Note 58 — The Sixteenth New Year’s Feast after the Auspicious Accession

After going round the fort I went to see the temple of Durgā, which is known as Bhawan.58 A world has here wandered in the desert of error. Setting aside the infidels whose custom is the worship of idols, crowds on crowds of the people of Islam, traversing long distances, bring their offerings and pray to the black stone (image). Near the temple, and on the slope of the hill there is a sulphur-mine (kān), and its heat causes flames to continually burst forth. They call it Jwālā Mukhī59 (Flame-Face or Burning Mouth), and regard it as one of the idol’s miracles. In fact, Hindus, while knowing the truth,60 deceive the common people. Hindus say61 that when the life of Mahādeo’s wife came to an end and she drank the draught of death, Mahādeo, in his great love and attachment to her, took her dead body on his back, and went about the world carrying her corpse. When some time had passed in this manner, her form dissolved and dropped asunder, and each limb fell in a different place: they give honour and dignity to the place according to the dignity and grace of the member. As the breast, which when compared with other members has the greatest dignity, fell in this place, they hold it more precious than any other. Some maintain that this stone, which is now a place of worship for the vile infidels, is not the stone which was there originally, but that a body of the people62 of Islam came and carried off the original stone, and threw it into the bottom of the river, with the intent that no one could get at it. For a long time the tumult of the infidels and idol-worshippers had died away in the world, till a lying brahman hid a stone for his own ends, and going to the Raja of the time said: “I saw Durgā in a dream, and she said to me: ‘They have thrown me into a certain place: quickly go and take me up.’” The Raja, in the simplicity of his heart, and greedy for the offerings of gold that would come to him, accepted the tale of the brahman, and sent a number of people with him, and brought that stone, and kept it in this place with honour, and started again the shop of error and misleading. But God only knows!