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Article CEREMONY OF A GENTOO WOMAN Page 1 of 3 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Ceremony Of A Gentoo Woman
CEREMONY OF A GENTOO WOMAN
DEVOTING HERSELF ON THE FUNERAL PILE OF PIER DEAD HUSBAND .
From "C AMPBELL ' Journey over Land to INDJ A , " just Published . THE place fixed upon for this tragic scene was a small islet on the bank of one of the branches of the river Cavery , about a mile to the northward ofthe fort of Tanjore . When 1 came to the spot , I found the victim , who appeared to
be not above sixteen , sitting on the ground , dressed in the Gentoo manner , with a White cloth wrapped round her , some white flowers like jessamins hanging round her neck , and some of them hanging ' from her hair . There were about twenty women sitting on their , hams round her , holding a white handkerchief ) extended horizontally over her headto shade her from the sunwhich was excessively hot
, , , it being then about noon . At about twenty yards from where she was sitting , and facing her , there were several Bramins' busy in constructing a pile with billets of fire wood : the pile was about eight feet long and four broad . They first began by driving some upright stakes into the ground , and then built up the middle to about the height of three feet and a half
with billets ' of wood . The dead husband , who , from his appearance , seemed to be about sixty years of age , was lying close by , stretched put on a bier made of bamboo canes . Four Bramins walked in procession three times round the dead body , first in a direction contrary to the sun , and afterwards other three times in a direction with the sun , all the
while muttering incantations ; and at each round or circuit they made , they untwisted , and immediately again twisted up the small long lock of hair which is left unshaven at the back of their heads . Some other Bramins were in the mean time employed in sprinkling water out of a green leaf , rolled up like a ' ciip . ' upon a small heap ' of cakes of dry cow dung ; with which the pile was afterwards to be set on fire .
An old Bramin sat at the north-east corner of the pile upon his hams , with a pair of spectacles on , reading , I ' suppose , the Shaster , or their scriptures , from a book composed of Cajan leaves . Having been present now nearly an hour , 1 inquired when they meant to set the pile on fire : they answered in about two hours . As this spectacle was most melancholy , and ' naturally struck me with horrorand as 1 had only gone there to assure myself of the truth of
, such sacrifices being made , I went away towards the fort . ' After I was gone about five huudied yards , they " sent some one to tell me they would burn immediately ; on which I returned , and found the woman fiad been moved from where she was sitting to the river , where the
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Ceremony Of A Gentoo Woman
CEREMONY OF A GENTOO WOMAN
DEVOTING HERSELF ON THE FUNERAL PILE OF PIER DEAD HUSBAND .
From "C AMPBELL ' Journey over Land to INDJ A , " just Published . THE place fixed upon for this tragic scene was a small islet on the bank of one of the branches of the river Cavery , about a mile to the northward ofthe fort of Tanjore . When 1 came to the spot , I found the victim , who appeared to
be not above sixteen , sitting on the ground , dressed in the Gentoo manner , with a White cloth wrapped round her , some white flowers like jessamins hanging round her neck , and some of them hanging ' from her hair . There were about twenty women sitting on their , hams round her , holding a white handkerchief ) extended horizontally over her headto shade her from the sunwhich was excessively hot
, , , it being then about noon . At about twenty yards from where she was sitting , and facing her , there were several Bramins' busy in constructing a pile with billets of fire wood : the pile was about eight feet long and four broad . They first began by driving some upright stakes into the ground , and then built up the middle to about the height of three feet and a half
with billets ' of wood . The dead husband , who , from his appearance , seemed to be about sixty years of age , was lying close by , stretched put on a bier made of bamboo canes . Four Bramins walked in procession three times round the dead body , first in a direction contrary to the sun , and afterwards other three times in a direction with the sun , all the
while muttering incantations ; and at each round or circuit they made , they untwisted , and immediately again twisted up the small long lock of hair which is left unshaven at the back of their heads . Some other Bramins were in the mean time employed in sprinkling water out of a green leaf , rolled up like a ' ciip . ' upon a small heap ' of cakes of dry cow dung ; with which the pile was afterwards to be set on fire .
An old Bramin sat at the north-east corner of the pile upon his hams , with a pair of spectacles on , reading , I ' suppose , the Shaster , or their scriptures , from a book composed of Cajan leaves . Having been present now nearly an hour , 1 inquired when they meant to set the pile on fire : they answered in about two hours . As this spectacle was most melancholy , and ' naturally struck me with horrorand as 1 had only gone there to assure myself of the truth of
, such sacrifices being made , I went away towards the fort . ' After I was gone about five huudied yards , they " sent some one to tell me they would burn immediately ; on which I returned , and found the woman fiad been moved from where she was sitting to the river , where the