for some few thousand years, was at last honoured with a visit from Siva and his consort, who asked him what they could do for him.  He begged them to wait till he should bring some flowers from the woods to make them a suitable offering.  They promised to do so, and he ran down, plunged into the Nerbudda and drowned himself, in order that these august persons might for ever remain and do honour to his residence and his name.  They, however, left only their ‘mortal coil’, but will one day return and resume it.  I know not whether I am singular in the notion or not, but I think Mahadeo and his consort are really our Adam and Eve, and that the people have converted them into the god and goddess of destruction, from some vague idea of their original sin, which involved all their race in destruction.  The snakes, which form the only dress of Mahadeo, would seem to confirm this notion.[18]

Notes: 

1.  The Nerbudda (Narbada, or Narmada) river is the boundary between Hindustan, or Northern India, and the Deccan (Dakhin), or Southern India.  The beautiful gorge of the Marble Rocks, near Jubbulpore (Jabalpur), is familiar to modern tourists (see I.G., 1908, s.v.  ’Marble Rocks’).  The remarkable antiquities at Bheraghat are described and illustrated in A.S.R., vol. ix, pp. 60-76, pl. xii-xvi.  Additions and corrections to Cunningham’s account will be found in A.S.W.I Progr.  Rep., 1893-4, p. 5; and A.S.  Ann.  Rep., E. Circle, 1907-8, pp. 14-18.

2.  The eighth month of the Hindoo luni-solar year, corresponding to part of October and part of November.  In Northern India the year begins with the month Chait, in March.  The most commonly used names of the months are:  (1) Chait; (2) Baisakh; (3) Jeth; (4) Asarh; (5) Sawan; (6) Bhadon; (7) Kuar; (8) Kartik; (9) Aghan; (10) Pus; (II) Magh; and (12) Phalgun.

3. Bhagvan is often used as equivalent for the word God in its most general sense, but is specially applicable to the Deity as manifested in Vishnu the Preserver. Asarh corresponds to June-July, Patal is the Hindoo Hades.  Raja Bali is a demon, and Indra is the lord of the heavens.  The fairs take place at the time of full moon.

4.  Barrackpore, fifteen miles north of Calcutta, is still a cantonment.  The Governor General has a country house there.  The mutiny of the native troops stationed there occurred on Nov. 1, 1824, and was due to the discontent caused by orders moving the 47th Native Infantry to Rangoon to take part in the Burmese War.  The outbreak was promptly suppressed.  Captain Pogson published a Memoir of the Mutiny at Barrackpore (8vo, Serampore, 1833).

5.  Ludiana, the capital of the district of the same name, now under the Punjab Government.  Hyphasis is the Greek name of the Bias river, one of the five rivers of the Punjab.

6.  Railways have rendered almost obsolete the mode of travelling described in the text.  In Northern India palankeens (palkis) are now seldom used, even by Indians, except for purposes of ceremony.