for the purpose of washing away their sins in a holy river. Accordingly the Baboo has made it his object in the following pages to interpret the various national legends and local traditions of the places he has visited, in such a way as to disabuse the minds of Native readers of the superstitious ideas which are at present connected with many of the localities. It is true that the narrative of his travels was also mainly intended for those who could read English; but the author contemplates publishing a translation in Bengalee for the special purpose above indicated.

The proficiency of Baboo Bholanauth Chunder in the English language has already been noticed; and it should now be remarked that he is deeply indebted for this proficiency to a distinguished poet and essayist, who was widely known in India twenty and thirty years ago under the initials of D. L. R. The productions of this gentleman were honoured with the praise of Macaulay, and his memory is still cherished by his pupils, although it has almost passed away from the present generation of Anglo-Indians. Captain David Lester Richardson held the post of Principal of the Hindoo College at Calcutta, and taught English literature to the two upper classes. At this institution Bholanauth Chunder received tuition for several years, and at that time it occupied the first place in the field of Native education. Indeed, it was the Hindoo College that first sent out those educated Natives, who became distinguished from their orthodox countrymen by the designation of Young Bengal.

Baboo Bholanauth Chunder was naturally familiar from his early years with several places on the river Hooghly in the neighbourhood of Calcutta, such as Penhatty, Khurdah, and Mahesh, which are remarkable for many religious reminiscences connected with the worship of Vishnu, and at which the most reputed Gossains have taken up their residence. The annual fairs and festivals which are held in

the oppressions of the Rákshavas, or demons; in other words, to drive out the Buddhist hierarchy, and re-establish the Brahmanical system in India.* From some cause or other the worship of Vishnu declined in Bengal; but it was modified and revived in the fifteenth century by a celebrated religious teacher named Choitunya. This eminent personage succeeded in reforming many religious and social abuses, and founded a sect of all classes without any distinction of caste; and in so doing continued the great work which was commenced by Joydeva about a century previously. The Bunniahs of Bengal chiefly belong to the sect of Choitunya, and acknowledge him as an incarnation of Krishna, without however adopting any of those ascetic habits which distinguish many of the Vaishnavas. The lay followers of Choitunya are merely initiated in the mantra, or invocation to deity, by their religious preceptors, who are called Gossains. These Gossains are descendants of Nityanunda, the coadjutor of Choitunya; and it was to this Nityanunda that Choitunya intrusted the task of spreading his religion, after his retirement from his spiritual labours. Up to the last generation these Gossains were held in great veneration; but in the present day they receive little respect excepting from Hindoo females, who must be regarded as the main preservers of superstitious ideas and usages amongst the more enlightened Hindoo community. The Gossains are otherwise called Gooroos, and as such are hereditary preceptors in a family. In the case of Bholanauth Chunder, the family of the old family Gooroo became altogether extinct, and no other Gooroo was selected, so that to this day the Baboo is without initiation. The Gossains

*For the proof of the above statements, the writer may be permitted to refer to his History of India passim. Vishnu has, in fact, appeared in nine incarnations, and there is a tenth yet to come; but the two specified in the text are the most important.

of Bengal are regarded as of divine origin, but they are not actually worshipped like those of Bombay and Guzerat, who are known as Marajas. The utmost respect that is paid to the Bengalee Gossains by their followers consists in taking and kissing the dust of their feet, but the younger females are not permitted to appear before them, and no scandals have arisen in the community like those which some years back obtained such unhappy notoriety in the Western Presidency. Whilst, however, Baboo Bholanauth Chunder, and the Bunniahs generally, are the sectarian worshippers of Vishnu in his incarnation as Krishna, they are Hindoos in every respect, and consequently as a sect, though not perhaps always as individuals, they believe in all the gods of the Hindoo Pantheon. Indeed, the lay members of the Vaishnava sect adore also Siva and Doorgá, as representatives of deity, quite as much as the lay members of the Saiva and Sakto sects, who worship Siva and Doorgá, pay their adorations to Krishna. Bholanauth Chunder complains, and with some show of reason, that it is common to tax young Bengal with the want of any religion, and with showing no active hatred of that idolatry which his education has taught him to despise and disbelieve. But Bholanauth Chunder asserts that this charge is contradicted by the movement that has been for some time in operation amongst educated natives, in favour of that monotheistic worship of spiritual deity known as Brahmoism, and by the fact that many enlightened Bengalees cherished a strong faith in that Deism which believes in the existence of God, but refuses to believe in any of the trammels or forms which are superstitiously regarded as a part of the religion. This is not the place for theological controversy. The present writer is simply desirous of explaining to European readers the religious ideas which are entertained by that class of Bengalees of whom our traveller is a type. Accordingly it will suffice to state that

Baboo Bholanauth Chunder is one of those Deists who believe in God, but who disbelieve in rites and forms; and who adore the Supreme Being, and simply recognize all the national gods of the Hindoos as the traditional deities of their forefathers. It might also be remarked as a significant fact connected with the social history of the Hindoos, that under the Mussulman rule the public worship of idols was generally suppressed; for wealth and idolatry were alike concealed from the eyes of the tyrannical and grasping Nabobs. Under the tolerant rule of the late Company the natives of Bengal displayed their wealth and brought out their idols without fear; and as they acquired new fortunes, so they added to the number of the idols in their households. In later times however wealth has been more generally diffused, and is obtained by steady industry rather than by lucky speculations, and consequently idolatry is going out of fashion, as it is popularly believed that fortunes are no longer to be obtained by propitiating the gods. Some ten or fifteen years ago at least five thousand images of Doorgá were annually made in Calcutta for the celebration of the Doorgá festival; but in the present year scarcely a thousand have been made in all Calcutta; and it was especially remarked that there was a great falling off in 1866, which was the memorable year of the famine.

Turning, however, to the individual subject before us, it may be remarked that the Baboo is thoroughly in earnest in his desire to extend his own views as regards religion and religious worship amongst his fellow-countrymen. In the present day, whilst superstitious ideas have begun to die out of the land, the number of pilgrims to sacred places and shrines has largely increased; as all the wealthier classes, and especially the females, avail themselves very considerably of the safe and speedy mode of travelling by the Rail, as an easy means for going on pilgrimage to Benares and Brindabun,

for the purpose of washing away their sins in a holy river. Accordingly the Baboo has made it his object in the following pages to interpret the various national legends and local traditions of the places he has visited, in such a way as to disabuse the minds of Native readers of the superstitious ideas which are at present connected with many of the localities. It is true that the narrative of his travels was also mainly intended for those who could read English; but the author contemplates publishing a translation in Bengalee for the special purpose above indicated.

The proficiency of Baboo Bholanauth Chunder in the English language has already been noticed; and it should now be remarked that he is deeply indebted for this proficiency to a distinguished poet and essayist, who was widely known in India twenty and thirty years ago under the initials of D. L. R. The productions of this gentleman were honoured with the praise of Macaulay, and his memory is still cherished by his pupils, although it has almost passed away from the present generation of Anglo-Indians. Captain David Lester Richardson held the post of Principal of the Hindoo College at Calcutta, and taught English literature to the two upper classes. At this institution Bholanauth Chunder received tuition for several years, and at that time it occupied the first place in the field of Native education. Indeed, it was the Hindoo College that first sent out those educated Natives, who became distinguished from their orthodox countrymen by the designation of Young Bengal.

Baboo Bholanauth Chunder was naturally familiar from his early years with several places on the river Hooghly in the neighbourhood of Calcutta, such as Penhatty, Khurdah, and Mahesh, which are remarkable for many religious reminiscences connected with the worship of Vishnu, and at which the most reputed Gossains have taken up their residence. The annual fairs and festivals which are held in