Memoirs of the Asiatic Society of Bengal

The great wealth and accuracy of details of the beliefs and practices of the Santals given in the three parts are unique and the Rev. [...] Running along the middle of the site a clear space is left for the village street and near the end of this is found the sacred grove that is to say a number of men become possessed by the national bongas and in this state show where the grove is to be.—So far old Kolean. [...] It is said that when the Santals in former times followed a similar mode of cultivation they simply sowed the seed (especially hajra) at the top of the cleared hill-side the spreading being left to the water of the rains flowing down; in some cases a branch of a Thorn-tree (Zizyphus Jujuba Lam.) is said to have been pressed into a flat shape and dragged over the ground to spread the seed. [...] It will be remembered that when on the look-out for a site for the new village one of the main deciding factors is the suitability of the ground for the establishment of rice-fields. [...] According to shape this is called batigla k. (Bengal ploughhandle) resembling the candi pa ti k. that is nailed to the front side of the rear part of the plough the top of the handle being pared so as to bend backwards; another shape is the or bola k. a handle that is fixed on the rear side of the plough so far down that the isi goes through a hole cut in it (this is also called pend lalka k.)