a feast poisoned him with all his
followers. After this tragedy, it happened that the daughter of
Kunjavati, the sister of Jhajhar and Hardaul, was about to be
married. Kunjavati accordingly sent an invitation to Jhajhar Singh,
requesting him to attend the wedding. He refused, and mockingly
replied that she had better invite her favourite brother Hardaul.
Thereupon she went in despair to his tomb and lamented aloud. Hardaul
from below answered her cries, and said that he would come to the
wedding and make all arrangements. The ghost kept his promise, and
arranged the nuptials as befitted the honour of his house.
Subsequently, he visited at night the bedside of Akbar, and besought
the emperor to command _chabutras_ to be erected and honour paid to
him in every village throughout the empire, promising that, if he
were duly honoured, a wedding should never be marred by storm or
rain, and that no one who first presented a share of his meal to
Hardaul should ever want for food. Akbar complied with these
requests, and since that time Hardaul's ghost has been worshipped in
every village. He is chiefly honoured at weddings and in Baisakh
(April-May), during which month the women, especially those of the
lower castes, visit his _chabutra_ and eat there. His chabutra is
always built outside the village. On the day but one before the
arrival of a wedding procession, the women of the family worship the
gods and Hardaul, and invite them to the wedding. If any signs of a
storm appears, Hardaul is propitiated with songs '(_J.A.S.B._, vol.
xliv (1875), Part I, p. 389). The belief that Hardaul worship and
cholera had been introduced at the same time prevailed in Hamirpur,
as elsewhere. The _chabutra_ referred to in the above extract is a
small platform built of mud or masonry.

8. The Hyphasis is the Greek name for the river Bias in the Panjab.
Holkar's flight into the Panjab occurred in 1805, and in the same
year the long war with him was terminated by a treaty, much too
favourable to the marauding chief. He became insane a few years
later, and died in 1811.

9. See note 2,_ante_.

10. Narsinghpur and Kandeli are practically one town. The Government
offices and houses of the European residents are in Kandeli, which is
a mile east of Narsinghpur. The original name of Narsinghpur was
Gadaria Khera. The modern name is due to the erection of a large
temple to Narsingha, one of the forms of Vishnu. The district of
Narsinghpur lies in