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RELIGIOUS SECTS
this sect, but the most celebrated of all the Gosáin establishments is at Śrí Náth Dwar, in Ajmír. The image at this shrine is said to have transported itself thither from Mathurá, when Aurengzeb ordered the temple it was there placed in to be destroyed. — The present shrine is modern, but richly endowed, and the high priest, a descendant of GOKUL NÁth, a man of great wealth and importance'. It is a matter of obligation with the members of this sect to visit Sri Náth Dwór at least once in their lives; they receive there a certificate to that effect, issued by the head Gosáin, and, in return, contribute according to their means to the enriching of the establishment: it is not an uncurious feature in the notions of this sect, that the veneration paid to their Gosáins is paid solely to their descent, and unconnected with any idea of their sanctity or learning; they are not unfrequently destitute of all pretensions to individual respectability, but they not the less enjoy the homage of their followers; the present chief, at Śrínáth Dwár, is said not to understand the certificate he signs.
MÍRÁ BÁÍS. These may be considered as forming a subdivision of the preceding, rather than a distinct sect, although, in the adoption of a new leader, and the worship of KŘISHŇA under a peculiar form, they differ essentially
Every temple is said to have three places of offering: the image, the pillow of the founder, and a box for Sri Náth Dwár.
