until Arjuna should come and restore her to her HISTORY OF proper form.15 INDIA. PART II. Hindu warriors female relatives battle. The story of the young Prince who was thrown Custom of into a cauldron of hot oil without being injured, is taking leave of of course interesting to the Hindú from the miracle before going to which it involves, but is chiefly valuable on account of the light which it throws upon the later Hindú custom of a warrior taking leave of his female relatives before going out to battle. The hero of the A mother. legend first takes leave of his mother, who entreats him to perish on the field rather than run away, lest she should be held in derision by the people. He A sister. next bids adieu to his sister, who throws a garland round his neck, and then makes the same request, on the ground that otherwise she would be upbraided by her husband. Lastly, he takes a farewell of his young wife, who expresses her conviction that he will be slain, but avows her determination of burning herself with his dead body, and thus rejoining him in the heaven of Indra. between the Greek tradi tions of the Amazons. The story of Arjuna's adventures in the country Resemblance of women bears a close resemblance to the Greek Hindú and traditions of the Amazons, who are generally referred to the neighbourhood of the Caucasus. The Amazons were supposed by the Greeks to have formed a military community, amongst whom the marriage tie was but lightly regarded, although no virgin was allowed to wed until she had slain her enemy. The Hindú Identification tradition seems to have sprung from similar circum- with Malabar. 16 15 The prophecy involved in this curse is strictly in accordance with Hindú ideas. Thus Gotama cursed his wife into being a stone until Ráma should come and release her. See Part IV., containing the Rámáyana, which will be comprised in Volume II. of the present history. 16 Herodotus, Book I. c. 203; IV. 110-117. The ancient and modern traditions of the Amazons in the neighbourhood of the Caucasus have been collected by Klaproth. See Travels in the Caucasus and Georgia, chap. xxx. of their country INDIA. Nair women. HISTORY OF stances, which still prevail in the country of Malabar PART II. along the southern quarter of the western coast of the Privileges of the Indian peninsula. The Nairs of Malabar are a military class, and amongst them the marriage tie is merely nominal. Indeed, the women may be said to be masters, for they claim and exercise the right of receiving as many lovers as they please, provided they belong to the Bráhman or Nair caste." Curious allusion to human sacrifices and cannibal orgies. The story of the country of the Daityas, where men, women, and animals grew upon trees, is a fan 17 The peculiar customs prevailing amongst the women of Malabar have attracted the attention of travellers from the very earliest period. The travels of Van Linschoten in the sixteenth century, of Fryer in the seventeenth century, and of Buchanan at the commencement of the present century, contain some curious details, which are generally confirmed by the present residents on the western coast. (See especially Dr Day's Land of the Permauls, 1863.) It appears that there are two principal castes in Malabar, namely, the Brahmans, or priests, and the Nairs, or military class. The Nairs are nominally married to girls of their own class, when the latter are ten or under ten years of age, but they never have any intercourse with their wives, who continue to live with their mothers or brothers; and when the mother dies, the eldest sister becomes the head of the household. Meantime, the Nair women receive as many lovers as they please, provided they belong to the Brahman or Nair caste; and the young men vie with each other in rendering themselves agreeable to the women. When a lover receives admission into a house, he commonly gives his mistress "some ornaments and a piece of cloth; but, according to Buchanan, these presents are never of such value as to give room for supposing that the women bestow their favours from mercenary motives. When the lady returns the cloth, it is a sign that the gentleman must cease his visits; but it must not be concluded that she has only one lover at a time, for more than one are frequently admitted to a share in her favours. The result of this strange absence of matrimonial restraint is that no man knows his own children, and the succession accordingly goes from the father to the sister's son; and this rule still prevails in the succession to the Raj, both in Travancore and Cochin, as well as to all property generally. It has been inferred that the custom originated in an ancient privilege exercised by the Bráhmans of visiting the females; that when this sacred body had established their hierarchy in the country, they probably wanted soldiers and mistresses, and therefore instituted the Nair caste, the males acting in the first capacity, and the females in the second. It seems, however, more reasonable to suppose that it was an original institution; ard that when the Brahmans had settled in the country they secured for themselves a share, or more than a share, of the favours granted by the Nair women. Buchanan says that the Nair women are proud of reckoning among their favoured lovers many Bráhmans, Rajas, or other persons of high birth. INDIA. PART II. ciful and contradictory fable, which is only of im- HISTORY OF portance from its allusions to human sacrifices, and especially from its allusions to the cannibal orgies of certain Saniases. This branch of the subject will be further noticed in treating of the religion of the Hindús. It is, however, worthy of remark that the Possible identiDaityas are said to have fled to the islands of the Daityas with sea; a circumstance which seems to identify them in the present case with the Buddhists; to whom the Brahmanical compilers would have been led by the virulence of religious hate to attribute any vile custom. fication of the the Buddhists. of the national by Arjuna's mythical Munnipore. sion of the from serpent duism. The legend of Arjuna's adventures in Munnipore Brahmanizing is perhaps the most interesting of any, from the light epics illustrated which it throws upon the Brahmanizing of the na- adventures in tional epic by the later compilers, to which allusion has so frequently been made. Munnipore is a barbarous country between Bengal and Burmah. The Modern converpeople are at present in a transition state. They are Munniporees Nágas, or worshippers of serpents, under process of ship to Hinconversion to Hindúism; a process which is going on to a very large extent amongst the aboriginal races generally throughout India. No traces, however, of this process can be discovered before the beginning of the last century, when it appears to have been commenced by a Mahunt of Sylhet. Indeed, many of the present generation of Munniporees can remember when it was usual in most families for half the members to profess Hindúism, and be called "clean;" whilst the other half followed their old Nága customs, and were called "unclean." That Hindúism is of Late origin of late origin in Munnipore is also proved by the evi- proved by the dence of language. The connection between Bráh- guage. manism and the Sanskrit language appears to have the conversion evidence of lan INDIA. PART II. HISTORY OF been always very intimate; and the languages of the Bráhmanized populations of India seem to have been more or less derived from the Sanskrit, or, at any rate, to have borrowed Sanskrit words and forms. But neither the language of Munnipore, nor that of the races eastward of the Munnipore valley, appear to have any connection whatever, with that of Sanskrit. Brahmanical description of Muunipore. The Raja. The Minister. The people. The descriptions, however, of the Raj and Raja of Munnipore, as it appears in the Mahá Bhárata, are exaggerations of the Bráhmanical idea of perfection. The Raja was unequalled for valour, very wise, and a model of chastity. The Minister administered affairs so skilfully that the country was well peopled, and not a measure of land was uncultivated. Moreover, he was very brave, and never gave bad counsel to the Raja. The people of the Raj always told the truth; the women obeyed their husbands; the Bráhmans were wise and devout, and studied the Vedas; the soldiers were strong and brave; and the SanPalace and city. skrit language was spoken throughout the Raj. The golden walls of the palace, the silver walls of the city, and the exhaustless treasures of the Raja, are mere creations of the imagination; but the reference to fire-works, and especially to fire weapons placed in waggons, which were bound together by chains, seems to indicate the use of artillery, and this reference is of some importance, as the original myth appears to have originated at a period not the eleventh century." 18 INDIA. scription of the between the Raja and his father Arjuna, and the HISTORY OF descent to the city of Serpents, indicate a poetical PART II. imagination of a high order. The picture of the Wonderful deCouncil hall is a marvellous work of painting; and Council hall. it is presented, not in the glare of sunlight, but in the darkness of the night illuminated by a countless number of sandal-wood torches. The pillars, the walls, and the pavement are of pure gold, radiant with figures of birds and fishes composed of manycoloured gems. The Raja is seated on his throne, surrounded by his Chieftains, and before each one is placed a jewelled vase of perfumes. Presently Entrance of the the mysterious horse is led into the hall before the whole assembly, with a golden plate upon his forehead, and a string of pearls hanging round his mane. The Minister reads the inscription on the golden plate, challenging the Raja to battle. The Raja Surprise of the suddenly discovers that his own father is the guardian of the horse; and that he must not only restore the horse, but tender the most abject submission to his newly-found father. horse. Raja. cession of the Ministers, Bráhmans, maidens, girls. The scene now changes. A procession is formed The grand proin accordance with Hindú ideas of pomp and gran- Raja and his deur. There is the Raja surrounded by his Minis- soldiers, Bra ters and Chieftains, all arrayed in gorgeous attire, and dancingThere are the soldiers in their parade dresses; the Bráhmans, holy, devout, and learned; the beautiful and accomplished maidens, some in splendid chariots, some mounted on richly-caparisoned elephants, whilst others are walking on foot or proceeding in gay palanquins. There too are the girls with their boxes of perfumes; the tradesmen and artisans with samples of their wares; and the frail but attractive Extraordinary bands of singing and dancing women. Then follows tween the Raja meeting be and Arjuna. |