A new voyage to the East-Indies in the years 1690 and 1691 being a full description of the isles of Maldives, Cicos, Andamants, and the Isle of Ascention ... / by Monsieur Duquesne ; to which is added, a new description of the Canary Islands, Cape Verd, Senegal, and Gambia, &c. ; illustrated with sculptures, together with a new map of the Indies, and another of the Canaries ; done into English from the Paris edition.

CHAP. XXV.

An ample Description of the different sects, manners and religions of the Inhabitants of Pontichery.

I Have yet spoke only of the best sort in general, of whom there are several different in this Town; as the Moors, the Faquiras, the Brames, the heathen Malebars and Christian Male∣bars, the Talingars, the Marchois, and Barias.

They are as so many several Tribes, who never inter-marry, and whose Man∣ners and Religions differ from the Mar∣quoise and the Parias's the meanest and the basest, of them all; their Habitati∣ons are seperated from the rest; they go barefoot, wearing only a bit of linnen just to cover their nakedness, the Mar∣quoise follow fishing for the most part, and wear rush bonnets like miters, they make use of Chelingues, and Cati∣marons, and eat any thing that's of∣fer'd

them. The Parias are shoemakers, and the most infamous of all, the nastiest in their way of living, and eat the bodies of dead creatures tho' they died of sickness, not sparing the rotton stinking gutts, and are very vile and miserable, but the Brames and the Faquers are those who are most esteem'd.

The Brames are the Gentlemen, and only they are permitted to wear silk strings in bandaliers, and three lines on their faces, two white, and one red in the midple; their heads are shav'd, except a tufft which they leave on the top, they wear Muslin turbants, and commonly shirts of the same, with a delicate Callico, to touch which is a crime that deserves punishment a∣mongst them.

So that a French man one day ig∣norantly touching one that belong'd to a Brame, who was bathing himself, they came to the Fort in crowds to complain of him to Monsieur Martin, and to demand him in order to have justice done on him, they pretended he was burnt, so they were obliged to hide him, and after often remonstrat∣ing

to them, that what he had done, was out of ignorance not disrespect, they were at last appeas'd; they eat nothing that has life, neither flesh nor fish, nor so much as eggs, living on rice, Milk, Roots, and the like. They won't be so much as seen eating, and are so jealous of their honor, that they think it a great disgrace to enter into the house of a mean person.

These Brames, as all the rest, have a great Veneration for cows, and will not on any account suffer them to be kild; being so useful to mankind by their work and labour; and when our men kill any, they are forc't to do it in private, for fear of provoking these Idolaters, who on the tenth of Jan. the first day of their year, celebrate a feast in honor of them.

On these days after feasting them∣selves they lead all the cows and oxen into a lake, where they wash them by the sound of drums and the trumpets, and paint their foreheads and horns; after which they lead them to a pub∣lick place, and each holding a nose∣gay in his hand, they dance round casting water on them, and often

prostrating themselves on the Ground the Brames direct these ceremonies; and glory in being the most zealous observers of these sort of superstitions. And are the instructors of others.

The name of their Idol is Ram, and when they salute any one with respect, they call him by that name. For they not only worship this sup∣pos'd Divinity, but the rest of the Statues, which they believe serve him; they carry them about on sollemn days; some have eight and some four heads on a body, siting on a bird, that holds a serpent in his Beeck.

Others squatting on their tails like Monkies, have the head of an Elephant, and belly of a woman; they pray to them often, and are careful of washing their heads with Coco water, and rubing the rest of their bodies with oyl.

If you inquire into the reason of their sensless Superstitions and ridicu∣lous follies they readily answer, that they received them from their Ancest∣ors, in whose Example they Glory in, without the least desire of being better inform'd.

The Faquirs of Ponticheri, as at o∣ther places, are persons of no certain body, who wander up and down doing pennance, and that little cloath∣ing they weare is so wretchedly poor, they vow chastity, and voluntary po∣verty, and when Alms is denied them, they wound themselves, to move com∣passion.

As for the first Vow of Chastity, they have little pretence to it, and the very opinion the people have of their sanct∣ity, is the occasion of the most loath∣some obscenities in the Female Sex.

However these Faquirs impose pe∣nances on themselves, which they in∣violably observe as long as they live, viz. as to have both their arms always rais'd above their heads, one foot con∣stantly lifted up, and a great many other painful postures, which they continue in to their deaths. I saw one with his head in an Iron cage, which he carri'd night and day on his shoul∣ders, eating through the barrs; these wretches, as well as others, paint their bodies and faces of a great many dif∣ferent colours, which makes them look dismally.

Tho' their superstitious Rites are for the most part the same, yet they wor∣ship a great many several false Gods, as Trees, Rivers, the Sun and Moon, &c. In an Eclipse they meet by the sea side, crying out hideously to the noise of some instruments of brass, bathing themselves, and believing that as they wash themselves, they clear and brighten the eclips'd planet. They burn the bodies of the dead, and be∣fore the French settled at Ponticheri, these men's wives in proof of their con∣jugal love and fidelity, burnt them∣selves alive with the corps of their de∣ceas'd husbands; but we afterwards chang'd this custom amongst them, and indeed 'twas no very difficult mat∣ter to perswade them to it, being ready enough to embrace an oppor∣tunity of being releas'd.

When any one dies, they carry the Corps on a Beer, cover'd with Callico, and strow'd round with Bannany Leaves, to the Place where it is to be burnt; attended with a Mournful sound of Trumpets, their Relations meeting them by the way crying out, aloud Apa, which is as much as to say, Fa∣ther;

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Jumping and beating their breasts with so much Violence, that they often faint away in the Ceremony, while the rest of his kindred stay be∣hind to comfort his Children, &c.

When they are near the funeral pile, they set down the Beer, to change the situation of the body; placing the head where the feet were; after which, one of the company, who never ceast crying all the way, having washt his hands, lays three small quantities of Rice on the Funeral pile; and taking four little pieces of wood, and putting one on each hand, a third at his feet, and a fourth at his head: He after∣wards makes three holes in a pot full of water, and sprinkles round the corps three times. When they pre∣sently take it up, and carry it to the place where it is design'd to be burnt.

Then they lay it on the Funeral pile, the face to the wood, and the legs crost under the belly, and after covering it with straw and cows dung, which they spread over it very neatly, they set fire to it; blowing the Trum∣pet till the Corps is quite consum'd;

and the pots in which the water and Rice was carried, they beat to pow∣der with sticks.

But if the Corps is to be interr'd, the grave is made with steps to go down, and a rising at the bottom, on which it is seated cross leg'd; the relations strew flowers and ashes on't, and then cover it with earth.

The Mallebar Christians have built a fine vaulted Church, in which the Missionaries of Ponticheri commonly officiate, and where the Jesuits say Mass; I have seen the Negros so de∣vout, that it very much edify'd me to see their Zeal to be so solemn and pure.

Flesh is very little us'd amongst these people, particularly here; where they live wholly on rice and fish; they won't eat or drink after an European; much less tast of what he has drest, These Malabars may marry at the age of four or five, but then they are separ∣ated again till eleven or twelve; when they are permitted to dwell to∣gather.

While I was a shoar the marriage of a rich merchant, who serv'd the

Company, was sollemm'zd, and after this manner; two Bambouss were plac'd at each corner of the Fort, encompass'd of the out side with fireworks; in the evening he came fourth, according to custom with his wife, in a rich Palan∣quin, carried by twelve Negros, pre∣ceded by two hundred Flamboys rank'd in very good order; their nearest Re∣lations accompany'd them a horseback, and of all sides was continually heard the confus'd noise of Fifes, drums and Kettle-drums; ten or twelve dan∣cers richly drest follow'd them, danc∣ing from space to space to the sound of little bells; and when the married persons past before the Bambouss that were prepar'd, the fire works were lighted, which were so inter∣mix'd with Petars and Musquets, that they made them entertaining enough.

This Solemnity having lasted a good part of the night, they regaild them∣selves with Bethel, Chocolet, Bannanes, and made themselves drunk with Rack, which is stronger then Aquavitae, and very much in use amongst the Indi∣ans,

as is Bethel, a leaf very like the Ivy, which they eat, after spreading a little Lime on't, made red with ginger, lapt up in a piece of Raique resembling Musk; this is of an excellent tast and smell, and serves to redden the lips, and sweeten the breath.

The women, for the most part, all along the coast are hard favour'd, and go barefoot and bareheaded like the men, from whom 'tis difficult to di∣stinguish them; only for a piece of cotton cloath which covers them from the navel to the knee; they wear their hair lank, very much oyl'd and greas'd, with holes in their ears, that an egg would almost pass throw; and black lank breasts, with nipples al∣most as big as an Apple; they carry their children on their hips, their legs dangling on each side. I have seen of them that were not above four months old creeping on the sand on all four, and muddling like Ducks in the water.

They smoak perpetually, and with∣out scruple indulge themselves in the vilest lusts, and so readily prostitute their Bodies on all occasions, that

their lusts exceed all other qualificati∣ons.