NOTE 16. - Abraham Roger says of the Hindus of the Coromandel coast: "They
judge of lucky hours and moments also by trivial accidents, to which they
pay great heed. Thus 'tis held to be a good omen to everybody when the
bird Garuda (which is a red hawk with a white ring round its neck) or
the bird Pala flies across the road in front of the person from right to
left; but as regards other birds they have just the opposite notion.... If
they are in a house anywhere, and have moved to go, and then any one
should sneeze, they will go in again, regarding it as an ill omen," etc.
(Abr. Roger, pp. 75-76.)
NOTE 17. - Quoth Wassaf: "It is a strange thing that when these horses
arrive there, instead of giving them raw barley, they give them roasted
barley and grain dressed with butter, and boiled cow's milk to drink: -
"Who gives sugar to an owl or a crow?
Or who feeds a parrot with a carcase?
A crow should be fed with carrion,
And a parrot with candy and sugar.
Who loads jewels on the back of an ass?
Or who would approve of giving dressed almonds to a cow?"
- Elliot, III. 33.
"Horses," says Athanasius Nikitin, "are fed on peas; also on Kicheri,
boiled with sugar and oil; early in the morning they get shishenivo."
This last word is a mystery. (India in the XVth Century, p. 10.)
"Rice is frequently given by natives to their horses to fatten them, and a
sheep's head occasionally to strengthen them." (Note by Dr. Caldwell.)
The sheep's head is peculiar to the Deccan, but ghee (boiled butter) is
given by natives to their horses, I believe, all over India. Even in the
stables of Akbar an imperial horse drew daily 2 lbs. of flour, 1-1/2 lb.
of sugar, and in winter 1/2 lb. of ghee! (Ain. Akb. 134.)
It is told of Sir John Malcolm that at an English table where he was
present, a brother officer from India had ventured to speak of the sheep's
head custom to an unbelieving audience. He appealed to Sir John, who only
shook his head deprecatingly. After dinner the unfortunate story-teller
remonstrated, but Sir John's answer was only, "My dear fellow, they took
you for one Munchausen; they would merely have taken me for another!"
NOTE 18. - The nature of the institution of the Temple dancing-girls seems
to have been scarcely understood by the Traveller. The like existed at
ancient Corinth under the name of [Greek: Ierodouloi], which is nearly a
translation of the Hindi name of the girls, Deva-dasi.
