Manchurian Books

But, when I came
nearer to one of the people, that I might see these pictures better,
what did I discover there? Perhaps a beautiful Madonna!--a fair-
haired angel's head!--an enthusiastic Antonio of Padua! Ah no! I
was met by the eight-armed god Shiva grinning at me, the ox's head
of Vishnu, the long-tongued goddess Kalli. The amulets contained,
most probably, some of the ashes of one of their martyrs who had
been burned, or a nail, a fragment of skin, a hair of a saint, a
splinter from the bone of a sacred animal, etc.
13th February. Dr. Rolland conducted me to the little town of
Kesho-Rae-Patum, one of the most sacred in Bunda and Rajpootan. It
lies on the other side of the river, six miles from Kottah. A great
number of pilgrims come here to bathe, as the water is considered
particularly sacred at this spot. This belief cannot be condemned,
when it is remembered how many Christians there are who give the
preference to the Holy Maria at Maria-Zell, Einsiedeln, or Loretto,
which, nevertheless, all represent one and the same.


Pages:
551 552 553 554 555 556 557 558 559 560 561 562 563 564 565 566 567 568 569 570 571 572 573 574 575