He then twists himself into a
great variety of shapes. Sometimes he sits on the floor, sometimes he
stands, sometimes he looks in one direction, sometimes in another. Then
he sprinkles the idol with holy water, rinses its mouth, washes its
feet, wipes it with a dry cloth, throws flowers over it, puts jewels on
it, offers perfumes to it, and finishes by performing shaashtaangkum.
The worship of the idol is succeeded by a season of carousing, joy, and
festivity. On this occasion, large offerings are made to the idols. A
rich native has been known to offer eighty thousand pounds of
sweetmeats, eighty thousand pounds of sugar, a thousand suits of cloth
garments, a thousand suits of silk, a thousand offerings of rice,
plantains, and other fruits.
Bloody sacrifices are offered up on such occasions. The king of Nudiya,
some time ago, offered a large number of sheep, goats, and buffaloes on
the first day of the feast, and vowed to double the offering every day;
so that the whole number sacrificed amounted to more than sixty-five
thousand. You may remember that king Solomon offered up on one occasion
twenty-two thousand oxen, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep.
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