The Vaishnava Gosai observe none of the Hindu festivals except those of Krishna; but the anniversaries of the deaths of their founders are observed 11.8 such. They do not, says Mr. Ward, reject the mythology or the ceremonies of the Hindus, but they believe that those of Hari (Krishna) only are necessary. On the nights of their festivals, the initiating incantation may be heard resounding through the stillness of the night: 'Hari, Krishna; Hari, Krishna; Krishna, Krishna ; Hari, Hari ; Ilari, Ram ; Hari, Ram ; Ram, Ram, Hari, Hari! ' In Northern India, the Vaislinava Gosain wor shippers of Vishnu, called Gokul Gosai, followers Valabhacharya, marry and follow religious pursuits ; and in Beng,al, Gosai who .follow the doctrines of Chaitanya also marry.
Vaishnava Byragi and Saiva Gosain have occa sionally coine iu conflict, and at Hardwar, on the Ganges, a celebrated place of pilgrimage, soldiers of the Bengal army had to keep the peace, long after a battle that occurred, about the middle of the 18th century, in which they fought almost to extirpation. The descendants of Nityananda are Gosains of Khurdah. The descendants of Adwaita are Gosains of Santipur, and there the principal idol is Shamchand. But one-third of the people of Santipur are Vaislinava.
The Gosai of Gujerat worship Siva. They wear orange-tawny clothes, and the tilak or sectarian mark upon their foreheads is horizontal.
The priests of Eklinga are Gosain or Goswatni. The high priest and his order are celibates, and the office is continued by adopted disciples. Of such spiritual descents they calculated 64 since the sage Harita, whose benediction obtained for the Gehlot Rajput the sovereignty of Chittore when driven from Saurashtra by the l'arthians. A
numerous class of Gosains have adopted celibacy, who yet follow secular employments both in commerce and arms. The mercantile Gosains are amongst the richest individuals in India, and at Udall= were thus useful when the Mahrattas demanded a war contribution, as their privileged character did not prevent their being offered and taken as hostages for its payment. Gosains who profess arms, partake of the character of the knights of St. John of Jerusalem. They live in monasteries scattered over the country, possess lands, and beg, or serve for pay when called upon. As defensive soldiers, they are good. Siva, their patron, is the god of war, and, like him, they make great use of intoxicating herbs, and even of spirituous liquors. Mewar could always muster many hundreds of the Kanplat Jogi, or (split-ear ascetics,' so called from the habit of piercing the car, and placing therein a ring of the conch shell, which is their battle-trumpet. The poet Chand gives an animated description of the body-guard of the king of Kanouj, which was composed of these monastic warriors. The Rana of Mewar, as the diwan or vicegerent of Siva, when he visits the temple, supersedes the high priest of Eklinga in his duties, and performs the ceremonies. The shrine of Eklinga is endowed with twenty-four large villages from the fisc, besides parcels of land from the chieftains.—Tod's Rajasthan; Tr. qf Hind. ; Cole. Myth. Hind. ; Rasamala, Hindu Annals, ii. pp. 312 ; Elliot, Sup.; Wilson's Glos sary ; Shoring's Hindu Tribes and Castes, p. 257.