has access to the minds of men, and if people renounce the true God, worship other deities and demons, invoke them to enter into them, and then carefully observe the operations of their own minds to perceive the expected and desired influence, is it unreasonable to believe that such persons may really experience what they seek and desire? that they do really become possessed, or inspired by the devil or some of his demons, and that these beings have had a greater and more direct agency in originating and perpetuating idolatry and the various systems of superstition and false religion, which exist in the world, than is generally believed? And may not those who wrote the books containing these false religions, have had assistance, or inspiration much beyond what is generally ascribed to them?

IDOLS.

Idols are made of various materials, as gold, silver, brass, . stone, (black and white marble,) wood, clay, baked and dried, etc. They are of different materials and sizes, as may suit the means and convenience of the worshippers. They are intended to be in the form of the deities in whose worship they are to be used — to have the same shape the gods are described as having in their respective heavens. So some of the idols have several heads, many arms and hands, and eyes on different parts of them. These idols are made by any persons who have sufficient ingenuity and mechanical skill, as goldsmiths, sculptors, carpenters, potters, etc. These images are not regarded as fit to be worshipped till they have been consecrated. The consecration of the idol of a common village temple or of those kept in dwelling-houses, is performed by one or two brahmins without much ceremony. But the consecrating of large temples and the idols in them is celebrated with much ceremony, and great congregations of people assemble to join in them. The most learned brahmins are employed, and the rites are sometimes repeated and prolonged for several days. Among the rites are bathing the idols in milk, burning incense before them, invoking the god to take up his residence in them, etc. Bands of music are employed to extol the praises of the god, and when the image becomes, by the rites of consecration, a fit object to be worshipped, then all the people present begin to worship it.

In large temples and in sacred places idols are kept with great care, and no person of low caste is allowed to touch them, nor even enter the inclosure or yard surrounding them. They are often bathed in water from the Ganges or some other sacred place, and sometimes costly clothes and jewels are put upon them. Idols in common temples are kept with less care. These

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as well as idols set up in gardens, in fields, and in groves, are often exposed to any treatment that people may show them, but fear of being discovered and dread of the displeasure of the god generally preserve such idols and places from contempt and profanation.

TEMPLES.

The temples of India are of almost every size and form. They are not built to accommodate assemblies of people like churches, as there is no social prayer, nor praise, nor hearing instruction in their worship. The first and chief purpose of erecting a temple is to have a suitable place to contain the idol, the object to be worshipped. The space inclosed in the temples is generally large enough to allow the priest who has the charge of the idol, to walk around it. Sometimes the idol is placed near the wall opposite to the door. People of all classes except the lowest, go into many of the village temples scattered over the country, but only the brahmins are allowed to enter the largest temples and those which claim peculiar sanctity. At such places the other castes are allowed to come only to the door. In some temples the distance to which different castes are allowed to approach towards the idol is fixed in view of their supposed respective purity. Some of the temples have walls, and even several walls, one within another, surrounding them like the temple in Jerusalem. Some of these temples have more the appearance of forts than of places of worship, and in the former unsettled state of the country, they were often made places of refuge and defence. Temples of this character are now most frequently found in the southern parts of India.*

* The temple of Seringham, on an island in the river Coleroon, near Trichinopoly, is one of the largest in India. "It is composed of 7 square inclosures,

Many large and fortified temples were taken and destroyed by the Mohammedans in northern India in their early wars with the Hindus. Temples are generally of brick and stone, and are more substantially built than the dwelling-houses. Temples are often found in a state of good preservation among the ruins and rubbish of deserted villages and cities. In this way the Hindus show their respect for religion.

The temples have generally been erected by individuals. Sometimes the members of a family have united to erect one, and in some instances they have been erected by the native governments. Many temples have endowments. In the western part of India, a part of the revenue of the village is often appropriated to keeping one or more of the temples in repair, to lighting them and performing ceremonies in them on particular holidays. Wealthy individuals or families generally endow the temples they build. These endowments often consist of the rents of lands, sometimes of the whole or part of the rent of villages which belonged to the builders. Sometimes the builder and the people of the village or district would obtain an endowment from the government. In such cases whether the endowments are from individuals or from the government, the care of the temple is intrusted to some brahmin or brahmins and their families in succession, who are to receive the income of the endowments and in return are to keep the temple in repair, and to perform certain specified rites and services in it. It was regarded as the duty of the government to enforce the terms of such endowments. The brahmins and their successors were required to perform the duty for which the endowments were made, and were enabled to realize the income. Some such endowments were made several centuries ago and a large number of families are supported by them.

These endowed temples have sometimes a band of music

one within another, the walls of which are 25 feet high and 4 feet thick. These inclosures are 350 feet distant from one another, and each has 4 large gates with a high tower, which are placed one in the middle of each side of the inclosure, and opposite to the four cardinal points. The outward wall is nearly 4 miles in circumference, and its gateway to the south is ornamented with pillars, several of which are single stones 33 feet high, and nearly 5 feet in diameter, and those which form the roof are still larger." This temple has endowments to the amount of more than 20,000 dollars annually.

attached to them, who attend on festival days, and who also every morning at sunrise and again at sunset celebrate the praises of their god. I have seen many such temples, and in one instance the brahmins in charge wished to decorate me with flowers, and thus honoring me at the temple, then to accompany me with their band of music some distance on my way. This was on the Coromandel Coast, where I could but imperfectly use the language of the people, and it was some time before I could make them understand why I declined the honor they intended to show me.

Princes and wealthy people often have private temples in their gardens and parks. People often have a place in their houses, in which the idols they worship are placed. This place is sometimes a small room or closet or niche in the wall, in which several idols are placed. Sometimes a brahmin is employed to perform the daily rites of the idols, and sometimes some one of the household * will do it. The idols are often bathed, incense is burned, flowers and articles of food are offered, the worshipper joins his hands and bows his head or prostrates himself, repeats prayers, etc.

The worship, rites, etc., at some of these temples are such as might be expected from the character of their deities. The fol lowing is an extract from the author's journal written while at Jejury in 1833.

“Here is a celebrated temple of Khundoba, who is believed to be an incarnation of Sheva. His incarnation, it is believed, took place in this vicinity, and after accomplishing the object for which it was assumed, the god ascended to heaven from the top of a hill in front of the village. Hence this place became the principal seat of his worship. A work on India published some years ago contains the following description of this temple. 'It is built of fine stone, is situated on a high hill in a beautiful country, and has a very majestic appearance. Attached to it is an establishment of dancing girls amounting to 250 in number. This temple is very rich, £6,000 being annually expended on account of the idol, who has horses and elephants kept for him, and with his spouse is daily bathed in rose and Ganges water, although the latter is brought from a distance of more than

* See Judges, 17: 5, 12, 13.

1,000 miles.' Since this description was written the temple has apparently suffered somewhat in its revenues and popularity. The rites of idolatry, however, are still performed here with much parade and pomp. The 'dancing girls' are females who have been dedicated to the god, generally by their parents, though sometimes children have been purchased for this purpose. This dedication is made professedly in the fulfilment of vows, though the true reason sometimes is the inability of the parents to form marriage connections for their daughters. On arriving at a certain age the unhappy girl is brought to the temple, and in a prescribed form is dedicated and presented as an offering to the god. The customary ceremony of marriage is then performed between her and the idol, and this is the only marriage state she ever enters. This dedication to the god with the succeeding ceremony of marriage to the idol, is only an introduction to a life of prostitution, which is begun and followed without fear of sin or sense of shame on the part of the unhappy woman or of her connections; her dedication to the god, instead of requiring holiness of heart and life, becoming a reason why she may follow such a course without incurring infamy or guilt. A few of these women are employed in the temple, where they assist in performing the rites and ceremonies of worship, and as many as can find means of support, live in the village near the temple. But the greater part of them are scattered in the large villages and cities through the country and visit the idol only at the festivals. The number of this unhappy class who are thus introduced, we may say forced, into this course of prostitution and wretchedness for life without any choice or agency on their part is very large, and they spread around a pernicious influence.”

There are other temples similar in the character of their deities and the conduct of their votaries. Thus some people can be as wicked as they please, and yet be serving their gods. But in these practices the Hindus are not worse than ancient heathen nations: not worse than the Canaanites who were driven out of their country, or destroyed by the Hebrews; and not worse than the ancient Greeks and Romans. The gods of the Hindus are not worse than Bacchus, Venus, and Laverna, or than Moloch, Baal-peor, and Astarte. History shows that heathenism, in its deities, its practices, and its influence, has been essentially the same in all ages and in all nations.