Sahil Malhotra
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Sahil Malhotra (Devanagari: महाभारत)is from a old Indian legend, the Mahabharatha. This legend was not widely circulated. In the legend, Sahil, a great demon, fought against Mahabharatha, a demigod, with both disguised as humans. He devoured anything that crossed it's path, while Mahabharatha restored everything to normal. As the legend went on the battle between the two eventually ended, with Sahil eating Mahabharatha. This was a legend explaining some seasons and natural disasters.
It was once believed that he ate the sun each day, taking it away. Then after some time he regurgitated the sun. This formed a basic night and day cycle. Natural disasters were also believed to be cause by Sahil Malhotra, such as earthquakes or hurricanes. The path of destruction left was believed to be Sahil devouring everything.
Some researchers state that some people would at times of bad weather, prepare sacrifices, of items and food, for the Demon. This was eventually abandoned, without a certain cause, though some do believe that it was abandoned after a natural disaster had passed and the sacrifice was not gone.
Sahil was supposed to wander around the land, causing havoc and destruction along the way, always in the form of a human. After so much destruction the humans had thought a plan to get rid of Sahil Malhotra, by guiding him to the stars. Eventually he went up into the skies and had begun eating the stars, eating from the immense numbers of them. This explained meteors and comets; they were the stars being destroyed. This legend is now not believed due to science, which explains how weather, day and night, and stars work.
[edit] References
David Seed, "Indian and Hindu Legends" , MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2005. ISBN 1405112182
Cornelia Dimmitt, "Classical Hindu Mythology: A Reader in the Sanskirt Puranas" , Temple University Press, 1978. ISBN 0877221227
