in the same ceremonies of marrying the stone to the shrub. [W. H. S.] Three lakhs of rupees were then worth thirty thousand pounds sterling or more.