Sketch of the Religious Sects of the Hindus c4.13

c4.13

† The great text-book of the Vaishnavas is the Bhágavat, with which it may be supposed the present worship, in a great measure, originated, although, the Mahábhárat and other older works had previously introduced this divinity. The worship of the Lingam is, no doubt, very ancient, although it has received, within a few centuries, its present degree of popularity: the Kási K'hand was evidently written to enforce it, and at Benares, its worship entirely overshadows every other ritual.