DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.640#0057
xliv INTRODUCTORY REMARKS
him owes his birth to the god of the winds. The dog, the jackal,
and ' a number of other animals, have also places among the
Hindoo deities, though they are not greatly honoured.
14. Worship of Birds. Giiroorii, the carrier of Vishnoo, half
a bird and half a man, has received deification, as well as his
brother Uroonii, the charioteer of Vishnoo. Jiitayoo, another
bird, the friend of Ramii, receives divine honours; as do the
eagle of Coromandel, (said to be an incarnation of Doorga,) the
wag-tail, the peacock, the goose, and the owl; but the honours
they receive are not of the highest kind.
15. Worship of Trees. The Hindoos do not seem ever to have
consecrated groves, but several trees they esteem sacred. Toolti-
see, a female raised to deity by Vishnoo, was7 cursed by Lukshmee,
his wife, in a fit of jealousy, and turned into the tree of this
name; which the Hindoos preserve with great care near their
houses, erect pillars to its honour1, esteem its leaves and wood
sacred, and with the latter make the beads with which they
repeat the names of their guardian deities. Several other trees
receive almost an equal homage: (see p. 263.) It is considered
as a great sin among the Hindoos for any member of a family
to cut down trees planted by an ancestor, and the misfortunes of
many a family have been ascribed to such an act of indiscretion.
16. River worship. The Hindoos not only reverence their
rivers, but actually worship them, dividing them into male and
female deities. But Gunga, (the Ganges,) both in their poems,
their pooraniis, and in the superstitious customs of the natives,
appears to rank highest among the river deities. She is declared
to have descended from Vishnoo's heaven, the anniversary of
which event is celebrated by particular festivities. The most
extravagant things are related in the pooraniis respecting the
* The heads of these pillars, which commonly open like a cup, are
filled with earth, and the plant is placed in them. ' The Romans and
Grecians,' says Potter, ', consecrated certain trees to their gods.'
him owes his birth to the god of the winds. The dog, the jackal,
and ' a number of other animals, have also places among the
Hindoo deities, though they are not greatly honoured.
14. Worship of Birds. Giiroorii, the carrier of Vishnoo, half
a bird and half a man, has received deification, as well as his
brother Uroonii, the charioteer of Vishnoo. Jiitayoo, another
bird, the friend of Ramii, receives divine honours; as do the
eagle of Coromandel, (said to be an incarnation of Doorga,) the
wag-tail, the peacock, the goose, and the owl; but the honours
they receive are not of the highest kind.
15. Worship of Trees. The Hindoos do not seem ever to have
consecrated groves, but several trees they esteem sacred. Toolti-
see, a female raised to deity by Vishnoo, was7 cursed by Lukshmee,
his wife, in a fit of jealousy, and turned into the tree of this
name; which the Hindoos preserve with great care near their
houses, erect pillars to its honour1, esteem its leaves and wood
sacred, and with the latter make the beads with which they
repeat the names of their guardian deities. Several other trees
receive almost an equal homage: (see p. 263.) It is considered
as a great sin among the Hindoos for any member of a family
to cut down trees planted by an ancestor, and the misfortunes of
many a family have been ascribed to such an act of indiscretion.
16. River worship. The Hindoos not only reverence their
rivers, but actually worship them, dividing them into male and
female deities. But Gunga, (the Ganges,) both in their poems,
their pooraniis, and in the superstitious customs of the natives,
appears to rank highest among the river deities. She is declared
to have descended from Vishnoo's heaven, the anniversary of
which event is celebrated by particular festivities. The most
extravagant things are related in the pooraniis respecting the
* The heads of these pillars, which commonly open like a cup, are
filled with earth, and the plant is placed in them. ' The Romans and
Grecians,' says Potter, ', consecrated certain trees to their gods.'