About This Book
A compilation of questionnaire responses and field notes from Gujarat and the Konkan presenting a systematic survey of popular beliefs, rites, and customs. Entries document nature worship (sun, moon, rivers, lakes, mountains), spirit cults and possession, witchcraft, the evil eye, omens and lucky or unlucky numbers, sacred trees and animals, and rituals for protection, healing and exorcism. Also described are ceremonies for birth, pregnancy and death, local shrines and their traditions, and practices that blend Hindu and Muslim devotion. Materials are reproduced largely as collected, offering raw ethnographic detail rather than critical analysis.