Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies - DUBOIS, Abbé Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies, Dubois | Page 643

SHOES PRESENTED TO AN IDOL
employed
603
performance of the religious ceremonies
Those
erovvd of pilgrims never abates.
from the South who go on a pilgrimage to Kasi, or Benares,
always take the Jagannath (Puri) road up the coast in
order to offer en route their respectful homage to its pre-
siding deity.
Those from the North who go to the temple
of Rameswaram, which is situated on a small island near
Cape Comorin, also take this road
I have made mention elsewhere of a tank or reservoir of
sacred water which is found at Kumbakonani in Tanjore,
and which possesses the virtue once in every twelve years
of purifying all those who bathe in it from all spiritual
and corporal infirmities and from all sins committed during
manjr generations. When the time for this easy means of
absolution draws nigh, an almost incredible number of
pilgrims flock to the spot from all parts of India.
At Palni, in Madura, there is a famous temple con-
secrated to the god Velayuda, whose devotees bring offer-
in the
of the temple.
The
]
.
ings of a peculiar kind, namely large sandals, beautifully
ornamented and similar in shape to those worn by the
Hindus on their feet. The god is addicted to hunting, and
these shoes are intended for his use when he traverses the
Such
jungles and deserts in pursuit of his favourite sport.
shabby gifts, one might think, would go very little way
towards filling the coffers of the priests of Velayuda.
Nothing of the sort Brahmins always know how to reap
Accordingly the new sandals are
profit from anything.
rubbed on the ground and rolled a little in the dust, and
are then exposed to the eyes of the pilgrims who visit the
temple. It is clear enough that the sandals must have
:
been worn on the divine feet of Velayuda and they
become the property of whosoever pays the highest price
;
such holy relics.
does not enter into my calculations to offer a complete
account of all the extravagant absurdities which abound
in the idolatrous worship of the Hindus, or of all the tricks
and subterfuges, more or less clumsy, by means of which
for
It
the hypocritical and crafty priests foster the faith of the
1
The temple of Jagannath being one of the most celebrated in India,
have given in Appendix VI some details about the myths and tradi-
Dubois.
tions relating to its origin.
I