“In order to judge of the present state of their religion, it will be sufficient to describe the figures of a few of their chief deities.

“Brahma, as the creator of the world, is represented with four human heads and eight hands; in one hand he holds the scriptures, in the others, various idols.  He is not worshipped in any temple, having lost this prerogative on account of his ambitious desire to find out the Supreme Being.  However, after repenting of his folly, it was permitted that the Brahmins might celebrate some festivals in his honour, called Poutsche.

“Vishnu, as the maintainer of the world, is represented in twenty-one different forms:—­Half fish half man, as tortoise, half lion half man, Buddha, dwarf, etc.  The wife of Vishnu is worshipped as the goddess of fruitfulness, plenty, and beauty.  The cow is considered sacred to her.

“Shiva is the destroyer, revenger, and the conqueror of Death.  He has, therefore, a double character, beneficent or terrible; he rewards or punishes.  He is generally hideously represented, entirely surrounded by lightning, with three eyes, the largest of which is in the forehead; he has also eight arms, in each of which he holds something.

“Although these three deities are equal, the religion of the Hindoos is divided into only two sects—­the worshippers of Vishnu and those of Shiva.  Brahma has no peculiar sect, since he is denied temples and pagodas; however, the whole priestly caste—­the Brahmins—­may be considered as his worshippers, since they affirm that they proceeded from his head.

“The worshippers of Vishnu have on their foreheads a red or yellowish painted sign of the Jani; the Shiva worshippers, the sign of the Lingam, or an obelisk, triangle, or the sun.

“333,000,000 subordinate deities are recognised.  They control the elements, natural phenomena, the passions, acts, diseases, etc.  They are represented in different forms and having all kinds of attributes.

“There are also genii, good and evil spirits.  The number of the good exceeds that of the bad by about 3,000,000.

“Other objects are also considered sacred by the Hindoos, as rivers, especially the Ganges, which is believed to have been formed from the sweat of Shiva.  The water of the Ganges is so highly esteemed, that a trade is carried on in it for many miles inland.

“Among animals, they chiefly look upon the cow, ox, elephant, ape, eagle, swan, peacock, and serpent, as sacred; among plants, the lotus, the banana, and the mango-tree.

“The Brahmins have an especial veneration for a stone, which is, according to Sonnerat, a fossil ammonite in slate.

“It is in the highest degree remarkable that there is no representation of the Supreme Being to be found in all Hindostan.  The idea appears too great for them; they consider the whole earth as his temple, and worship him under all forms.