The Gond religion is as distinctively of Scythian origin as is their language and physique. Earthen ware figures of the horse are offered instead of the living sacrifice. They propitiate the manes of their ancestors by offerings of these earthenware horses, rice and other grains, eggs, fowls, or sheep. The sacrifice of the cow was prohibited by the Bhonsla governmetA. Children every where, and many adults, are buried, but the Media of Ba,star and the Gond races who have conformed to Hindu customs burn their dead.
They have in all about thirty divinities, but two of these, Barra Dewa and Dula Dewa, are most worshipped. The Creator, under the name of Bhagwan, is occasionally worshipped in their houses by prayers, and by burnt - offerings of sugar and ghi, but their chief worship is to the inferior divinities ; these are 1. Badu Bova (great god) Or Budhal Pen (old (god), who is the same as the Bura Pen of the Kond race, and appears to be the same as Rayetal, or the sun-god, represented by an iron tiger three inches long ; and is probably the same as the Marung Bura of the Santal. He is worshipped once a year, at the rice harvest, and a hog is then sacrificed to him. Among the Gaiti he is repre sented by a copper piece, kept in a tree in the jungle. This they take down at the annual festival, clear a space of about a foot square under a tree, in which they lay the pice, before which they arrange as many small heaps or handfuls of un cooked rice as there are deities worshipped by them. The chickens brought for sacrifice are loosed and permitted to feed on the rice. Goats are also offered, and their blood presented in the same manner. On the blood arrack is poured as a libation to their deities. The pice is now lifted and put in its bamboo case, which is shut up with leaves wrapped in grass, and returned to its place in the tree, to remain there till it be required in the following year. Both Budhal and Matya (about to be noticed) are said to be sometimes of iron, and a foot long.
2. Matya, called Meta by the Kurku, ip both the god (or goddess) of the much-dreaded scourge smallpox and of the town. The Gond of Seoni represent Matya as the attendant or kotwal of Budhal Pen, and they offer him a pig. The Kurku suppose Matya to reside inside the village, and they make offerings of cocoanuts and sweetmeats, but no blood.
The Gond have no images in their houses, and at their religious ceremonies they employ only the rudest symbols,—knobs of mud, stone, iron rods, pieces of wood, chains, bells, etc. Their festivals are associated with their crops, and are celebrated under the saj tree or eim tree three or four times in a year, as on the occasion of the commencement of rice sowing, when the rice crop is ready, and when the mahwa tree (Bessie lati folia) comes into flower. In the south of the Bandara district are to be seen squared pieces of wood, each with a rude figure, carried in front, set up somewhat close to each other. These represent Bangaram, Bangara Bai, or Devi, who is said to have one sister and five brothers, the names of the latter being Gantaram, Champaxam, Naikaram, and Potlinga, the sister being known as Dantes wari, which is a Hindu name of Kali. These are all deemed to possess the power of sending disease and death upon men, and under these or other names seem to be generally feared iu the region east of Nagpur city. At Dantewada, in Baster, about 60 miles S.W.of Jagdalpur, near the junction of the Sankari and Dankan tributaries of the Indrawati, is a shrine of Danteswari, at which, about 1835, it is said that upwards of 25 full grown men were immolated on a single occasion by a late raja of Baster. Since then numerous complaints have reached the authorities at Nagpur of the continuance of the practice, and up to 1883 the conduct of the ruling raja continues unsatisfactory. Amongst the Moria Gond, Bha wani is worshipped as the smallpox goddess, and RH Maoli or Danteswari.
3. or Sali, or, according to tho Gaiti Gond, Saleng, sits on the same gadhi with the great god, to whom he is said to bo nearly equal. An offering of a she-goat is made to him, and he is probably the protector of cattle.
4. Gungara, Gliagara, Gtx„oaral, Gongara Mal, is the bell god, and is represented by a bell, or by an iron chain of four links.
5. Poi°, of whom only the name is known. Tho suitable offering to Gangara and him is a cow.
6. Gadawa is the god of the dead, and is per haps the same as Chawar, and identical with Dichali of the Chaibassa Kol.