Storia do Mogor 278: Trimbak Hill.

278

This village Trimbak is situated at the foot of a high hill. At the top is a gloomy cavity full of water. In the rains this overflows, and running down the hill, forms a stream twenty feet wide, which passes close to the village. It is walled in on both sides with stone. Lower down it becomes wider, and thence this river continues its course until it joins the sea between Masulipatam and the island of Diva. It is a rather large stream with very sweet running water. Its name is the Kishna. In the village is a temple, into which I went from curiosity. I saw various figures of idols, and outside the gate of the temple were two stones, one on the top of the other, like millstones. I noticed next day that men and women came, having some object in their mind, and placed their hand on the stone. They waited for the devil to move it and show them what they wanted to know. If it moved towards the right, they were pleased, and entered the temple to render thanks ; if it turned to the left, they were disconsolate, supposing that things [449] would not turn out well with them, and they quitted the spot in dejection. Out of curiosity I resolved to see in what consisted this miracle. I remarked that the under stone was somewhat oval and the upper one concave, smooth, and covered with oil. Thus, hardly had you placed your hand on it when the slightest movement made it turn a little. In this way these simple and stupid folk, not recognising this fact, were bamboozled.