caste, was born from the sweat of Brahma while
dancing. He chanced to offend the irritable sage Durvasa, who sent a
pretty Brahman widow to allure him into a breach of chastity. Muchiram
accosted the widow as mother, and refused to have anything to do
with her; but Durvasa used the miraculous power he had acquired by
penance to render the widow pregnant so that the innocent Muchiram
was made an outcaste on suspicion. From her two sons are descended
the two main branches of the caste in Bengal."

3. Art among the Hindus

In the Central Provinces the term Mochi is often used for the whole
caste in the northern Districts, and Jingar in the Maratha country;
while the Chitrakars or painters form a separate group. Though the
trades of cobbler and book-binder are now widely separated in civilised
countries, the connection between them is apparent since both work
in leather. It is not at first sight clear why the painter should
be of the same caste, but the reason is perhaps that his brushes are
made of the hair of animals, and this is also regarded as impure, as
being a part of the hide. If such be the case a senseless caste rule
of ceremonial impurity has prevented the art of painting from being
cultivated by the Hindus; and the comparatively poor development of
their music may perhaps be ascribed to the same cause, since the use
of the sinews of animals for stringed instruments would also prevent
the educated classes from learning to play them. Thus no stringed
instruments are permitted to be used in temples, but only the gong,
cymbal, horn and conch-shell. And this rule would greatly discourage
the cultivation of music, which art, like all the others, has usually
served in its early period as an appanage to religious services. It
has been held that instruments were originally employed at temples and
shrines in order to scare away evil spirits by their noise while the
god was being fed or worshipped, and not for the purpose of calling
the worshippers together; since noise is a recognised means of driving
away spirits, probably in consequence of its effect in frightening wild
animals. It is for the same end that music is essential at weddings,
especially during the night when the spirits are more potent; and
this is the primary object of the continuous discordant din which
the Hindus consider a necessary accompaniment to a wedding.

Except for this ceremonial strictness Hinduism should have been
favourable to the de