(kunkuma), and flowers, besides a kind of garland made of leaves of the mango tree. As Kunkuma is much used in worship, and in all kinds of Hindu ceremonies, in which women are associated, it may be as well to mention here that it is a red powder made of turmeric, alum, and lime juice. Worship is then actually performed to the wood by repeating certain prayers, and sprinkling it with sandal paste and coloured rice. The following are specimens of slokams or prayers on such occasions: 1. द्वारशाखा: सुसंबद्धा वास्तुशास्त्रविधानतः । 2. हरिद्राकुमैः पुष्पे: चिरकालं सुखं स्थित्वा अस्मान्पालयतानिशं ॥ 3. एवं संस्थाप्य द्वाराणि नमस्कारप्रदक्षिणैः । गृहसौख्यमवाप्नोति आयुष्यारोग्यमुत्तमं ॥ 1. O door frame, with parts fitted tightly together, According to Vastushastra rule. Do thou, being fixed in this house, 2. With saffron, turmeric, flowers, 3. Thus having fixed the door frame With clasped hands and circumambulations, Home happiness he (the householder) will receive, The next religious ceremony takes place when the ridge-plate is put into position; this too being worshipped in much the same way as the door frame. Whilst lying upon the ground, across two pieces of timber, it is_adorned with saffron, and flowers, and garlands, and worship is done to it, after which it is. put into position. The following are specimens of the prayers used ; 1. Oridge-plate, support of the house, Do thou cause continued prosperity. 2. Without thee the building of a dwelling, Do thou, being well fastened together, As a well is a very necessary adjunct to a house, and a very important one too, from a Hindu point of view, it is not to be wondered at that when the well is dug there should be a religious ceremony, both at the commencement and also at the completion of the undertaking. Before the digging is commenced, prayers are repeated to the earth, which is considered to be a goddess (bhudevi), and also to Varuna, the god of all kinds of water. At the completion of the work, and before the water can be used, a dedicatory ceremony is performed much in the following manner. The mouth of the well is adorned with saffron and the coloured powder kunkuma; a patch of ground near the well is prepared and purified by smearing it with cow-dung and adorning it with lines made of rice powder. Upon this patch of earth is placed a lump of saffron which is supposed to represent Ganesha, under the name of Vinayaka, or the remover of obstacles. Worship is then performed to this by the master of the house, instructed by the attendant family priest in the usual manner. A small lamp fed with ghee is lighted, and incense is put upon some live coals of fire; and while the lamp is burning and the incense rising up, flowers and sandal paste and coloured rice are dropped over the supposed god, whose various names are repeated by the worshipper. Tambulam (betel) is placed near the god, together with one or two coins (dakshina) which become the fee of the priest; and the worship is concluded by the waving of burning camphor, and making obeisance with closed hands (nāmaskāram). Tambulam, it may be explained, is betel-leaf and areca nut made up into a small parcel, ready to put into the mouth. A little slaked lime is added before use. The masticating of this compound seems to be much enjoyed, but the red colour it imparts to the mouth and lips is far from pleasant from an European point of view. This little luxury, however, is partaken of at the termination of every meal, and no important transaction, or any religious rite can be complete without it. The god Varuna is then worshipped in much the same manner, by dropping some of the above said things into the well itself; the tambulam, however, with the coins, is placed in the hands of the priest, and the whole is concluded with the usual obeisance. During the dropping of the things into the well, the priest repeats the following prayer-the householder following him according to his ability : जलाधिराज वरुण कूपेऽस्मिन्सन्निधिं कुरु | त्वत्प्रसादान्महाभाग सुखिनस्स्याम सर्वदा ॥ O Varuna, thou ruler of the waters, Enough has been said to give a fairly clear idea of the various ceremonies performed at the building of a Hindu dwelling house. In the next chapter we shall describe the principal architectural features, and general arrangements of the house, as well as the ceremonies necessary before a newly built dwelling can be occupied. CHAPTER II. THE HINDU HOME.-(Continued.) गृहम्. (Gruham.) Try building a house; try making a marriage. (Telugu proverb.) In this chapter we shall attempt to give some general idea of the architecture, and general arrangements of a Hindu dwelling; but it must be understood that we are speaking, particularly, of an ordinary Hindu house, as it is in the Circars. The style of the building may, and does, differ very much in the widely distant parts of this vast country, and amongst different races and religions, still there are some main principles pervading all Hindu domestic architecture, in parts however remote they may be; hence some general idea may be gathered from this description of a Hindu home. The chief feature in the building is that it must be in the form of a square, with an opening to the sky in the centre. The roof slopes outward and inward, and the inner sides all converge around a rectangular open space, larger or smaller, as the case may be. In large well built houses this central open space will form a regular court-yard, whilst in smaller buildings, it will be so small that the vacant space, where the roof converges, is only a few inches square, and the floor underneath it a mere depression in the earth large enough to catch the rainfall from the roof. In very large houses there may be two of these courts, but in all of them the principle is the same. The origin of this is not very clear, and different reasons are given for it. Some say it is in order that the sun's rays may shine into the house. As it was put by a Brahmin friend, just as it is necessary that there should be some gold, if even a speck, worn on the body, so it is necessary for |