ns of the natives very commonly give way to the more
poetic and philosophic faith of the Hindus. In Gauhati the Hindus have
established a temple which attracts thousands of pilgrim worshipers from
all parts of Assam and indeed of India, as the pagoda of Mandalay
attracts pilgrims from all parts of Burma. The Gauhati temple, like that
at Mandalay, is set upon a beautiful hill not far from the town,
approached only by a long and stony climb, though with many a rest-house
on the way. This temple and its worship so illustrate Hinduism, that a
slight account of its origin and beliefs seems to be necessary.

The god Siva had a goddess for a wife. Displeased with her
unfaithfulness, he seized her, and with her as his captive he flew
through the air, and as he flew, he cut her in pieces. The middle
portion of her body fell to the earth on this hill, and consecrated
forever this spot near Gauhati. In the temple and grove of this hill the
goddess is worshiped by such rites as will please one of low and
licentious tastes. In fact, the rites of this temple are said to be the
most obscene of any in the British possessions. There are reputed to be
a thousand "virgins," who subsist in and upon the temple. The extent to
which they are virgins may be judged by the number of fatherless
children clinging to their robes or carried about. These "virgins," as
is well known, are "married to the god of the temple"--which may mean
married either to the priests of the temple, or to the worshipers of the
temple. I asked a missionary whether these "virgins," after their term
of service, could contract an ordinary marriage. I was answered that the
girls were "married to the temple for life." One of these unfortunate
women led by the hand a beautiful little daughter. On being asked who
the father was, the mother replied: "How should I know? I am a
temple-woman." So the gratification of illicit passion becomes a
religious act. The residents of Gauhati are free to visit the temple,
and so, alas! are the eight hundred students of the English college only
two miles away. Who can measure the corrupting influence of this temple
upon the lives of the people over a wide area in Assam?

A student of the college, who was also a priest of the temple, met one
of our party on his visit. This student-priest was a young man of more
than ordinary intelligence. He endeavored to palliate the evil of the
temple-worship, and to clothe its acts with spiritual significan