Abstract
The Lime, Rice-Straw, and Convolvulus in India.—Magical and other practices in India in which the lime, rice-straw, and the convolvulus play a part are discussed by Mr. R. B. Enthoven in Folklore, vol. 43, pt. 1. It is customary for village officials to offer two or three limos to a British official when he visits their district. This is more than a compliment; it is a widespread use in driving away evil influences. A lime stuck on the end of a knife is a well-known spirit-scarer. Recently its use in connexion with the Bombay rite of muth marana has been noted. The exorcist prepares an image of wheat flour and worships it. A lime pierced by a number of thorns or pins is placed before it, and as water mixed with molasses is poured over the face of the image, the lime gradually fades away. It goes to the man whom it is desired to kill and strikes him in the chest. Ho falls to the ground vomiting blood. In the Central Provinces, it has been noted of late by police officials investigating cases of suspicious death, that a lime is frequently found by the body, especially where poison is suspected. Rico-straw tied in a bundle to an object, in the Rathnagiri district, prevents interference with it when it is the subject of a legal dispute. From this spell release can be obtained only by an appeal to the deity, who must grant a sign of his decision on the matter. The interest of the convolvulus lies in the fact of its close connexion with certain of the castes of the Deccan and Konkan. Although they differ in occupation and widely in social status, these castes have the convolvulus as their common devak, that is, an object of worship, which they must protect. It is a bar to marriage between all members of these castes.
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Research Items. Nature 129, 656–658 (1932). https://doi.org/10.1038/129656a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/129656a0