A History of the Mahrattas v1.c5.s3.54

v1.c5.s3.54

Thirdly, Khandoba is an animal god, for he is identified with the dog who runs beside his horse; and Marāthās, when calling a dog, usually cry ‘Khandi, Khandi.’² Mountstuart Elphinstone, describing a visit to Khandoba’s temple at Jejuri, wrote, ‘Candee Rao is a great god among the Mahrattas and particularly among the soldiers. He is the god of Holkar’s family, and this temple was built by the first Mulhar Rao. We were followed by many beggars. . . . Among others was a boy who instead of asking for charity barked like a dog. He said he was Candee Rao’s dog, and had been longer in the kennel than any of the present pack. A woman made a child under her arm bark in the same way, and asked charity for him, because, as she said, she was bringing up a dog.’³ These dog-servants of Khandoba are still to be found at the temple of Malhāri (Khandoba) at Gudguddapur in Dhārwār District.⁴ In this matter of the dog, Khandoba approximates very closely to Bhāiron (Bhāirav), who in Bombay is a grāmadēvata or village-guardian, and is always accompanied by a black dog. Indeed, once we descend into the Konkan, away from the sphere of influence of Jejuri, we find Khandoba degenerating into a mere village-godling, and scarcely distinguishable from the equally aboriginal Bhāirav.⁵