V ar ie tie s or.
“ by the Perfians,. Dervifl}, or Sof, and by the Indians, Se-
“ naffey. In this lingular clafs of men,, who,, in Hindoojian,
“ defpife every, fpecies- of clothing, there are a number of
“ enthufiafts, but a. far fuperior proportion o f knaves;, every
“ vagabond of abilities who has an averfion to labor, being re~
“ ceived into a fraternity which is regulated by laws of an un-
“ common and fecret nature. The Hindoos view them with a
“ wonderful refpeit, not only on account- o f their fanitified re-
“ putation, but from a fubitantial dread o f their power; the:
“ Fakeer pilgrimages confifting often of many, thoufands of
“ naked faints, who exadt wherever, they, pafs a! general tribute,
“ and their charadter is too facred for the civil power to take
“ cognizance o f their conduit. Every invention, in a word, o f
“ perverted ingenuity is exhauited in diftorting and deforming.
“ nature, ibme, of the moft elevated enthuliafm, ftriking oif even
“ their own heads on great folemnities*. as a, facrifice to the
“ Ganges, which, they, worfhip; i f the nerves of the felf-devoted
“ viitim are powerful enough to difmember it completely, he
“ unqueitionably goes to heaven, i f not, his former fandiity is-
“ queftioned, and his future happinefs remains a doubt.”
In the frontifpiece to volume i. I have given figures o f two
of this clafs.. The firft, with great length of hair, is one o f
the felf-tormentors who are mentioned at p. 306, and who prac-
tife the moft unheard o f aufterities. Thefe are the enthufiafts
which bear the name of Togeys: others: I have feen named
SaniaJJes, or Pilgrims; but Mr. Craufurd makes them fynoni-
mous with the former. The other figure I have given in the
fame
309
fame plate,, is oneofthofe which are called in General Goddard's
march,,fee p. 19a o f this volume, Pandurams. Their manners
are. defcribed there; more fully in Dow's Feri/hta, i. Introd.
p. xxxiii. The figure well exprefles the form of what Mr. Dow
calls- one : of the army of robuft faints. They go quite naked,
excepting the concealment of certain parts in a purfe, tied by a
firing which goes round the waift. Their hair is ihort, except
before,,where it is drawn up, and.tied in a bunch on the top o f
the head. Their beards are long : over their ihoulders are
flung two-beaded firings which hang before, and appear to be
badges of fandtity. The Togeys wear the fame, but the upper
firing con lifts of larger beads. They carry a. long ftick with a
trident at the end,, and a fort of baiket to contain any neceffa-
r.ies.
T h e r e is another kind of Faquir o f a more dignified order : G h o s s a in F a .
thofe are the Ghojfain Faquirs. They bear a very refpedtable (y,IRS'
appearance, and wear an . elegant looie cloathing. which reaches
the ground. Their arms are covered to the wrifis with clofe
fleeves,; a fcarf.'falls from their ihoulders to their feet: one
part is flung, gracefully over one.lhoulder : , on their head is a
ipecies of conic turband.. In one hand they ufually carry a
firing of great Beads, in the other a long flight ftick; thefe, as
well as the other Faquirs, are very commercial. Mr. Bogie * •
found fome in Thibet, who bring from thé fea coafts, to the interior
parts, pearls, corals, fpices,. and other pretious articles of
fmall bulk, which they exchange for muik, gold duft,.and other,
things of fmall bulk, which they can conceal'in their cldaths.
i j p j l
* Phil...Tranf. vol. Ixvii. p../
TiHK.