A History of Assam c9.22

c9.22

The religion of the Chutiyas was a curious one. They worshipped various forms of Kālī with the aid, not of Brāhmans, but of their tribal priests or Deoris. The favourite form in which they worshipped this deity was that of Kesāi Khāti, "the eater of raw flesh," to whom human sacrifices were offered. After their subjugation by the Ahoms, the Deoris were permitted to continue their ghastly rites; but they were usually given for the purpose, criminals who had been sentenced to capital punishment. Failing them, victims were taken from a particular clan, which in return was accorded certain privileges. The person selected was fed sumptuously, until he was in sufficiently plump condition to suit the supposed taste of the goddess, and he was then decapitated at the Copper Temple at Sadiya, or at some other shrine of the tribe. Human sacrifices were also formerly offered by the Tipperas, Kachāris, Koches, Jaintias and other Assam tribes,* and it is thus easy to see how they came to be regarded favourably by the Tāntrik sect of Hinduism which is believed to have had its origin in this corner of India.