s him down into the river, under the
following ceremonies: The Brahmin repeats a Sanscrit formula which is
called "Sankalpa," and which states that "the pilgrim N. N. on the day
X. of the month Y., and in the year Z., takes his bath in the sacred
water for the purpose and intention of cleansing himself from all sins
and frailties," after which the pilgrim immerses himself several times
under the water and rinses his mouth with a handful of it, after a few
minutes returning to the shore where he is at once surrounded by
peddlers who offer him flowers, milk and lean cows or goats for sale at
an exorbitant price. He always buys the flowers and the milk and offers
them to the river, and, if he has sufficient money, he buys a cow or a
goat and offers it to the Brahmin; but if his means are too limited the
latter must be content with the few coins the pilgrim can spare. Most of
them, however, have brought a handsome offering to the Brahmin, because
they regard the duty toward him just as important as the duty toward the
river god.

Then follows the "Shiadda" ceremony, consisting of an offering of cake,
sugar, plums and dainties to the ghosts of their deceased relatives;
next a banquet is spread before the Brahmins, the sacred places of the
vicinity are visited, offerings are made at most of these, and a present
called "vidagi" is made to the Brahmin who has attended to the spiritual
wants of the giver.

And now the object of the long and arduous journey is accomplished, the
pilgrimage, "tisthayatra," is successfully performed, and the cleansed
sinner stands ready to begin a new record of sin. He has been plundered
of his last penny, and, if he succeeds in reaching his distant home,
his neighbors and friends will look up to him as an exceptionally happy
being, and his own soul is filled with the hope of temporal and eternal
bliss.

Those who have reaped the pecuniary benefits of the pilgrimage are the
Brahmins and Fakirs, the former through offerings and the latter through
begging. They have filled their coffers and collected large herds of
cattle, and now they can lead a gay and happy life until the next Mela,
when they will again try to fan the dying embers of enthusiasm into a
flame by sending emissaries all over India for the purpose of convincing
the credulous populace that it is greatly to be feared that the Ganges
will soon lose its power of salvation, and that therefore as many as
possible ought to come next time, w