In the month of July is celebrated the famous ceremony of the car of Jugger-naut, instituted to commemorate the departure of Krishna from his native land.  These cars are in the form of a pyramid, built several stories high, and some are even fifty feet in height.  They are found in every part of India, the offerings of wealthy people, and some contain costly statues.  They are drawn by hundreds of men, it being their faith that each one who pulls the rope will certainly go to the heaven of Krishna when he dies.  Multitudes, therefore, crowd around the rope in order to pull, and in the excitement they sometimes fall under the wheels and are crushed.  But this is accidental, for Krishna does not desire the suffering of his worshippers.  He is a mild divinity, and not like the fierce Siva, who loves self-torture.

In the month of August is celebrated the nativity of Krishna, the story of whose birth resembles that in the Gospel in this, that the tyrant whom he came to destroy sought to kill him, but a heavenly voice told the father to fly with the child across the Jumna, and the tyrant, like Herod, killed the infants in the village.  In this month also is a feast upon which no fire must be kindled or food cooked, and on which the cactus-tree and serpents are worshipped..

In September is the great festival of the worship of Doorga, wife of Siva.  It commences on the seventh day of the full moon and lasts three days.  It commemorates a visit made by the goddess to her parents.  The idol has three eyes and ten hands.  The ceremony, which is costly, can only be celebrated by the rich people, who also give presents on this occasion to the poor.  The image is placed in the middle of the hall of the rich man’s house.  One Brahman sits before the image with flowers, holy water, incense.  Trays laden with rice, fruit, and other kinds of food are placed near the image, and given to the Brahmans.  Goats and sheep are then sacrificed to the idol on an altar in the yard of the house.  When the head of the victim falls the people shout, “Victory to thee, O mother!” Then the bells ring, the trumpets sound, and the people shout for joy.  The lamps are waved before the idol, and a Brahman reads aloud from the Scripture.  Then comes a dinner on each of the three days, to which the poor and the low-caste people are also invited and are served by the Brahmans.  The people visit from house to house, and in the evening there is music, dancing, and public shows.  So that the worship of the Hindoos is by no means all of it ascetic, but much is social and joyful, especially in Bengal.

In October, November, and December there are fewer ceremonies.  January is a month devoted to religious bathing.  Also, in January, the religious Hindoos invite Brahmans to read and expound the sacred books in their houses, which are open to all hearers.  In February there are festivals to Krishna.