Home › Contents › Strange Hindoo Gods
Strange Hindoo Gods
INDOOISM, or Brah- people love him, but because they fear minism, is the pre- him. They think that if they neglect to vailing religion pay him a proper amount of reverence among the people of and respect, he will bring some kind of India, though there suffering or misfortune upon them; so for are also a great num- this reason they treat him just as we ber of Mohammedans should treat a little child or a weakas well. Brahm, after minded person. They make him presents whom the religion is named, is by way of bribing him to be kind to them. the chief of many other of their The image of this god Siva is a horrible gods; but although he is so thing. He is seated on a bull, and has great, their idea is that he is in round his neck a chain made of skulls a long deep sleep; therefore and snakes. they do not pray to him; because His wife is the goddess Kali, whose greatest pleasure consists in the shedding of human blood. they think he would not hear them.
The next of their gods is Brahma, the creator of all things, and to him they do not pray very much either, because they say, as everything is made, Brahma can- better; they were ignorant. They felt not do much more for them. that there must be some power greater "Strange gods indeed these are to worship;" but the poor creatures knew no After Brahma is Vishnu, the great pre- than themselves, and not knowing what server. The Hindoos have an idea that it was, they made images and worshipped when any form of trouble comes upon them. them, such as a fever, a plague, or a The god Brahma is represented as ridfamine, Vishnu pays them a visit, in ing on a goose, and Vishnu is seated upon order that he may restore happiness to a strange animal that is half man and his human creatures. But he does not half bird. make his appearance as a god; he comes All this image-worship is really the to them in the form of some animal, or continuation of the idolatry practised by perhaps as a man. Once he came as a thief, and twice as a warrior; and some day in the distant future they think he will come as a mighty king, riding on a white horse. the very early native tribes who had in. numerable gods, more than we could possibly mention; and into this Hindoo religion, which is much better than that of the old Pagans, the worship of idols gradually made its way.
Another great god of theirs is Siva, the destroyer, who is worshipped almost You have all heard of the horrible Car more than any other god; not because the of Juggernaut. It is an immense moving tower, which stands in the temple, on ence, is a great ugly wooden image, with the coast of Orissa. Once a year this an immense mouth, that always has the huge affair is brought out, and drawn by appearance of being smeared with blood. pilgrims to the country-house of the god The ugly object is carefully lifted into Vishnu, and then back again to its place. the car, and taken for its ride by its "Juggernaut" means the Lord of the bearers with great delight. The whole World. Until the last few years a num- affair is tremendously heavy, so that when ber of the poor creatures used to throw once it is started on its course, it is only themselves under its wheels, and thus stopped with very great difficulty. The allow themselves to be crushed to death; people shout and sing and dance as it but now the British Government has put passes along; even the little black chila stop to such horrible cruelty. dren, who don't understand what all the The idol of Juggernaut itself, which stir is about, join in the merriment as the Hindoos regard with intense rever- heartily as the older people. T
