Com ment

B Y U N D ER WOO D U N DER WOOD .

N aw Yo a x AN D LO N DON
(e na no A r s rA e
' ' '
N aas
’
mu ) .

All stereo gra ph s cop y rig h te d

MA P SY STEM
d
Pa ten te in the Un e it d St t
a es Augu t 2 1
s 1 900
. .

d
Pa ten te in G rea t Britain Ma rch 22 1 900
. .

d
Pa ten te in F ran ce. Ma tch 26 1 900 . .

d
Switz erlan , Pa ten t

A ll rights reserved

Pal m s !) xN
'
ma U q n STAT“
I N r a o o v c r mN

I N sr a v c r o s

Po s rr mN s xN I N DI A

Ov er U n iv ersity a n d Secretaria t (square tower ) ,

so u th fro m R a j a bai To w er B omba y ,

The most ma g ifi cen t ra ilw a y sta tion in the w orld

B omba y ” n
,

—
Parsis v rshi pin t e ne w moo n view ea st to B
h
& éo lp
.

0 uildin g B o mba y ,

Tow er o f Silen ce w h ere v ultures d ev o ur the Parsi

,

dea d Mala ba r Hill ( northea st) B o mba y

, .

H ind u burn in g ce so uth from n ea r M a la ba r Hill

— crematin g Sli d ead — B omba y
,

D run ken da n ce o f the eight a rmed d ivi nity S hiv a -

,

(W roc
. k h ew n tem pl
-e E l ep h a n ta , “

On e o tf he w or ld s marv el s— bea utiful Dra v adian

'

tw ple cut in solid rock ( 8 Ellor a .

“
Th ere is n o God but Go d a n d Ma h om et 8 His
'

"—
,

Pro phet p ra y ers in mosq ue Ah meds ,

Primitiv e n a tiv e li e of I ndia

f — H in d u w omen grin d

H ermit Gem La ke f d oin

at p n a n ce , e xpo se d to
eMt
10
a y sun a n d in ten se . A bu .

I ! Dilwarra the , no e t d J ain a Terri ples , on the al most

ina ccessible M t A bu .

I 3 Worship rsbefo re a n mags in the exquisitely

Tem ple o f Vima la Sa h M o un t A bu ,

r3 I n dia of to mo rrow — ha n dsome sc hoolbo Am

of
ritsa r a tthe Go ld en Tern ple besid e the ol y Tan k
,
S9
F a kirs Amri tsa r riches t cit of the Pun
:
1 4 at ,

south across Sacred Tank to ld en Tem p e”

Loo kin g S W d ow n street of

. . ori en ta l s hops a nd
hom es .

1 6 R iv a l pot sellers in -
the c ha tt y ma rket , La ho re ;
ba rg ain s
4 CO N TE N TS

gossipby the O ld Z amza ma h

roa red in l ndia s w ars 4 o o

Cro ssin g the boilin g flood s o f J hel um Riv er by a

b rid ge o f o n e raw hid e ro pe , -
at U ri
Wa yfa rers t gh t 3o mile road lin ed wit h
on a s ra i -

s ta tely po pla rs B ar am ula to Cashmere

,
.

A n ea rthly paradise— the w orld fa m o us Vale o f -

Cas hmere w a tered b y the windin g J hel um

,

Ev er yd a y lif e in the Vale of Cas hmere—S W to . .

quain t brid ge a n d ho uses in the City o f the Sun

S hellin g gossipin g with the n eighbors
rice a nd
home life of con ten ted Ci tizen s o f Ca shmere .

—
D elights o f summer in the Va le o f Ca s hm ere m usic
fo r a houseboa t pa r ty o f J helum Riv er
H umble sh a wl w ea v er s a t Cas hmere
-
tien tly
crea tin g w on der ful ha rmonies o f lin e co lor .

Childr en pla ying

“
Hop Sco tch in Srinagar C ash ,

mer e
0

A hill un try “ ”
E klca with n d ba gga ge
-
co ger a
co min g fro m Ca s hmere to , 1 55
Simla , u u H imala y an mo un tain res ort
the bea tif l
fro m g y Ka lka
the hi hw a to

B efore Christ C hu"rch a t Simla I n dia s charmin g , ,

’

Sum mer Ca pital in the H ima la yan moun ta in s .

N a tiv e sto res an d trad ers , n orthw es t alon lo w er

B a zaa r Simla the Summ er Ca pita l of
, ,
“
nd ia .

So u th fron t o f Viceregal Lo d ge pa la ce , of the

Vicero y at Simla the summer ca pi ta l o f
, ,

34 C ha rmin g N a ld era the fa v o rite retrea t o f Lord s

C urzo n —
,

a nd s o u th so u thw est to w ard

35 In fla tin bull ock-s kin boa ts for crossin g the swift

Him a y a n ri v er Sutlej
“
B huj i
” girls the roc k y banks of the
36 N a tive on
H ima la y anmo un ta in ri v er Su tlej
a lese por ter girls w ho ca r ry l ugga ge ma n y miles
-

tw o pen ce ;—-
D arj eeling
 CO N TE N TS 5

p as s
ao~wo man tea m on Darj eeling hig hw a y ( nort h ) r 30

B huta nese milkma n with curi o us ba mboo ja rs at -

,

th e pu blic w a ter fo u n ta in D a rj eelin g ,

U p to the ev erla stin g sn o ws o f Mt Kin c hin j a n ga .

(2 8 5 6 1 4 5 m n o rth fro m D a rj eelin g

.

Clea n a n d a iry Cho wr in ghee R oa d ( E spla nad e at

left) loo kin g n orth o v er Ca lcu tta
,

W le w m f
e ell o w s in thi rst —
I n dia bhas atia (wa ter
ca rriers ) with their lea t r bo ttles ; C al cu tta .

B athin g a t a ghat on the Gan ges n ea r H ow ra h

B rid ge Calcu tta,

Lo o kin g n orthw es t a cross tree sha d ed D alh ousie -

Sq
a n d its cha rmin g li ttle l ake to P O Ca lcu tta .

How Hin d u en life in Ca lcu tta

co w s — sid ew alk
'

oy
scen e on H arri so n treet loo kin g w est .

H in d u Goddess Kali th e Terrible w ho d ema n ds ,

blood y sa crifi ce— id ol in stree t, Ca lcu tta

Sev en ts sl a in b ut Ka li w an ts
—C al
.

sa cc to the H in du g odd ess

H ind u d ev o tee d oin n n on bed o f spikes

fi li pe a ce a
n ea r the s h rin e o f a , Ca l c utta .

F amous m a n ~ea ter at —

Ca lcutta d ev o ur ed 20 0
men w omen an d cln ld ren before he w as u d
'

,
ca pt re x6 6

J ain Tem ple the rich es t pla ce o f w orship in

,
Calcutta x7 0

Amon g the a eria l roots O f a sin gle ba n y an t ree

feet in circumferen ce ; Cal cu tta
m —
G rasses at w hose eet en a re like in sec ts e n or mo
f us
bamboo s in B
otan ical G a rd en s , Ca lc tta u
H H
. . the M aha raj a of T a go re in D ur ba r cos t ume ,

with j ew els w o rth in his pa lace , 0 3 1

A bu rn in g gh a t o n th e G anges , at B enares
Who dies in the waters of the Ga n es obt
ai n s Hea ven
-
ba thin g an d bur nin g Hin d u ea d a t Ben a res .

H in d u pil gri m s b athin g in sa cr ed w ell of their god

Vishn u—n ort h bank of Gan ges B en ares , .

Suttee pilla r at a B en ares burnin gha t , w here

Hin d u widow s died on their h d
’
a fun eral
 CO N TE N TS
PAG E
Pea ceful n ow , but sta in e with horrible memories
d
— n or th at Ma ssa cre Gha t on the Ga n ges Ca w n ,

6 M em orial a t Gawn to B ritish wo men an d chil

d ren massa cred g ;
:

N a n a S a hib 1 85
7 ,

I n d ustrious dh obies ( w ashermen ) at work in

river w es t from L uckn ow
,

B aillie Gate fr om east tor n by m u tin eer s guns ,

’

d u ring siege ; w here rescuers en tered L u ckn ow .

L uckn ow s memorial to Sir H en ry L aw ren ce and

'

heroes w h o died in 1 8 5 7 ( view n orthw

Ca mel d ri v ers waitin a t sou thea s t sid e o f gatew a y
to the famous Taj ida hal A gra ,

—
A marvel o f bea uty loo kin g n or th to Ta j M a ha l
ma rble tomb o f a Mogul Queen ; A gra
M ost bea u tiful ma rble screen in the world around
im perial sarco pha gi Taj Ma ha l A gra , ,

A lov ely scen e o f I ndian ro ma n ce and traged y ,

n o rth west fro m Taj M a ha l up the J um na to

Marv el ously inla id gateway to tomb Akba r of ,

Mogul em peror o f r oth cen t r uy , Sikandarah ”

A kba r s tom b Sikand ara h K hi

'

( o
, n oor w as . on ce
set in pilla r bey ond kn eelin g

Celebr a ted M an Sin gh pa la ce Gw alior , , cov ere d

with ca rvin gs an d en amel ed til es
Grea t D urba r H all in pala ce of H H the M aha raj a . .

o f Gw a lior on e o f I n dia s ric hes t pri n ces

'
,

H H the Ma ha raj a o f Gw alior a t ho me —O n e o f the

. .

richest men in the w orld

C urio usly ri mel w a s ea st o f largestca -

,

Moha mm mosque in t w
Dev out Mo ha mm ed an s prostrate at pra y er tim e
mrrto f J umma M ui d I n di a s gr eatest mosque
glh
.
’

e l

Lookin g n orth from a min aret O f the test mosque

i n the wor ld o v er fa m ou s city o f elhi

e ba ttered b sho t an d s hell

w here the B ri tish d D el hi
enter e .

ur m on e 9 w orth O f j uicy fr uit a t a stand

z
Jza n d m ho uk Silv er St reet D elhi
'
. on
( ) ,
 CO N TE N TS 7

r ac e
80 Marv els of ri chn ess an d grand eur — the grea t D urbar
pro cession ,
D elhi .

81 The fa bul o us w ea lth o f In dia n a tiv e pr in ces in —

the grand sta te en try D urbar , D el hi ,

82 Kutb Min a r from no rtheast M od em Tow er o f

,
—
Victory near D elhi 2 40 ft high base 4 7 ft
, .
, .

diameter
83 Gi
m tic
ar ,
embroid e
Mosl em P
ill ar
in ston e
of Victor y
at ha s

( 2 4 0 ft high )
of
.
K uth

On e of t e lov eliest S pots in In dia

h — kiosk-bord ered
ta n k at U lw a r by statel tomb o f ro alt y y y
a ir — I n dia n
“
How bea uty ta kes th e res t or
b ullock-ca rri a ge used by ladi es o f ra n k ; Ul w ar 2
79
N or th from Sa n gan ir Ga te up J a uhri B azaa r , a ,

typical b usin es s street in prosper o us J ey po re .

The Pa la ce o f the Win d s J ey po re I n dia bea utiful , , ,

as a shell with pin k an d crea m -c o lored stucco 2 84

A ma st
°

ece of o ri en ta l —
ma gnificen ce pa lace
of the a hara a of j j ey por e

Sacred mon key s at Gal ta nea r J ey por e I ndi a , fa s ,

cin a tin g ev en to th m n o t in cli n ed to w orshi p . 2 88

Th e scen e of ea —
d d Splen d ors loo kin g across an
cien t city of Amber to moun tain for tr ess
R elics o f a ro ma n ti p t
— Tower of Victo ry ( 1 sth
c
a s
cen t r u y) an d roy ‘l cen o ta phs , Chito r .

A fascin atin glim pse of H yderabad I n dia famous , ,

for its em der ias en amels a n d lac quers

'

S ubstantia l elegan ce of mod ern Madr as—i m posin g

—
La w Co urt B uildin gs view so uthwest from

94 Gua rd ia n of —
H ind u myster ies southw est to ga te
w ay and scul ptured tem ple tow er , Tan j ore 30 4

95 A ca r of ath in w hich the Hin d u god

K ri shn a ri es d rawn by w orshippers Tan j o re 30 7 .

9 6 Trichin o po ly , I ndia w her e Lor d Cliv e

,
liv ed
o n ce
n o r theas t a crom tow n to fo r tress a nd famo us

97 ortheast to ga te tow ers Seri ng ha m Temples ,

of
Trichin o ly , I ndia w here id o ls j ew el s are
'

w or th rm lion s

I n con ceiv a ble ela bora ti on an d spl en do r O f M ad ura

'

98 s
Hind u temple—tw o of its nin e pa god as
8 CO N TE N TS
PAG E
99 Grotesque fa n cy an d tien t skill of H in d u sc ulp
tors— ill s f th mple Mad ura
p a r o e e ,

10 0 Co rri d o r 7 0 0 ft lon g s plen did granite Temple

.
,
of
R a missera m , Pa umben I slan d
TH E LAND OF I N DI A
THE ST O R Y O F I N D TA
G OV ERN M E NT
E D U C A T I ON
R E L I G I ON S
LA N G U A G E S

M AP S
( B ound in booklet inserted in a pocket on he back
t cover
) .

I ndia .

E n v iro n s of Bomba y .

Bomba y .

Cashmere .

Srin aga r .

Simla .

Calcutta .

B enares .
 I N T RO DU CT I O N

When o ur ancesto rs w ere yet sa vage s a Greek his ,

toria n sa id tha t Egypt h ad more wonders th an a ll

the rest o f the world It is true th at the co u ntry
.

along the ba n k s o f the N ile cl aims the first o f the

seven won ders o f the world and it may still be sa id

,

tha t E gypt possesses g reater wonders in the l in e o f

architect u r a l a chieveme n ts th an the rest o f the world ;

bu t the ordi na ry tra veler desires to see Somethi n g

be sides mon u men ta l achieveme n ts in m ason ry and
architectu re W hen ask ed as I have often bee n in
.
, ,

wha t co untry ma y be seen the gr eatest n u mber o f

thi ng s to i ncrea se one s knowled ge and to add to o ne s
’ ’

plea su re I h ave named I n di a I f the tra veler wi shes

, .

to see be au ti ful a rch itectu re in m an y styles he will fin d ,

it in I n dia I f he desires to look u pon the gran de st

.

mo un ta i n scenery the world ha s to other he will find ,

it in the Hima laya s amon g st which twen ty S witzer

,

la nd s side by side co u ld be hidden aw ay and M on t

, , ,

Blanc the hi ghest pe ak in Eu rope wou ld be o ver

, ,

topped some fou rtee n th ou sa nd feet by M t Everest .

an d n e a rly a s m u ch by Kin chin j an g a I f he wishes

.

to visit a co u n try where pri nces a re very r ich an d the

people are very poor let him go to I n di a ; or if he

,

wi shes to be in a cou ntry w here he can see m any type s

of the h u m an family and he ar m an y l anguages spok e n
an d witn ess ca ste wid e spre a d an d a rbitra ry let him ,

to the g re a t wor ld o f the H i n d u s I f he fee ls hi rn

g o .

sel f to be someth in g o f a Nim rod the fau na will test

,

his p ro wess with the fiercest spec im en in th e m im ak

 10 mum TH ROU G H TH E s ru
'
msoor s

ki ngdom the Ben ga l ti ger I f a lone to behold wh a t

, .

has bee n termed a drea m in m a rble the Taj Mah al , ,

on e shou ld go to In di a ; bu t besides th a t m atchless ,

stru ctu re I n di a j u stly cl aims m any o f the most beau

,

ti fu l and u ni qu e specimens o f a rch itectu re in any

cou ntry Her mosqu es her temp les her reli gi ou s
.
, ,

shri nes her tombs and memori al mon u men ts s u rpa ss

, ,

in n umber and often in size an d m agnificence th o se in

other pa rts o f the world E verywhere in western .

cou nt ries a re examples o f Gothic Rom an Greek , , ,

Byzanti n e and E gypti an architect u re bu t besides t he se , ,

in O rie nta l I n di a may be see n B u ddhistic J ai na , ,

D ravidi a n Ch al uky an Sa racen ic and I ndo Arya n

, , ,
-

a rchitect u re never seen in the westwa rd cou ntries .

I n dia is not only the co un try o f ma ny races m an y ,

castes m any l an guages m u ch we a lth and m u ch po v

, ,

erty ; it is the l and of m any re li gi on s and i nn u merable

pri ests It is a world of fa n aticism and a home of
.

mysticism B u ddhi sm H indu ism B rahma n ism J a in

.
, , ,

ism and cou ntless other isms ori gina ted in thi s stra nge
la nd It is the birthpla ce o f pesti lence It is the
. .

coun try o f the fiercest an im als and the most ven omou s
serpen ts Is it not then a tru e wonderland and a land
.

o f a ll the world in which to see and lea rn ?

Throughou t the v a st empire pa stor a l scenes are novel

and stra n ge I n stea d o f fields of western cere al
.

g r ains the tra veler sees poppy and pa ddy fields and
, ,

fields o f i n di go and j u te Palm tea and cocoa pl an.

, ,

tation s a re n ew featu res in the l and sca pe The flor a .

is r ich an d va ried bu t most tree s and shr u bs and

,
 mn onuc n on 11

flowers a re stran gers except to the bot anist The

,
.

herd s o f the fields a re stran ge embra ci ng specimens

,

previou sly known only in zoologica l ga rdens I men .

tion thes e thi ng s as h i n ts o f the many stran ge and

wonderfu l thi ngs to be seen in the gr eat pen ins u la r
world o f Hindu st an When. sa id th at
Egypt ha d mor e wonders th an a rest of the
world he probably knew little of I ndia and
, ,

mind the Pyrami ds an d the tombs an d temples o f the

l a n d o f the N ile N one will cl a im for I ndi a even in
.
,
‘

her golden da ys the cu ltu re o f Greece and Rome bu t

, , ,

a t the present time few i f any portions o f the gl obe

,

po ssess a fu ller and ri cher field fo r the i n telli gent

tr aveler in p u rs u it o f know led ge plea su re o r adven
, ,

F ew a re able person a lly to visit tha t teem ing world

, ,

empire ; bu t it is no w becom in g well known tha t next -

, ,

to rea l tra vel and person a l obse rvation the stereo ,

‘
g raphic itiner a ry aflords a most rea listic pe rm anent , ,

and pleas u rable a ltern ative It is not exaggera tion to

.

sta te tha t I am frequ e ntly meeti ng those who h a ve

a cqu i red a fu ller and more a ccu rate knowled ge of

pla ces and thin gs in forei gn co u ntries by means of

stereogr aphs accompanied by specia l m aps and gu ide

books th an I mysel f possess a fter visitin g the pl aces
,

and seei ng those thi ngs on repe ated occ asions Ocu .

l a r observ ation u ndou btedly possesses a dva nt ages ov er

stereoscopic so also the la tter ha s points of ad
,

v antage ov er the former forei gn co untries a re

visited a lw ays at g reat expense , a nd often n udes
 [12 mum TH ROU G H TH E sr eaaoscor a

ditions considera ble di scomfort Many wonderfu l

of .

thin gs in I ndi a when seen in rea lity a re ofte n in a

, ,

debi litating tempera tu re and under lia bilities to pes ,

tilential ma l adies while when seen throug h the ste reo , ,

scope the expe n se is a tri fle ; there is no expos u re to

,

pestilence ; you a re amon g the com forts o f home ; it

is wonderl an d you reach di rectly from the fireside .

Besides there is often a witchery and a ch a rm in

,

stereoscopic scenes not fou nd in the rea l presence o f

pla ces and thing s *
.

I ha ve been appoi nted to serve a s person al gu ide

for those who a re to m ake this stereoscopic iti nera ry
th rough the gre at and won dro u s H ind u country the —

l and to which I h a ve referred a s conta ini ng so m uch

'
o f u n u su al i nterest for the student an d the tra veler r .

O u r s ight seei ng j ou rn ey will be confi ned to o ne hun

-

dred pl aces Th is is re grettable bu t we cou ld n o t

.
,

see all o f In di a even by visiting a thou sand pl aces ,

m u ch less a h u ndred ; n either can a st u de nt possess

all inform a tio n by tak i ng a co u rse in colle ge B u t we .

can gain some knowled ge from a h un dred poi nts of

view and wha t is more important a desire to le a rn
, , ,

mo re To m ake the most o f t ra vel whether rea l

.
,

o r stereo sc0 pic the tra veler m u st be a k een , ca refu l , ,

and i ntelli gen t o bserver He ca nnot be apathetic ; he .

‘A
o to the p ea t possibili ties of
the m ob I woul
the d refer
read er t me in teres litera ture o n the
q
oubj eot iamed by the
'

o so v ery
publh ben ot thia tour It
. be nea t tree o n re ueot .

t M i —
N am Mr mad e several lon g Visits
Riealton has y
to India tra velin all over tbe coun try
.

n orth t o eouth an d from weet

He probei ly kn ows the lan d an d its life fa r more in tima tel y tha n
.

to eaat .

a n y o ther American tra veler He hims elf v isited ea c h place and ma d e th e

d d
.

us e in this j ourn e y a nd so has a irect. M mi

p
d e' w hic h a re ia
m tb a ll the dg h ta of whic h he speah in tbe follot m
.

8 0
'

0 a n ae
 m raouuc rxou
'
13

m u st be a lert enth u si astic persistent in sa ti able in his

, , ,

desir e to see and know .

I n topo gr aphica l stu dies the poi n ts of the compa ss

,

shou ld always be determ in ed How often a fter en .

,

t er ing a stran ge city in the n i ght and for the first time ,

I h ave di sc o vered in the mornin g the sun ri s ing at

the most abs u rd po int o f the compass This is be .

wilderi ng and a po sitive hin dr ance to a correct kn owl

ed ge o f locality The disa rra nged compa ss wil l re
.

fu se to be ad j u sted and o ne s idea s of pl aces and dirce

’

ti o n will therea fter rem ai n forever erroneou s This .

is tru e also o f stereo graphic travel I n topog ra phic .

s ubj ects direction m u st be u nderstood A mistak e n

,
.

di rection in tra vel ofte n res u lts dis astrou sly I onc e .

rema i ned three d ays and three n i ghts in a Califo rn i an

j u ngle twen ty five miles from any habitati o n an d with
-

ou t food becau se I lost d irection ; so the stereo itiner

,
-

an t m a y be twenty fiv e miles from topog r a phic tru th

-

and a ccu racy unless he c onforms his visi o n and ad

, ,

j u sts h is position to the poi nt s of the compass To

, .

enable him to do this an excellent system of pa tent

,

map di agr ams to which frequ e n t reference shou ld be

,

ma de a ccomp an ies this book

,
.

W ith this brief foreword we a re ready to go over ,

broa d sea s to the l and o f theosophy the bi rth pla ce ,

-

o f reli g ion s the home o f the m agici an the l an d where

, ,

fai r women are hidden from view the l an d which as , ,

I hope we sh all lea rn on o ur j o u rn e y s u rpa sses all ,

other pa rt s o f the world in both n atu ra l an d artifi ci al

won ders .

J A M ES RI OAL I O N ’ '
.
 I n s tr ucti on :

Experiment with the s liding rac k which holds the

stereog raph un til you find the distance which
best s u its the foc u s of you r own eyes This .

distance v a ries grea tly with difi erent people .

H ave a stron g stea d y li ght on the stereog raph

, .

T ak e ca re tha t the fa ce o f it is not in sh adow .

It is a good pl an to sit with the ba ck tow a rd

the wi ndow o r l amp letti ng the li ght fa ll over
,

one shou lder di rectly o n the f ace o f the s t ereo

gr aph
Hold the stereog raph with the hood clos e aga inst
‘
the forehead and temples sh u tti ng o fl en ti rely
,

all immedi a te s u rrou ndin gs The less you a re

.

consc iou s o f thin gs close abou t you the more ,

stron g will be you r feeli ng of actua l p resence

in the scenes yo u a re studyi ng .

Thin k de finitely while yo u h a ve you r f ace in the

,

hood j us t where you r position is as lea rned

, ,

from the maps and expl ana tory text Reca ll .

—
you r su rrou ndin gs to mi nd i e thin k w h a t is . .
,

behind you; wh at lie s o ff a t the ri ght ; at the

left Y ou will find you rsel f ric hly repa id for
”
.

“
the eff ort by the fu ller re a l ness o f each -

ou tlook .

Do not h u rry T ak e plenty o f time to see wh a t

.

is before you Notice all the little details

.

or rather notice a s m any a s yo u can ea ch t ime ;

'

y ou will be s u rprised to find the n ex t time you

,

look at the s ame pl ace how m a ny things you

,

h a d fa iled to notice a t fi rst .

 Some one h as said tha t to rea d a book withou t
, ,

fir st rea ding the preface is j u st as improper as to enter

a ho u se witho u t rappin g at the door It is pres umed .

therefore that yo u h a ve rea d the preface wherei n I

h ave set forth as s uccinctly as possible some of th e
n u merou s a ttr a ction s in the g rea t co untry over w hich
we ar e now to mak e ou r w ay I n The S tory o f
“

”
.

I ndi a ( pag e
, an d other ch a pters on the la nd

and the people ( pages 327 , other facts a re given

tha t wi ll add m u ch to the absorbing interest of our
“ ”
j ou rn ey over the Gorgeou s Ea st the home of one ,

fi fth o f the popu l ation o f the globe .

Indi a is a l an d of fable an d fiction ; bu t a t all places

we sh all find con stantly recu rri ng evidence th at fact
is stran ger than fiction W e sh al l see a u n iversa l
.

struggle for a miserable exi sten ce and cu riou s cu s ,

toms cu rious co sttun es and ofte n next to no costu me s

, ,

a t all
. W e sh a ll be amon gst a medley o f races spea k
ing more th an a h u ndred differe nt l an guages We .

sh all le a rn how m u ch En gl an d h as don e to imp ro ve

the condition of this orienta l world o f man y race s ,

tribes lan gua ges and reli gion s We sh all be the west
, .

ern desce nd ants meetin g the e a stern des cend ants of a

n ,
—
commo bu t remote ancestry the Aryans W e sh a ll .

be const a ntly in the midst o f and passi ng through a

new and stran ge flora and fauna and di fferent aspects
,

o f ag ricu ltu re. In the midst of so m u ch tha t is str an ge

and un seen and unknown you are li k ely to become a
,

persistent catechist and a persistent and i ntelli ge nt

,

catechism is the hi gh roa d to kn o wled ge I n o ur j ou r .

ney over this mystic wonderl and I sh all en d eav o r to

,

W a t
. M ea t
16 mo m TH RO U G H TH E sr ew oscoes

anticipa te you r qu estions and answer them to the best

o f my a bility .

W e sh all app roa ch the land over which we a re to

w ander as most tra velers do a t the port o f Bomba y
, , .

The Port ugu ese were e arly exp an sionists and a cqui red
territory in Hin d u sta n in the sixteen th ce ntu ry There .

a re few h a rbors o n the coast o f this Hi nd u land an d , ,

w hen the Portugu ese fou nd this ample ba y and shelter ,

the y very na tu rally c a lled it B oa Bahia ( good bay o r

h arbor ) which na me w as g rad u ally ch an ged to Bom
,

ba y a fter the E nglish occu pation in the seven teenth

“ "
ce ntu ry The isl a nd bou n di ng the good bay on the
.

sea side too k the n ame o f Good Bay Isl and an d the
-
,

tow n fou nded thereon the same name Now the tow n .

o f Go od B ay h a s become the secon d city in the B ritish

Empi re with a popu la tion of abou t ni ne h u ndred thou

sa nd I f it be our first glimpse of O ri enta l li fe m any
.
,

st ran ge scen es will me et our gaze .

I f we have not forgotten wha t we ga ined of geo

g ra phic a l knowled ge at school we may remember ,

that Bombay is sit uated abo u t midw ay between the

n orthern a nd sou thern limits o f the pe nins u l a o n the ,

wester n co ast and abou t ni neteen deg rees north o f the

equator Co nsu lt ou r gener al ma p of Hind u stan ( M ap
.

1 ) a n d veri fy this ; it is worth the trou ble Next .

,

h avi n g the loca l ity clea rly in mi nd tu rn to Map 2 , ,

which shows the city o f Bomba y by itsel f In its in .

su l a r situation B o mbay h a s sometimes been li k ened

,

to New Yo rk the i sla nd exte ndi ng no rth an d sou th

, ,

a nd correspondi ng in le ngth and width t o M an ha tta n .

The Arabi an Sea l aves its western exposu re while the ,

e astern front borders the spaci o u s bay and h a rbor in ,

which vessels anch o r an d from which the l andin g

,

is m a de S ee also Ma p 3
. .

P etition 1 . M ap. l and z

 O
B MB AY 17

The fi rs tstandpoint we a re to tak e is ma rked with a

red en cir cl ed figu re 1 in the town nea rly west o f the
-
, ,

landing pl ace I n order to reac h it a tr aveler must

-
.

fi rst pass the u s ua l cu stom hou se forma lities ; then he -

gazes abo u t with a sen se of be w ilderment at the qu eer

O rie n tal aspect o f thi ng s The people of the lower .

cl a sses m un ch a s ubstitu te for toba cco which gives a

blood red expectora ti on ; it is a comb in ation o f p alm
-

nut betel lea f an d l ime and is u sed over the whole

,
-
, ,

ea stern world B aya rd Taylor says in one o f his

.
,

writin gs tha t when he fir st l anded in Bomba y he

,

thought th a t mo st people had hemorrhage I f it be .

tow a rds even ing there may appea r wind in g through

, ,

the streets milch cows a fter a new fas hion grea t

,
-
.

sh a peless lop horned w ater buflaloes The ca w ing

,
-
.

o f n umberless roo ks greets the ea r ; da rk f aces a re

“
see n everywhere s a ve an occa sion al red neck as
,
-
,

the Boers were wo nt to ca ll the E ng lislnn en A fter .

a lo ng sea voyage l and odors a re grate fu l and a short ,

“
wal k en ables on e to recover his land legs bu t he -
,

soon becomes con scious o f vibra ti ng tropica l hea t fol ,

lo wed by increasin g perspi ration and decrea si ng

en ergy .

Ou r first positio n which we h a ve j u st loca ted is to

, ,

be on a ta ll tower from which we can get an extensive

ou tlook over the so u thern section o f Bomba y though ,

m u ch of the city wi ll lie behi n d u s N otice p a rtien .

la rly the di rection and len gth o f the two red li nes
which diverge from the enci rcled l for they incl ud e ,

between them preci sel y the pa rt o f the city which we

sha ll find spre ad ou t before u s when we tak e o ur first
stand in Bomba y The di rection s o f the divergin g.

li n es tell tha t we sh all be faci ng sou th The ma p .

promises tha t ce rta i n l a rge bu ildin g s qu ite n ea r ou r

Pacifi ca l . M ap s
 O
B MB AY 19

ther e we sha ll tak e our next position to see wh at is

cl a imed to be the finest railw ay sta tion in the world .

A ga in tu rn ing to wha t is before u s the extreme ,

sou thern en d o f the island forms a na rrow pen ins u la

a little to the ri ght and ou t Of ou r li ne O f vision and
two and a h alf miles dista nt On that extreme point .

of land ca lled Cola ba are located a li ghthou se Oh

, , ,

servat o ry hospita l a nd mi lita ry ba rra ck s

, Eu ropea n .

ste amships reach Bombay from the west ( ri ght ) A .

ship crosses beyon d ou r li n e of view ea stw ard abo u t

fo u r miles from th is poi nt ; then she swi ngs north ward
an d a nchors in the
“ ”
good ha rbor directly to ou r ,

left abou t one mile a w ay .

A little to o ur left o ne mile dista nt is the termi n us

, ,

of the Bombay B a roda and Central I ndi an Rai lw ay

, .

D imly we can see no w in the distance the Dolphin

Light o n a sm a ll isl an d B ack Bay an a rm o f the
.
,

sea,
is only two h u ndred ya rd s to ou r rig ht ; this bay
is tw o mi l es wide and on its fa rther shore ri ses Ma l a
bar Hill the hi ghest l and n ea r Bomba y one h u n dred
, ,

an d ei ghty feet It is the most popu l a r subu rb Of Bom

.

bay an d is well tak e n u p with be au ti fu l homes

, Be .

tween u s and B ack Bay on ou r ri ght is a p ublic re

sort o r co mmon on e h alf mile long an d two h u n dred
,
-

yards wi de called the Espl ana de Here on certa in

,
.

days n otw ithstandin g the oppressive heat both nati v es

, ,

and E u ropean s en gage in all sports and games o f the

day Beyo nd the Espl an ade and between the ra il
.
,

way lin e and the bea ch Often m ay be seen gre at num

,

bers O f tents occ upied by fami lies who ha ve been com

p el led to flee fr o m their h omes in p a rts Of t h e city

where the plagu e has m ade its appea ran ce .

The buildin g with the squ a re towers is g reate r a nd

more imposin g th an it a ppea rs to be from ou r ele
W t
.
m a
20 w on TH RO U G H TH E STE REOSGO PE

va ted position its frontage on Mayo Roa d to the rig ht

,

be in g fou r h undred and forty three feet and each

wing be ing over ei ghty feet in width This g rea t .

pile sta tely in appea rance and stately in its u se is

, ,

what the En glish c all the P residenti a l Secreta riat a ,

Gov ernment Office bu ilding con ta ining priv ate rooms ,

for the Governor committee rooms offi ces O f the J

, u ,

dicial Reve nu e and M ilita ry Depa rtme nts

,
The roof .

an d towers O f another fine stru ctu re u pon which we ,

loo k do wn tell something o f the elev ation Of o ur view

,

poi nt on this Raj abai tower the fu ll hei ght o f which ,

is two h un dred and sixty feet Th a t bu ild in g which .

,

seem s to crou ch benea th ou r hi gh perch is U niversity ,

H all a fine edifice in the orn ate F rench style Of a rchi

,

tect u re and sometimes ca l led Cowas j ee H a ll a fter

,

Co w asj ee Jehan gi r a wea l thy Pa rsee who contribu ted

, ,

generou sly tow a rds the cost O f erection The clock .

tower on which we sta nd is an ad j unct of the U ni

versity and libra ry a g ra nd pile in fo u rteenth centu ry
,

Gothic style .

Beyond the S ecreta ria t a little to the ri ght we see , ,

a fine modern str u ctu re sca rcely completed which , ,

represents the depa rtment o f public work s ; and still

farther aw ay we c an see toweri ng facto ry chim neys
which i n dica te up to d ate pro gress in the i ndu stries
- -
.

Beyond the S ec reta ri a t too a street le a ds to the left in

the direction of those hi gh white bu ildi n gs in the dis
ta nce and to the ha rbor only a h u ndred yards farther
,

a w ay ; there we shou ld find a deli ghtfu l w ater fron t -

ca lled the Apollo B unde r where the he at opp ressed ,

-

Bombayites floc k at s u n set to qu a ff the gr a tefu l se a

macs Near the Apollo B under is a commodiou s
.

bu ildi ng and acros s the pla za from the cl u b re

, ,

ly completed a m any storied hotel Cou ld we

”
-
.
,

a t . 09 8
 O
B M BA Y 21

tu rn and look n orthwa rd over other b u ildings we ,

shou ld see a noble stru ctu re for the Cou rts o f J u stice ,

m u ch longer than the P residen ti al S ecreta ri at and ,

the Post and Telegraph B u ilding s the Town H all an d

,

m any others The public buildin gs here in Bom

.

bay s u rp a ss in ele gance th o se of C alcu tta and com ,

pa re f avorably with those Of any city in the world .

W ith thi s su rvey Of the bu sy P arsee city from the

Raj abai Tower we may descen d and pas s n orthwa rd
.

a lon g the b u stl in g Ho mby Roa d to the Victo ri a

Termin u s o f the gr eat I ndi an Pen i n su la r Ra ilway to
see wha t ha s bee n ca lled by m any and not wi thou t ,

re ason the fin est ra ilw ay station in the w o rld Co n

, .

s u lt the Bomba y map an d see where Po sition 2 i s

ma rk ed in red northeast Of Position 1 The sl an t Of
, .

the red li nes which diverge from the fi gu re 2 sh o w s

th at we sh al l be faci ng a bou t northea st b u t tha t we
.

sh all not see to so long a dist ance as before .

P os iti on 2 . Th e mos t ma gn ifi cen t r a il way stati on

S ince lea vi ng the Raj abai Tower we ha ve tr aveled ,

less th an a mile in a n orthe as terly direction and we

are still loo k in g in th a t direction with the Tower and

the n ei ghboring b u ildin gs Off beh in d u s Ou r a tten .

tion is divided betwee n a d roll vehicle and a v a st stru e

t ure which cost one and one h alf m illions Of dolla rs
-
,

and tha t in a cou n try where l abor costs n ext to n othi ng .

Ra ilw ay stat ion s a re often l a r ge and smn etimes co m

modious bu t seldom i f ever h ave we see n one so ri ch
,

in orna men ta tion ca rved in solid stone

,
The archi .

tect u re is Ita li an Gothic e ff ectively modified in pa rts

,

(4 .
M 3
 2 mom T H ROU G H T H E STEREOSCOPB

by the O rien t al It is probably the finest buildin g in

.

Bomba y an d is one of which the people a re j u stly

prou d The i nterna l a rrangeme nts a re conven i ent
.
,

a nd bei ng the termin u s Of o ne Of the grea t tr u nk li nes

,

o f I ndi a where m any tr ai n s a rrive and dep a rt da ily it ,

a lways presents interesting scenes of j ostli ng acti vity ,

Be yon d this poi nt the bl ac k town o r na tive pa rt Of the

city begi ns ; bu t it m u st not be s u pposed tha t the be
gi nni ng O f the na tive section iin plies a li ne Of de
mar kation betwee n fine bu ildin gs and sh a nties for one ,

wou ld find in the na tive qua rter m any wea lthy busi
n ess ho u ses a s well as ele gant priv a te residences
-
At .

the same time no city is withou t its poor and the

squalor which u s ua lly accomp anies po verty Bombay .

has prolific breedi ng pl a ces for most d an gero u s germs ,

an d o ne is s u re t o thin k o f this when he w a nders in to

squa lid by w ays -

.

On the Opposite side Of the street to our left is the

Bombay Mu n icipa l B u ildi ng not qu ite in view bu t it
, ,

is a ma gnificent Gothic pile in stone with a dome and

tower two h u ndred and fifty five feet hi gh with a -
,
’
sta t u e which typifies Bomba y s cl a ims to u rban su
p re m a cy in the i n scription U r bs prim in I nd ia .

E ve n from the two positions which we ha ve ocen

pied we m ay infer th at there is rea son fo r
,

the pride her people h ave in her pu blic bu ild

ing s Ei ghteen yea rs ago d u ri ng my first visit her e
.
, ,

I visited a pu blic school the bu ild in g O f which was the

,

mos t orna te ed u ca tional stru ct u re I had ever seen in

any country ; the sa me stru ctu re h a s now been p u t to
another u se on acco unt O f its u ns u itable situa ti on .

Although we ha ve not time to vi sit them it is worth ,

while to mention some of the m any a dmi rable in stitu

i
ms in Bombay i f fo r no other rea son tha n to con
‘
'

Mea ) .
m a
 B O M BAY 23

Vi nce m any O f their erro r who believe ( as I once be

liev ed ) tha t I n dia be in g a he a then l and to whi ch we
,

send missiona ri es has little o f the progress an d ci vi

,

lized condition s Of western cou ntr ies I mi ght add

.

another rea so n viz to show those especially in

.
, ,

America who are won t to sn eer at E ng l and s wonder

,
’

“
fu l expan sion an d benevolen t coloniza tion as world
” “ ”
grabbin g an d territori al greed wh at English coloni
, ,

z at ion me an s ; and wh a t is tru e o f Bomba y is tr u e O f

other cities an d cou n tries u nder En g li sh ru le There .

fore I men ti on a few O f the ed u ca tiona l and ben evo

,

len t i n stitu tion s here : Elp hinston e College a splen ,

did school la rgely en dowed by a we a lthy Pa rsee ; the

New Elphi n stone H i gh S chool the Obj ect o f which is
,

to fu rn ish a hi gh cla ss an d liberal ed uca tion u p to the

-

U n iversity sta nda rd a t fees withi n the me ans Of the

middle classes ; S t X a vier College ; W ilson Colle ge
.
,

the l ar gest colleg e for na tives in W estern I nd ia ; Alex

ander Colle ge for P a rsee l a dies ; two Hi gh Schools for

gi rls ; the M i ssion Hi gh S chool ; the School of A rt ,

and ma ny other less n oted bu t excellent schools .

Amon g well equ ipped and well m a intai n ed ch a rita ble

- -

i nstitu tion s a re
,
the Roya l Al fred Sa ilors Home ; ’

the E u ropea n Genera l Hospital ; the S t George Hos .

pita l the Peston j i Kam a Hos pita l ; the Gokaldas Hos

pita l ; the J amshidj i Hospita l ; the Gran d M edic al Col

lege ; the J ams hidj i J ij ibhai s Pa rsee Benevolent Insti

’

tutio n ; the J amshidj i D h a rms a la ; the Parsee D h a rm

sa l a ; the Bomba y A si a tic Society ; the A nthropologi

ca l Society ; the N atu ra l History Soci ety an d all other ,

i n stitu tion s and organiza tions any western city ca n

The most c u riou s among the benevolent i n stitu tions

is an a syl um for sick a nd disabled anim a ls of all kinds .

M ien ) . Map s
24 mo m TH RO U G H T H E ST EREOSCO PE

It is in the hea rt o f the native city only about a mile

“

n orthwest ( left ) from where we stan d It is ca lled .

the Pinj rapol It covers several a cres and ha s depa rt

.

ments for aged and infirm ca ttle and a depa rtme nt for
goa ts sheep and asses ; a nother section is set apa rt for
,

bu ffa loes still another for dog s and cats All these
, .

d umb a nim als a re fed and well ca red for S ome may .

qu es tion the wi sdom of bestowin g so much O f h u m an

kin dness on d umb anim a ls To reliev e s u ff eri ng is .

a lways noble and to pra ctise kindness is to cu ltivate

the h u m an hea rt A B u ddhist priest once told me th a t
.

the grea test defect in the teachi ng O f Christ is that it

nowhere i n cu lc ates d u e co n sidera tion for the lower an i

m als I h a d a nei ghbor once a nomina l Ch ristian

.
, ,

Often lea d ing in pra yer at ch u rch who n a iled a livi ng ,

crow to a stak e in his field to serve as a sca re crow ; -

when ch arg ed with c ru elty he sa id he wished to tor ,

ture it for the depreda tions it had co mmitte d in his

fields This man worshipped a t the Cross of Ch rist ;
.

he erected a cross and on it c ru c ified an i nn ocen t and

u nrea soni ng fellow crea tu re ! I co u ld not bu t reca ll
-

wh at the B u ddhi st priest ha d told me The Old defi

”
.

“
n it ion for D eity viziz God is love altered only
, ,

in phra se wo uld be Kin dnes s is God Kindness is the

-
.

grea test mora l powe r in the u niverse and the Pin ,

j p
r a o l sho u ld be r e g a rded a s a noble instit u tion .

Chu rches and elegant temples abou nd here and one

almost wonders where hea the n dom comes in It is .

here a s it is everywhere bu t in tru th vice is neither

, , ,

so commo n nor so bold here a s in the homela nds O f

the missiona ry .

Coming bac k aga in to the si ghts di rectly before u s we

see close by a droll vehicle which some call an ekka “ ” -
,

”
,

“
nd others a herdic It is cu riou s th at the term
.

m a
.
m a
 O M BAY
B 25

herdic shou ld find applica tion in the remo te Orient .

English diction a ries tell us th at a herdic is a two o r

four wheeled vehicle with an entra n ce behind and in
-

vented by on e Peter Herdic ; here then is a Bombay

“ “ ”
herdic or a Him al ayan e kka which is a simi la r
, ,

sort Of two wheeled con veyan ce used in the H ima la ya s

-
.

B u t it ma y well be do ubted whether Peter Herdic con ,

stru cted any su ch ca nopy as here shelters the driver

and the le ast su n strokable portion Of his bovine steeds
-
.

The canopy fo r protection from the s un and the lon g ,

u n gr acefu l shi rt li k e tun ics worn by all we see on

,
-

the streets remi nd u s th at rea l travel in I n di a is hot

,

ter th an ste reoscopic ! Tho se j aun ty little zebu bu l

loc k s do not mi n d the hea t ; they a re val ua ble serv ants
o f man in every p a rt of the Ea st ; here they a re doi n g

the service Of ca rria ge horses At the corner o f the .

sta tion we see others dra wi ng a tra n sport ati on ca rt ;

sometimes one mi ght see them trottin g through the
hi ghw ays before a sort Of s u lky They are ca pable .

O f twen ty miles a day an d a re less expensive tha n

horse s ( I on ce bought a s u perann u ated specimen for

.

a dolla r and a h alf to be u sed a s an a ll u ri ng bait to

,

coa x a leopa rd from his hidin g pl ace Cru el you sa y ? .

,

Y es h un ters m u st be cru el sometime s or they m u st

,

cea se to be h un ters ) Y ou can see th at the coa chm an

.
,

or herdic ma n is perched well forw a rd ; this is neces

-

sa ry beca u se instea d o f u si ng a whip as most drivers

,

do to correct disi ncli n a ti on to mo ve with suflicient

,

speed the bu lloc k driver delivers a quick and e ff ective

,
-

’
twi st o f a deli nqu ent ani m al s tai l accordi ng to re qu ire
ments :

I h ave alrea dy had occasion to refer to a race O f

people in Bomba y n oted for i nteg rity enterprise an d ,

Pealtb n z . M ay a
 O
B MB Y A 27

ga rds the cross as a symbol Cou ld they reverence .

gran der symbols ?

Each o f the two men nea r u s holds a prayer book ; -

on e is rea din g ; the ga ze of the other is tow a rds the

thin cresce nt in the west behi nd u s Other worship .

pers are sca ttered over the m u ddy s u rf ace of the

be ach ; some rema i n a t the cau sew ay At this momen t .

there a re only a few ; sometimes this e nti re sea front -

is li ned .

B u t yo u wi ll say who a re the Par sees an d wh at is

, ,

their reli gion ? W ell briefly told they a re descen d , ,

ants o i the ancient Persi ans o r I r an i ans The ancien t .

Persi an s or I ran i an s li k e other ancie nt peoples and

, ,

modern people too for tha t m atter had a great re

, , ,

ligio us tea cher o r expo under ca lled Z o roast er and the

teachin gs o f th a t great reli giou s lea der were com led m
into a Zoroastri an Bible c a lled the Avesta o r Ze nd ,

A vesta Very little is known abou t the person a lity of

.

this Persi an philosopher ; some au thorities cl aim he

lived a thou s and yea rs B C and others pl ace him ba ck . .

to B C b u t mo re recent an d mo re c redible
.

w riters pl ace his time a t 600 B C So little is rea lly . .

kn ow n abo u t him th at some h ave bee n led to believe

the name to be mythica l He u ndo u btedly w as an his .

toric teacher and his birthpla ce w as in some pa rt of

,

Persi a The l e nd Avesta is better known than its

.
-

au thor and its tea ch in gs a re in m any respects ex

, ,

callent .

S A Kaj adia au thor of The Teachi ngs of Z or oas

. .
,

ter and The Philosophy of the Parsi Religion sa ys ,

“
A n cient as the Zoroastri an re li gion is no more com ,

prehensive l u cid and intelli gible defi n iti on of the

,

Great Crea tive Cau se can be fou nd in any reli giou s

'

m
books o f the odern reli gion s It is worthy o f note .

Poe m “3 . Men 3
28 I N D IA TH RO U G H TH E sr anaoscor s

th at M ilton who wrote nea rly twenty five h undred

,
-

yea rs a fter Zoroa ster had gra sped the tru e spi rit of
,

the Z oroa stri an ideal of God .

’
U n speakable who above these hea vens sitst ,

To u s invisible o r dimly see n ,

I n these Thy l o west works yet these decl a re ,

Thy goodness beyond thought and power divine , .

Abou t 640 B C there w as an Ar ab in v a sion and

. .

conq u est of P ersi a when Zo roastri anism w hich h ad

, ,

sw ayed I ran for cent u ries was cru shed before the mili ,

t ant and agg ressive faith o f Isl am M any Iran i an s in .

v o l u nt a rily tr ansferred thei r all egi ance to the Crescent

a n d ad opted the f a ith of their co nqu erors ; a few ho w ,

ever u n willi ng to embrace the new reli g ion o r to s u f

,

fer the ban o f persecu tion fled eastw ard to diff eren t ,

pa rts of I n di a the gre ater nu mber to Bomba y here

, ,

where they a re now c alled Parsees a fter the n ame o f a

provi n ce in Persi a ca lled Pa rs when ce they ori gin a lly
, ,

c ame .

A reli gio n which h as prod u ced the cha ra cteristics o f

the Pa rsees cannot be dev oid o f mora l po wer an d ex
cellen ce . Bombay conta ins abou t n i nety th ou s and o f
these I rani an refug ees ; their a ncient fa therl an d prob
abl y conta i n s a n equ al n u mber W e see then a rem .

n ant of thi s noble race p u rs u ed an d persec u ted almo st

, ,

extin gu ished by the fan aticism of Isl a m ; this sca rcely

,

seem s li k e a su rvival o f the fittes t These men before .

u s are follower s of Zoroaster worshi ppin g a fter their ,

an cient fa shion the n atu ra l elemen ts which typi fy the

Ah u ra M azda ( The All Knowi ng Lord ) You will -
.

o
bserve their ra tion al and cool a tti re for a hot clima te .

these worshippers we see a very cu riou s sort o f

an i rre gu la r cyli nder o f c a rd boa rd covered with
- -
,

ha s . M ap s
 B O M BAY 29

oil-
cloth and fl a ttened an d ope n at the top It is im .

possible to accou nt fo r the va riou s i rregu lar ities and

convol u tions of the Pa rsees head gea r I wish ho w
’
.
,

ever yo u could see the ex qu isi tely beau ti ful persona l

,

a tti re o f Pa rs ee l adies which con si s ts o f a li ght robe

o f thin white sil k exte n di ng from the he a d t

, o the feet

in a gra cefu l flow which wo u ld p u t to ridic u le the sti ff

d u n gracefu l E u ropean styles .

I n connection with o u r first an d se cond positions ,

reference wa s ma de to the ele gance of p ub lic bu ilding s ;

do no t fail to observe another example in the highly
ornate bu ildin g nea r the bay in the distance ( east ) .

It is the ofiice bu ildin g o f the Bomba y B a roda and ,

Central Indi a Rai l way We can see a portio n of the

. .

rai lw ay station a t the extreme left It is ca lled Ch u rch

.

Gate S ta tion ; it is from ther e th at a tra veler m ak es

his dep a rtu re fo r the north o f In di a .

Con su lt the Bombay city ma p again When we .

stood a t Posi tio n 3 Malaba r Hill was behi n d u s and

a li ttle towa rds o u r left .Thith er we proceed fo r ou r
next position to visit a stra nge in stitu tion belongi ng
,

to the people we h ave been con sideri n g To reach it .

we p a ss the r a ilw ay s ta tion which we sa w on the shore ,

tu rn to the left a round the n orthern en d o f the bay ,

as cend an elev a tion of abo u t two h undred feet an d at ,

the top o f th at as ce n d a fli ght of sto ne s teps There .

we sha ll be a t the poin t m a rked 4 before the world,

famed Tower of S ilence the place where the P a rsees

,

dispose o f their dea d accordi n g to an anci ent u sa ge

,

orda ined by Zoroaster the g rea t p ro phet o f I ran The

, .

red lines show th a t we sh al l fac e northea st .

W a t-h h t
30 mo m r n ao uon rna sr aaaosco ra

—
the P ar see d ea d M a l a ba r H il l , B ombay

We a re loo kin g a little north o f east in the direc ,

tion of the na tive q ua rter of Bombay ; the Eu ropea n

pa rt lies a few de gr ees to ou r ri g ht The fli ght o f .

ei ghty stone steps by which the Tower is rea ched is

on the other side a little to the ri ght of the Tower
, .

W e can see qu ite distinctly a li n e o f w a itin g vu ltu res

on to p o f the wall and o ne h uge bi rd soa rin g in mid
,

air . W e c an ea sily im agine tha t ci rcling corpse ea ter -

to be a se ntinel w atchi ng for the app roach o f a slow

,

movin g fu nera l pro cession .

The philos ophy o f Zoroa ster looks wi th horror on .

the defilemen t o f M other Earth by the i nte rment of

bodies therei n Ea rth w ater, and fire a re sacred a nd
.
, ,

a dea d body is the most rep ugnant form o f unclea n

liness ; therefore the tru e disciple of the Persi an
,

P rophet m u st dispose o f the dea d by some of N a tu re s

’

methods Co rpses c annot be bu rned in the fire nor

.
,

bu ried in the ea rth nor p u t i nto the w ater ; this

”
,

Tower of S ilence provides a method o f disposa l It .

consis ts o f a g rea t bu ildin g twenty five feet hi gh and -

two h u ndred seve nty six feet in circu m ference As

-
.

you see it yonder on the hi ll it resembles an old fash -

ioned fort withou t port holes The interior is some -

.

what elevated and a rra nged in three concentric tiers

slopi ng dow n w a rd tow a rds a g rea t well in the center ,

five feet in di ameter The tiers conta i n shallow troughs

.

in which bodies a re pl aced Cha nne ls exte nd from .

the troughs to the well in the cen ter .

The bodies pl aced in th o se s pa ce s are devou red by

wha t the Par see s ca ll heave n sent bi rd s w e call them -
,

vu ltu res You see them perch ed a rou nd the top of

.

the w all a w a iti ng the a rriva l of a body By w a iti ng .

M ich a l . Ml p a
‘
 O M BA Y
B 31

here a short time we mi ght witness firs t an ag i ta tion ,

a mong the vu ltu res then a s u dden da rtin g down wa rd

,

i nto the i nterior ; this wo u ld mea n the be g innin g of

their gru esome repast In an hou r a body is stripped
.

o f flesh . The bones ar e allowed to rema in till thor

oughly dried in the hot s un ; esca pi ng li q uids from the
body a re con veyed in ch annels to the well where they
pass th rough beds of cha rcoal in which they a re
deodorized and disin fected and th u s prepa red to,

min gle with th e w ater of the sea wi thou t poll u ti ng the

sacred element After the bones ha ve been well dried
.

in the hot sun they a re removed by tongs into the well

,

in the center o f the Tower .

Dea d bodies w hen brought here are wra pped in

white cerements and born e to the Tower o f S ilence
,

on biers ca rried by fou r professiona l ca rriers A good .

roa d has been m ade at the expense o f a wea l thy Pa rsee

from the city to the Tower an d severa l times a d ay
,

ma y be seen a funera l procession movin g alon g the ,

roa d tow a rds Ma laba r H ill The fou r ca rrie rs a re

.

followed closely by two ve n erable priests and behind ,

them come rel atives and frien ds O n rea chin g thes e .

grou n ds the body is taken to wha t we wou ld ca ll a

,

chapel where prayers are offered a fter which the

, ,

bea rers with the priests proceed to the Tower where

'

the fu nera l ga rmen ts are removed and the n u de body

is pl aced in one o f the trough li k e ca vities As soon
-
.

as the c a rriers and priests withdraw the h un gry vu l ,

tu res swoop down in grea t n umbers The priests .

an d c a rriers wea r ga rmen ts fo r the occa sio n which ,

a r e a fterw a rds tak en to a dis in fectin g pl ace on the

grounds and thoroughly cle an sed The ha ndl in g o f .

the body an d bo n es is don e with tong s Pa r s ees re .

spect the dea d bu t re ga rd a corpse as m o st u n clean ;

,

W 4 . Map s
32 w ow r n ao ucn r un sr aasosco p a

the car riers on accou nt of thei r ignoble work a re socia l

I ha ve already mentioned the co mmerci al hon or the ,

benevolence and hi gh minded qualities of these peo

-

ple ; in the m a tter o f clea nliness and sanita tion we see

ho w strict a re the ru les ha nded dow n from the ancient
da ys In this conn ection it is worthy o f obse rvation
.
,

tha t d u rin g the m any and disa strou s visita tions o f

,

pl agu e in Bombay the Pa rsees h ave e n tirely esca ped

, .

By secu ring a permit from the offi ce of the society ,

c a lled the Panchay at a person ma y visit the Towers

,

o f S ilence I sa y Towers beca use there ar e severa l

.
,

within the same gro u nds genera lly spok en of collee

”
,

“
tively as the Tower o f S ilence No visitor however .
, ,

is allowed to enter a tower The grou nds embrace .

many a cre s and a ff ord a qu iet retrea t beautified by ,

trees flowers and flowerin g sh ru bbery and comma n d

, , ,

ing a ch a rmi n g view o f Bomba y and the sea It is .

i ndeed a su itable ret rea t in which to m editate o n the

depa rted dea d ; o f co u rse to u s who a re not a ccu s ,

tomed to the Pers ian disposition o f the de a d ou r ,

medita tions wou ld be distu rbed by intru din g thoughts

of vora ciou s birds E limi na ti ng cu stom and senti
.

ment and exerci si ng ph ilosophy there is little to

, ,

choos e betw een gra ve worms and v u ltu res -

.

You will n atu ra lly won der why ou r positio n is so

dista nt from the Tower I will tell you The ru le s . .

of t he society a re very strict As I ha ve s aid no per .

,

son is a llowed to enter the Tower ; even the P rin ce o f

W ales w a s allowed to see o nly a m o del o f the i nterior
pl an The ru le s a re eve n more strict in re ga rd to
.

photog raphin g the Tower I pre s ented to the Pan .

ha ya t letters from the U S Co n s u l as kin g for this . .

i vilegc ; bu t the re qu est was fi rmly thoug h cou rte ~

mini ”M
. 8
 B MBO AY 33

ously refused ; therefore the only possibility lay in fin d

,

ing a pla ce o u tside the g rou n ds from which stereo

gr aphs co u ld be m ade I m ade a complete ci rc u it
.

O f the entire a rea u nder grea t di fficu lties

, Walls and .

bru shwood intervene on all si des This w as the on l y .

position o u tside the gr ounds from which I cou ld Oh

ta i n even this pa rtial disclos u re Of the Tower .

H a vin g now seen some thi ng o f the Pa rsee and

an ci en t P ersi an method O f disposi ng Of the dea d we ,

sh all retu rn to the city The ro u te is alon g a street

.

which follows the bea ch Of B ack Ba y ; when with in a

h alf mile Of Ch u rc h Gate sta tion a Eu ropea n ceme ,

tery is pa s sed the n a M oh ammedan bu ri al pl a ce an d

, ,

n ea r by on the s a me street is the Hi nd u s bu rn ing ’

, ,

pla ce the l a st na med showin g the Hind u method Of

,
-

dispos in g of their dea d There we are to tak e ou r n ex t

.

position It will be fo und interestin g to trace the de

.

scribed rou te on o ur Bombay city map The fifth .

standpoi nt is ma rk ed in red in the u sua l m anner ,

though we a re to h ave a more limited ran ge Of view .

P os iti on 5 . Hi n d u bur n i n g p l ace ( s outh ) . n ea r M aln

We a re faci ng on ce more sou thw a rds towa rd the

lower en d O f the city isl and and the Open sea be yond .

B ac k B a y is O ff a t o u r ri ght .

It is qu ite cu riou s th at on ret u rnin g from the Towers

of S il ence one shou ld i ncidentally pass fi rst a E u ropean ,

cemetery where ea rth bu rial is practised then a M O

-
,

hammeda n b u ri a l gro un d where the dead a re also in '

ter red an d followi ng this rea ch this b u rnin g pl ace Of

, ,
-

the Hind u s where the dea d are crem ated The Hin
, .

dus believe tha t fire instea d of bein g defiled by dea d

,

M inn a . Meg a
 O M BA Y
B 35

and one above I n ma ny burnin g pl aces no iron frames

.

a re u sed ; inste a d a trough like ca vity in the ea rth is

,
-

d ug to receive the ashes S evera l tiers Of wood a re

.

pl aced over this open ing in the ea rth ; u pon these the
body is pla ced ; over the body there is the n pl aced
another tier of wood ; bu t the amo u nt Of wood is no t
alway s the s ame O ften poor people c annot aff ord a
.

suflicien t amou nt Of wood to co n s u me the body en

tirely when portion s a re left to be devo u red by j ack a ls

,

and vu ltures ; and Often the vicinity Of bu rni ng pl aces

is strew n with bo nes a nd s ku lls .

W e ca n see pa rti a lly on the ri ght a table s u rrou nded

, ,

by ben ches When bodies rea ch the bu rn i ng pl ace they

.
-

a r e depo sited on th at ta ble for the rem o va l Of fu n era l

cove ri ngs a fter which they a re bathed in tha t ta nk to

,

the left It is n ot unl ik ely th at the ta n k co nta in s a

.

sm all portion Of w ater from the sacred G an ges W h en .

Hi nd u s a re expected to die they are Often ca rried m an y

miles to the bank s Of tha t sa cred river ; for to die there
is a sure pa ssport to hea ven When the Ganges can .

n ot be rea ched s ometimes portion s O f a body not co n

,

su med in the bu rn i ng a re take n or se n t t o be throw n

in to the stre am whos e w aters ens u re sa lv ation O ften

, .

before the fire is k in dled the head is sprin k led with

,

Gan ges w ater and smeared with Gan ges m u d .

When all the prel imina ry rites h ave been performed ,

some rel ative Of the deceased with a brand in his ,

h an d invokes by name the holy pl a ces sayin g

”
, , .

“
M ay the gods with fl amin g mou ths burn this corpse !
Then a fter p a ssi ng three times a rou n d the pile he
, ,

stops with his f ace tow a rd s the sou th an d stoop in g , ,

on o n e k nee a pplies the fire to the pile a t the hea d

, ,

“
while the atten di ng pries t repea ts this prayer F ire !
tho u wert l ighted by him may he therefore be re , , ,

Positio n 0 . bl i p a
36 mom T H RO U G H TH E sr sxeoscor a

prod u ced from thee tha t he may atta in the regions

,

Of celestia l bliss May this Off ering be au sp icious

.
” .

W hen the body has been red u ced to ashes the priests ,

111

F oolish is he who see k s permm ence in the

h u m an state ; un solid lik e the stem of the pl an ,

ta i n tree ; tr ansient li ke the foa m O f the sea

, .

“
When a bod y formed O f five elemen ts to re ,

ceiva the rew ard o f deeds done in its o wn former

perso n rev erts to its five ori gina l eleme nts w ha t ,

room is there for reg ret ?

“
The e arth is pe rishable ; the ocea n the gods ,

themselves p ass a w ay ; how shou ld not th a t bu b

.

ble morta l m an meet destruction ?

, ,

“
All th at is low m u st fi nally perish ; a ll tha t is
hi gh m u st u ltim ately fall ; a ll compou nd bodies
m u st end in dissol u tion and li fe is conclu ded with ,

do the rem ai ns O f the dece ased

U n willi n gly
ta ste the tea rs shed by thei r ki nsm a n ; then do not
w a il bu t dili gently perform the Obsequ ies of the
,

dea d .

The fire u sed in k indling the pile m u st not be from

a ny other pile no r frm an unworthy sou rce Each .

mou rner befo re retu rnin g to the home Of the dece ased
, ,

tou ches fire while the priest recites

M ay fire g ra nt u s ha ppine s
s
There is m u ch th at is rep ugn ant in the burnin g of
bodies a s pr actised here yet the fu nera l pyre h as been
, ,

common to m any countries in all ages and we see how ,

people differ a s to the bes t mode Of disposi ng O f the

de a d a s they do on m any other su bj ects M en are cast
, .

n diff erent mo u lds and ca nn ot a lwa ys h a rm oniz e in

o ltt
on 8 . Map 3
 E LE PH A N TA 37

thought ; a lack Of absol u te kn owled ge results in specu

la tion an d a drea d o f the u n kn own Ofte n compels
,

rea so n to abdica te .

We will be loth to lea ve this gru esome place and

no t

find our w ay bac k to the B alla rd Pier where we first

came ashore F rom then ce a sa ili n g boa t wou ld tak e
.

u s ea stw a rd over the bay to a famou s isl and six miles

from Bombay ca lled Eleph anta O u r n e xt positio n is
, .

before a fa mou s l an d ma rk o n tha t isl and Con su lt

”
.

“
Ma p 2 Bomba y and Enviro ns
, .

P o s iti o n 6 D r un k en d a n ce o f th e eig h t- ar med d i

.

vi n ity S h i v a , r oc k -h
em T ow p l e, E l ep h a n ta

This isl an d o f Elephant a wher e we stand is a form a

tio n Of trap roc k six mile s in ci rcu m fere nce so me ,

points Of which a re more than five thou sand feet above

the bay When first visited by the Port ugu ese they
.
,

fou nd near this temple a h uge ston e eleph ant which ,

qu ite na tu ra lly gave the n ame to the isl an d M any .

ye a rs ago the hea d fell from the monolithic eleph ant

,

and in 1 864 it w as pl aced in the Victoria G a rden s in

Bomba y The isl a nd is covered with tropical vegeta

.

tion Lan di n g is m ade a t a l on g pier on the north

.

west si de ; we reach the temple on a bl u ff above by a ,

flight Of over one h u n dred steps Lu xu ri ant trees be .

hind us oversh adow the f ron t an d the d ark trap rock ,

above the en trance is festooned with tropica l creepers ;

the fron t O f the over h an gi n g roc k is s u pported by a
-

n u mber Of pi ll a rs or col u mns simila r to those before

, ,

u s I n this position we a re between the fi rst a nd sec

.

ond tiers Of su pports The u pper portio ns of these

.

supports a re cyli nd rica l and delicately grooved and ,

are therefor e col u mn a r in form while the lower pa rts ,

M o o
.
M t
38 mo m r n ao uc a m a sr mnoscoea

a re s qua re and may be ca lled pilla rs We a re standing .

in the na rrow en tran ce ; beyond the tie rs O f pi lla rs on

o ur left the fu ll len gth Of the ma i n sp ace is one h u n

dred and thirty by one h un dred and twe nty th ree feet -
,

while the hei ght from the floor to the ceil ing is from
twelve to fifteen feet .

The most wonderful thin g abou t this cave or temple

is tha t it ha s been chisel ed from the solid tra p mou n
ta in withou t moder n a ppliances This is tru e O f all
.

ca ve s hri n es and it is sa id there a re one tho usa nd in

I n dia While the scu lptu res a re beau ti fu l the amou nt
.
,

Of la bor requ ired is i ncomprehe nsible There a re in .

a ll twenty six Of these fi nely formed col u m ns and six

-

teen pi lasters and the w all panels in ev ery pa rt a re

,
-

—
decora ted with allegorica l ca rvi ng o n e Of them we
see at the end Of the spa ce we occu py .

M ost O f the ca ve temple shri nes in I n di a a re either

B u ddhist o r Bra hmi nica l ; these a re B rahminica l and
mostly in honor Of S hiv a the third in the order O f the
,

‘—
H ind u tri ad S hiv a the destroyer ; a nd it wou ld seem
tha t S hiv a the destroyer is so bent on destru ction th at
he h a s not spa red his own lithic represe nta tive which ,

you see on the w a ll The figu re we see beyond is th a t

.

Of S hi va en gaged in a m a d d an ce a sort Of a dervi sh ,

a flair w hich he is sa id t o e n gage in a t eventide at

'

ten ded by a retin u e Of dem on s In all other p a rts

.

Of the ca ve we fin d other reli giou s represe nta tion s of

H i nd u divinities a mon gst which S hiv a appe a rs to be
,

The time at which these roc k temples were m a de is

-

is su pposed to h ave bee n seven or ei ght

ago .It is believed th at a ltho ugh the , ,

the va st wor k Greek s and B ac ,

d
in uism. page 86 3 .
 ELE P H AN T A 39

tr ian s h a d someth in g to do with the desi gn and orn a

me n ta ti o n Many natives do n ot be li eve they are o f
.

h u man con stru ction at all the wor k bei ng too gi gantic
,

for the h an d o f man It is sa id by some writers that

.

the ea rly Portugu ese settlers are re spon sible for thei r
—
destr uction tha t they am u sed themselves by firi ng ca n
non i nto the ca ves ; bu t this is no t proba ble The trap .

forma tion is alw ays fu ll of fi s su res and grows frag

menta ry whe n exposed and maybe no h u man agency
,

is cha r g ea ble with the destru ction .

Althou gh S hiv a is the destroyer those livi ng s u p ,

pli an ts before his dan ci n g fi gu re im agi n e he ma y at

will ch ang e his destru ctive offi ce and become a pre
server An other compa rtmen t at the en d of the gre at
.

ca ve tow a rds ou r ri ght conta i n s a b u st of S hiv a and

his wi fe Pa rbati n i n eteen feet hi gh
, , The Grea t Ca ve .

is c a lled by the Hi n d u s a S hiv a Lin gam Temple 3 ,

cl ass of temples not uncom mon in I n dia temples wh ich , ,

a s implied in the wor d Li ngam bestow favors of sex ua l,

fec u ndity S ome ti me in Februa ry d u ri ng the S hiva

.
,

festiva l great nu mbers es peci ally women flock here

, , ,

to pay hom age to the Lingam S tone in a comp a rtment

n ea r where we sta nd .

Do n ot fo rget that we a re loo k in g aa oss only the

en tran ce tha t the fu ll len gth of this pill a red temple is
,

on e h u n dred and thi rty feet an d th a t in ev ery p a rt it

,

is decor ated with colossa l an d fin ely sculptu red di

vin ities Even though we are
. to this one po a

sitio n an d a lthough our stu dy of Eleph a n ta has been

,

brief I how you h ave obta i n ed a visua lized id% o f

,

Eleph a nta which will be va l uable and permmmt .

I h a ve told you that there a re a thou s and cave

sh rines in In di a ; our limita tions will allow us to visi
40 I N DIA m ucos a m a sm noscop s

only bu t these two sha ll be of the best Now we

two , .

a re to set o ut for the second and shou ld cons u lt Ma p ,

1. We retu rn to Bomba y and fro m the beau ti fu l ,

Victoria Termi nu s S tatio n which we sa w ( Positi on ,

we tak e a tra in n orthea stw a rd two h u ndred and

th irty miles to A u ran gaba d then from th a t sta tion a ,

plea s ant drive o f ten miles tak es u s to our next posi

tion ( m a rked on the m ap by the nu mber 7 in red ) ,

before the wonderfu l ca ves o f Ellora .

P os iti on 7 . On e of th e wor l d '

s l —
mar ve s bea utif ul

We a re nea r a sm all village o f some ei ght h u ndred

inh a bitants in the western pa rt o f the N izam s v ast ter ’

rito ry . Ou t here a short dista nce ea stw a rd o f the vil

,

l age a long the esca rpment o f a crescent sh a ped hill

,
-
,

there is probably the most wonderf ul series o f cave

temples in the world They extend alo n g the fa ce
.

o f the semi ci rcu l a r elev ation for a mile an d a qua rter

-
.

There a re thi rty fou r import ant ca ve temples repre

-
,

se nti ng diff erent reli gion s and diff erent styles o f a rchi
tectu re : twelve a re B uddhistic seventeen a re Brah ,

m anica l and five a re J ai nist Im agine a distance o f

, .

one and on e qua rter miles a lon g which beau ti fu l tem

-

ples a re hewn from solid tra p roc k and th at not in ,

smooth pla in s u rf aces b ut in el aboration o f style and

, ,

orn amentation in J a i n in H ind u and in D ra vidia n o r

, , ,

ders All a re interesting a ll a re won derfu l but we

. , ,

h ave tak en ou r position before th a t which h a s been un i

ver sally p ronou nced the m asterpiece o f the whole
s eries a ma tchless ex ample o f D ra vidi an a rchitect u re
, .

is c alled the Kyl a s and Fer gu sson the grea t au

, ,

rity on orienta l a rchitectu re h a s this to s a y of the

v ,

I n !
 ELDORA 41

Kylas I ndependently o f its historic al o r ethn o

gr aphica l v a l u e the Kylas is in it self o ne o f the mo st
, , ,

s i n gu l a r an d i nteresti ng mo n u me n ts o f a rchitectu ra l

a rt in I ndi a Its bea u ty an d si ngu l arity a lw ay s ex

.

cited the a ston ishment o f tra vel ers and in co nsequ en ce

,

it is better known th an a lmost an y other stru ct u re in

th at country from the n u merou s views and sk etches
”
,

o f it t hat h ave been pu bli shed .

Do you perceive tha t this is not a ca ve temple bu t

, ,

a regu l a r temple en tirely in relief a nd yet cut fr om the

s olid r ock by which it is su rro u n ded ? It is u n i qu e .

even in a cou ntry which cl aims a thou s an d cave tem

ples ; an d do you rea liz e the extent of t his exca va tion ,

an d the size of this peerless mono lithic stru ctu re ? The

qu adran gul ar cou rt is one h u n d red and fifty four by -

two h u ndred and seve nty six feet and the sca rp be
-

hi n d is one h u n dred and seven feet hi gh The ma i n .

portion o f the stru ctu re ca lled the V im an a in orien ta l

,

nomen cl atu re ,is nea rly n i nety feet hi gh which is ,

equiv a len t to seven or ei ght stories Th at fin e porch .

before the Vim ana is s u pported by s ixteen col u mn s

and con n ected therewith by an ele gan t bridge and be ,

fore the first po rch is a second porch also j o i n ed to ,

the first by a bridge ; the secon d porch is j oin ed to a

screen o r hi ghly decora ted w a ll which sepa r ates the
en ti re space from the o u tside The cou rt is fl anked
.

by a peristyle cloister with cells an d h a lls n ot for ,

priests bu t filled with divin ities o f the Hi nd u p antheon

, .

The fir st porch is wha t the H i ndu s ca ll a M and ap am ,

the pl ace occ u pied by the N an di bu ll an d on either side ,

o f the M anda pa m or porch is wh a t the n a tives c a ll a

deepdan which is rea lly a la mp pill a r One of the pil

-
.

la rs we c an see and how richly it is scu lptu red These

, .

lithic l amp posts a re forty five feet hi gh On either

- -
.

w 70 M d
 s eru m 43

Aga in you should con s u lt the genera l ma p o f Indi a .

T hree h u ndred mile s north o f Bombay you w ill

find the fa mou s old city o f Ahmed abad o nce the g re at ,

est city o f we stern I n di a ; there we sh all tak e our next

position Tra i ns from Ch u rch Gate S ta tion on the
.

Bomba y Ba roda Ra ilw ay tak e pa ssen gers in a few

hou rs from Bombay to the a n cient city .

M on 8 .
“Th ere is n o G od but G od an d
. M a h omet

We are in the cou rt of the J u mm a M uspd in the

city o f Ahmedaba d F or once I need not tell in wh at
.

—
di rection we a re loo ki ng a M o h am med an at prayers
mak es a reli a ble compas s i f you know the l a titu de and
lon gi tu de o f his sacred city W e h a ve a lrea dy see n .

o f Brahm an ica l worship ; n o w we see fo l

lowers of M ohammed en gaged in their m u ch prayin g -

.

The Prophet o f the Fa ithfu l re qu i res his disciples to

—
p ra y five times a d ay at s un rise a t n oon in the a fter , ,

noon in the eve n i ng and in the n i ght M ecca an d

, .

Ahmeda bad a re in very nearly the s ame l atitu de ( M ec

ca o f cou rse at the west ) we know therefore from
, , , , ,
’
the direction tow a rds which the men s faces a re t u rned ,

and from the sha dows that they a re en gaged in their ,

a fternoon prayers and th at the time is abou t th ree

,

o cloc k You know th at Mu ss u lme n d u rin g pra yer al

’
.

w ays tu rn their fa ces in the di rection of M ecca the ,

bi rthpl ace of M oh am med I h a ve known them to t u rn .

their back s o n M ecc a while engaged in their devo

tion s bu t never i nten tion al ly ; it w a s on ship boa rd
,
-

while the ship wa s m ak in g a deviou s cou rse amon g

m any isl ands I prompted those in error a s to direc
.

tion with my pock et compass for which they than k-

,

me M ecca tow a rds which thei r fa ces a re tun

.
,
44 mo m TH RO U G H TH E sr s nsoscop a

no w , is sacred not on ly becau se it w as the bi rthpl ace ,

o f M oh a mmed bu t becau se in the great mosqu e at

,

M ecc a is the K aa ba the most sacred sh rin e in the ,

M oslem w o rld ; it is a cu bica l st ru ctu re forty feet on

a side an d is believed to be a direct gi ft from God
,

si gni fyi ng tha t they a re the chose n people W ithi n the .

sh ri n e is k ept a he a ve n se n t sto n e ( meteorite ) which -

wa s on ce red ( red hot) but is no w black with the sin -

,

and su fferi ng of h u m an ity The hou se for it sent by .

,

All a h is preciou sly inclosed in a grea t mosqu e with

,

seve n mi na rets The Kaaba once conta i ned three

.

h undred and sixty idols which the P rophet destroyed .

It is a l so believed to be the prayi n g pl ace o f Abra h am .

It is tow ards the Kaaba th a t the Mu ssulm an tu rn s

his face whe n the m u ezzin c alls to prayer The praye r .

of the M oha mmed an is accomp an ied with m any at

titudes wit h bows pro str ation s an d gen uflections
, , , .

He recogn i zes seven doors by which sin may enter

the body and those seven w ays a re the seven gates
,

to hell ; they are The eyes the ea rs ton gu e h ands , , , ,

feet stom ach and the organs o f sex To gua rd all

, , .

those doors requ ires constant vigil an ce and peren

n i al pra yer .

The rit u al o f the Koran is very strict It h as five .

observ an ces : Abl u ti on prayer fast pil grimag e and , , , ,

tithe N o one can en gag e in pra yers without first

.

mak in g his person and his ga rmen ts clean E very .

m o squ e conta i n s a ba thin g tan k ; e very traveling M u s

sulman c a rries a ch a tty ( w a ter vessel ) with which he -

c an perform his abl u tion before his devotions His .

fidelity in the observ ance of reli giou s rites is qu ite re

m a rkable He is evidently not asha med of his re
.

ligion ; in wha tsoev er pl a ce he ma y be on a ra ilw ay ,

train on a ship s deck in his room or in the Open

.
’
,

Pos ition 3 . M ap :
 w um m 45

field he h as o r procu res a little w ater for purifica

,

tion then sprea ds his prayer ma t tu rn s his face to

,
-
,

w ards the Kaa ba bows and prostra tes a nd silently re

, ,

pea ts the prescribed prayers of the Kor an .

Possibly you did not expect to find M oh ammeda ns

in India W e hea r so m u ch abou t them in Tu rk ey in
.
,

Egypt a nd in Ar abi a we a re not unli kely to forget

, ,

tha t Isl am extends over Persi a A fgh anistan and into , ,

Indi a One cha rge aga i nst this reli gion is th at it h as

.

always been politica lly agg res sive a nd m ade converts

with the sword Nine h un dred yea rs ag o the M oh am
.
,

medans esta blished them selves here in n orthern I ndi a ,

and for severa l h u ndred yea rs they held sway a nd ru led

‘
the co u ntry d u ring its golden age du rin g the dynasty ,

of the M ogu l emperors who were M oha mmedan s ; and ,

tod ay u nder the En glish there a re well n i g h sixty mil

lion followers o f the boy who once was a shepherd
and a ca mel driver -
.

This position showin g these men at prayer is not

“ ”
a posed one a s mi ght be s u spected This is the .

regu l a r a fternoon observance of the ritua l requ i re

ments and a ltho ugh u sua lly si ncere we ca nnot fa il
, , ,

to not ice two on the lin e whose fa ces a re tu rned

sli ghtly a w a y from the K aaba tow a rds the photog
rapher ; in these worshippers as in the rest of ma n ,
“ "
kind the spirit is willin g bu t the fle sh is weak
,
I .

h a ve told you th a t M oh ammed destroyed the th ree

h u ndred and sixty idols in the Kaaba He w as 0 p .

posed to all idols and im ages A photog ra ph is an .

—
im age therefore most Moha mmeda ns a re sa vagely
,

opposed to being photog raphed ; these men are ap

p a r en tly indi ff erent A m a n a ttemptin
. g to photo gra ph
a pra yi ng group o f M oha mmedans in Hebron Pa les ,

ti n e wou ld be in considerable d anger

. .

0
8-0 The Story of l d le
“
mm 34 3 34 9 a .
-
46 I N D IA T H RO U G H TH E sr s as os cop s

There is no Eu ropea n h otel in Ahmed aba d bu t a t ,

the sta tio n a s in most l a r ge station s in In di a one ca n

, ,

find e ati ng a nd sleepi ng a ccommod ation s An e a rly .

morn i ng trai n on the sa me ra ilway by which we

tra veled from Bombay wo u ld tak e u s one h u ndred and ,

twen ty five miles n orth wa rd to a station nea r the ba se

-

o f M ou n t Abu Travelers leave the r ailw ay at Abu

.

Road and ride sixteen an d a h a lf miles by ca rri age u p

to a f amou s mou nta i n retre at fo u r thou sa nd feet above
sea lev el
-
Close by the hotel a t M ou nt Abu we ca n
.

see a typica l ph ase of native life .

P os iti on 9 P r imi t ve n a ti ve l i f e i
i . n I n d i a —H in d u
women gr in d i n g a t th e mi l l s
Whe n we look at these di rty miserable people , ,

poorl y clad h alf fed and n ot hou sed as comfortably as

,
-
,

ou r ca ttle I w ant to remi n d you th at there are prob

,

ably more th an one h un dred million s c on dition ed li k e

thes e in thi s g rea t and pop u lou s cou ntry I refer to .

the women grin din g at the mills .

The first thin g th at impresses one everywhere is the

n umber o f poor Then on e wonders wha t can be the
.

ca u se It has been estim a ted th at ten mi llion s sleep

.

the yea r ro un d u nder the open sk y The a ve rage .

e a rnin gs o f a m an and fa mi ly accordi n g to Bishop ,

Thobum are five ce nts a da y ,

Two doll ars a m o nth .

is extra munificent as an income One au thority sa ys .

th at forty million s go through li fe with too little food .

The en tire costu me o f million s is on ly a di rty cotto n

rag abo u t the loins S ir Ch a rles Elli o tt says tha t one
.

’
h alf the agricu ltu ra l pop u l ation from yea r s end to
y ea r s end do not kn o w wh at it is to have thei r hun
’

ger satisfied ; yet it is o n ly in time o f fami n e tha t peo

ple die o f st a rv atio n The average yea rly ea rn i ng s o f
.

a ma n in En g l a nd a re $ 1 7 5 in F rance $ 1 30 in A u s, ,

Poottlon o . M ap !
 n o un r AB !) 47
-

tri a $80 in S p ain $ 60 in Ru ssia $45 in Indi a

, , ,

What are the cau ses o f thi s wide extent o f poverty

an d misery ? S o me say it w a s the m any centu ries o f
w a r before the Eng lish occ u pa tion Du ring those .

periods of con ti n u ou s w a rfa re the chiefs boarded the

wealth o f the state and the v ast wea lth o f the cou n
,

try is sti ll with the few There is probably no cou ntry

.

in the world where the rich a re so rich and the poor

so poor A nother ca u se is probably the grea t amou n t
.

of mone y contribu ted for bu ilding shri nes and temples

‘

S ti ll an other ca u se is the g rea t amo un t of non pro -

ducing l an d S ca rcely fifty per cent o f the a rable la nd

.

is actu ally u n der cu ltivation All these cau ses a re be ing

.

removed under the E nglish .

You see these women u sing the ancient home m ad e -

hand mi ll I think they a re g rindi n g millet ; they

-
.

ra rely can aff ord to u se wheat The millet me al is .

ma de into flat disks by a ddi n g w ater and po ssibly a

tr ifle o f ghee bufi alo bu tter ) They a re baked against .

a fire m ade with dried cow d u n g -

.

Yo u wonder how people live ? Well livi n g is not ,

so diffi cu lt a s many people think it is Along with a .

q
millet scone these people will h a ve a bowl of rice
,
.

This food in sufficien t ua ntity wou ld be considered

, ,

as possessi ng ample n u triment for a horse then why ,

n ot fo r a man ? When we rea ch Ben a res I will show

you a mi racle o f m u sc u la r stren gth w ho lives on j u st ,

s u ch food Su ch fare is pity provok ing to an Occi

.
-

dental epic u re bu t those d u sky you n gsters appe a r as

”
,

“
pl u mp and merry as We stern kids The trou ble with .

these poor people is a l ack of qu antity not o f qu ality ; ,

five cents a day do n ot provide a gr e at quantity o f

millet Neith er is sleepi ng u n der the open s ky detri
.

menta l to health as people only no w in the twentietl

,
‘
48 mo m TH ROU G H TH E sr s aeosco ra

centu ry a re beginnin g to lea rn P eople ha sten to ad .

mit a little p u re fresh oxygenized out door air to the

, ,
-

sick room to revivi fy the weak o r fai ntin g bu t the

-
, ,

fetid de oxyge nized micro be la den indoor a ir is sti ll

,
-
,
-

u sua lly consider ed good eno ugh fo r the compa ra tively

wel l Not a whit less rational wo uld it be to provide
.

good fresh and n u tritiou s food for the inv alid bu t

, , ,

let the well ea t from the l p bu ck et ; for I consider -

most indoor a ir an atmospheric slop bu ck et Starva -

.

tion is not hea lthy and whe n these coolies h a ve a s u f

, ,

ficient amou nt o f their simple food they a re as strong , ,

and indeed st ro nger th a n the so ca lled well fed Thei r - -

.

simple li fe does no t th en seem to prevent he a lth and

s tre n gth W e rea dily a dmit howe ver tha t with the
”
.
, , ,

h al f famished million s o f I ndia life is too simple ;

-
,

it is piti fu l w ant and in s uffi cient nou ri shme nt .

Ca lli ng you r attention fo r a mome nt aga in to the

life before u s tha t w o m an in the white gau zy wrap
, ,

on the right o f the second mill is not a miller — she is ,

on ly lendi ng a h and fo r am u semen t S he is an ay ah .

( u rse ) who ca res for children o f a better cl a ss o r

n ,

m aybe o f a Eu ropean family The tru e coolie woma n

”
.

“
is i nv a ri ably a rag a bone and a hank o f ha i r and
, , ,

u s ua lly u p to the elbows in che ap gl ass bracelets The .

femin ine in sti nct for per sonal decora tion is tru ly won
der ful
’
Is n t it a clim ax of the abs u rd to a ttempt to
.

bea u ti fy these forms with j ewel ry ? M aybe it is a

wor k in g out of the l a w of compens a tion bu t I think
-
,

it wou ld be better to i nvest in more m illet .

Th at little tile roofed stucco shed is not the d omi

-

—
cile of these people it is too preten tio u s ; that is the
sleepi ng qua rters of the hotel coo k The coolie s live .

in ru de stra w covered sh ac k s fa rther a w a y from the

-
,

hotel where the smok e and smells from thei r odo rifer
,
 M OU N T AB !) 49

an s f u el will not reach the gu ests Those mi llstones .

a re proba bly m ade o f gr anite as the form a tion o f

,

M ou nt Abu is o f that rock The receptacle holdin g

.

the g rindin g stones is ma de of bak ed cla y The motive .

power is yet fa r remo ved from electricity it is not ,

stea m and neither wi n d no r w ater bu t the most pr imi ,

ti ve o f a ll the h um an h and ; the hopper of the mill is

,

the s ame m an u al power Not everythin g in si ght is

.

—
I ndi an the table and tubs and w a sh basins a re oh -

vio us ly o f western mou ld A peep through the trees

.

shows in the distance the rugged cha ra cter of M ount

Ab u bo u lders and gr anite peak s sta ndin g o ut in mag
,

n ificen t ch aos in every direction Beyond the mill

.

women we see some o f the coun tless orders o f ser

v ants con n ected with domestic service in this la nd o f
caste and many serv an ts The dhoby and the bhees tie
.

( w as herm a n an d w a ter -
c a rrier ) sta nd by the, sm a ll
bu ild ing and a v a riety o f domestics a re on the rock
,

beyond ; bu t shou ld you as k me to en um erate the va ri

ous cl a sses and c a stes , I should be compelled to gi ve
the reply which P iza rro ga ve when ask ed for the s ize
o f his a rmy — “
Cou nt the lea ves o f the forest .

Ofi to our ri ght o nly a w al k of ten mi n utes there is ,

a beau ti fu l little l ak e hermn ed in by r ugged pe ak s ,

called Gem Lak e ; the n ame m u st refer to the emera ld ,

fo r the w ater is emera ld green A ch a rmi ng prom

.

ch a de su rrou nds this la cu stri ne gem At one point .

‘

a mon g ca vernous bou lders I found si gns o f a h u m an

ha bita tion F rom it emerged an ash smea red hal f
.
-
,

clad and speechless m a n whom yo u are now to see for

you rself .

W u’ . M l
 MO UN T AM ] 51

Now there ar e ei ght h u ndred thou sand M ohammedan

fak i rs in In di a and over a million H ind u s Some a re
, .

sincere b u t more a re impostors S ome live in com

, .

munities and others in solitu de They ha ve generally

,
.

s ucceeded in wi nn i ng from certa i n cl asses some amou nt

o f respect an d sometimes ve nera tion .

S el f sacr ifice h as been ca lled the bri ghtest gem in

-

the Chri sti a n cha racter S el f den i al is u s ua lly a vir

.
-

tu e and probably for th at reason pen an ce in some

, , ,

forms elicits sympathy and respect ; bu t in ea stern

cou ntries there is so m u ch impost u re an d there a re
so m an y disgu stin g forms o f sel f mortification that -

sympathy is lost ra ther th an won W e can en umer ate .

only a few O ne order cla ims to obse rve ten of

the p roper qua lities o f the dog viz to be a lw ay s h un
, .
,

g ry to h ave no fixed pl ace o f abode to wa tch du ri ng

, ,

the n i ght to lea ve no i nherita nce a fter death not to

, ,

abandon his m a ster a lthou gh abu sed to con ten t him ,

sel f with the lowest pla ce to yield his pl ace to any o ne

,

who w ants it to retu rn to the person who h a s beate n

,

him whe n off ered a morsel of bread to k eep at a dis ,

tance when someone is bri ngi ng him somethi ng to eat ,

and not to thin k of ret u rnin g to the pl ace he ha s qu itted

while followi ng his ma ster .

One tra veler cla ims he saw a fak ir in I ndi a who

never ate a t all tha t he ca rried a bl ac k stone which he
,

s u cked instea d of taking food and tha t he w as rollin g

,

in obesity at forty yea rs of age Those bl a ck stones .

wou ld sell in New York ! S ometimes an ori gina l type

o f the gen ious fak i r may be see n tran sformed i nto a

h u m an wheel by tyi ng his wri sts to his ank les and

placi ng a b amboo into the an gle formed by his kn ees
and elbow s for an axle ; m ak i ng a ti re of chopped
stra w m u d and cow d u n g which he binds alon g his
,
-
,

m \Q .
M \
62 I N D IA TH ROU G H . TH E sr n noscors

backbon e, he starts on a j ourney o f several yecrs .

A brass cup for water is hung on one end o f the

ax le , and a h u bble bubble on the other ; unicyc les we ,

sometimes see bu t the unicycle kuma nis belon gs to the

,

Ea st ! In this w ay the faki r wheel per ambu l a tes from

-

vi ll age to village where crowds gather to wonder and

,

a lso to con tribu te thei r a rmor ( sm all coin ) in quan

tities s uffi cient to renew a p u nct u red ti re Another .

form o f pen a nce is to keep the h ands clo sed withou t

rel axin g yea r by yea r until the n ails g row through
, ,

and proj ect from the other side S ome pl a ce livin g .

coal s o n their sca lps till bu rned to the bone Others .

bu ry themselves in the ea rth for ei ght or ten da ys

witho u t food or water Another method of obta inin g
.

symp athy and respect ( or as they wou ld claim o f ac

, ,

qu iring sou l cu ltu re ) is to hold a piece o f red hot

-
,
-

iron between the teeth till it is cold Hindu fakirs go .

entirely n aked Some o f them a re undoubtedly ih

.

sane ; it is diffi cu lt to believ e they a re not a ll insane .

Ou r tramps in their peripa tetic l a ziness are sli ghtly

aki n to the faki r mendicants ; bu t the former do no t
“
often elect to nou ri sh them selves on a bl ac k stone ” .

Altho ugh the tra mp element in ou r pop u la tion is m u ch

more crimin a l th an the f aki r cra ft in I ndi a it shows ,

very little incl in ation tow a rds any form of a ton ement .

It sho u ld be stated before takin g lea ve of th is

,

stra nge example o f the inexplicable vaga ries o f the

h u m a n mind th at the fires by which he is s urrou nded
,

were only be ginnin g to burn when this view wa s ma de

and th a t before his pen a nce is concl u ded e a ch he a p

be a bri lli ant g low o f co a ls .

n miles f rom Gem Lak e nestled amon g gran ite,

rs at the foot o f embossed r an ges o f the sa me

,
 n o un r-
A BU 53

fo rm a tion ,there is a famou s temple more agreeable

to loo k u po n than an i ncandescen t hermit W e a re to .

tak e o ur stand no w before tha t temple .

P os i ti on 1 1 . D m a, th e n oted J m a T empl e on

This temp le is rema rkable not o n ly for its situa tion ,

bu t for its beau ty especi a lly its beau ty within and in

, ,

teresting becau se it is a J ai na temple W ho a re the .

J ains ? Well a few words of expl ana tion be fore we

,

proceed to stu dy one of their most wonderfu l

shrines
The J a ins ha ve been considered dissenters from the
so c a lled orthodox Hi n d u fa ith
-
They i gnore the .

Veda s which a re the ancient book s o f revel ation with

the Hind u s They do n ot believe in the Su preme
.

Bein g o f the H ind u s They believe th a t the materia l

.

ea rth is etern al tha t the m ind o f man and of a ll ani

,

ma l s is eterna l They refu se to a cknowled ge an ythin g

.

which is not an obj ect o f the senses They recognize .

nothi ng a s su per ior to m an They be lieve tha t m an is .

cap able of rea chin g a stage of elevation a nd perfec

tion worthy o f wo rship This hi gh ly spi rit ualized state .

is re ached they hold not by good deed s meritoriou s

, , ,

work s or noble lives bu t by sel f ren u nci a tion by self

,
-
,

imposed physica l s u ff eri ng by extrav agant pen an ce ,

.

Both H ind u s and J a ins believe in pena nce ; they be

lieve in spi rituali za tio n throug h physica l s u fferi ng ,

h ence thei r venera tion for j ogis and faki rs ( Gau tama .

himsel f w as an a scetic and a tta i ned B u ddh a hood

through a scetici sm ) I n this respect they coi ncide with
.

the H indu s I n the m a tter o f asceticism they ha ve

.
,

three o rders The first de gr ee is reached by ren ounc

.

ing one s family cu ttin g o ff the h a i r and we a ri ng only

’
, ,

clothes o f a ta wny color The seco nd order requ i res .

Pu ma. u .
m :
54 mum TH RO U GH TH s mu mscoes

tha t a ll dress sho u ld be abandoned except a mere ,

rag to cover nak edness and that the ha ir sho uld be

,

pu lled o ut by the roots He who wou ld aim to reach

.

the hi ghe st de gree ca lled Ni rvana and which is aki n

, ,

to divinity m u st be e ntirely nak ed ea ti ng only rice

, , ,

and tha t only once in two days When m an a tt a i ns .

N i rv an a he is well n igh a deity ; he ra nks with priests

,
-

and raj ahs or he becomes wha t we wou ld ca ll a sa int

, ,

whose im age ma y be pla ced in temples The J a ins .

,

l ik e B u ddhists a re prone to honor thei r s ai nts with

,

imag es and the more eleva ted the saint the l a rger the
im age or sta tue .

The J a ins believe in reinca rn a ti on They a re even .

mor e ca refu l tha n the B u ddhists abou t protecti ng the

lives o f anima ls ; they ea t before s u nset th at they ma y ,

a void tak i ng the lives o f microsc0 pic crea tu res ; they

sweep the grou n d or the ta ble before ea ting for the ,

same rea son The Hindu s h ave a ceremony by which

.

to expi ate the a ccidenta l taking of li fe ; the J a ins ha ve

not hence thei r grea t scru pu losity in th a t respect
, .

They discou nten ance sul tee bu t a widow c a nnot m a rry , .

“
M r H a rring ton says th at in ge nera l J a inism is more
”
.
, ,

metaphysi cal and less ethica l th an B u ddhism In o u r .

western world we seldom he a r of this sect ; bu t it

came int o mcistence about G OO A D and began to de . .

cline abou t 1 200 A D Formerly it w a s considered

. .

an off shoot of B u ddhism ; l ater as a dissension from

-
,

tru e H ind u ism ; n ow it is pla ced in a middle grou nd

between H ind u ism and B u ddhism .

The J ains possess many beau ti fu l temples in difler ‘

‘

efl t p a rts of I n dia and in a un i qu e style of a rchitectu re

,

as developed a bo u t 450 A D One of their . .

before u s now or rather we see two pri nci

,

zs comb ined in one a nd ca lled the D ilwar ra

 M OUN T AB U 55

T emples . The re
oth in g imposing about thei r ex
is n

terio rs They ar e too n ea r natu re s v ast temples of ’

.

roc k t o appea r imposi ng withou t W ithheld j u dg .

men t till you see within They a re bu ilt of p u re white

.

m a rble tran sported for sever al h u ndred mi les and u p

this rugged mountai n .

The more modern o f these two temples w a s bu i lt

over six h u n dred yea rs ago or a t the same time as ,

the tower of Pi sa The older an d n ea rer wa s bu ilt

.

when Peter the Hermit w as exhortin g for the first

Cru sa de over eight h u ndred yea rs ago Think of con
, .

v eyin g s u ch quantities O f b u ildin g m ateri al some th ree

h u ndred miles and to the s u mmit of th is almost inac

,

ces sible moun ta i n severa l thou sa n d feet hi gh ! And

, ,

when you h a ve seen the in terior you w ill be at liberty ,

to m ak e comparison s between the bu ildin g Of this and

the bu ildin g of the Pyramids The clea rin g of the .

grou n d for these temples cost The bu ild

in g of the temples cost and the time re
qu ired w a s fo u rtee n y ears .

I m u st not fail to tell you th at the m a in portion the ,

most beau ti fu l pa rt o f the temple ca nnot be seen from ,

this point ; it is withi n th at pl ain w a ll and consists of

wha t mi ght be ca lled a peristyle or double colo nna de
Of pilla rs encompa ssi n g the temple on a ll sides Be
,
.

h ind the pill a rs o f the peristyle a re hi ghly orn amenta l

cells fifty fiv e in n umber m solid white ma rble e ach
,
-
,

cell conta i n i n g a m a rble unage o f some sa i n ted J a i n ,

simil ar to those we sh a ll see in the m agn ificen t porch

from o ur next position and simi la r also to the cross
, ,

le gged im ages common in both B u ddhistic and J a in

temples Note the pyramida l u pper portion in sue
. ,

cessive stories s u pported On col u m n s Thi s is the chief .

ch a ra cteristic of the J a ina style T he charmin g pil .

PM "
. Hu l '
56 mo rn T H nOUGH TH a masoscop a
s

l ated cou rt within th at rough exte rior w all is nin ety

by one h undred a nd forty feet ; the fa rther a nd later
temple is a rrang ed a fter the sa me order .

Notice the p astoral ch a r acter of ou r su rrou ndin g s

here a flock tended by a tiny shock hea ded H in du
-
,
-

shephe rd bu ffa loes and the ordina ry In di a n bu lloc k

,

the cattle mostly white and the people a ll bla ck The .

c au se way beyond tha t date pa lm lea ds to the temple-

entr ance between the two bu ildin gs where a ti ck et ,

of a dmission m u st be sho wn A series o f low bu ild .

in gs at the left of the fi rst temple serve as accommo

d ation for pil grims .

It mu st not be su pposed tha t these a re the only

temples on M ou nt Abu There a re m any a nd a lmost
.
,

in a ny di rection where s u itable recl u sive pl aces ha v e ,

!

been fou nd a bout the mou nta in sca rps there a re mor e
te mples The Dilwa rra a re the most celebrated A l
. .

tho ugh the s u rrou nding s ha ve a pe acefu l a spect there ,

a re eerie p laces amon g these roc ks a nd mo u nta i n s :

hyen a s a bound and i f you w ant fiercer game a short
, , ,

stroll from this temple and you may encou nter the
leopa rd and the m an eater -
.

F or a g l a nce a t the interior we will pa ss a lon g th at

ston e cau sew ay tu rn to the left an d down a fli g ht of
,

steps and tak e our stand in the portico

,
.

M inn “ Wou hippen bef ore an l m m mm

m m
.

a ely mr n d l h mpl o d Vl maIa Gan j a .

W e a re lookin g from the porti co of the T emple Of

Vim a la Sah the builder o f the Older o f the two Dil
,

wa rra temples tow a rds the centra l portion o r great

,

cell cont a inin g a be au tifu l im age of Pa rswanatha to

v hom the tem p le is dedi c a ted The entr a nce to the .

m l ld z M o
 M O U N T AB U 57

centra l cell is to the left o f the im age we see and a ,

porti o n of the mi rror door we can ba rely see A co r .

respondi ng imag e is to the left o f the door and dimly

v ism le . O n either side of the ce ntra l stru ct u re a re
somewh at simil ar porches A dou ble row o f col umns
.

su rrou nds the entire co u rt as Observed from ou r l a st

,

position ; I mention this a second time becau se no w , ,

tha t you h a ve seen some o f these richly c a rved col

umus you will better know wha t two rows a rou n d the
,

entire cou rt signi fy Behind the col u mn s are the fi fty

.

five cells a fore mentioned . At the farther end o f the

cou rt and between the cells and the dou ble tier of pil
la rs is a series Of monolithic marble eleph ants with
tou ches of effective color on thei r p u re white m a rble .

Look a t this m a ze o f pi ll a rs in s u ch endless v a ri ety

Of design in su ch delicacy o f execu tion an d from this
, ,

position we c an o nly see a few of the countless pill a rs

in this one temple ! The second and you nger temple
is no less m a rvelou s th an this ; and most w onderf u l
and be au ti fu l of all a re the cei li ng p anels no two o f
which a re al ik e The fi g ures o f birds anima ls and a ll
.
, ,

forms of life m ay be cou n ted by thousa nds It is a .

l abyri nth of gau ze an d l ace in pu re white m a rble or ,

it m ay be ca lled a lithic poem Bef or e this m ani fest

.

expenditu re of money an d labor one is awed ; and this

,

is on ly one o f m an y J a i na temples in In di a .

N ot fa r a w ay in the pla in s below there a re the ru ins

o f a J a i n a city with t emples m u ch more exte n sive th an

Dilwar r a both the city and temples were destroyed

ing the M oh ammedan in roa ds in e a rlier centu ries on ly ,

a few bea u ti fu l pill a rs rem a ini n g s u ch as those be

,

One won ders how mo ney fo r s u ch costly stru ctu res

can be a ccum u l a ted in a cou ntry where f amines a re
m u n .
m t
 a unr rsaa 59

P od tion 1 3 I n di
.a of tom or ro w h a n d s ome s ch oo l
-

boy s of A mr its a r . at th e G old en Templ e bes i d e

th e H oly Ta nk

W e h ave tak e n ou r point for observa tion a t a very

s acred p la ce in the city by a sa cred wa ter and a sacred
,

temple There is sea ted before u s a school o f Hi nd u

.

boys o r maybe I shou ld say S i k h boys for S i kh ha s

, ,

a pecu li ar si gnifica nce to those who know the diflerent

r aces O f I n d ia ; and there a cross the w a ter is a w on
der ful gate which le a ds to a s a cred temple by a bridge
pa rti a lly in si ght .

Before expl ainin g fu rther about thi s pool of w ater ,

the ga te and the gatheri ng Of sombre faced boys I -

,

m u st tell a little abou t the Pun j ab prov in ce its pe ,

culia r people and the city of Am ritsa r

,
The P un j ab .

is a rich no rthwes tern sta te nea rly as l a rge as Eng

lan d an d Scotland together an d mu ch la r ger th an all
,

the New En gl and S tates I n an cient times it w a s the

.

thea tre o f ma ny con flicts ; in 300 B C Al exan der the . .

Grea t led his con qu erin g forces beyond the I nd u s and

in to the Pu nj ab a s fa r a s the Hydaspes a river now ,

ca lled the Jhel u m an d it is s u pposed tha t the city Of

Jhel u m is the pl ace of the g rea t decisive ba ttle be
tween Alexan der and P oru s I n the yea r 1 1 00 the .

Pu nj ab w as overru n by the M oha mmedans I n 1 469 .

ther e w a s born in N ankan da on the ban ks o f the

Ra vel river one N an ak who like s o m any others be
, , , ,

came possessed with the idea th a t he was in spired and ,

be ga n to te ach and while th u s en gaged w a s trans

,

ported bodi ly a s he cl a imed to the gates of Pa radise

, , ,

where he received a golden goblet O f A mr ita ( the

“
water Of li fe ) Then God sa id to him N an ak I am
.
, ,

wi th thee an d whosoever sh all follow th ee sha ll be

”
,

happy indeed
,
N anak h ad been in a trance and
. ,

Poem. 13 m 1
60 mo rn TH RO UG H TH E sm noscon

when he a woke he u ttered these words I n reli gion

there is no Hind u and there is no M oslem
,
” These .

words became the ca ll words Of his reli gion N an ak wa s

-
,

soon re ga rded a s a prophet and w as believed to wor k ,

mi ra cles Many accepted the c a ll to h is apostleship

.
,

and his followers were ca lled S i khs which is the ,

Hind u word for disciple This new prophet w as il .

litera te bu t one of his followers w rote a book givin g

,

an a ccou nt o f his te achi ngs ; this book o r N an ak Bible , ,

is ca lled the Granth or the Granth S a hib and is writ

, ,

ten in the Pun j abi l an guag e This sa cred boo k of the .

S i k hs is c a refu lly preserved in the Golden Temple ,

which is j u st a t our left and which will be shown from

,

“
ou r next view po in t S i khism says H ughes is a
-
.
, ,

pan theistic system simila r to Hind u ism but re j ect

”
,

ing the ca ste order s and idol atry .

In 1 7 08 a su ccessor Of N a nak one Govind S ingh , ,

su cceeded in consolidating the S i k h reli gionists into

a powerfu l milita ry force Amritsa r here beca me .

the ca pita l and milita ry center o f the S ik hs where ,

they nu mbered seventy th ou sa nd horsemen ; a nd u nder

the vi gorous ru le of Runj eet S i ng h became a w a rli k e
and formidable power After the English occu pation
.

the S i k hs ventu red to mak e unprovok ed a ttack s on

them and were repe atedly rep u lsed ; in 1 849 they were
fina lly dispersed a t Gu zera t when the Pu n jab w as ,

annexed to the British possession s in Indi a U nder .

the Eng lish the S i k hs reta i n their a ncient milita ry

prowess and they are considered among the bra vest
.

'
a nd most fa ith fu l Of Eng land s na tive so ldiery .

I h a ve gi ven this brief ou tl ine o f the S i khs and their

home l a nd becau se we a re no w in their most import ant
-

c ity a nd before their most sa cred sh ri ne s Amritsa r .

owes its chief import a nce t o this t a n k o f w ater beside

m “ .
m l
 a mat u 61

which we stand The word Amrits a r si gnifies foun

”
.

ta in O f immorta lity the city tak ing the na me given to

,

the tan k Thi s sacred rese rvoir w as built in 15 81 by

.

Ram Da s one o f the S ik h prophets

, It is over fou r .

h undred feet squa re I n 1 7 61 a Persi an S h ah de .

st royed the temple and defiled both temple and the

pool w ith the blood o f bu lloc ks bu t its vi rtu es are re ,

stored so th at no w immersion in this w ater will it is ,

be lieved abso lve the vi lest sinner This m anner o f

, .

absol ution is s u rely to be preferred to th a t of the

H ind u f aki rs o r the J aina a scetics pa rticu la rly in a
, ,

hot cou ntry li k e the Pun j ab when the hea t Often ,

°
rea ches 1 1 2 in s u mmer .

You can ha rdly bel ieve th at these g en tle vi saged -

school boys a re to become the fierce S i k h w arriors o f

-

w hom the world h as he a rd so m uch The boy a t the .

extreme left Of the first row holds something in his

ha nd and you will sc arcely gu ess wha t it is It is the .

regu la tion Hind u school boys sl ate ma de o f boa rd -

’
,

fashioned a s you see it and pa i nted on both sides

'

, .

An other boy nea r the center of the school holds a

si mila r boys instru me nt of tortu re I mean the sla te
’
.

concomitant o f fractions which accordi ng to the old ,

“
p roverb drive me ma d
, S ever al teachers sta nd in .

the rea r I thi nk those three wea ring the snow white
.
-

tu rbans are tea chers becau se wh a tever else in a Hin

,

du tea cher s a tti re m a y be at fau lt his he a dg ea r m u st

’

be spotless These boys are sea ted on a tes sela ted pa ve

.

m ent o f ma rble o f di ff e rent colors ; this beau ti fu l pa ve

ment twenty fou r feet in width s u rrounds the enti re
,
-
,

pool a nd is enlivened everywhere by vendors of bea ds

, ,

mini atures and s u ch li ke -

.

N ow I wi ll di rect you r atten tion to the s u perb ga te

,

way almost ri va lling the temple in s ize and beauty

,

W ‘J .
M l
62 mom TH RO U G H TH E sr s nnoscop a

I mea n that magn ificent stru ctu re across the ta n k and

to th e left It is through th a t a rch and a lon g th a t fine
.

ma rble cau sew ay over two h undred feet in len gth

tha t the Golden Temple is reached The doors of tha t .

a rch un der the gatew ay a re pl ated with silver S t ai rs .

lead to the Treas u ry rooms above where can be seen ,

t hi rty o ne pill a rs o f silver n ine feet long and fou r and

-

a ha lf i n ches in di ameter I n the Trea su ry roo ms a re

.

a lso k ept the ceremoni a l an d processio na l a rticles in

—
gold and silver amon g them a ca nopy o f p u re gold
wei ghi ng ten pou nds and set with ru bies emera lds and ,

diamonds a lso a di a dem o f di amonds with string s

,

o f pe a rls for pen dants All these a re worn when the

.

Gra nth ( the holy book ) is ca rried in procession .

This ga tew ay is on the west side o f the holy tan k ;

beyond is a sma ll squa re and on its e a st side is wh at
is c alled the A ka] B u ngah a fine and h ighly orna te
,

stru ctu re with a gilded dome now p a rti a lly in si ght

,

over the squa re bu ildi ng to the ri ght of th e gatew ay .

In th at bu ildi ng initi a ti ons into the S ik h confederacy

a re performed The rite of initi ation is ca lled pahal
. .

In the p a h al the novice drink s the w a ter th a t h a s

w ashed the feet of a S ik h prophet and also h as some
sprin k led on his ha i r There a re other pahals equa lly
.

extr a ordina ry The enti re sacred enclos u re is s u r

.

ro unded by bu ildi ngs for the accommoda tion of from

five h undred to six h undred priests .

W e ha ve
been standi ng by the northern side of the
ta nk W e will next m ove to the eastern side so th a t
.
,

the Golde n Temple will be be fore u s and in li ne with ,

the causew ay and the gatew a y which we h ave been con

m u . M ap !
 Now we a re before the f amous Golden Temple The .

grea t and beau ti fu l ga tewa y is hidden beyond the tem

ple We are on the east side o f the tank ; the caus e
.

“
w ay i s on the west side Rememberi ng th at this pool
”
.

of immo rtality is fo u r h u ndred feet wide yo u u nder

. ,

sta n d tha t the interven in g w ater is abo u t two h undred

feet across an d th at is the rea son why the gilded shri n e
,

is not brought nearer T he Temple sca rcely looks as

.

beauti fu l as the splendid ga te and a rch we sa w from

our la st view point -
The lower porti on of the bu ild
.

ing is o f w hite m a rble bu t all above the line o f white

,

is gilded copper gi v ing a ll the sheen and glitter o f

,

polished g old The splendor o f so v ast an a rea of

.

bu rnished gold is very efi ective On those w alls a re .

chosen pa ssag es from the Gran th written in Pun ,

j abi cha ra cters

’
.

T here is an en trance on ea ch side bu t forei gners ,

a re a llowed to e nter on ly on the north side The .

splendor withi n exceeds the sple dor without there

n —
is a g re at extent o f s u rface gleami ng in gold ; the w alls
a re decor ated with flower pieces On the east side the .

g rea t high priest on a n elevated sea t rea ds p assages

, ,

from the Granth which is pl aced on a costly ottom an

,

under a silk en can opy W hen the priest rests fro m

.

the Granth lesson he w a ves his gilded chau ri ( fly

,

whi sk ) Du r in g the rea din g m an y pil gr ims sea t them

.

selves abo u t the holy boo k and sometimes ch ant words ,

from its pages acco mpan ied by a nti qu e m u sica l in

strument s .Cloths a re spread u pon the floor on which
are ca st Off eri n gs o f flower s money and cow ries , .

Cowries are o ff ered in g rea t qua ntities M ost peopl e .

Position “
.
M l
64 mo m TH RO U GH TH E STER EOSCO PE

a re f amil ia r with the hi ghly polished cowrie shell ,

sometimes known as the cow rie mon eta becau se so -

widely u sed as money These shells were once u sed in

.

ancient Assyri a a re sti ll l a rgely u sed in Africa and

, ,

to some ext e nt in the Eas t I n dies The money cowries .

-

a re chiefly from the M a ldive Isl a n ds They a re still .

u sed fo r temple o ff erin gs A centu ry ago twenty five

.
-

h u ndred were o f the val u e o f a ru pee ( fifty cents ) .

In these days of better money u nits it req uires fi ve

thou sand cowries to eq ua l a ru pee in v al u e Enormou s .

quantities o f su ch she lls are deposited by pil grims on

the floor of the Golden Temple S weetmea ts a re pre .

sented to forei gn vi sitors who a re expected to ac

,

knowledge receipt by a sm all contribu tion A hig hly .

decorated pa vilion on the roo f w as formerly the sea t

of the Guru ( priest ) A broom of pea cock feathers
. .

is u sed for sweepi ng this sanctum sanctorum of the

S i k h c u lt .

Amritsa r is only forty miles e astwa rd from a n other

great and interestin g I n di an city ; I mea n the city of
Laho re The gene ra l m ap o f I n di a shows its loca
.

tion F or our fi rst ou tlook over the city we shall climb

.

to the top o f an ancient wall and look down into one

of the p ri ncipal native thoro u gh fa res

.
.

Looki ng (N W ) d own a str eetof or ien

q
P os iti on 1 3 . . .

ta l ah opa an d h omea to wa rd a Vu i r n an M os ue,

It is sa id th a t in ancient times Lahore w as a g reat

city o f a million inhabitants ; bu t there seems to be no
record o f its prehistoric grea tne ss W ithi n its his .

toric pe riod its pop u l ation ha s dwindled to some

thin g li ke yet the traces o f extensive ru ins
s u rrou nding the modern city prove a g rea ter Lahor e
M u l l -l l .
" 1
 LA HORE 65

in the ea rly centu ries M ilton re fers to it in hi s verses

.
,

and Ptolemy even mentions it as ea rly as 1 50 A D . .

Very ea rly writers s ay it w as the resort of all n ation s .

S hi ra z a nd Isp ah a n were famo u s Persi an cities in the

days of the M ogu l emperors yet a sa yi ng of th a t time
,

w as tha t i f S hiraz and Ispa h an were u n ited they wou ld

n ot m ak e one La hore I n the time of its former g rea t
.

n es s this loca lity w as on the hi gh wa y between Pers ia

and the v a lley o f the G anges or I may say betw een the
,

nea r Ea st and the fa r Ea st and tha t na tu rall y in

,

creased its tra de and its wealth While Am ritsa r w as

.

the reli giou s ca pita l and ce nter of the Pu n j ab Lahore ,

w as an d conti n u ed to be the politica l ca pita l S ince it .

ca me in to the possession o f the E nglish in 1 849 it has

ass u med a new period of devel opment and the ,

s ubu rban traces of the ru i ns of its forme r grea tness

h ave become a l ine o f formi dable defen sive work s ,

form in g an enceinte seven miles in len gth which i n ti ,

m ates th at Ru ssi a n or oth er i nv aders will meet some

res i sta nce in this direction shou ld they su cceed in fore
ing the Kyber Pass .

The city before u s is an importan t ra ilway center ,

with w o rk shops coveri ng o ne h u ndred an d tw en ty six -

acres and emNoying two thou s an d men The canton

,
.

ment or m ilita ry an d Eu rope an qua rter occu pies the

, ,

enti re o u tlyi ng nei ghborhood an d embraces m any

,

beau tifu l ga rden s an d private hom es The native city .

is cen tra lly loca ted an d su rro u nded by a brick wall fi f

teen feet in hei ght F o r our first place o f visua l st u dy
.

“
I h ave chosen to look o il from this w all M od er n .

bu ildings however fine n eed not engage ou r atten ti on

, ,

in I n di a .W e are in sea rch of scenes pec u li ar to the

cou ntry therefore ha ve I chosen a na tive thorough
,

fare in the native qua rter .

M \
 LAB ORE 67

mo n in eve ry street and some a re very beau ti fu l bu t

, ,

those are o f the common order W e can only see the .

towers o f the Vazi r Kh an mosqu e Th ere a re no bells .

in those towers The M oslems do not lik e to imitate

.

the Ch risti ans in the u se o f bells An offic ia l ca lled .

the m u ezzi n t akes the place o f a bell He comes forth .

from a door in one o f those mina rets an d ch ants in

a w ail ing voice five times every day a ca ll to prayer .

While ch anti ng he pl aces a fin ger in ea ch ea r tu rn s

, ,

his face towa rds M ecca and in weird tones sends forth
”
,
“
the !sati n in the fol lowin g words : God most hi gh
“
( fo u r times,) I a ttest there is no God b u t Go d ; I
attest that M oh a mmed is the p rophet of God ; come to
pra yer ; come to the temple o f sa lva tion ( twice )
”
.

There is no God bu t God To the morning is a wi the

”
.

“
words prayer is better th an sleep are added a fter
“
temple o f sa lva ti on ” I am a fraid some fa irly good
.

Christi ans will be incl ined to dou bt this mornin g ad

dendum .

DO you Observe there are no sidew alk s in th at street ;

tha t in pl a ce o f a sidewa lk there is an open sewer ; and
do yo u notice over the sewer j u st below a sm all bed
, ,

stead and another simil a r one o n the roof o f the sec

ond bu ildin g on the left ? Those a re frames on which
to sleep and a re ca lled ch a rpoys A bed stea d li k e the .

one on the roof costs a bou t fifty cents .

I came here abou t m id da y so you m ay know from

-
,

sha dows th at we are loo ki ng abo u t sou thwest F Ol .

lowin g to the coa st in the direction in which we a re

here look i ng we shou ld reach the bu sy port of
,

Ka ra chi ; and followi ng a li ne di rectly sou thw ard we

sh ou ld rea ch Bomba y Tow a rds the west we are in
.

li ne wi th Kanda ha r in A fghanista n and e astw a rd ,

n ea rly in l ine with Lh a s a in Thibet .

W \t . M \
68 I N D IA TH RO U G H TH E STEREOSCOP E

I f we climb down from our pla ce on the w all and

turn in an o pposite di rection w al kin g only a short ,

distance we come to a cu riou s n ative ma rk et called a

, ,

cha tty m a r ket

-
.

P os i ti on 1 6 . R i va l p o t s el l er s in th e ch a tty
- - ma r k et,

Here we a re amon g the o ff ered w a res A ch a tty .

q
is a vessel common to the entire Orien ta l world ; it ap
pea rs to be a sine ua non o f exi ste nce It is one of .

the most u sefu l and i ndispens able a rticles in I ndi a ; its

v a ri ou s u ses a re beyo nd en u me ration a s a re its forms ,

a nd sizes It is es se nti ally and ori gina lly a ve s sel for

.

holdi ng and ca rryi ng w ater ; bu t it is u sed to hold

and to ca rry everythin g It is m ade from a ll ma .

terials bu t genera lly of cl ay or bra ss

,
It combines .

the use o f the pail the bu ck et the bas k et the bag the
, , , ,

j ug the kettle the oven the w a sh bowl and the bath

, , ,
-

t ub You see a vari ety Of them here in the m arket

. .

The l a rge ones on the g rou n d a re e a rthen ; th ose o n

the sta nd a re of brass Su ch vessels are sometimes .

eve n u sed as boats— I do not me an si ngly bu t by tyi ng ,

two or th ree or fou r or a s ma ny a s nece ssa ry und er

boa rds l ashed together a strong ra ft is ma de in a few
min u tes They are sometimes u sed for head covers
.
-

when the heat o f the s un is intolerable O ne i nverted .

over an other forms a good ove n Wa ter is bo iled rice .

,

is cooked bread is bak ed an d mil k is ch u rn ed in

, ,

ch atties Bra ss ch atties a re more styli sh and O f cou rse

.

more expe nsive ; natives tra veli ng by railw ay alway s

ca rry a cha tty h o ften a b ras s o ne Mu ss u lmen m u st .

re th ei r ch at ties at h and fo r abl u tion s fiv e time s a

before prayers and th ey cann ot dri nk water from
”
,

“
els u sed by a Christi an dog W e see man y sizes .

m any k inds ; some are very la rge and som e a re

ha l o. M ap !
 LA HORE 69

s mall and the form of flagon s su ch a s you can see

in
beyo nd the s tand ; those a re u sed chiefly for ca rryin g
dri nking w ater Th ey a re m a de o f porou s cl ay w hich
.

a llow s a ve ry rapid ev apor ati o n thereby re nd eri ng the

,

w ater cool an d drin kable I thi nk tha t gro up u nder

.

the shelter o f th a tch a re prepa ri ng a mea l in cha t

ties ; for a moment their a tte n tion h a s been dis tr acted
by the photog rapher .

S u ch ea rthe n vessels a re i nexpensive ; one of those

nea r a t h an d sho uld no t cost more th an two cen ts W e .

can see from this point only a sm all portion O f this

m arket and it is on ly on e of m any chatty ma rk ets in
,

the city The grea t deman d fo r these u sefu l a rticles

.

ma y be u nderstood from stati stics w hich show that

there are en gaged in the m an u factu re o f this form O f
ea rthen w a re in I n di a on e h al f millio n persons
-
One .

c aste cannot ea t from vessels u sed by other ca stes ;

it wou ld cau se persona l defilement and loss of ho nor .

I f a s is cl a imed there a re in the B rahm an caste a lon e

, ,

on e th ou s and ei ght h u n dred an d fi fty six divisions -

,

“
ca ste su rely fa vors the ch atty trade It s an ill wind ’

”
.

tha t blows nobody good .

Many o f the di ff erent sects and ca stes ha ve a dis

tin guishin g m a r k ca lled the secta ri al m a rk u s ually on ,

the f ace Do you notice th a t these three men n ea rest

.

to u s h ave each a white li ne on the n ose an d a l ight

blotch in the ce nter o f the fo rehead ? Th at is undoubt
edly thei r secta ri a l o r c a ste m a r k .

l W e sha ll now lea ve the na tive city an d find another

position in the cantonment where we can see an an
ti qu e gun w hich did eflective work in its time at the
game of Wa r .

m “x M. \
70 morn TH nOU GH TH R sr enaosoorg

P od ti on u'
. Leis ur e an d gon ip by inc mm
o

This h uge old bronze gun as you may see has been , ,

reti red and honored with an eleva ted pla tform which
we m a y consider a pedest a l Reti red of course beca u se
.

—
its da ys o f u se fu lness a re over it ha s been su per
ceded by the more e ff ective breech loa der o f modern -

days as the au tomobile has su perseded the st age coac h

,
-
,

or the rea per the scythe and si ck le It has however .

, ,

not been reti red a s m a ny efi ete and anti qua ted wa r

'

gu ns ha ve been ; it h as been elev ated to this conspicu

ous pl a ce o f honor beside a g rea t popu la r thor ough

fa re where it ca n be seen by a ll persons Lik e other

”
.

“
bi g guns it h a s been honored with titu la r distinc
-

“
tions ; it h as been ca lled the h u mmer ” “
the ro a ring
lion ”
,
“
the fire brea thin g dr ago n-
” In 1 7 61 nea rly .
,

a centu ry a nd a ha l f ago it roa red fo r the Afgha ns a t

,

Paniput; in 1 81 8 mo re th an fi fty yea rs later it roa red

,

aga inst the Afgh ans a t Mu ltan Th at grim Old m u z .

zle ha s de a lt forth so m u ch of dea th ha s roa red so ,

often and so lou dly in m any w a rs th at it bec ame a ,

proverb Who holds Zamzamah ( The roa ri ng lion )

controls the Pu n jab ” The S i kh s ca lled it the Bhan
.

gi anw a li Top which si gnifies the ca nnon o f the

,

Bha n g i con federacy After the ba ttle of Mu ltan it

.
,

was pl aced a t the Delhi Ga te o f Lahore where it re ,

ma ined fo r over forty yea rs when it w as remo ved to ,

its pre sent place o f honor .

The fa me a nd historic interest o f this old gu n ha ve

been fu rther increa sed in recent ye a rs by the pen
cra ft of Kiplin g who ha s located i ncidents in Kim
‘ “
ust here by the Old h u mmer
” ,

I f you ha ve rea d that .

“
scinat ing story you will remember this He sa t
”
t ,

m y! . i
 muons: n

in defi ance o f m u nicipa l o rders—a stride the gu n Z am

zam ah on her brick platform opposite the old A j aib ‘

—
gher the W onder Hou se a s the natives ca ll the ,

La hore Mu seu m Who hold Zamzamah the fire

.
,
‘

breath in g dragon hold the Pun jab ; for the grea t

,
’

green bronze piece is a lw ays first o f the con qu erors

-
’

loot There w as some j u stifica tion for Kim ( he h ad

.

k ick ed Lol a Dinanath s boy ofi the tru nnions ) si nce

’

”
,

the En glish held the P u n j ab an d Kim w as Engli sh ,

.

Does it not seem quite won derf u l tha t a gu n becom es

famous as well a s a person becau se o f a ll it h as done ?
Tha t becau se Zamzamah h a s been a passive slayer of
—
men she has ac qu ired a celebrity and almost a
,

veneration th roughou t the enti re world ? Is it no t

fu rther su rprisin g th a t in Persi a or in I n di a one hun
,

dred and fifty ye ars ago there were fo un dries ca pable

of ca stin g a bro nze piece of these proportions ? You
will observe th at the ca rri age ha s a third wheel and ,

tha t all the pa rts a re hi ghly orn a mented as well a s

pow erfu lly con stru cted .

W e see amon gst this band o f w allahs ( fellows ) one

u n der the a xle an d can almost im agin e him to be the
,

sa me tha t Kim knoc ked off the t runnion were he in a ,

less composed state of mind and less observant o f the

photo grapher Could we turn to ou r left we shou ld
.

face the fine st ru ctu re which the n a tives ca ll the W on

der Hou se tha t is the Mu seu m an d it tr u ly cont a ins
, , ,

m any exhibits wo nderful to a traveler from the west

ern hemisphere B a ck to ou r ri ght is a fine modern
.

cru ci form cathedra l ; i n deed the street by which we a re

stan din g is fl an ked by m any imposi n g up— to d ate edi -

fices so tha t one is con st a ntly su rprised to find in f a r

,

a wa y points of fa r a w ay I n di a so m u ch that is abr ea st

-

of the times B u t we m u st fore go m any points o f at

.

m fl . M t
72 11 mm TH RO UG H TH E sr s asoscop s

traction s u ch as the hou se occ u pied by Kiplin g the ,

Fort the sad tomb o f An a r Ka li the favo rite of a

, ,

h a rem who w a s b u ried a live becau se she w a s seen to

smile a t the approa ch of a prince whom she w a s for
bidden to love ; a lso the S ha lim a r Ga rdens and m an y
other cha rmi ng pl aces in this ca pita l o f the Pu nj ab .

A gai n the general ma p shou ld be referred to and

Lahore located W e con tin u e ou r j ou rney north west
.

w a rd for one h u ndred and seventy fou r miles to -

Ra w a lpi n di the l a rg est milita ry sta tion in In di a F rom

, .

Ra w alp in di our cou rse tu rns from north west to north

ea st for we m u st no t lea ve I n di a with ou t see in g
,

somethi ng of the re now n ed v ale o f Cashmere The .

first stag e o f the way is thirty seven miles which tak es -

,

u s to a very pop u l a r mo unta in retreat ca lled Mu rree .

Mu rree is the great northern Sanita ri u m o f the Pu nj ab .

B a rra ck s for soldiers and vill as for civili ans a re

n estled everywhere on comm andin g s u mmits and
sha dy slopes at a ge ner al elev ation o f seven tho u sa nd
feet the hi gher peak s rea chin g n ine thou sand feet
, ,

with the snowy r an ge o f the H im al aya s in the di s

ta nce .

Now tu rn to the speci a l m ap of th at re gion ( Map

Mu rree you will find nea r its western li mits At .

Mu rree the traveler is book ed for Cashmere by a

through ton ga se rvice a dist ance of one h u ndred and
,

n i n ety five miles

-
The u sua l time is three days One
. .

h u n dred and ninety five miles in a mou nta in ton ga ( a

-

ponderou s j an g li ng two wheeled ca rt ) is a novel ex

, ,
-

p e r ien ce in itsel f bu t fo llowin g a h

,
ig hw a y exca v a ted
alon g the perpendic u l a r w a lls and gorges of the dash
in g Jhel u m river for over a h u ndred miles and this ,

s u cceeded by a ga llop o f more th an thi rty miles

P
o sition 18 .
M 4
 JH EL U M mm 73

th rough the enchanted va le of Cashmere constitu tes ,

a u n i qu e j o u rn ey n ever to be fo r gotten The map .

show s the road followed There are dale bu nga lows .

-

( g over n me n t r est h o u ses ) at every s ta ge o f the j ou r

-

ney where food and lod gi n g can be obtai n ed I can ‘

.
,

not bu t re gret th a t for u s it is possible to st ay a t on ly

, ,

on e point in t he win din g and rom an tic cou rse of the

Jhel u m ! ou r one ha lt is to show you a primiti ve style
of bridge by which the da s hin g c u rrent is crossed .

The spot where we are to take ou r sta nd is ma rk ed

18. You see the diverg in g red li nes re ach only a short
di s tan ce a cross the river indi ca ti ng a limited r an ge
,

of view .

S ince leavi ng M u rree we h a ve covered one h undred

and th i rty th ree miles of the distan ce to our desti na
-

tion in Ca shmere W e are now nea r a stati o n ca lled

.

U ri where the roa d has rea ched a lower level in the

’
river s tort u ou s p assage from the mou n ta i n s to the
pl a in s in the P un j ab an d where the m untain eer s
,

cross the stre am I h ave ca lled this a bridge ; it m ay

.

be a mis application o f the term and i f you choose yo u ,

m y ca ll it j u st a river crossi ng device ; but howev er

-
,

desi gn ated it is an interestin g gauge of h um an

,

progr es s when we compa re it with the mi ghty span s

,

of steel an d w ire which ch a r a cterize ou r modern

Amon g the H im a layas sev era l kinds of primitive

bridges a re in us e ; there a re two k inds here be fore
u s now The one we see in u se consists o f a si n gle
.

str and o f ra w hide rope m a de fas t to either shore by

-

Fa ith s ( 3 .
M 4
 JH EL U M a m 75

crossed bu t would not a llow mysel f to be bou nd to

,

the sa ddle a s I felt ther e was more risk in the weak

,

n ess of the ra w hide rope tha n in the possibility o f

-

falli ng ou t of the sad dle ; therefore I chose in either

ca se to depen d on swimmi ng free from any en tangle
ment By a mis a d j u stme nt of the p u ll cord I wa s
.
- -

k ept for severa l min u tes s uspen ded out over the shoot
in g cu rren t where I felt most comfortable when I
,

look ed Skyw a rd and a w ay from the glea mi ng w ater .

I do not recommend the adventu re for ner vou s nor

fo r verti gi n ou s tra velers !
To sit for a time on the bold rock s behi nd wh ere we
sta nd and witness the convey ance o f goa ts and pigs
acr oss this one a eri al str an d wou ld a fford diversion of
an un u s ual kind : the bin din g o f ob streperou s an ima ls
to the s addle the wri ggli ng and flo u n derin g in mid
,

ai r a ccomp an ied by the melody o f pi g squea ls and

,
-

goa t blea ts con stitu tes a Him al a yan combi na tion con
-
,

cert and tableau l u dic rou s and ra re

.
, .

By this time you a re wonderi n g wha t a re those h uge ,

ragged str ands su spended across to the ri ght an d u p

the river from the one I h a ve been describin g They .

a re the rem ains of a for mer bridge of a type somewh a t

difi er ent and still n ot u n common amon g the lower
H im a l a ya s It w a s when in u se more nea rly in the
.
, ,

form o f a tru e brid ge than the sin gle rope bu t which ,

of the two b ri d ges cl aims priority o f u se or invention ,

mou nta in a nn a ls ( tra ditions ) o ff er no testimony The .

old bridge w a s formed by two he a vy ca bles o f twi gs

or withes bo u nd and interl a ced to a thic kness of abou t
,

five i n ches ; those were held ap a rt and s u pported by

tran sverse sticks which ca n be seen still d an g lin g from
the unbrok en cable F or the foot way section s of split
.
-
,

timber or bamboo we re pla ced at stepping distances on

M k
76 um» . ra muc u r ue sr snsoscoes

the cables Over this sagging wind sw u n g afi air the

.
,
-

mou nta i n eers p assed to and fro as did thei r ante .

cedent s bac k I s u ppose fo r milleniums W hen the

,
.

o ld s u spen sio n bri dge fa iled this sin gle rope followed, ,

bu t whether as a fore sa id it may be con sidered a pro

, ,

g ress io n o r a retro g ression in brid g e str u ct u re I k now ,

n ot . At other points on the Jhel um they u se yet

another ki n d of rope bridge which consi s ts o f three ,

ropes one for the feet and on e for each of the h ands
, ,
.

This I found to be the most sec u re and the most prac

There a re pa tches o f c u ltivation on fa vored slopes

a mong the mou nta ins fa r above and beyond those
granite walls o f the river an d any s u rpl u s o f the ,

sc ant prod u cts o f the moun ta in dwellers is brought to

the hi ghw ay a lon g which we a re tr a veli ng for a ma r ,

k et It is sa id that one h um an li fe a v ea r is the average

.

an n ua l sa crifice in the tra nsit of one o f these s u s

pension brid ges .

Trace the roa d approxim a tely eastw a rd on our loca l

m ap and thirty miles beyond U ri you find the town o f
B a r amu l a There the ta ble la nd of Ca shmere begins
.
-
,

a nd there the Jhel u m has h a d to force a p assage of

the mou nta ins before it cou ld d ash for one h undred
and fi fty miles through con tin u ou s wi ndi ng gor ges to
the pl ains in the Pu nj ab At B a ra m u l a the tra veler
.

u sua lly rests for a ni ght and in the mornin g with a

fresh rela y of horses mou nts a nother ton ga an d sta rts
,

on the l ast st ag e of thirty miles ov er the v ale o f Cash

mere Throughou t the entire distance the rou te is
.

ig a popla r lined a ven u e to the country s ca pita l

’
,

j ua in t city of S rin aga r At the spot m a rk ed 1 9 .

are t o t ak e our sta nd and loo k alon g th a t tree

a 1 8 49 . Map 4
 cs s n um 71

H a ve you ever seen a prettier vista of a rbored sh a de ,

or a road so str a i g ht and so closely li n ed with ta ll and

gracefu l trees ? W e did not see su ch in the plains of

Indi a ; they belong to a m o re northe rn la titu de or ,

to g reater altitu de These trees ha ve a famili a r ap

.

p ea rance to me They
. rec a ll e a rly schoold ays ; fo r

ha rd by the old school hou se stood two of these ta ll

-
,

prim popl ar trees They were the school ma am s

.
-
' ’

court of appea l ; they fu rnished the switches and I ,

h ave never ce a sed to be gr atefu l for the benevolent

brittleness o f popl ar twi gs Every school bo y knew
.
-

the ten der qu ality of popla r shoots and when de ,

spat ched to brin g in the u s u al i n stru men t of pen a l

s uasion he knew well how to fa vor an un fo rtu nate

,

colleagu e in the choice o f a lenient switch So you .

see to this time I h ave not forgo tten the tender mercies
of the popl a r tree How then can I re si st in the
.
,

presence of this cha rmi n g a ven u e o f popl a r trees ca ll ,

in g yo u r atten tion to the fa ct of this great indebt

ednes s ?

Thi n k of a ga llop o f ten mile s then a rel ay o f horses

, ,

and off aga i n fo r another ten miles a seco nd rel ay for

,

a third ten miles in a no isy bu t not un comfort able

ton ga and all the while bet w een these w all s of gra te
,

fu l sh ade ; and as we dashed on we co u ld peer o ut

through these a li gned tru nk s into fields o f cu ltiv a tion
qu ite u nk no wn in the hot pl a ins o f I ndi a A lon g both
.

sides o f this ro ad a re rich fields of wheat ba rle y rice , ,

an d maize ; there ar e yellow p a tches of ripen in g fl a x ,

W t h remind on e of the time whe n home m ade lin e -

w a s in the order o f domestic li fe in rura l hom es W .

s
m . m
78 11 mm r a ao uc a rn s sr sns oscor s

have left the flora the p lains for tha t o f the tem
of

pe ra te zone W e see no more the p alm the ma ngo the

.
, ,

aca cia the bany an and the sacred bo tree

, W e ha ve -
.

been s u ddenly transported from the tr opi ca l to the

temm rat e and our old dendral fri ends a re e verywhere

—the ma ple the pine the spru ce the elm the ches t
,

, , , ,

nut and s u ch g l a dsome old fru it tree nei ghbors as

,
-

the pea r apple pe ach and the pl u m

, ,
Where these trees .

o f h a rdy fru its flouris h it is sc a rcely necess a ry to te ll

,

y ou th a t the clim a te is br a ci n g and s a l u bri o u s I w ish .

th a t fo r a mome nt you cou ld step between those w hite

tru nk ed popla rs to loo k n orth or so u th to the bl u e l ine
,

of serra ted mount a i n s which boun d thi s fa mou s pl a in

ex tending ei ghty miles from ea st to west and twenty

fi ve from north to sou th .

At this point we ha ve before u s a few Ca shmeri a ns ,

who a re seemin gly en gaged with u s in a sort of mu t u al

inspection The two o n either side of the w a y are o f
.

the merch ant cl ass dressed m u ch li k e the Hind u s o f

,

the pl a ins in h ug e tu rbans and in wh at mi ght be ca lled

m
in our co untry a ple and un c once aled shi rts I f not .

g racefu l they a re s u rely not uncomfortable in wa rm

,

su mmer wea ther The Ca shme ri a ns a re ta ll and d a rk

.

l ik e thei r con geners o f the pla ins ; they a re sa id to

possess physica l beau ty ; bu t i f this m ust be admi tted , ,

thei r physica hbeauty can not be disa ssoci a ted with phy
sica l c o w a rdice An upli fted Eu rope a n fist will p u t to
.

fli ght ha l f an a cre of these tu rbaned stalw arts They .

are agg r a v a tin gly persiste n t s a lesmen ; E u rope an s on

their a rriva l a re p u rs u ed m ost relentlessly by trades

men off ering their w a res They wi ll not recognize .

any ordina ry and polite refu sa l to buy ; they follow a t

c heels of a new comer in g rea t n u mbers u nt l he is
-
i .

m e ll ed to resort to a pe rson a l a tta c k fo r his ow n

31 -4
 THE VALE or cs sa n m 79

deliverance when no ma tter how gre at the n umber

, ,

of p u rsuers they flee in morta l fea r ; for this rea son

,

they a re excellent people amon g whom to dwell to ,

give a m an confidence in his own prowess .

Does it not s u rpri se you to see a smooth stone roa d

sha ded by t rees and extendin g for a distan ce o f thi rty
miles and th a t in a m ountain re gion un ti l recen tly
,

i na ccessible to wheeled conveyances ? D oes not this

bea u ti fu l hi ghwa y reca ll the time of Lalla Rookh and ,

m ak e one to wonder whether the princess pa ssed here

on her eventf ul j ou rney ?

B u t here we are hemmed in and ou r view is oh ,

structed therefore we will h u rry on over the last ten

,

miles o f our ton ga j ou rn ey pa ss through the an cient ,

capit al S ri naga r an d climb to the s u mmit of a hei ght

, ,

where we sh all obta in an unobstru cted view of a sm a ll

—
portion of the Vale o f Cas hmere f amou s in son g and
fiction M ap 4 ma rks ou r next positi on with the n um
.

ber 20 and indica tes tha t we sh all h ave a long ou t

loo k sou thwest over the cou ntr y This position is .

given also on a speci al m ap o f S rinaga r M ap 5 which , ,

yo u sho u ld now see .

Va l e of Ca sh mer e, wa ter ed by th e wi n d in g I be
I nm

Va le of Cashmere The ,

W ith its roses the brigh test tha t ea rth ever ga ve ,

Its temples and g rottoes and fo unta ins as clea r ,

As the love li ghted eyes tha t h an g over th eir wa ve

-
.

W e ha ve en ded o ur thi rty mile ride in the mou n -

t ain ton ga we h a ve pa ssed through the city o f the

Su n ( S ri naga r ) to the ou ts kirts and ascended a rock y ,

eleva tion ca lled Takht i S uleiman which mea n s the

- -
,

W in “ a .
80 I N D IA TH ROU G H TH E sr easosco es

Throne o f Solomon Su rely ha ve we never th u s f ar .

in o u r it inera ry tak en u p a position either so hi gh or

so honorable as th at we n ow occu py on the Throne of
S olomon The occu p ant o f a throne can seldom be
.

hold the splendor o f his o wn gi lded se at ; so with u s ;

o ur sple n did Ta kht rise s n ea rly a thou s a nd feet above

the ou tstretch ed v a le The a rms of ou r lofty throne .

a re sp u rs of r ugged g r an ite s u ch a s you see to our

ri ght ; the ba c k is an ancie nt templ e perched on the

hi ghes t point ; and the ample robe which over sprea ds
our roya l sea t exte nds fa r a n d wide in v a ri e gated

fields o f ever y h u e .

This then is o ur position ; a nd from it we a re look

ing so u thwest over the g racefu l wi ndin g s o f the river
Jhel u m Tho se si nu ou s t u rn s ch ar acterize thi s stre am
.

for a great po rtion of its cou rse thro ugh the v a lley ;
the y a re me ntioned in hi story and re gistered in a rt ;
in a ll book s on Cashmere we find reference to the
wi nding Jhel u m and in art it is cl a imed tha t the le a f
,

pattern in the well kn ow n Cashmere sh awl w as tak e n

-

from this be nd in the ri ver s cou rse This may be tru e ’

.

o r it may n ot Tradition and tru th a re often so i nter

.

min gled tha t au thentic hi story is an atta i n ment of

great difliculty It is not diffi cu lt howev er to see the
'

.
, ,

corresponde nce of form and as some writers cl aim , ,

th at this capita l w as fo unded a s ea rly as 5 9 A D its . .

,

anti qu ity may j u s ti fy the cl a im to the river bend ori gi -

n atio n o f the le a f p attern in the Ca s hme re sh a wl

-
The .

i ntermi nable si nu ositie s o f this river form miles o f

Hoga rth s line o f bea u ty I f the secret o f be au t y in
'
.

form lies in the do uble cu rve a s mai nt ai ned by Ho ,

ga rth then we u ndersta nd why the eye is ple a sed

,

the contin u ity o f dou ble cu rves in the wind in gs o f

famou s stre am .

in . M “
 TH E V ALE op CASH M ERE 81

I h a e eferred to the m an y sha ded squ a res in the

v r -

l andsca pe ; those d a r k spaces a re green and the ,

li ghter sh a des a re ca u sed by di ff ere nt crops o r dif

ferent stages o f ma tu rity in the crops Y ou will n otice .

ta ll lines o f pop la r trees by the river and along the

.

roa dsi des showi ng that Jeh angi r in whose rei gn they
, ,

were introd u ced had a predilection for this species .

Yo u wi ll notice a lso fru it trees tow a rd the river -

whether pea ches or apples we cannot a t this dista nce

determi ne I know however that not far to the
.
, ,

right there is a l a rge apple orcha rd which at this time -

is bendi n g with fru it I know a lso o f a pe ach orch ard

.
-

a few h u n dred ya rds fa rther to the ri ght la den with ,

unblemished bea u ties I n the same direction lies also .

the ca nto nmen t or E u ropea n s ubu rb where the En g ,

lish Reside ncy ch u rch libra ry an d a good hotel a re

, , ,

loca ted Those hou ses at the foot of ou r Th rone a re

.

na tive homes of the middle cl ass and the large na tive

city of S ri n aga r conta i ning n ea rly ,
inh abitants ,

lies in the s ame ge neral di rection to ou r ri ght .

Down the river tow a rds o ur ri ght and only a few

,

h u ndred ya rds below we shou ld fin d m a ny family ,

boats ca lled hou se boa ts becau se th ey ha ve all hou se

-
,

k eepi ng accommodations ; they are chiefly u sed by

E u ropea ns d u rin g the s um mer season M an y l a n .

g ui shin g he a,
t exh au sted E u rope a
-
n s from the pl a ins
come u p here to Ca sh mere to fin d a hea lth restori ng -

retrea t Some bri ng t en ts and others en gage ho u se

.

boa ts for the sea son ; in these boats the y fin d all the
reti reme nt and com fort o f a priva te h ome at a mod
crate expen se Su ch floa ti n g h o mes a re alw ays in
.

ch a r ge o f a native family w ho p erform all hou sewo rk ,

an d na vi gate the bo a t ( whe n the house becomes a

boa t ) to any desired pla ce throughou t the en tire val

,

m um 2 M p. “ . a
 sn uacu 83

on the bank o f the J hel u m W e ma y ca ll the level.

spa ce on the left o f th at str ai ght av en u e the play

grou nd o f the cantonment as it is there a ll games and
,

sports a re held It is often ca lled the polo ground

.
-
,

for it is where th at pop u l a r equ estria n game is played .

The river is bu t a few yards to the left o f tha t g ro und ,

and a t the fa rther side o n the left you ca n see a po r

, ,

tio n o f the a rtifici al ba nk of the river The tonga .

roa d pa sses a t the left between the polo groun d and the -

ba n k of the river Y ou n otice white lines intersectin g

.

—
this common in every direction those are foot pa ths -
,

the fi rst to the ri ght l e a ving the a ve n u e beyond the

g re at chen a r trees lea ds to and a long the ri ght ba nk
,

o f the river to some E u rope an shops a nd then ou ,

wa rd to the n ative city The seco nd path leads to the

.

tonga and post offi ces also n ea r the ban k of the river
-
, .

A commodiou s modern and well man aged h otel stands

,
-

ba ck in the open spa ce to the ri ght of the ro a d F rom .

the hotel a p ath lea ds a cross the polo gro und to the -

English Residency to the Cl ub an d Libra ry a ll on the

, ,

ri ght bank o f the J hel um Wherever may be found .

even a limited control by En gl an d you wi ll find the

Res iden cy the home and oflice of a Governmen t o f
,

ficial ca lled the Resident whose d u ty it is to w atch

,

a nd gua rd the interests o f En g l an d .

A few words o f Cashmere history may not be amiss

a t this point . To most people it is a fa r a way little -
,

known mou ntain cou n try somethi ng li k e Thibet bu t ,

o f co u rse it is lik e Thibet only in her remote elev a

tion F or severa l centu ries this la n d w as ru led by

.

H i nd u prince s who were su cceeded by T a rta rs T o

, .

w a rds the end o f the fi fteenth ce ntu ry the Grea t M ogu l

Emperor Akba r an nexed Cashmere to his I ndi an Em
pire and built a strong fortress on the top of a hill
W e 2 1. M ap-M
84 w on TH ROU G H m s s m w scopa

nea rly as hi gh as this Throne of Solomon where we

stand The hil l cro wned by Akba r s old fort m ight
.
’

still be seen from where we st and cou ld we tu rn a ,

little to the ri ght A kba r w a s s u cceeded by J

. ehangi

to whom Ca shmere as well as other p arts o f his empire

a re indebted for m any commen dable innova tions ,

among them the plantin g of trees and the makin g o f

be au ti fu l ga rdens and plea su re grou nds Magnificent .

—
old pl a e trees c alled chen ar trees in Cashmere a re
n - —
sti ll seen which were first i ntrod u ced by th at enter
,

prisin g ru ler Note the two gr ea t u mbrageo u s chen a r

.

trees ju st a cross the brid ge below ; those and m any

others in the vici nity owe the ir existence here to
Jeh ang ir In 17 5 3 the cou ntry fell i nto the ha nds of
.

chiefs from Ca bu l In 1 819 the Cab u l u s u rpers were

.

drive n ou t by a gen era l under Ra nj it S i n gh and when , ,

the E ng lish con qu ered the S i k hs in 1 846 a treaty wa s ,

m ade in which Cashmere w a s as s i gned to Golab

S i ngh ; s ince th at time the co untry h as been under the
ru le of the S in gh dyna sty which h as a lw ays proved
,

faithfu l to En g lish soverei gnty Du ri ng the grea t

.

Mu ti ny the S in gh ru ler sent a milita ry contin gent to

assist the Eng lish at Delhi ; th ey showed their loya lty
in the same w ay d u ring the Af gha n w a r .

A descend ant o f the S in gh l ine is ru ler at the pres »

ent time a nd is known as Maha raj a h Pa rtab S ingh ,

G C S I Maj or Gener a l in the British A rmy Y ou

. . . .
, .

will remember th a t Ran j et S i ngh the g rea t Si kh ,

“
lea der w a s known a s the L ion o f the Pu n jab De
”
.

“
scendants of the Pun j ab Lion still ru le Ca shme re ;
fro m a nother view poi nt ( Positi o n 26 ) yo u will see
-

h a r aj ah Pa rta b S ingh himsel f I n consideratio n .

e pr a ctica l indepen de n ce gr anted to C as hmere by

L

and in the trea ty followin g the S ik h w a r Ma ,

u zl . M0 0 44
 SRI N AGAR 85

h a raj ah Pa rtab S i ngh is requ i red to m a i nt ain a n a rmy

s ufficie ntly stron g to defe n d his fron tier aga i n st any
poss ible i nv a sion fro m the north Thi s seems to be .

essent ia lly the extent o f E n g la n d s no mi n al so verei gnty

'

over Ca sh mere and in con nection with which the Res

iden cy a lready referred to is ma i n ta i n ed .

—
W e see aga in the Jeh an gi r popl ars a s we may ca ll
them si nce he first introdu ced them to beau tify road s
,

and w ater cou rses Only two o r th ree yea rs ag o ro w s

'
-
.

o f ve nera ble trees li ned th a t a ven u e bu t we see n o w

the yo u ng trees which h ave tak en thei r pla ces J u st .

below we see on e o f the m a ny canals which i ntersect

’

the city and its su rro un di n gs an d give to it its Ve

netian ch a r acter . This ca na l emerges from the be au
ti fu l and hi storic Dal Lake which is on ly a few hun
,

dred ya rds to ou r ri ght and empties into the Jhel u m

,

two h u ndred ya rds to the left Notice the g ra cefu l.

gon dola s o f this Him alay an Ve n ice M ark et boats .

a lso p a ss th is w ay between the l ak e an d the city bea r

ing all sorts o f ve getables grown on floa ti ng garden s

in the l ak e .Dal Lak e ha s bee n ren dered so famo u s
in the celebra ted roma nce o f La lla Rookh th at I m u st
n ot fa il to refer to it here N ot grea t in a rea it is
.
,

only five miles in len gth an d two an d a hal f in width ,

b u t its backgrou n d of toweri ng mo unta i n s which mir

ror thei r sp a rkl i n g s nows in its crysta l clea r water -

and its foregro und of a level fertile pl a in exten din g

, ,

to an opposite r an ge twenty miles di stant g ive a

ch a rming Alpi ne sett ing I n cert ain p a rts there a re
.

acres of lotus with pink tinted flowers from six t

-
o

ei ght i n ches in di a meter and as on e is pa ddled in his

, ,

ca n opied gondola among st the l ak e fields of gor geou s

bloom he is free to pl u ck and fill his boat with the
,

m assive and ex qu isitely colored flor a l cu ps The s u r .

M on ti . M op-M
86 w on m ucos a m s sr mmscom

face of the w ater is almost hidden by the broa d

floa ting lea ves ; the flowers sta nd high above the
w a ter and sw ay gently in the breeze Imagi ne then .

the flower rom ance of floa tin g through a wide l ak e of

such g loriou s infloresce nce In certa i n places along
.

the shore the lake ha s become so filled with w ater

vegeta tion tha t a person m ay w alk u pon the s u rface ,

which h a s the sprin giness and resilience of a wire

m attress ; su ch pa rts h a ve been ma de i nto floa ting
ga rden s The ma tted s u rfa ce is covered with rich
.

ea rth and on it a ll k i nds of vegetables of excellent

qua lity a re grown Thi nk o f a ga rde ner tilling his
.

grou nd and experi enci ng a ll the while the u ncanny

sen sa tion s o f seismic vibra tio ns ! The ve geta ble m a r

k ets o f S rinaga r a re s u pplied l a r gely from these float

in g gardens .

Another cu riou s featu re o f the lak e is its pro

d u ction o f an edible n u t I h a ve a l rea dy mentioned
.

floa tin g throu gh acres of lot u s ; in other pla ces you

wou ld pa ss th rough acres of t hick m atted vegeta tion -

which in the se a one wou ld ca ll se a weed it p rod u ces -

a delicious n ut ca lled the water chestn u t ; this is dried

-

and grou nd into mea l one pou nd of which is s ufficient

,

for a day s food While you r boa tm a n p addled you

’
.

through this field o f u nder wa ter chest n u ts he wou ld

-
,

occ a sion a lly lift for yo u on the end of his paddle a

t an gled cl u mp a nd pl ace it in the boa t tha t you mi ght
pic k a nd open chestnu t bu rrs s u ch as you ha ve prob
ably n ever seen before All the while the boa t wou ld
.

be glidi ng u pon spa rk lin g w ater the iss u e o f a mou n

,

ta in sprin g .

It w a s u ndou btedly o n a pa rt o f th at lak e tha t the

ga rdens and palace o f Jehan gi r we re si tuated The .

present ru ler m ai nta i n s a s u mmer ret reat there which ,

Position “ . M on
 S RI N AGA R 87

in some degree meets the glowi ng descr iptions of

M oore in Lalla Rookh T here is considerable o f
.

o rn amen ta l splendor an d sens u ous beau ty a t the pres

en t time — bowers o f roses crysta l strea ms nightin

, ,

ga les fr agr an t g ro ves m a de ra di ant by orien ta l

,

hou ris as conceived by the f an cy o f the gre at I rish

,

melodist wou ld sca rcely be a n ex aggerated embellish

,

men t fo r modern con dition s There are deep frag rant

.
,

g roves th ere is a l u xu ri an ce o f roses in the S halim a r

,

Ga rden s ; I believe there a re nighti nga les ; the so u rce

o f the la k e is a clea r mo u n ta in stre a m i ndeed every ,

mou nta in gorge is rollicki ng with crysta l founta i n s

o r g l aci al stre am s And ami dst s u ch s u rroun di ngs
.

it is not diflicult to ima g in e the a rriv al of N u r Ma ha l

a fte r the splen dor o f her dep a rtu re from Delhi and ,

her rom antic j ou rn ey an d the s u rpri se tha t a wa ited

,

her a t the steps o f the pala ce by the lak e ? “

Oh ! to see it a s sunset wh en wa rm o er the l ake ’

Its splendor at p arti ng a su mmer eve th rows ,

Lik e a bride f u l l o f bl u shes when lin gerin g to tak e

A l a st look a t her mirror a t ni ght ere she goes ”
, .

It is a common sa ying th at tru e love never r uns

smooth ; an occa sion a l qua rrel seem s to be the norm al
o rder o f the hea rt u nitin g process ; even Jeh an gi r and
-

“ ”
his H a rem s Li ght the lovely N u r Maha l h ad a
’
,

qua rrel and a reconci li a tion and romance h a s it th a t

,

the emperor e nj oyed the in tense deli ght o f mak in g up -

in the s ame o ld ga rden M oore h a s i mmort a lized the

.

ta le in the followi ng lines

“
And well do v anished frown s enh ance
The c ha rms o f every bri ghtened g l ance ;
And dea rer seems ea ch da wning smile
F or havin g l ost its li ght a while ;

M b Men s-l ‘
88 mum r n nouca ms sr aasosco es

And, h a ppier
'
for all her si g hsn ow ,

As o n his a rm her hea d reposes ,

S he w hispers him with laughi ng eyes ,

Rcmmn ber love the Fea st o f Roses

‘ ’
.
, ,

Tu rni ng again to the scen e be fore u s you see a

n u mber of giant pl ane trees A g rove o f su ch tr ees .

is ca lled a bag h and there are ma ny u mbrageou s baghs

,

a rou nd S ri n aga r Across tha t field to the ri ght and

.
,

on a clear strea m flowin g from Da l Lak e is Chen a r ,

B agh another to the left on the ban k s of the Jhel u m

,

is ca lled Mu n shi B agh ; both these groves in the s u m

mer cont a in tents o f sea son soj ou rn ers By remem .

be ri ng then the hou se boa t facilities the tenting ba ghs

-
, ,

a nd th at l arge and well k ept modern hotel which you -

see on t he ri ght the deterran ts of a trip to the l an d

,

o f Lalla R oo kh a re qu ite removed and repl aced by

incentives .

Y et ou r idea of the city o f S ri naga r will not be cor

rect if we j u dge a ltogether from o ld imperi a l con
ditio n s a s pictu red by romance o r from the modern ,

Eu ropea nized ou ts k irts or from the natu r al ch a rms ,

of mountai n strea ms or lot u s covered l ak es ; there -

fore we will follow tha t str a i ght tree li n ed roa d in to

,
-

the hea rt of the na tive city and st an d w here ou r M ap ,

5 sh o ws the n u mber 22 in red u pon the ri ght ba nk ,

o f the Jhel u m The river there is sp anned by a primi

.

tive log bu ilt bridge an d eve ry prospect i f not plea s

-
, ,

in g is typica l of the old Cashmere ca pita l

. .

mer e
S un
, q
ua i n t br i d ge a n d h o us es In th e C i ty of th e

This then is the City o f the Su n as it h a s been ,

alled in poetic fancy ; bu t you will rea dily see it h a s

ttle of the splendor of the gre a t l u min a ry a fter which

 m
su ac“ 89

it has bee n n amed it mi ght more appo sitely be term ed

the city o f filth an d i n tolera ble stenches I s u ppo se .

the trifli ng m atter o f clean li n es s is sca rcely a thi ng to

be con s idered in bestowi ng titu la r desi gnati on s .

W orthy o r un worthy its grea t na me sak e dei gns to

,
-

flood it with bri ght su n shi ne a good p a rt of the yea r ,

as may be seen from the verd a nt roofs everywhere in

sight This is one o f the cu riou s fea tu res of the city

.

— the hou ses a re wooden o r wood an d cl ay an d almo st ,

u niformly covered with ea rth which soon becomes over

g row n with gra ss so from an elevation the hou ses be
,

come a bird s eye exp anse o f grass pa tches The ci ty

’
- -
.

lies o n both sides o f us i e o n both bank s of the, . .

,

Jhel u m which follows its w in di ng cou rse for two

mile s withi n city limits and is crossed by sev en bridges ,

a ll simil a r to this except one which is o f ston e an d ,

iro n The hou ses o f wood and m u d a re u s u ally w in

.

dowless dil apidated ramsh a ckle a ff ai rs dirty with in

, , ,

and withou t and po pu l ated with ent omologica l million s

who dispu te bed and boa rd with the n omi na l own ers .

There are better hou ses th an these before us bu t ,

these are typica l ; even the l a r ge and preten tio u s tem

ples a re often grass roofed while other p a rts o f the
-
,

s ame stru ctu res may show orn amen tat io n in wood
ca rv in g of cons iderable merit This qu aint brid ge i s .

self expla ined h and ma de or ax m ade bu ttressed with

-
,
- -
,

interloc ked timbers anchored by e no rmou s q uantities

o f ston e M echa nica l li n es a re i gn o red ; beau ty is not
.

consi dered ; a mean s of transit is the on ly obj ect to

be attai n ed There is a bi g gap in the roa d of pro gress
.

between this brid ge and the great modern stru ctu res
o f the ou ter world ; yet there is n o inco n siderable ga p

between thi s an d the single rope brid ge sho wn you on -

our w ay hither to S ri n aga r ( Position We see

W mm ‘
 su mac“ 91

from these low cl ass women The country h as a rep u

-
.

tatio n for pretty women and there m a y be some bu t

, , .

as in all M oh a mmeda n and Hind u cou ntries they a re ,

abo u t a s invisible as the an gels Yes when I first .

,

res ted my camera for this pictu re there w a s a sta m ,

pede for the secl u sion o f thei r miserable domiciles bu t ,

my Cashmere boy by a flou rish o f coi n prev ai led

, ,

aga i nst the te achi n gs o f the M os lem f aith a nd they

fell bac k into thei r former positions .

Is there anythin g we ca n lea rn from this door ya rd -

scene ? W e see a th atched roof showing tha t roofs ,

a re not inva ri ably of gra ss covered ea rth ; th atch is-

u ndoubtedly a l a ter in novation In other pla ces I ha ve .

mentioned the universa l fon dness o f the fem a le sex

for persona l decoration Are the Ca shmere women an
.

exception ? Do you see any si gns o f a n excepti on or ,

do you again see ea r ri ngs a nd bracelets and ma ybe

-
,

ank lets only for g rimy sk irts ? The wome n do m u ch

,

o f the dru d gery ; here they a re shell in g rice Th at m an .

with the rice pou ndin g stick is a pretender ; the sea ted
-

woman belong s to th at rice morta r i f I may so ca ll it

-
.

The other wom an pou nds with a child in her a rms .

A rela y o f rice pou nd in g women a re se a ted and hid

-

ing their faces . The two men on the door step are -

persons a cu t higher as shown by their s nowy tu r

-
,

bans o f p uggrees Thos e close fitti ng skull ca ps a re

.

common with the Ca shmeri ans Y ou notice bas k ets .

m ade of willow twi g s also ba sk et scoops for win

,
-

nowing the shelled rice from the h u s k s The nu .

shelled rice is da rk in color resembling ba rley I have

, .

someti mes compl a ined of photo graphic art bec au se it ,

does not show dirt yet here the shabby ga rments o f

,

these people almost display their g rimy condition .

Petition ”
. M l
92 I N D I A TH ROU G H TH E Sr
‘
mnosooPE

Th a t scowlin g woma n s feet a re qu ite a s bl ack a s her

’

eyes and qu i te unbecom ing an hou ri

, .

I am s o rry we ca n not pa p inside I do not thi nk .

you w ou ld c a re to lod ge therein It would more th an .

satisfy the au thor of The S imple Life It is the .

“
lo wly tha tched cottage i n deed but a little too lowly
, .

fo r western fancy There remai n s for th at tyk e o f a

.

boy a hi rs ute tri u mph yet to be achieved W e will .

lea ve them n o w to go ssip o n a bou t thi s g rea t event

in thei r lives and to atone a s best they can for this
,

viol a tion of a decree o f thei r holy El Koran -

.

W e pu s a short dist ance u p the river and over to

the opposite ba n k a poi n t m a rk ed 24 o n the m a p to
,
.
,

exa mi n e a house boa t such a s a re u sed in this deli ght

-

fu l s u mmer resort .

P os i ti on 2 4 . D eligh ts of mmer
su in th e Val e of

W e a re on the le ft ba n k of the Jhel u m opposite ,

—
the polo grou nd and the modern hotel seen from our
former position ( Position on T ak ht i Su leim an - -
.

The bu ilding s on the opposite ba nk show we a re out

of the na tive city a nd in Eu ropea nized con ditions The .

l a rge buildin g s a re stores and ofi ces The river a t .

this poi n t is the anchor age for n u merou s hou se boats -

.

Notice the gi gan tic chen a r tree across the st ream .

Only a h a lf mile below u s on this side of the river is

an i nterestin g m u se u m which we sh a ll see before
,

we lea ve the city ( Position The Post Oflice the ,

Reside ncy the Libra ry and the Cl ub B u ildin gs a re

,

a ll to our ri ght on the opposite side o f the river .

I ha ve her etofore mentioned the hou se boat as one o f -

e fa cilities o f travel and outin g in Ca shme re Now .

m u M
.
?
t
 S R I N AGA R 93

we see one o r indeed several so me on the fa rther side

, , ,

of the river This is a represe n ta tive pa ttern You

. .

wi ll u nde r sta nd the exterior co n stru ction at a g la nce

—ma de o f wood and roofed with shi ngles ; the h ull of

hea vier timber At the stern a re lock ers and the
.

kitche n ; next to the k itchen is the di n i ng room o r -

saloon The first room beyon d the ope n deck is the

.

genera l u tility room o r s itting room and re a ding room

- - -

combi n ed You will n otice the u ppe r deck where

.

potted flowers a re k ept and where the occu pants o f

the boa t come ou t to spe n d the eveni n g hou rs The .

domestics who u s u ally embrace an en tire native

,

family live in th at mat covered boat at the left or in

,
-
,

a simil a r boa t qu ite ap a rt from the occu pan ts o f the

hou se boa t except for serv ice This family of natives
-
, .

con stitu tes the crew as well as the v a riou s orders of

domestic serva nts The children o n the u pper deck .

probably belon g to the crew o f the hou se boa t A -

.

hou se boa t pa rty can of cou rse dispens e with crew

-
, , ,

and se rv an ts i f desired .

You n a tu ra lly wonder how these boats a re propelled ?

By paddles scu ll o ars and poles ; no stea m na phth a

,
-
, ,

ga solene or electricity is in u se at this time bu t ,

probably they soon will be ; man power is still the most

'

econ om ica l These bo ats a re co n veyed through cana ls

.
,

over l ak es and on the river to m a ny pa rts o f the v al

ley where h ey a re moored until a ch an ge of place is

,

desi red .

The most con sp icu ou s thi n g in si ght is the iti nerant

m u sici an who sits by the r ive r bank stru mmi n g qu aint
Ca shme r ian ai rs on his sitar ; the sita r is a so rt o f
oriental gu itar the body o f which is m ade from a
,

gourd ; tha t long neck is li ned from en d to end with

shi ftable feet on which a re pl aced and t uned fou r or
M “ . I n !
 SRI N AGA R 95

man ufactured an d in its p lace woo len goods o f

,

chea pe r quality in the shape of s qua res or oblon g

,

sh a wls pla in or embroidered a re prod u ced

, , .

“
S ha wls are o f two kin ds loom wove ( Binam) ,
-

where the whole p attern is wrought o n the loom with

an endless series o f thre a ds of a ll colors an d A mlikar ,

in which a fo unda tio n is l aid of a plain or v a riou sly

colored fabric the s u rfa ce of which is m in u tely work ed
,

over by h and in pa ttern s embroidered i n fine woolen

threa d or sil k I n sha wl goods the qua lities o f fine
.

n ess and softn ess depen d on the wool u sed .

“ —
A sh a wl loom i s wor k ed th us The pattern is
-

first dra wn o n paper and from the pi ctur e a ro ugh ,

s k etch is prod u ced F rom this the master workm an

.
-

dicta tes the pa ttern so m any red threa ds so m an y

, ,

bl u e an d so on The worki n g wea vers follow his dic

.

tation an d th u s the pa ttern is evolved

, This spe ci a l .

trainin g goes on from genera tion to gen eration The .

sha wls a re m ade in small pieces which a re even tua lly ,

se wed to gether .

“
The h an d ma de sha wls w hi ch do not tou ch the loom
-

a t a ll a re simila rly m a de in pieces which a re j oined ,

together a fterw a rds The best kin d o f woolen fabric

.

i s kn own as Pas hmina Co a rse in ferior wool is u sed .

,

in the m an u f actu re of pa l m o f which v a rio u s pa tterns ,

i n i mita tion of En glish tweeds a re now ma de A good .

piece of pattu is n ot a bad imita tion o f rea l Scotch

home spu n tho ugh o f cou rse m u ch in ferior in fi nish
-
, , ,

and d u ra bility .

Kashmi r embroideries a re fa mou s for their fine

ness elegan ce o f desi gn and beau ti fu l a rra n gement o f
, ,

color The workmen h ave some pra ctica l kn owledge

.

o f wh a t the complementa ry colors a re and know th a t ,

setti ng a color beside its complemen t sets o ut both to

Poe m-0 23 .
M l
96 I ND IA TH ROU G H TH E sr ansosco mz

the g rea tes t efi ect The va riety o f Kas hmir sh a wls is

.

grea t ; the best w ay to become a j u d ge of these a nd ,

a lso of the embroidery on fine pattu is to visit the ,

la rge shops where a rticles from a cover for a so fa

, ,

to the mo st expensive p ashmina sha wls ma y be seen

”
,

in g rea t abundance a nd v a riety .

You ha ve probably seen old time looms in ou r own -

cou ntry somewh at a fter the f a shion of this : it is

primitive an d cru de in its mecha nism bu t its prod u cts ,

a re sought a fter by roya lty I thin k the piece of

.

cloth in thi s loom a t present receives its h and em

broidery a fter it lea ves the loom I h a ve told yo u .

th a t the hi gh pri ced sh a wls a re most ly embroidered

-

by h and an d in section s which a re fina lly u nited by

, ,

deft needle work and so ld at prices ran ging as hi gh

-
,

as Is it not wonderfu l th at these poor people

with cl u msy h and ma de tools c a n tu rn ou t su ch co stl y
-

fabrics ? Wha t do y ou thi nk o f two doll a rs a wee k

for thi s hi gh s ki lled la bor ? W e a re wont to thin k
-
’

th at sk illed la bor alw a ys co mma nds its pri ce ; con

ditiona lly it is tr u e pe rha ps Look a t this pati ent
.
,

s kilfu l m an w ith a family to s u pport wor kin g not a , ,

u nion contracted d ay of ei ght h o u rs bu t from s u n to

-
,

s u n with no h a l f holid a y and fo r a pa ltry two dol

,
-
,

la rs a wee k Ski lled l a bor does n ot a lw ays comm and

.

its va l u e .

I f y o u t u rn from this ex ample of I ndi an ind u stri al

a rt to the ordina ry li fe of the people yo u find the boy s ,

o f the City o f the S un a re very m u ch li k e u rchins

an ywhere else .

M M ”M
. 8
 su m /um 97

M I N . M M O'
M W ”M

Almost everybody has pla yed thi s very gam e; a di a

g r a m is m a r k ed out by scra t ches on the g ro un d or by
ch a l k m ar ks on a pa vemen t an d the players i n turn
-
,

ho p thro ugh it on one foot kic k in g a pebbl e from o n e,

section to an other W ith s li ght modifica tions the

.

ga me seems to be pl ayed in n e a rly a ll qua rters of the

ea rth tho ug h n obody k nows where o r how it
,

ori gin a ted .

This m u d pl a stered ho u se with the dirt covered roof

- -

is li k e thou sands o f others i n the crowded n a tive quar

ter I f yo u were to go inside yo u wou ld find few or
. .

n on e o f wha t yo u co n sider essenti a ls for hou sekeepin g .

The f amily sleep on r ug s on the floor ; dishes for cook

ing an d servin g food a re few a nd nobody ha s a n ex ,

ten sive w a rdrobe to be ca red for so the ca res o f ,

hou se k eepin g a re red u ced to the mi n im u m .

H ind u boys when they le a ve you ng childhood be

,

hind them go through a reli gio u s ceremony corre

,

spon ding i n a sense to the confirm a tion services in

some Ch risti a n ch u rches Their sec u l a r ed u c ation a s
.

a ru le does n ot go beyond the ru d iments of rea din g ,

writi n g and rec k onin g bu t m a n y of them pic k u p

,

thr oug h pra ctic a l ex perien ce very good fa cility i n

simp l e a rithmetic I n di vi d ua l boys now and then
.

show both intellectua l ability a nd ambition ; s u ch

you ths fill the M ission schools a nd the Governmen t
colleges B u t now th at the colle ges h a ve been tum
.
,

i ng out g ra d ua tes for a good m an y yea rs the perplex ,

i ng res u lt of s u ch hi gher ed u ca tion is a n enormou sl y

excessive n umbe r of boo k le a rned men c o mpa red with
-

the n u mber o f profess ion al and cleric a l opportun ities

m ucu s Map s
.
 SR I NAGAR 99

a few rods a w ay A m agnificent ca rpet w a s sprea d

.

over the l an din g steps in rea diness for their descent

to the bo ats 5 0 th a t noble feet mi ght n ot h a ve to
,

trea d common ea rth and stone It is s u ch ceremoni

.

ou s splen dor a s we u sed to re a d a bo u t in the old ta les

o f A l a ddi n an d his princess bride The host on this

-
.

occa sion the heredita ry prince of a district a little

,

sma ller th a n New Y or k S ta te an d Penns y lva ni a is ,

to give him his fu ll title — Maj o r General His Hi gh

ness S ir Pa rta b S in gh Inda r M ahindar Badahur S ipa r
i Saltan at Ma h a raj ah of Ka shmir an d J
-
, umrnu He .

s u cceeded to the th rone in 1 885 is a n a va l comm a nder

,

o f the S ta r of Indi a a nd receives here i n his own

,

dominions a n offi ci a l s a l u te o f twenty o ne guns ; in -

other pa rts of In di a n ineteen gu ns His pa l a ce home .

-

( in the n a tive town a short

, dista nce below the qu a i n t
bri dge which we sa w from Pos ition 2 2 ) is e l egant ly
fu rni shed pa rtly in the n a tive fa shion an d pa rtl y
,

with modern E u ropea n a rticles s u ch a s any Bri tish

o r America n m a n o f we a lth mig ht u se A B ritish
”
.

Res ident is pra ctica lly his P rime M inister a nd ,

betwee n them a good ma ny modern idea s are m a

ter ializing for the benefit o f the people A bo u t two
‘

a nd a h a l f million people come u nder his ru le A .

good m an y of them a re co u ntry fol k s remote from

this twentieth cent u ry ; b u t a t lea st those who live in
this pic tu resqu e c apita l city of H is Hi ghness h a ve a
prospect o f better times for themselves an d their chil
dren becau se of a roy a ll y au thorized and pa tron ized
,

movement for the commerci al development of old na

tive h a ndicra fts . The rea ll y fine Ind u stria l A rt
Mu se um on the river ban k ju st behind u s su rp rises
-

m an y a tr aveler into excl am a tions of wonderin g ad

miration over specimens o f en g ra ved and bea te n
M aco n . M S
1 00 I ND IA T H RO UGH TH E s m ears

coppe r wo r k silver work ca rved wooden w a re em

-
,
-
, ,

broideries an d woven stuff s And it is n ot mer ely .

a c olle ction of Old ma sterpi eces O f wor km a n ship an d

a rtistic feeli n g ; fo rtu n a tely for Cas hmere the people ,

of the presen t gen era tion a re provi n g tha t n either

taste nor s ki ll died with thei r ancesto rs .

The us ua l w ay O f tra veli n g through Ca shmere is

less poetic and less com forta ble th an a river voy ag e -

i n on e o f these roya l ba rges Ou r n ext position on . ,

on e O f the mo u n ta i n roa ds lea din g ba c k from S rinaga r

towa rds Mu r ree will show qu ite a nother sort of con
,

veyance which serves

, a t need for the j ou rn ey O f
, .

on e h u n dred a nd fifty five miles over a won derfu lly -

g ra n d a n d pictu resqu e roa d alon g the gor ge of the

Jhel u m .

Pos i tion 3 8 A bi l l co un try ekka wi th pa ssen ger

.
-

I ha ve a lrea dy given a brie f description o f a j ou rn ey

f rom M urree to S rin aga r in a H ima l ay an m a il ton ga ;
I m ade the retu rn i n the style which you see here .

M y choice of an ekka rather th an a ton ga w as the re

su lt O f n ecessity as I pl ann ed to s top a t poi n ts en
,

rout e i n order to se cure stereo gra phs o f desi rable

pl aces an d I m u st be accompa n ied by an i nterpreter
,
.

—
W e cou ld n ot both ride a t the s ame time as you wi ll
readily perceive from the co nstru ction o f our ca r
r iagc — e xcept d u ri n g lon g dow n gra des when we -

wou ld cra wl u p u nder that roof Of rags An e kka .

h as n o spri n gs ; th at gre a t pou ch below the a xle is to

h o ld fodder for the horse The compa rtmen t above .

the a xle is for baggage ; the third space is for pa ssen

gers Ofte n c on t a i n i n g five or six with hea ds th ru st
,

out o n eve ry side remi n d in g on e of a m a rket c r a te Of

,

su m -as m
o . 0
 cas n mm 1 01

p u ltry ; so th a t the gen era l spect

o a w ell stock ed
a of -

tra velin g e kka is a sn a rl or con gl omera tion Of horse ,

h u ma nity r ags and ropes

, .

Seven days a nd o ne h u ndred and fifty five mi les Of -

ekka tra vel lea ve impressio ns ment a l an d physica l not

soon to be forgotten One fa re fo r the en ti re distan ce
.

between S rin aga r a nd Mu rree by m ai l ton ga is ni ne

dolla rs An e kka with excl u sive u se m ay be hired for
.

the s ame amou nt Coolies ca n be hi red for ca rryin g

.

l uggage a t the r ate Of fou r ann as or twelve cen ts a

stage and the s tages v a ry from ten to fi fteen miles
, .

The re gu la tion bu rden O f ea ch coolie is fi fty po un ds .

Thi n k of ca rryin g on the hea d a wei ght of fifty

pou nds a dista nce o f fifteen miles for twenty fou r -

cen ts ! I n the m a tter o f expe nse how fa r does ou r

,

express service prove an a dv an tage over coo l ie trans

p o rtation ? I n expediti o n the express m a y cl aim a n
adv a nt age b u t a s rega rds chea pness a nd breakage the
,

cool ie is preferable Cou ld le gisl ation be ma de to

.

con sider the interest o f the people before the in terest

o f the exp ress comp a n ies and thereby brin g about a
,

pa rcel post system we m ight ha ve ou r sma ll p ack

,

ages ca rried as chea ply as in E u ropea n cou ntries o r

as chea p l y as by the coolies of I ndi a a nd Ca shmere .

T here a re te n sta tion s between S rin aga r an d Mu r

ree averagin g abo u t fi fteen mi les between sta tions .

W ith bu t a si ngle horse a nd th a t on e as you see not

,

altogether a B u cepha l u s in his m ak e up the tea m -

,

wo u ld seldom m ak e more th an one stage a day .

Neither e kka s nor tongas tra vel at n i ght ; the ro ad is

then bloc k ed by lon g tr a in s of b u llock ca rts wh ich -

tra vel mostly at ni ght to a void the e xtreme hea t o f the

in the con fin ed go rges Of the Jhel u m A t ev ery sta
.

tion the r e is a pu bli c rest house established by the Gov

-

N M ”“
. 0 4
 s mu 1 03

Ka lka we aga in tak e a ton ga a dist an ce O f fifty seven -

miles al l the whi l e climbin g hi gher and hi gher into

,

the foot hills Of the Him a la ya s and it m u st be remem

-
,
“ "
bered th at even the Him a l ayan foot h ills wou l d be -

con sidered g reat mountains anywhere a w ay from the

wor l d s hi ghest ran ge The roa d is nowhere stra i ght
’
.

the ton ga horses gallop a ro und sweepi ng cu rves ; they

-

ha lt every ten o r fi ftee n m iles for rel ays when du sty ,

tra velers m ay en ter the rest houses for a cu p of tea -

,

then o ff aga in a t a bre ak neck ga ll op a s on the roa d

-

to Ca shmere This wi ld ride co nti n u es unti l the ton ga

.

reaches a n eleva tion Of seven thou sa nd feet .

A speci a l m ap of S imla is provided for u se at this

stage O f our j ou rn ey Con s u lt Map 6 and you wil l fin d
.

our twenty ninth position ma rk ed in the u s ua l wa y

-

nea r the bottom O f the m ap a short distan ce o u tside ,

the hi ll top town The red l ines show tha t we sh all

~
.

be faci n g di rectly towa rds the wonderfu l s u mmer

capita l o f the Ind ia n Govern ment n estling amon g the ,

ever green crests O f the s u b H im a l ay a s -

.

Pos i ti on 29 S im l a th e bea uti f ul Himal ay an r es or t

m
.
, ,

f ro th e h i gh way to K al ka

W e h ave s topped he re on the w ayside to t ak e a

fi rst look at S im l a W e a re sti ll one mile from the
.

ton ga sta tion in the cen ter o f the town ; b u t he re we

Obt ain a good genera l view O f the central portion an d
some Of the principa l bu i l din gs I t h as a m a rvelou s .

“ "
situ ati o n A city th a t is set on an hill ca nnot be hid
. .

Here is on e set on a hi l l ov er seven thou s and feet

—
a bove the sea indeed some of the peak s a s the one ,

whose s lo pe be gins u p nea r the s ky l ine at the ri ght -

,

exceeds ei ght thou san d feet; and yet a grea t n u mber

Position ” .
M 6
1 04 mom TH RO UGH TH E masoscor s
s

Of pri vate homes a nd m an y pu blic bu i ldi n gs are a lmost

hidden by the da rk evergr een s which abou n d at this
ele va ti on
.

This distri ct O f S i ml a in which we a re now in

, ,

el u des ei ghty si x s qua re miles

-
S iml a itsel f is not.

on ly the s umme r capital O f the Government of In di a ,

bu t also a S anit ari u m an d it is the hea d quarters of

,

the I n di an a rmy throughou t the yea r for these re a son s ,

it becomes a pl ace Of grea t i mport ance a n d espec i ally

of g rea t activity d u ri ng the s u mmer months I n the .

winter it is l ar gely deserted except by the ga rri son

,

and the n a tive popu l a tion an d a ll this g roun d is Often

,

cov ered with he a vy f alls of sn ow .

Yon der slope on which the town i s built e xten ds

fo r on e thou s and feet into a de n sely wooded v a le be
low . The sky line is a n a rrow rid ge s ca rc ely a h u n
-

dred feet in width an d extends from th a t da rk wood

,

on the ri ght to wa rd the left o r westw a rd for two miles

to Observ atory H ill an d the Pala ce o r Vicerega l
Lo d ge Beyon d th at rid ge there is an abru pt descen t
.

O f a thou san d feet thickly wooded bu t wi th a north

, ,

ern e xpos u re and con sequ en tly with too little su n shi n e
fo r dwellings .I t is however the hau n t of in numer
, ,

able monk eys who Often s camper a lon g the h ou setops

in the ba z aa r portion o f the town The mou nta in .

wh ose ba se slope we see a t the right is c alled J akk o ,

and is encompa ssed by a beau ti ful roa d a nd promen a de

five miles in len gth The sin u ositi es in tha t road af
.

fo rd cha rmi ng gl impses into deep ra vines and ou t

ov er s u nlit v alleys By p aths at eve ry t u rn lea d to
.
-

priv a te cott ages hidden amon g m an y colored rhodo -

den drons J akk o Hill i s dotted with vill a s to the s u m

.

mit; the en dless slopes below the leve l of that rid ge

hide a w ay cosy homes whi ch a re co n stan tly s urpris in g
 SI M LA 1 05

one by the ir s u dden and u nexpected appea ra nce a s one

rides a lon g .

The topog ra phy Of S iml a is ex trao rd ina ry ; it mi ght

be described briefly as a br oken a nd i rre gu la r series
O f mo u n t a i n s conn ected by rid ges and sepa ra ted by

deep v a lleys and every mpe cl ad with fi rs deod a rs

, , ,

oak s a n d rhododen drons A t the bottom O f every v al

.

ley i s fou n d a clea r mou nta in stream N o rthw a rd i n .

every di rection m a y be seen the g lis ten in g snows o f

the m a in ra n ge which does n ot seem fa r dist an t so
'

pu re is the mounta in a i r a nd yet the nea rest Of the

,

sno w c a pped pe ak s is twenty seven miles from S iml a

- -

in a strai ght line while the nea rest O f the central

,

Hima l ay an ra n ge is more th an fi fty mi l es a w ay Be .

tw een the m ain r ang e and S im la there seems to be a

world O f m oun ta ins a nd Of v al l eys sometimes clothed ,

in boskage and a t other places with sh a rp pinn acles

piercin g the s ky The world e mbr aci n g views a re
.
-

o ften tru l y s u blime S ou thw a rd ( i e behi nd u s a t the

. . .
,

left ) on clea r d ays the pla i n s a t A mballa ca n be seen

seven ty six miles a w ay J u st im agine sta ndin g on
-
.

yonder ri dge o r by those vi ll a s on the slope o f wood ed

,

J akko with you r vision comm andin g a view O f pl ai ns

,

seven ty six miles to the sou th then tu rnin g in an op

-
,

p o s ite d irection a nd ga zin g a t the snowy s u mmits O f

the hi ghest ran ge in the world fi fty miles to the north !
,

May not th a t be ca lled a comprehen sive l an dsca pe ?

Sometimes o n a clea r morn in g there c an be seen a
silver l ine windin g a mon g the intervenin g mou nta ins
midw ay between the g rea t ran ge and the beholder .

It 1 3 the mi ghty Su tle j river nea r its birthpla ce sta rt

, ,

in g on its wi ld ca reer to the sea a descen t Of six thou

,

We here comman d a gen eral view which en ables me

Pos ition 20 . M ap 6
 S I M LA 1 07

horizonta l rid ge or tha t its circu m ference is five mi l es

, .

The s u mmit is e a sil y rea ched by sh a dy paths and ,

when rea ched o ne finds a str an ge solita ry dweller ,

a f aki r o r hermit wi th troops O f m o nk eys fo r his co m

.

panions W hen the hermit wi shes to a ssemble his

.

simi an frien ds he shou ts a ca ll word which they

,
-

quick ly recog niz e an d they come scammr in g from

every p a rt O f the hill for a trea t O f gra m ( pea s ) They .

come in h un dreds and Of a ll ages and s izes an d de

nomin a tions S imia n mothers come ca rryin g thei r
.

babes ; some a re recogni zed bosses dom in eeri ng the

di ff erent b ands It forms a cu riou s specta cle
. .

By follo win g th a t rid ge tow a rds the left for on e

mil e Observatory Hill is rea ched an d the Vicere ga l
, ,

Lodge or Viceroy s Pal ace which we s ha ll see from

,
’

a nother point ( Position The sha rp tu rn in the

r oa d in f ront of u s is a suggestion o f the ro ads every
where abou t S iml a O ften sheer pl u n ges o f several
.

h u n dred feet a re m a de into woody ra vines or rocky

ch a sms P rospect Hill to which we sha ll go for a
.
,

position overlook in g the milita ry sta tion Of J u togh

( P ositio n lies beh ind u s now a nd a t a m u ch
grea ter elev ation th a n the roa d at this point .

I m u st ca ll yo u r atten ti on to the situ ation of the

Town H a ll which occu pies a centra l position at the
,

foot Of J akk o H ill and on the top of the rid ge a ,

trifle to the r ight o f the open spa ce amon g the trees .

I t is a l a rge new stone stru ctu re with Gothic fea tu res ,

a multum in parvo aff ai r co n tai n in g the G aiety ,

Thea tre with corridors and foyer a mas onic ha ll , ,

m u n icipal Offi ces a police st a tion a p u blic libra ry

, , ,

the finest ba ll room in Ind ia fifty by seventy feet

-
, ,

ba ll room ga lleries dra win g roo ms and so forth On

-
, , .

festal oc ca sions the pl aza abo u t the Town H a ll pre

M 3111 ” .
1 08 11mm TH RO UG H TH E ST ms osoor s

sen ts a lovely sc en e fil led with fine e uipages rick

,

sha ws a nd coolie borne j hampans Nea r it is Ch rist

-
.
q h

Ch u rch shown no w by th a t squa re tower with four

,

sh a rp spires I ca ll you r a tten tion pa rti cu l arly to tha t

.

chu rch bec au se we sh all be st an din g j u st before it at

ou r n e xt position It st an ds a t the east en d Of a
.

plaza o n the top of the ri dge which forms the w ater

,

shed o f the S iml a distri ct This pl a za is the p u blic

.

p lay g rou nd O f S imla ; it h as the promen a de an d the

-

ba n d sta nd with the post Office a t t

- he west en d and the
T ow n H all in the center Tha t cen tral Openi n g on the
.

s kyline is an Observation point for the sn owy r an ge .

The G ove rnment bu ildin g s extend from the cen ter o f

our line Of view tow a rds the left ; a few o f them a re

in si ght bu t it is difficu lt to iden ti fy the di ffe ren t

,

bu ildin gs fro m our position I th i nk the m any storied .

-

stru cture in the center line i s the Kutchery which si g ,

n ifies Court Hou se -

The S ecreta ri at is shown in pa rt
.

at the extreme le ft while the F orei gn Offi ce i s still

,

fa rther to o ur left .

A s o ne g l ances a t this town perched on this steep

slope s u spicio ns Of l andsl ides hau nt the inten din g
domic il ia ry ; bu t there is genera lly nothin g to fea r ,

a s most fou nda tion s a re on roc k The bu ildin gs thi ckly .

cl u ster ed together below the Town H all con stitu te

the chief center Of the n a tive bazaa r a lthough ma ny ,

vi l lages a re sca ttered a round J akko an d amon g the

hills n ea r by .

Before lea vin g this point you m u st not fa il to

notice the tru e s ign s Of A n glo Sa xoni sm in the g ro u p -

befo re u s ; with those na ti ves a re English boys an d

girls on thei r wa y from school Whe n all were a sk ed .

to stop momen ta rily and give li fe to the stereograph

n e ga tive the An glo Sa xon spi rit of fun an d figh t
,
-
 3 mm . 1 09

showed itsel f i n the pugi li stic a ttitu de Of the two sm all

—
boys the boxi n g pose comes first to the m in d Of the
B ritish scion ever ready for a fight the man draft
,
—
( my ri ght ) o f the E n g li sh co a t o f a rms s ymb ol iz ed by - -

little fists .

W e will n ow follow this hi ghw ay u p to a position

n ea r Christ Ch u rch which h as been pointed ou t to ,

you an d look sou thw ard The loc al m a p ma r ks the

, .

spot with a 30 ( N otice tha t the centr al district o f

.

S imla is give n by itself on a la rger scale i n the co mer ,

of Map

Pos i tion 30 B ef or e Ch r i s t Ch ur ch , a t Siml a , I n

.

d ia ch a r mi n g s um mer cap i t a l in th e Hima l ay a n

’
s
moun ta in s
This ch u rch the first erected in S im la d ates back
, ,

to 1 840 ; bu t the erection an d history o f the present

edifi ce a re best su mmed u p in the i n scription on the
— “
corn er stone z The fi rst corner s tone O f a new
- -

ch u rch for the sta tion O f S iml a to be ca lled an d

, ,

kn own a s Christ Ch u rch S imla w a s solemnly de , ,

posited with pra yers to A lmi ghty God fo r His bless

,

in g on the desi gner the a rchit ect the bu ilders and the
, , ,

ben efactors to the s ame by Daniel W i l son Bishop O f , ,

Ca lcu tta a nd M etr opolitan o f Indi a in the presen ce of ,

His Excellency S i r H ugh G ough B a rt G C B , , , . . .

,

Comm an der in chief in I ndia the Hon J Ca dw al

- -
, . .

l ader Ers kine Su b Commi ssi on er North W est

,
-
,

F ron ti er an d Of severa l of the gentry and milita ry

, ,

Officer s resident in S imla o n the 9th Of S eptember , .

A D 1 844 in the 8th yea r O f the reign o f Her

. .
,

Maj esty Qu een Vi ct o ri a The Ri ght Hon S i r H , . . .

Hardihgee B a rt G C B bein g Govern o r Genera l

, , . . .
,
-

co m m .
M 6
 s mut 111

aga in you see bungalows p a rti a lly hidden am ong the

fir trees down on the mou nt ai n side
-
S im la as a capi
.

ta l a hi ll st ation or as a Sanita ri um incl u des si x

, ,

s qua re miles and th roughou t the enti re re gion you

,

wou ld be greeted by simi l a r ou tlook s The pl ace h as .

now a pop u l a tio n of a bo ut fo r ty tho us an d b u t only ,

betwe en fo u r and five thou s an d a re Eu ropea ns .

I t is needless to tell you th a t there a re m an y Sani

ta ri a o r m oun ta in st ations i n Indi a an d n eedless , ,

moreover to tell you why so m any mou nta in retrea ts

,

h a ve bee n esta blished ; you o f cou rse know o f the

, ,

l anguishin g hea t o f the pl a ins Fa rther on in our

.
-

itinera ry ( Positions 37 40 ) we sh all vi sit another

-

mou nta in sta tion i f possible eve n more be au ti fu l th an

, ,

S imla .

Ric k sha w men a re not a lw ays so spotles s in thei r

a tti re ; bu t these are private j ampan ies hired by ,

Eu ropea ns a t abou t pe r month I f A meric a ns

.

or Eng lishmen at home h ad to do the work o f a horse

at a month a j ampan ie strike wou ld soon be
,

on The l adies o f S iml a vie one wi th another in mak

.

in g ori gin a l a n d sometimes fanta stic costu mes for thei r

j p
a m a n ies A. t this moment there seem to be no c a r
riag es w aitin g a t the ch u rch door ; b u t in a few min u tes

there m ay be m an y ele gan t turn ou ts wi th gau dy syce

( g roo m s ) in a tten d a nce Y o
. u c a nnot f a il to observe
th at ou r position here is aga in on a hi gh terrace so ,

the rick sha ws which mu st tra vel to th ose distan t

bun ga lows w ill be compelled to m ak e a lon g detour
to rea ch the lower ro ad lea din g there H ave you rea d .

Kip lin g s story of The P ha ntom Rickshaw ? These

’

j p
am a n ies in thei r white robes d a rti n g s ilently a lo n g
the hidden by w ays a t midni ght wou ld be spooky
-

“
en ough fo r ph an tom ri ck s ha ws .
1 12 mo m TH RO UGH ra n sr an msoor s

J u st beyon d the ra il Opposite the ch u rch is a sheer

des c en t o f fi fty o r si xty feet down to a foot pa th an d a -

rick sh a w road lea din g to native sho ps an d to the oldest

hotel i n S i mla vi z : Lowrie s H otel
,
.
’
.

Thither we go for a glan ce a t n a tive stores— bu t a

“
Briton wil l n ot u nderstan d you i f you say stores ;”
“
here yo u mu st sa y shops ” Our thirty first sta n d .
-

poin t is loca ted ou the tow n m ap .

P od i um3 1 N ati ve s h op s
. an d trad er s, a l on g Lo wer
B a zaa r , 8 1 min

W e a re now look i n g n orthwest We ha ve come .

dow n from the ch u r ch by tha t n a rrow roa d to the

ri ght an d aga i n a scen ded to our present view poin t
,
-

’
n ea r the a fore me n tion ed Low rie s Hotel W e a re
-
.

facin g tow a rds the T ow n H a ll whic h we see a t the

ri ght disti n gu ish able by its Gothi c fea tures an d then
, ,

fa r a wa y we ca n iden ti fy a portion o f Observa tory

Hill nea r where the Pa l a ce is located The street be .

low lea ds pa st the Town H al l to the Post Offi ce a t

the west end of the Mall or P l az a H ere the w ay is .

l in ed with a poor class of n a tive shops bu t these are ,

wha t we desi re to see ra ther th an the E u ropea n with

which we are qu ite famili a r .

I f you a re u n acqua i n ted wi th O rien t a l methods of

n egoti a tion these s hops wou ld prov e a school i n which
,

y o u m u st t ak e some de g rees befo r e u n dert ak i n g to do

b uyin g s u ccess fu lly The first named pri ces wo u ld
.
-

pro ba bl y diss ua de you from a ll ho pe o f mak in g a pu r

ch a se Then you a ff ect a bsol u te indi ff erence abou t
.

bu yin g a nd j eer a t the preposterou s a ttempt a t exto r

,

tion S oon the shop k eeper will commence his inv ariable
-

”
.

“
cou rse of co min g down I ncrea se you r indifi erence
.

W at .
M 6
 s mu 1 13

—
and feign con tempt he will recede again i n his price .

Lea ve the shop and he w ill probably ca ll a fter yo u a

lower fi gu re S tride on in magn ificen t and lofty con
.

tempt A few days later i f you a re anxiou s to m ak e

.
,

the p u rch a se p ass the door o f the shop accidenta lly

, , ,

as it were b u t be ca ref u l not to loo k i n

, The shep .

k eeper s greedy eye wi ll not escape you; he will h a il

’

“
you he wi ll u r ge you to come in j u st to look ; bu t ”
’
—
didn t s peakto nor recognize him w alk haughtily on
, .

Days a fte rw a rds o r week s m aybe ca sually pass the

, ,

—
shop aga in yo u w ill be s u re to bu t the Here — “

”
,

m us ter I “
How m u ch Off er sa y fo u rth o f , ,

the origi n al price and it is not u n lik ely you will hea r
”
,

a mournfu l a ll ri ght accornpanied by a sole mn a s

“
,

severa tion tha t you ha ve r u ined him ; and yet when

yo u a re gone he wi ll g lo a t over his p ro fit able tr a n s
a ction This system of ba rter is cm mon to a ll
.

Orienta l cou ntries ; it is extr emely tediou s but the ,

inten din g visito r to the Ea st m u st familia ri ze himsel f

wi th it else end u re an u nremi tti ng bunco
,
“
It is .

ve ry unli ke ou r one price system ; bu t it is a system-

in which resistan ce is an economic necessity .

s —
These a re typica l n a tive shop low chea p sheds ,

with ope n fronts that m ay be closed in with boa rds

at n i ght Da ily troops o f h a lf wi ld monk eys m ay be
.
,
-

see n scantpering and chipperin g a lon g these roofs .

J acka ls are the ni ght sca ven gers of S iml a and their w ild ,

concerted yells as they prowl abo u t amon g the forest

embowered houses a re not con tribu ti ve to sleep Dur .

ing my late visit to S imla two o f those an i ma ls fou nd

’

’
their way i nto the bathroom of Lowrie s Hotel nea r ,

where we sta nd no w The bath room is on the grou nd .

floor ne a r the woo ded hillside ; the ou ter door w a s un

 S I M LA 1 15

S im la va rious ma rk et prod u cts H a ve you an y desi re .

to know what fru its an d ve getables a re grown in the

s u b Him alayas ? It a lw ays impress es me very stra n gely
-

to see f ami l i a r flowers or pl ants o r vegetables in a

fa r a w ay coun try
-
T he h il l men in thi s nei ghbor
.
-

hood ra ise cu cu mbe rs p u mp kins pea s bea ns spin ach

, , , , ,

tom a toes r adishes ca rrots ca bbage cau liflower a rti

, , , , ,

chokes t urnips celery asp a ragu s rh u ba rb onions

, , , , , ,

gin ger beet root lettu ce etc The p ri ncipa l fru its
,
-
, , .

a re aprico ts stra wberries wild cherries qu inces a nd

, , ,

peaches while m u lberries an d ras pberries a re foun d

,

wild on the hi llsides Mu nicipa l orch a rds h a ve been

.

pl anted a nd cu ltiva ted which no w s u ppl y the sta ti on

with considerable qu antities o f good En glish fru it .

When we see E u rope an ve getables and E u ropea n

fru its a nd fi n d E u ropea n clima te a t these points of
,

elev a tio n i n the midst o f the l an gu ishi ng tropics we ,

natu ra lly wonder wh a t wo u ld Engl and do in I ndi a

wi tho u t these hill sta tion s -
.

Y ou m u st not be led to believe from th is view th a t

on ly n ative sh o ps a re to be found here Be yond this .

pa rt o f the street in either di rection you w ou ld find

l a r ge an d well stocked En gl ish and native shops There
-
.

a re six hotels in S iml a and seve ra l boa rd in g hou ses ;

so yo u may easily u ndersta nd how with the a dvent , ,

o f the Governme n t ofi cials an d their f ami lies alon g

with the infl u x of other so j ourners S iml a becomes a ,

'

gay an d fes tive an d fashion able pl ace In the s u mmer

5 6 85 0 0 .

N ow j u st imagine we a re in one o f those ph an tom

”
.

rick sha ws an d we will scu d a lon g this s ame street

an d then along a broa d drive one mile to the Vicerega l
Lod ge the ofiicial res iden ce of the Viceroy W e
, .

pause at the spot m ar ked o n the m a p with a 32 in red .

Pul mo 3L “ 6
 “C mo m TH RO UGH TH E sr mnoscor e

We are fa ci ng westw a rd S iml a is beh in d us We

. .

an d on the leveled crest of O bservato ry Hill whic h

plain s so u th to the snowy r a n ge in the north .

This m agn ifi cent pile w as completed i n 1888 ; it is

the offic i a l r esidm ce of the Viceroys o f Indi a It w as .

first occu pied by Lord Duflerin d u ri n g the l a st yea r

of his rei gn I t is bu ilt chiefly of gra y s ton e qua r
.
,

ried i n the n ei ghb rh od o o To welle s a ys

.
— “
The
g ro un ds a re be au ti fu lly la id o u t It is a ppro a ched by.

a long road windin g u p from the G ua rd House and

-

th roug h a well l a id ou t ga rden The roa dw ay is li n ed

.

w ith flo wer beds an d orn a menta l sh ru bs To the west

-
.

are terraces we ll t u rfed p rettily pl an ted with orna

,

me nta l sh ru bs an d flower beds rou nd the ma r gi n of

-
,

well k ept l a wn s In the gro u n ds a re th ree hou ses for

.

’
the accommoda tion of pa rts o f H is Excellen cy s S ta ff
—Observ atory Hou se Squ i re s H all and Curm ’

”
,

H ou se . Eve ry pa rt of the interio r is spacious an d

admira ble . T he en tran ce h a ll is thi rty by forty feet ;
the dinin g room thi rty by seve n ty ; the drawing room
-
,
-
,

thi rty by si xty ; the ballroom thi rty by se venty an d , ,

there a re n u mberless other rooms i n simil a r magnifi

cent proportion s T he en ti re p a l ace h a s bee n fu rn ished
.

an d decorated withou t rega rd to expense I t is li ghted .

—
throughou t by electricity gi vin g it a f ai ry li k e ap -

ea rance on occa sions o f sta te a n d festivit y

p .

Vi cere ga l Lo d ge is tr ul y a pa l ace eminently

of the hi gh repre senta tives o f the Briti sh Crow n
) se occ u p a n cy it ha s been erected W e h a ve .

refer red on more than on e occasion to the

 SI M LA 1 17

l ate beau ti fu l Lady C u rzon This w as her vice im

.
-

pe ri a l home fo r a te rm o f yea rs and ho w m any times ,

she ha s entered bene a th these gr and porches in st a tely

equ ipage ! How often the spaciou s Cou ncil room -

withi n ha s been o ccu pied by statesmen and n ative

princes ! an d how often too ha ve hi gh born dames -
,

decolleté es with sp a rk lin g ti a r as and sweepin g tr a ins

, ,

gr aced the embowered d a ncin g ha ll !

Y ou will n ote tha t those pa l a ce gua rds a re n atives ,

tha t the se rv ant wi th fa nta stic ca p is a n ative ; in fact

al l the n u merou s serv an ts belon gi n g to the pa l ace a re
na tives ; there is obvio us policy in thi s .

Our ext position will be a h a lf mile sou th wa rd

n

( left ),
on P ro spect Hill loo k in g tow
, a rds J u to gh a ,

milit a ry sta tion It is in line wi th our present posi

.

tion abo u t two miles distant as the m ap shows

, , .

Our st an d is n ow on the w est side of Pr ospec t

Hi l l and we a re loo ki n g west northwest tow a rds the
-

milit ary station o f J u togh whi ch is over a mile from

,

where we stan d This position ha s been chosen for

.

a two fold pu rpose vi z : to show the cha racter of

-
, .

one o f the m any En glish mi lita ry posts a t a hig h ele

—
v a tio n an d to fu rnish an exa mple o f wh at I ha ve
,

sever al times h ad occ a sion to refer to the grandly

mount ain ous ch a ra cter o f the s u b Him a l ayas We a re -
.

sta ndin g at an elev ation o f seven thou s a nd feet while ,

J u togh is a tri fle lower We ca n see the soldiers ba r

.
’

rac k s on one poi n t an d powerfu l ba tteries loca ted on

the sm a ller peak Tho se batteries o f co u rse a re in
.

te n ded chiefly for loca l defense a nd a re capable of

Pos itions 31 -33 . m d
 3 mm 11 9

creepi n g a lon g nea r the intersection o f a still older

roa d Here you h ave a goo d opport unity o f notin g
.

the g ene ra l ch a racter of the ton ga roa d between Ka l ka

a n d the ca pita l indeed the ch a ra cter o f a ro ad any
, ,

where in the Him al aya s —how contin u ou sly windi ng ,

how steep the slopes ho w deep the v alleys a nd how

, ,

hi gh the mounta in crests ; and then aga in as a t S iml a , ,

we see how r an ge s u cceeds r an ge W e a re looki n g .

we ll tow a rds the north and it is still ran ge beyond

r an ge until sp ace defea ts our vi sion This is wh at .

I h ave been ca llin g for the w a nt of more compre

,

hens iv e a d j ectives th e limitless world of the s u b

,

Him a l a ya s In this wild of mo u nta in and v a lley one

.

m u st travel several miles o f ascen t an d descent to cover

one mile of l a titu de or lon gitu de This mo un ta in .

clim bin g necessity reminds me o f a c u riou s cu stom

amon g the do nk ey drivers a nd m u leteers o f this
-

re gion ; they slit the nostri ls o f th ei r anim a ls from

two to three inches in order to fa cilita te brea thi n g ,

believin g as they seem to do tha t fu ller i n spira tion

and expi ration depend on nostri l sp a ce .

P eople a t home often wonder why tr a velers visitin g

these s u b Him al ay an stations do not penetra te to the
-

m ain ran ge This glimpse into fi fty miles o f the s u b

.

ra n ges oug ht to s uggest a re a son ; fi fty mi les in a

direct line mea ns one h u n dred an d fifty miles o f asce n t
and descen t .

W ith t his glan ce a t a mo u n ta in milita ry post w e

retu rn to S iml a and from S iml a we sta rt ou t on a
,

trip to the na tive sta te o f Bh u p twenty two miles ,

-

north o f S iml a A t Su n n i the capita l o f Bh u p we

.
, ,

reach the hea d w a ters o f the Su tlej river On this

-
.

t rip the tr a veler j ou rneys by wha t in this re gion is

W “ .
M 5
1 20 I ND IA TH RO U GH TH E STE RM SCOP E

ca lled a j hampan a sort of sed an cha ir ca rried by two

,

c oo lies The rou te pa sses a round the n o rth side o f

.

J akko thro ug h the villag e o f Ka sau li an d alon g an

,

exce llen t ca rria ge roa d as f a r as M usho bra five miles ,

from S imla ; a t M ushobra the ca rri age roa d ends an d

a rick sh a w roa d contin u es through windin g stret ches
o f deod a rs an d a lon g dizzy windi n g slopes and j agged

crests u n til we re a ch a spot of gre a t beau ty in the

midst o f a re gion whe re eve ry ou tlook is m a rked by
g r a nde u r a n d s u blimity This spot is ou r n ext.point
o f view .

Pos i tion 34 Ch a m h g N.a I d er a, th e f a v or itetr e tr ea t

of Lor d s Ly tt
o n a n d C a r t on

W e a re loo ki n g sou th so u thwest with S im la at the-

,

extreme ri ght on tha t hi gh mou nta in rid ge a bou t ten ,

miles dista nt by the roa d we ha ve followed M ushobra .

lies over beyond the line o f view to the left Beyond .

this level terr ace li k e pa stu re l and and yonder ran ge

,
-

o f mou n ta ins lies a deep v a lley dotted with n a ti ve

cots an d cu ltiv a ti on an d beh in d u s on ly two h u ndred
, ,

ya rds a wa y on e mi ght st an d on perpen dicu l a r ledg es

,

and look down into a v alley one thou s and feet below ,

where a br an ch of the Su tle j winds its cou rse through

a bi rd s eye l an dsca pe This is becomin g a pop u l a r
’
-
.

retrea t It w as here that Lord Lytton ca me to esca pe

.

the ca res of S tate It w a s also here tha t Lord a nd

.

Lady Cu r zon ca me to be a w ay from the a rtifici a l to ,

en j oy the S imple Li fe ; to be a w ay from cou rt cere

moni als and boredom in a thou san d forms an d to be ,

nea r N a tu re who never ti res her de votees .

W e m u ot bu t wonder while we ga ze over these

r —
vel vety p astu e s the fa vorite dre am l and o f Lord -

Lytton where he w a s wont to come to be rid of a ll

,

the tedi u m a nd gra nde u r o f the pa lace— whether it

em u M ap ! .
 NALDERA 1 21

w as here th at the inspiration o f his beau ti fu l poem ,

The P ala ce of Omar tes ca me to him ,

Lord Lytton .

lived in a p al ace a t S iml a but he preferred to live in

,

a ten t a t N a ldera His poem is this

.

Oma rtes k in g o f the wide pl a ins which north

,

Of T anais pa stu re s teeds for Sc yth ia n Ma rs ,

Forsook the simple w ays
And Noma d ten ts o f his u n con qu ered f athers ,

A nd in the fashion o f the nei ghbori ng M odes ,

B u i l t a gre at city gi rt wi th moa t a nd w a ll ,

A nd in the midst thereo f

A re gal pa l a ce dwarfin g piles in Su s a ,

W ith va st fou nda tion s rooted into ea rth ,

A nd crested s ummi ts soa rin g into he a ven ,

A nd gates of trip l e bra ss ,

S ie ge proof as porta ls welded by the Cyclops

-
.

One d ay O ma rtes in his pride o f hea rt

, ,

Led h is hi gh priest T elen tia s th rough his balls

-
, , ,

A nd chilled by frigid looks

,
‘
W hen cou nt in g on hi gh praise a sk ed W ha t , ,
is
w an ti n g ?
‘
Where is beheld the pa l ac e of a k in g ,

So stored with all th a t doth a ki n g beseem

The woofs of P hrygi an looms ,

The gold of Colchis an d the pea rls o f O rm u s .

‘
Cou ches of ivory sen t from fa rthest Ind ,

S idoni an crysta l an d Corinthi an b ronze

, ,

E gypt s v a st s ymbol gods

’
,

A nd those im agined u nto man by Hell as ,

‘
S tored not in tents th at tremble to a ga le ,

B u t ch ambers firm ba sed as the Pyramids .

And breaki ng into spra y

T he s urge of Time as Gades break s the O ce an ? ’

m u . M \
 S U TL EJ R IVER 1 23

Twelve miles o r m o re inte rvene between here a nd

o ur desti nation o n the Su t l e j The who l e dista nce is
.

—
intensely pict u resqu e and wild most ly a windin g de
scent o f severa l thou sa nd feet The he at increases a s
.

a tr a veler descends and he is soon p assin g p addy

fields and cl u mps of ban a n a p lants where the h igher ,

tempera tu re and tropica l flora tell u nmistakably when

the level of the lower pl a ins is reached on ce more .

A fter five hou rs and nea r ni ghtfa ll the vi llage o f

, ,

S unni is rea ched with its rest hou se ne a r the Su tlej

,
-

bu ilt by the Raj ah o f the n a ti ve S t a te o f Bhuj i It is .

withou t fu rnitu re sa ve a ch a rpoy ( a k ind o f bedste a d ) ,

which a ny tra veler is free to occu py for the ni ght .

Ou r next st andpoin t is nea r Su nni on the bank o f the ,

Su tle j .

Pos i ti on35 M. a ti n g bul l oc k s ki n boa ts f or -

cr os s

in g th e s wif tHima l ay a n r i ver , Sutl ej

W e a re on the left ba nk of the Su tle j l oo kin g u p ,

strea m The ch an nel is rock bou nd and the stream

.
-

is strong and ra pid n ar row and deep A s yo u no w

, .

stand l oo k in g a t the hea d w ater of this great river

-

o f the Him a l a y a s yo u m,u st no t be f or g et f l

u o f the
privi le ge you possess i n bei ng able to see so import ant
a river in its upper cou rse am ong the mou nta ins You .

will say it is not l a rge ; no a t this se ason not so

, ,

l a rge ; notwithsta ndin g its appa rent sma llness at thi s

poi nt it i s a grea t and importa nt river Its na me
”
.
,

“
si gn ifies The h u ndred ch anneled It is the l a r gest .

o f the five rivers of the Pu n j a b The Su tle j here .

,

li k e the B ramapoo tra the Gan ges an d the Ind u s h a s

,
-

its ori gin in Thib et at an eleva tion o f twenty thou sa nd

feet above the sea Thin k of a descent of twenty
.

thou sand feet be fo re it re aches the sea and wha t a ,

w a ster of w ater power ! How lon g h a s it been ch afin g

-

w as . M \
124 mo m T HRO U G H w e sr s naosoope

and th u nderin g to cu t its ch a nn el from Thibet by a

zi
g
-
z aggin g cou rse to the pl a ins ? This time could not
be estim a ted in yea rs but o n l y in geo logic pe riods
, .

I dou bt whether it wo u ld be ex aggeration to sta te

tha t the erosive work done by this river in its c ou rse
o f fou r or five h u ndred miles amon g the H im a l a y a s

would exceed the cu ttin g o f a thou sand Pan a m a

Ca na ls I ts fu ll len gth befor e it u ni tes with the Ind u s
.

is on e thou s an d miles In its lower cou rse it is n a vi

.

gable for boa ts of consider able ton nage ; i n its u pper

cou rse as ma y be seen here it is na vi gable for
, ,

dr ear A dre a is an infl a ted b u llock s kin u sed as a

.
-

boa t You see th an befo re us

. .

I ha ve crossed this river severa l times on these in

fl ated bu llock sk ins ; an d I a m s u re th at u nderw riters
-

wou ld c a l l the opera tion extra h a za rdou s The method .

i s briefly this The drea m a n a fter infl a ti n g the-

,

sk in as you see them doin g here pl aces it on the water ,

an d pl aces h imsel f on his stom ach a th wa rt the s ki n

with his feet in the w ater ; he holds a short p addle in
his h an ds The intendin g pa ssen ger sits erect astride
.
,

the drea m an This gives a very pre ca ri ou s equ i

-
.

libri um ; the drea is exceedin gly bu oyant the sta bility ,

is tha t of a floati ng cylinder ; feet and p addle in the

w ater on ei ther side form a very insi gn ifi can t bil ge
k eel Paddlin g with the feet and with the rea l pa ddle
.

gives the propellin g power A n o un ce o f mispl aced .

a voird u pois on either side in su res a pl u n ge into the

deep and wr ath fu l Su tle j W hen m any p assen gers o r
.

m u ch c a rgo a re to be t ak en ac ross two ski n s a re ,

bou nd together with stic k s ; this prod u ces g rea ter

stability I h a ve seen hill wom en with babes on thei r
.
-

ba cks sit a stride the d rea men in the re gu l a r fa shion

-

a n d cross this swi ft strea m from this very point .

 SU I LEJ
’ ‘

R IVER 125

Yo u h a ve observed how the s kin for this pu rpose

is tak en from the an im a l in o ne piece and how a ll open
ings i n the sk in a re closed except in o ne leg w hich
is left open fo r infl a tion Y ou n otice two men en
.

gaged i n the process o f i n fl atin g by blowin g at the ,

apertu re left open fo r th a t pu rpose When the s kin .

‘
is sufliciently tau t the blow leg is closed by a lea ther
-

thong On e m an h as completed the wor k of inflat

.

i ng two a re h a rd a t it a nd on e h a s j u st a rrived wi th
,

“
his s ki n boat already blow n up
-
These dr ea w allahs
-
.
-

c an drive the s k i ns across the river du rin g hi gh

floods when the best swimmer would be helpless in
the powerfu l cu rren t The drea seems to be a step
beyon d the primitive cora cle o f Wales or o f a simil a r
boa t u sed in E gypt and a bou t a s f a r removed as pos
,

sible from oce a n liners Its u se often involves a

-
.

du ck in g ; bu t a pl u n ge in the river is not a seriou s in

convenience to these peo ple so simply cl ad I mi ght .

men tion tha t sometimes two o f thes e bo am wi ll cross

side by side so cl o se tha t the pa ssen gers ca n tou ch
,

ha nds a nd thereby m a inta in a sa fer ba l an ce I f the .

inflated s kin idea were adv a nced a little to the de gree

-
,

o f con nectin g sever a l s kins with boa rds a strmg a nd ,

—
inexpensive ra ft cou ld be constru cted i n deed the
modern li fe ra fts of steel cylin ders on our
-

stea mers embody ex act l y the sa me idea Ho we ver .

,

the dre a on the Su tle j presents a n interestin g m

of m an s e ar ly attempts a t na vi gatio n
’
.

M annin g these qu eer bo ats we h a ve t ypes of the

hi ll men o f this region ; our next point o f view which
-
,

is on ly a few steps away wil l gi ve you a ch a nce to

,

see types of hill women of Su n ni

-
.

w a ‘ M \
 DAR ] s au n a 1 27

m
'

( by j h a p )
an to S im l a whose loca tio n is n ow
,

fa mili a r Between S imla an d the Ka l ka r a ilw ay sta

.

tion at the so u th a na rrow gauge r ai lw ay has l ately -

—
been constru cted a tri umph o f enginee ri n g which
“ ”
m ak es the su mmer ca pita l m u ch more e asy of access
th an it u sed to be A bra nch ra ilw ay covers the route
.

from Ka l ka to A mballa F rom A mballa a th ro ugh .

l ine extends more th an nine h undred mi les eastw a rd

to Ca lc u tt a A no ther ra ilw ay a lon g northw a rd line
.
, , ,

lea ds u p agai n fo r three h u ndred m iles tow a rds the

Him a l ay as Tha t rou te crosses the Gauges a nd a
.

de adly j u ngle ca lled the Te rr a i ; then by a celebra ted

two foot gauge ra ilw a y the tra ve ler aga in cl imbs the
-

Him a la yas This r ai lw ay is essenti a l ly a series of

.

l oops and cu rves and switch ba ck s unti l it re aches a -

hei ght of feet at Da rj eeling T here we sh a ll fin d .

ou r next poi n t o f vie w .

W e a re standin g on the o ld ton ga ro a d in the ap

proach to Da r j ee lin g an d facing northeast .

M ost people who ha ve gi ven some attention to

th in gs Indi an h a ve hea rd or rea d somethi ng abou t
,

Da r j eelin g When a t S iml a I sta ted th a t we wou ld

.

visit an other moun ta in sta tion ; this is the station to

which I referred I f it be possible fo r a n y inh abited
.

portion of the s u b Him a l a yas to s u rpass S iml a i n

-

gr andeu r o f mounta in scen ery th a t portion is Da r ,

j eelin g Ou r first view here is m u ch li k e ou r first

.

view o f S i ml a ( Position A ga in we ha ve a city

o n a hill a nd on a mou nta in sc a rp A t S iml a the crest .

o f a rid ge fo rmed the centr a l pa rt of the to w n ; the

sa me here— the o pen space on the s ky line is the Ma ll ,

the m u n icipa l cem r the pl aza the p romen ade the

”
.
, ,

Pos ition . Map !

128 m
r r uno uca raz sr n nosoon

public ren de zvou s ; a subsequent position ( 39 ) wil l be

European shops and ho tels follow the line of that

u pper ra n ge o f hou ses The G overn or s Pav ilion is .
’

s itua ted to t he left o f the wooded hill top Y onder -

.

ridge e xten ds i n a broken zi g zaggin g cour se for mi les -

i n either di rection The v a lleys a re deeper th a n a t

.

S imla A t the fo rmer place we referred to a wooded

.

slope of a thou s a nd feet ; from the Ma ll a t the top of

tha t ridg e dow n to the Teesta ri ve r beyond the descen t ,

is six thousa n d feetl T ha t ridge contin u es to the

left fo r abo u t two miles an d for severa l mi les to the
ri ght an d throughout the en tire distan ce every a vail
,

a ble site is occupied T here are schools ch u rches .

, ,

public offi ces cl u bs hotels an d shops W e a re l ook

, , .

i n g ( n orthea st ) ac ross a deep v alley which lies to ,

our left fa r bel o w u s a n d which is covered with tea

, ,

pl a n ta ti o n s T here a re te a pl a nt a tions sca ttered a mon g

.

the m o u n t a i n s i n every di rection Man y of the bu i ld .

i n gs which c over the hill side a re shops ; some a re k ept -

by n ative merc h an ts from the pl a ins some by E u ro ,

pe an s an d some by dea lers from C a shmere Dow n to

, .

our left beyon d th a t l a r ge s qua re bu il di n g a n a tive

o ut door m a rk et is held every Su n d a y

-
Yo u ca nnot .

fa il to n otice the prese nce o f trees here as a t S iml a .

A ltho ugh about the sa me elev atio n a s S iml a the flora ,

is m uc h more tropi c a l S ixty degrees Fahren heit is .

the a verage s u mmer tempera tu re In J an ua ry it some .

times fa lls to thi rty deg rees T he winter is the best .

sea son ; sn ow fa ll is ra re o f l ate ye a rs ; the a ir is clear

“ "
an d brac i n g a n d the views o f the snows a re m ag
,

nificent bey on d desc riptio n .

Ne a rest an d most conspic uou s in our immedi ate

—
vici n ity a re two Nepa lese gi rl s porte rs or express
”
,

m m . M l
 DAR J EE LI N G 1 29

gi rls , or wh at sh all I ca ll them ? Their occu pa tion is

th at o f ca rriers On the a rriv a l of every tr a i n s u ch
.
,

gi rls a re fo u nd a t the station in g re at n umbe rs for

the pu rpose of ca rryin g l uggag e of a ll sorts to the
homes of the p assen gers Luggage ca rriers a re n o t .

confined to the Nepa lese ; Bhotan ese and Thibeta n

women a lso en gage in this k ind o f work On the a r .

riv al o f a tr a i n there is gre a t riva lry a mon gst them

and a lively sc u rryin g to an d fro to captu re l uggage .

They ca rr y not only h and l uggage bu t trunk s boxes , , ,

ba sk ets prod u ce cra tes o f chick ens in short any porta

, , ,

ble commodity They are stron g a nd willin g and

.

u s ua lly good n a tu red a nd c a rry enormou s l oa ds u p

-
,

the steepest a cclivities withou t comp l a int for a pit ,

tan ce th a t m ak es western chiv a l ry a sha med They n ot .

only a re willin g bu rden be a rers they a re honest a nd

-
,

vi rtu o u s gi rls The two Nep alese gi rls before u s

.

served as my porters du rin g a somewh at protra cted

so j ourn in Da r j eelin g The l ass on the ri ght w a s first
.

en gaged to ca rry my photo graphic ou tfit O n so me .

occasions I requ ired two porters when the on e on the ,

left w as en gaged ; this quite n at u rally crea ted bick er

i ng j ea lou sies The first I ca ll ed Cleo patr a and n u m
.

ber two I ca lled S emir am is Their contentions be .

came so cl amorou s tha t so me thin g h a d to be do ne I .

held a little H agu e t ribu n al a ll al one and decided to

employ for the d ay the first comer This did not -
.

an swer fo r they were po undin g a t my door a t d a wn

,
.

I fin a lly decided to dispense with the services o f

Semir amis a n d reta in Cleop atra on acco u nt o f priority
o f en gagemen t besides the la tter w as s o mewha t cross
, , ,

as m a y be seen by her face a nd otherwise u nworth y ,

her an ci en t n ames ake I t is p l a in th at bo th po ssess

.

the u n ive rsa l sex love o f decora tion Their orn aments
-
.

l
Poutice ” . M au l
 mu seu ms 131

these women a re hea lthy an d ha ppy and I kn ow they

,

were merry when I ma de thi s view La bor of any .

ki n d m ak es for h appiness ; well oc cu pied min ds and

h an ds r arely sufi er from u n h appi n ess .

“
Absen ce o f occu p ation is not rest ;
A mi n d qu ite v ac an t is a m ind d istressed .

S uicides a re common amon gst the u n employed and ,

thiev es are bred of idleness ; an d it is n ot improbable

“
tha t m a n y who a re most incl in ed to pity this bru tal ”
ensla vemen t a re groan in g from some a ilmen t th a t
comes o f i n dolen ce T hese twen ty a re h appy wome n ;
.

they are h appy becau se they are hea lthy ; an d they a re

he alth y becau se they a re l aborers These wome n also
.

break ston e ; it is better to be a h a le ston e bre ak er or -

a vi gorou s a nd merry roller pu ller th a n to gro an with

-

gout o r to be a pu lin g i n va li d I f I were a s k ed to

.

state w h a t I con sidered the most stu pen dou s error

o f the ag e I wou ld sa y the pursuit of m oney as a pos
,

—
sible means of ha ppiness o ur age is clever and yet
it does no t know th a t happiness lies a lone in hea lth
“
an d Hon or bri ght .
”
B u t from wha t I h ave observed do not ra lly to the
in ference th a t I wou l d imply women sho u l d be th u s
employed I only wish to recogn ize the pl a in f act
.

tha t no honest labor is i gnoble ; tha t h appiness i s in

sepa r able from some sort of l abor ; th at he o r she who
i gn or es labor which al wa ys embra ces the a ll important
,
-

essenti al o f s ufficient exerci se wi ll soon er o r later pa y

,

a physica l pen a lty ; thereforedo not w a ste you r sym

pa thi cs o n these stren u ou s hill women you may r a ther
-
,

envy their j oyou s l a bor son gs thei r vigor thei r h appy

-
, ,

con tentmen t tha t never comes o f indolen ce nor o f e ase .

W hen these kni ghts o f l abor bu c kle on their a rm o r

Pos ition 38 . Map l
1 32 mom r a ao uo u TH E m amscor a

they do not ca st o ff their j ewels Thei r neck la ces are .

not fo r the b all or the opera ; one gown is for Su nd ay

a n d the s a me g own for M ond a y I f j ewel ry be pretty .

it is pretty every da y in the week an d cheap j ewel ry ,

is not ea sily spoiled W e sa w the j ewel ry decked girls

.
-

on the Su tle j ( P osit ion 36 ) here seven h u ndred miles

e ast wa rd a mon g di ff erent tribes it is stil l j ewe l ry
, ,

decor ation o f the h u m an form W h at do you think of .

ind u ra ted soles th at c an resist the sha rpness o f new l y

br o ke n sto ne ? Rough and grimy feet do not always
typi fy ha rd hea rts nor do ind u ra ted soles a lw ays rep
,

resent ca llou s souls .

W e see by the road side the g racefu l a nd fea thery

b amboo This we did not see a t S i ml a and we lea rn
therefore the e ff ect o f fou r de grees of l atitu
.
,

—
de the
di ff eren ce between S iml a and Da rj eelin g Incidenta lly .
,

we lea rn from this scene the excellence o f the roa ds

abou t Da rj eelin g Every slope is fl an ked by h ar d
.

roads s u ch as we see bein g m a de by these stren u ou s

fem ales .

By followin g this roa d for a qua rter of a mile we

sho u ld reach the Mall .

Pos i ti on 39 . B h o ta n es e mi l kma n wi th c ur i ous ba m

boo -j ar s a t th e p ubl i c wa te r f o un ta i n , Darj eel in g

W e a re a t on e end o f the Ma ll by the p ublic fo u n

ta in ; this is the centra l portion o f the S tation and ,

roa ds ra di ate from this center in every direction in ,

cl u din g u pw a rds a nd do wnw a rds Z ig z aggin g roads .

-
,

hei ghts and depths hills valley s gorges ra vin es

, , , , ,

slopes an d crests a scents a nd descen ts an d other geo

, ,

gr aphica l eccen tricities here wou l d bewilder the most

hi ghly developed bump o f loca lity Da rj eeli n g even .

M m 38-8 9 . M op i
 D ARJ EELI NG 1 33

s u rpa sses S i mla in l andsca pe diversity and sce nic

wonders It is an other w o nderl and o f the w o r l d
. .

Between C ashmere a nd Da rj ee l in g the who l e o f

S witzerl and cou l d be set d o wn five times len gthwi se .

The sm a ll Him a l aya n pro vince o f Nepa l cou ld co n

t ain three cou ntries l i ke S witzerl and The very sma l l .

province o f Bhotan pa ck ed a w ay amon gst the H irn a

,

la yas is five thou sa nd squa re mi les l ar ger th a n S witzer

,

l and To ca rry the comp a riso n a l ittle f u rther

.

thi rteen co u ntries equa l in a rea to S witzerl and co u l d

be pl aced a l on g the H ima l ay a n r an ge between Hera t
a t the western end o f the Hind u K u sh and the east
ern bo u nd a ry o f the H ima l aya n ran ge In the nei gh .

bo r hood of Da r j eelin g i s an observa ti on pe ak ca lled

Ti ger Hill from which m ay be witnes sed in one
p anor am a ele ven glitterin g s u mmits a l l o ver twenty
,

thou san d feet hi gh This I believe can be s aid o f

.
, ,

no other vi ew point in the wo r l d

-
.

B u t more abo u t the pe ak s herea fter Let u s con .

sider the li fe before u s Here is a H im alaya n mil k

.

m an with a Him a l aya n horse ca rryin g a n u mber o f

, ,

—
mi l k ca ns m ade from j o ints o f ba mboo n atu ral ca ns
-

with lids m a de from section s o f the sa me won der fu l

tree—o r r a ther wonder fu l gra ss for the bamboo is the ,

k in g of gra sses Su ch mil k c ans a re not a lw ays ca r

.
-

ried on the ba ck s o f hor ses ; a greater n um ber a re c a r

ried on the bac k s o f men an d women w ho come in
da i l y from ou tl yin g mou ntains an d va lleys to peddle
the mil k from h ou se to hou se The mi l k is th a t o f .

cows goats and y ak s The cows a re sm a ll a nd in

,
.

ferior a s in a l l pa rts o f Ind ia G oa ts a re abo u t the .

s ame the world over lea n me an and omnivorou s The

, , .

yak is a bovine with a sh aggy coa t a bu shy tai l a , ,

sha peless form a bad temper an d a relent l ess antipa

, ,

m m .
M \
 DAR J EELI NG 135

shou ld rea ch Lh a sa in e ast cen tra l Thibet ; or tr avel ,

in g di rectly northw a rd we shou l d pa ss th ro ug h the

,

sta te o f S i kkim borderin g on Dar j eel in g and the cen

, ,

ter o f Thibet which l ies only abou t seventy mi l es north

o f our position A line di rectly southw a rd would p ass
.

through C alcu tta an d the middle o f the B ay of B en gal .

Now let u s le ave the Mall an d pa ss arou n d Observa

“
tory Hi l l to try to c atch a glimpse o f the s nows ” .

S ee the genera l m ap .

Pos iti on 4 0 Up to th e ever l as ting s n ows of M oun t

.

K in ch inj a n ga ( 3 8 , 1 5 6 f eet) , f or ty -fi v e mil es n or th

f r om D ad eeI i n g
I f an inh abitan t of Ma rs should vi sit our globe and
as k to be shown the gra ndest co nf orm a tions an d physi
ca l phen omen a on our pl a net I wou ld certa i n ly ad
,

vise him to tra verse the H im alayas Ou r itiner a ry .

ha s brought u s to a point on a northern sc a rp o f Ob

servato ry Hi ll in Da rj ee lin g w here we ca tch a g limpse
,

in the ea rly mornin g befo re the su n h a s ill u mined the

,

sombre foli age which embosoms the m any vi lla s on the

nea r by hi l l Y ou see the hea vy bank of ni ght fog
-
.
-

ri sin g from the bed o f the Teesta ; it rises lik e a m a

j e st ic prosceni um to hide the glory o f the snows from
a l l sa ve the ea rly ri ser O ften be f ore n ine in the
mornin g this ba nk of mist ri ses to the level of the
.

snows a nd for the rem ainder of the d ay they ca n be

seen only through the d ri ftin g clou ds T hi s how .
,

ever is not the ca se a t a ll sea sons ; du rin g the winter

,

months or from O ctober to J a nua ry the we ather is

, ,

idea l and then these st u pendou s ba rriers o f ice snow ,

an d rock revea l thei r radi ant s u mmits u nscreen ed all

da y lon g M ount Everest the kin g o f the H im a l a ya s
.
, ,

and the mou nt a in mon a rch o f the world i s abou t forty ,

fiv e de grees to the left a n d one h u n dred and twen ty

W “ .
M \
1 36 mo m TH RO UG H TH E '
sr s s s oscop s

miles dist a nt ; it c an be seen i n distinct l y f rom certain

points a s a diminished pe ak o n the sky line F rom -
.

where we st and o ur vision comm a nds the snowy

r a n ge e a st a nd wes t for a dista nce o f one h u ndred
miles ; bu t ou r present view confines u s to a na rrower
an gle Kinchin j anga the Vicer oy of the H im a l ay an
.
,

ra n ge which rises
, feet tow a rds the sta rs fo rms ,

the center o f those a wfu l hei ghts a hea d Yo u may .

s ay th a t those pe aks do not look so hi gh B u t i f you .

,

do not u ndersta nd the e ffect o f dista nce a nd the a n gle

o f visi o n a nd the foreshortenin g of perspective and ,

h ave not im ag in ation to correct the deception o f di s

ta nce you will derive mo re disa ppointment th an ple as
,

u re f ro m contempl atin g this g roup o f mou nt a in

gi ants Forty five miles interven e between u s and
.
-

th at riva l o f M ou nt Everest W e a re sta ndin g a t a .

po int seven thou sand feet above the se a ; Kinchinj anga

pierces the s ky twe nty one thou s and feet above u s -
,

a nd yet you mi ght thin k she is bu t a hilloc k forty five -

miles a w ay W e a re look in g directly n orth S even

. .

mi les nea rer u s th an Kinchinj anga is K abru a little ,

to the left o f the former feet in hei ght N a r

”
, .

“
sin g that second peak to the ri ght o f the Viceroy
, ,

is on ly thi rty miles dista nt an d reaches a hei ght o f

over feet while Pa ndim the first to the ri ght
, ,

o f Kin chin j anga is ten miles n ea rer u s with a n ele

, ,

v ation of feet .

Could we re ach th at loftiest s u mmit o f u ntrodden

snow a nd c ontin u e l ooking northw a rd we shou ld be
, ,

hold a contin uation o f gre at mou nta ins a nd deep v a l '

leys ; twenty fiv e miles to the north w e shou ld see

'
-

M ou n t Chomiumo thirty miles a w ay a nd Ka mba Pass

, ,

a t a dista nce o f forty five miles with an eleva tion of

-

more th an fifteen thou s an d feet ; look in g e a stw a rd we

mm ”
. M l
 DAR] sau n a 1 37

shou ld see M ou nt Chumalari ( nea rly feet ) si xty

miles a w ay a nd hi gher th a n the hi ghest mou nta in in
,

S outh America Then M ou nt Do nk i a lying forty five

.
,
-

miles e a st o f Kinchinj anga a nd sixty five mi l es north-

ea st o f Da r j eelin g wou ld loom g ra nd ly to a height of

—
feet over fou r thou s and feet hi gher tha n
Ki lim an j ar o the hi ghest mount ain in A frica In the
, .

same cosm os o f stu pendo u s ba ttlements towers Kan

chen j han feet ) mo re th an seven thou sa nd f eet
,

higher th a n M o u nt S t El ia s a nd ne a r l y five thou

.
,

s an d feet hi gher th a n M ont B l anc .

This in some deg ree enables o ne to u nderst a nd how

the H im a l ay an gi a nts do minate a l l other altitu de a s
p irants o f the world . They a re a s u n a pproac h a ble a s
the po les ; bu t thei r gre at distan ce diminishes thei r ap
pa rent hei ght a nd v a stness .

Between u s and the nea rest o f these gre a t mou n

ta ins a re fou r great rivers the Ran geet the Pa mm a n
, , ,

the Kulhait and the Rathon g all gl aci al fed strea ms

,
-

debou chin g into the Teesta a lre a dy menti on ed a s six

,

tho u sand feet bel o w u s to the e a stw a rd W e see the .

li ghter vapors a risin g immedi ately below and beyond , ,

the wooded spu r dotted with cottages we see the ,

grea t ba nk o f fo g ri sin g f rom the v a lleys o f the two

rivers—the Rangest and the Kulhait This va lley is .

ei ght miles in width the ban k o f fog fits the v a lley

, ,

an d rises a nd sprea ds ou t to fil l the whole hea vens with

cu m u li S till fa rther a w ay we can see a da rk wooded
.

ran ge m any miles wide ; beyond tha t is the v a lley o f

sever a l rivers h avin g thei r sou rce from fi fteen to
twen ty miles aw ay among the six gre at gla ciers
wed ged a mon g these prodi giou s mou n t a in m a sses .

Severa l att empts h ave been m ade to sca le Ki nchi n

j an ga the l a st in 1 898 by an A merican p a rty led by
,

Mn 1
 CALC U TTA 1 39

Ou r next observa tion s will be m ade in Ca lcu tta .

The general ma p wi ll refresh the mem o ry i f neces

sa ry in re ga rd to its loc ati o n at the mou th o f the
'

H ugli nea r the hea d o f the B ay o f Ben ga l Map 7 : .

gives u s the city by itself a nd shou ld now come into

u se to give ou r kn owledge o f the tow n strict defin ite
ness an d acc u racy Ou r forty first standpoi n t is set
.
-

down in the sou thern p a rt o f the m apped district .

The direction an d divergen ce of the red lines show

th a t we a re to fa ce north and look a lon g a broa d
tho rough fa re with a l a rge open spa ce a t the west
( left ) .

Pos i ti on 4 1 Cl ean an d a iry C h o wr i n g h ee R oa d

.

( E sp l a n a d e a t l ef t , ) l oold n g n or th o ver Ca l cutta

W e ha ve taken our position on the roof of the new
’
You n g M en s Christi a n A ssoci a tion B u ildin g where
we look north a lon g Chow rin ghee street an d over a
portion o f the spacio u s pu bli c espl a n ade ca lled the
Ma id a n in the splendid city o f Ca lc u tta
, .

Ca lcu tta here is one o f the l a r gest and most magnifi

cent cities o f A si a the ca pita l o f Hind u sta n a nd the
, ,

sea t o f the s u preme Government of the British in

Indi a It is sprea d over ei ght squa re mi l es a lon g this
.

ea st bank o f the H ugli which is the g rea t weste rn

br an ch of the Gan ges The city a t our feet is nea rly
.

a h u ndred miles from the sea by the wind in g cou rse

o f the river which between C a lcu tt a and the se a p as ses
, ,

th ro ugh a drea ry w aste o f low and level co u n try cov

ered with gi a nt gr ass a nd bru shwood the hau nt o f ,

ti gers and other bea sts of prey This grea t metropolis

.

h a s now a pop u l ation o f ne a rly nine h u ndred thou s an d .

It e xten ds three miles northw a rd from where we st a nd

and a mile an d a h a l f sou th wa rd ( behi n d u s ) a mile ,

ea stw ard or to our ri ght a nd by a wa lk of on e mile

, ,

m 41 .
M 1
1 40 mo m TH RO UG H TH E sr mnoseors

across the m agnificent espl an ade to ou r l eft we shou ld ,

rea ch the H ugli which is l ined with ghats or docks

,

throughou t a good pa rt o f its cou rse through the

city To our left across the espla n a de nea r the river
.

is the Cita de l of Fort W i l li am the most extensive ,

fort ress in In d ia be gun by Lord Clive a fter the ba ttle

, ,

o f Pla ssey in 1 7 5 6 The work s o f this fortress a re

.

so e xten sive tha t from nine to ten thou s a nd me n wo u ld

be n ecess a ry to defend them Immedi ately a rou nd this

.

grea t pu blic p a rk below u s l ies the fa shionable pa rt of

Ca lc u tt a The Government Hou se the mo st m ag
.
,

n ificent pile in the city is j u st outside our view a t

,

the extreme northwest The gro u nds o f the Gov.

ern men t H ouse embra ce six acres be au ti fu lly k ept

,

a nd a pproa ched by three gra nd ga tew ays The Town .

H a ll the Le gisla tive Co u ncil B uildin g and the H i gh

,

Co u rt B u i ldin g s a re a ll i n the nei ghborhood o f the

Govern men t Hou se F or a h a l f mile n orth o f the
.
-

espla na de the city is modern and l a rge l y E u rope a n .

A short wa lk directly north o f the Go vern men t Hou se

is Da lhou sie Squa re on on e side of which i s the Post
,

C flice ; its white dome we can distin guish now in the

northwest W e sh a ll see it again from P osition 45
. .

Beyond t ha t is the na tive po rtion o f the city which ,

con tin u es northw a rd fo r over two miles In the .

n a tive quarter the streets a re na rrow and dingy the ,

ho uses me a n look i ng ; the lower pa rts of the houses

-

a re ba z aa rs the u pper pa rts a re dwelli n g pl a ces

, .

T h a t secti on o f the city is filled with a low and hete ro

n eo us l a
o n tio n often h a lf n ak ed — some more
g e ,

—
fi n h a lf e n d those who pra cti c e the h abit of wea r
lig clothes a re ofte n bedi z en ed i n ta wdry an d f an
mfi g : I n the E u r ope an section here a rou nd
th a n th e W e a e a r e b ro ar
d the hou ses ,
 CA LC U TTA 1 41

are deta ched an d s u rrou n ded by spaciou s grou nds .

Su bu rbs in m any di rection s a re fa r rea chin g and dotted -

with fin e vil las set in tropica l foli age You see in the .

towers chimneys and clou ds of smok e in the distance

,

the si gns of industry ; yo u m ay in fer from the elec

tric tr a mw ay on this broa d thorou gh fa re th a t elec
tr icity is to the fore i n this ori enta l metropolis .

A l on g Chow rin ghee Road a re loca ted the best hotels ,

the mint thea tres the Imperi a l Mu se u m the best

.
, , ,

E u rope an shops and m an y other importa nt bu ildin gs .

Yet even on this modernized thoroughfa re you see a

fea tu re o f the old order o f thin gs in the slow tru d gi ng -

bu llock ca rt ; i n the n a tive qua rters you wou ld find the

-

old order in prev a lence .

Wa lks and drives i n tersect the Ma idan ( a t our

le ft) in every di rection an d when the fierce Indi an , ,

s u n ha s set and the soft H ug li breezes f an the es

p la n ade it presents
,
a scene of g re a t a nim a ti o n a nd
beau ty ; tu rnou ts a re da rtin g in every di rection pedes
”
,
“
trian s stroll lovers sau nter ; bik ers
, spin and ,

ch au ff eu rs tru mpet al l less speedy locomotion to m ak e

wa y Pastora l e ff ects co me fro m feedin g floc k s as
.
,

you m ay see even from this p a rti a l gl impse wh ile ,

stat u es of the g re at th at a re gone a nd some of the

, ,

livin g in g re a t n umbers look fro m their pedesta ls on

,

this d aily pa nora m a o f the fleetin g gay ety o f li fe .

There a re memori als to Lords B entick La wrence , ,

H a rdin ge Mayo A u ck l a nd S i r Dav id Ochterlony S ir

, , , ,

J a m es Ou tra m S ir W Peel Lo rds Du ff erin and

,
.
,

Roberts while addition s a re const ant l y bein g ma de no t

,

on ly in sta tu es bu t in every di recti o n which can add

,

beau ty to the splendid breathi n g pl ace o f the city

- .

A s this positi on a ff ords ou r on l y gen er a l view o f

Ca l cutt a let u s stu dy for a momen t di rection a nd t<

,

Pos ition “ . Map

 CALCUTTA '

1 43

from it i n ma n y di rections and a re sh aded by wide

spre a di ng bo trees ( ficw religiosa )
-
B u t the most .

i nteresti n g fea ture o f this view is the assemblag e of

w a ter c a rriers ca lled bhees tis
-
, There are
m an y h un dreds o f thou sands of bheestis in I ndi a in ,
~

deed I do not thi n k I shou ld be fa r a wa y from the

tru th in sa yin g th a t there a re millions employed as
water ca rriers in th is pa rched an d thi rsty land The
-
.

bheesti is the u niversa l w a ter c a rrier ; ev en in la rge

-

cities where there are pu blic w ater works and

'
-

hydran ts a t every corner a nd w ater is fu rn i sh ed to

every hou se the bheesti is sti l l requ i red to ca rry w a ter
,

fo r m a ny p u rposes A very sm a ll proporti on o f the

.

i n habitants o f I n di a a re s u pplied with w ater from

pu blic w ater works Wells a re scarce and wa ter m u st
-
.

often be c arried grea t distan ces I n a torri d clime .

li k e th a t o f In di a v ast quantities o f wa ter are u sed ,

—
and not only fo r domestic pu rposes m u ch ag ric u ltu r al
i rri ga ti on is done by the bheesti ; he is an import an t
f ac tor of li fe in I n di a an d not on ly i n I n dia bu t in
, ,

most orienta l cou n tries I n Pa lestine an d in E gypt

.

in an cien t times as a t the present time the bheesti

, ,

u nder di ff eren t n ames h as been the water pu rveyor -

.

His s ki n bottle ha s been the w ater vessel of the ages

- -
.

Su ch bottles were in u se in G reece a nd Rome ; Homer

men tions them in both the Odyss ey an d the I liad ; they
a re mentioned by Virgi l in his Georg ics also by ,

Herodotu s ; they a re u sed in S p ain in the presen t da y

and a re c alled borrochas The efi ect o f hea t on these
.

s ki ns is re ferred to i n P sa lms xi x : 81 — “
I am become
lik e a bottle in the smok e ( bi g hea ded ) yet do I not
-

for get th y sta tu tes ” The exp ansion o f these s ki ns

.

( bottles ) b y ferment a tion is referred to in Luk e v : 37

“ ”
— N o m a n pu tteth ne w wi n e i n old bottles ( s kin s ) ,

Petition 4 2 . Map 7
1 44 I ND IA TH RO U G H TH E ST ER EO SCO PE

etc . H ow these s k i n bottles a re prep a red is qu ite

-

obviou s except in the m atter o f t an ning which re

, ,

qu ires speci al trea tmen t to se cu re en tire imperviou s

n ess to w ater I n some ca ses however they rem a in
.
, ,

u nta nned I n some pa rts of I ndi a street sprin kl in g

.
-

is done by w agon s fo r th a t p u rpose as in Eu ropea n

cou ntries bu t by fa r the gr e a ter p a rt is don e by the
,

bheesti with his s k in bottles -

.

He belongs to a certa in ca ste a nd is therefore i n a ,

class by himse l f ; he wou ld abou t a s soo n lose his

hea d as dishonor his caste These fellows belon g to
”
.

“
an occu pa tio n al ca ste ; th at is o ne bas ed on simi la r ,

occ u pa tion A l though they a re grimy and h a lf n u de

.
-

they wou ld consider themselves defiled and dishonored

were they to p a rt ak e o f food or drin k from a vessel
w hi c h you or on e of a nother c a ste h ad to u ched Here .

then we h a ve exemp l ified the s ayin g — “

W h a t is one
’ "
m an s food is another m an s poison ’
Their food is .

often filthy a nd o ffensive ; th at does n ot m atter ; with

them food does no t defile no m atter how u ns anita ry
u n less it h a s been touched by a ha nd o f a nother ca ste .

Notwithst andin g the bheesti s pu ncti liou sness in the ’

m atter of ca ste you c an secu re his se rvice o f dru d gery

,

a t ten cents a d ay .

To find another pl ace from which we c a n stu dy

Indian li fe we t u rn sha rp to ou r left an d w a l k north
w a rd one mile to the point m a rk ed 43 o n ou r map .

T here a t the end o f the great fl o atin g Howrah B rid ge

. ,

we may witness a scene co mmon a t m a n y poi n ts alon g

the ban k s o f the river within the city .

“ a . ” I
 CALC UTT A 1 45

Pos i ti on
43 B .a th in g a t a h
g a t on th e Hugli by
Ho wr ah B r i d ge, Ca l cutta
We a re loo k in g u p the H ugli River an d westw a rd
from the Howr ah Brid ge This position is tak en to
.

give you an idea o f the H ind u ba thing habit ; m u ch

ba thin g does not neces s a ril y si gni fy g rea t clea nl iness
a ny more than m u ch prayin g denotes m u ch s an ctity .

This ba thin g is ceremoni a l r ather th an sa nita ry ; it is

in obedience to the Kor a n ra ther th an from a knowl
ed ge o f hy giology tha t m a ny Mu ss u lmen ba the ( of
cou rse I a m re ferrin g only to the lo wer cla sses ) an d ,

with the Hind u s ba thin g is the only mea ns o f e f

fectually c o u nteractin g o r removin g spiritua l po l l u ti on .

To a vo id a nd remove poll u tion it is necessa ry tha t

there shou l d be complete i mmersion ; so the re gu l a
tion method is to close the nostrils with the th u mb and
forefin ger and pl u n ge over ; o ne h a ir left above w ater
mi ght brin g spi ritua l dis aster The ba th is necess a ry
.

before ea tin g before enterin g a temp l e an d in m an y

, ,

other ca ses The poll u tin g tou ch o f the most f riendl y

.

E u ropean requ i res a bath abso l u ti on

-
Even the
.

B u ddhist makes a ba th a s acred act be fore w o rship .

Th rougho u t the enti re Ea st the bath seems to be co n

sidered a sort o f aqu eo u s f umi gation Man y o f th o se
.

who are so c a refu l abou t a ttendin g to the orthodox

bath a re a lto gether i gnora nt and indifi erent abo u t the
simp l est l aws of health an d cleanliness The H ugli in
.

which you see a ll these peop l e ba thi n g is an arm o f

the G an ges b u t the w a ter o f the Ga n ges h as lost some
,

of its vi rt u e before rea ching Ca lcu tta indeed the , ,

H ugli h as w andered so fa r a w ay f ro m the Ga n ges as

to be well ni gh a n u tter sc ape gr ace ; it answers ho w
-
,

ever for ceremoni a l bat hin g There a re m an y bath

,
.

ing pla ces a lon g the H ugli i n this vicinity There a re.

W Q c M
'
l
 CALC U TTA 1 47

Indi a is a l an d of s n ak es an d a trip ov er the gre a t

,

coun try wi tho u t seein g a specimen wou ld be inex

e n sa ble ; therefore i f we ca nnot see the dea dly wild
order we wi ll ha lt a little with a professiona l s nake
exhibitor .

There is probably nothin g in Indi a w hich mo re

clea rly shows the beni ghted i gn ora nce o f the ma sses
th an thei r fol k lore an d thei r s u perstitions concernin g
-

s n akes W ha tever inspi res fe a r breeds s u perstition

.
,

an d mystery be gets c red u li ty I gnoran ce is the s o il

.

i n which a belief in the mira cu lou s grows ; therefore ,

when the people a re mostly i gnor ant we may expect

belief i n m an tra cha rms exorcisms incanta tions in
, , , ,

every form of preposterou s su pern a tu ra lism In Indi a .

there is cert ainly a j u stifi ab l e source o f fea r in the

repti li an fauna whe n the a verage a nn ua l dea th ra te
,
-

from s nak e bites a lone exceeds twenty thou sa nd peo

-

ple a nd when it is remembered tha t ma ny ca ses are

, ,

not recorded in order to esca pe in qu est it is n ot un ,

li kely th at this is fa r below the tru e aggr e gate The .

cred u lity of people with re ga rd to s n akes is not con

fined to the people of I ndia ; in every co un try there
a re pop ula r su perstitions and pop u l a r i gnorance abou t
the s n ak e fa mily I think abou t h a l f the world sti ll
.

be lieve th a t with thei r h a rmless little ton gu es they

ca n stin g when they c a n on l y threa ten Ne a rly every
, .

an im a l by its instinct o f sel f defense w a rn s a n intru der

-

-
c an sa y in the va riou s l an guages o f the a nima l world
— Bew a re The sn ak e d a rts ou t its fork ed l in gu al
.

orga n ; wom an its primev a l con qu eror flouri shes a

, ,

W “ “ 7 .
1 48 mum T HRO U G H TH E sr axeoscor s

broomstick ; the dog growls ; the bu ll pa ws the ea rth

an d bell ows ; while the poor m uch m ali gn ed cra wler ,
-

off ers only a silen t protest Next to a mou se a wom a n

.

fea rs a s n ak e an d she ought to ; ever since she plea d

, ,
“
The se rpen t begu iled me she h as been sla n derin g,

the poor be a st I n Indi a m any more women tha n men

.

—
a re bitten by s n ak es here is the etern a l and inevita ble
—
l a w of retribu tion en mity is sti l l between the serpe n t
and the wom an .

The s nak e is sacred to nea rly every tribe i n I ndia

s a ve probably in Bha tan where it is s aid a cert a i n
, , ,

c l a ss o n fi ndi n g the bu rrow of a python smok e him

, ,

ou t an d then a t once set to work to devou r him I s .

it the n a ny won der tha t n a tives q uic kly assemble to wi t

ness an y exhibition of a creat u re so closely rela ted to
thei r reli giou s beliefs an d so instru menta l in the dea th
,

r ate o f the popu la tion ? W e ha ve be fore u s itin e ran t

exhibitors o f sn ak es ; there a re thou s ands i n this cou n
try whose sole occu pati on h as to do with s nak es .

W herever you see these fel l ows h a lt to exhibit thei r

wi gglin g stoc k in tr ade you wi ll fin d a Eu ropea n ;
,

from the westemer they expect ba ck sheesh ; from a

fellow cou ntrym an they ma y expect a worshipfu l
-

recognition of their ophidi an prote ges but no fees

'

, .

Governmen t rew a rds a re off ered for the destru ctio n

of venomou s serpents bu t in m any ca ses the corrective
,

is worse tha n the pest becau se it sets man y n a tives to

breedin g sn ak es for the rewa rd .

The l a rgest sn ake we see here is a sm a ll pytho n ,

non venomou s and easily ta med The sm allest is the

-
.

“
dea dl y R u ssell s vi per You c a n e a sily distin gu ish
’

the widely kn own cobra ( cobra da ca pello ) the - -

,

venomous species which is responsi ble fo r the dea th

o f twenty thou s a nd people a nn ua lly He is easily .

M o m“ M. 7
 CALCU TTA 1 49

kn ow n by his erect stri ki n g a ttitu de a nd by the flat

ten ed con dition o f his nec k which a lways a ss u mes ,

this fo rm when he is enraged and ready to m ak e a n

att ac k There is a d a rk fi gu re on the back o f the
”
.

“
fla ttened nec k which is ca lled the spectac l es bec au se
o f its sembl an ce t o a p ai r o f specta cles bu t in this ,

view it is on ly p a rti a lly seen When the co bra is not.

i rritated his n eck t ak es on the u sua l sha pe and he

rem a ins prostrate Cobr as str ik e by thru stin g forw a rd
.

with the erect pa rt o f the body bu t they do not as , ,

m any believe sprin g from the g rou nd to m ake a n at

”
,

—
ta ck at lea st I h a ve never seen them j u mp as m any
believ e they do an d I h a ve k illed several very la r ge
,

cobra s in their n ative j u n gles In every case they .

beha ved li k e other s n ak es except in thei r pugilistic

,

attitu de o f defense Venom ou s show sn ak es u s ua lly

.
-

h a ve their fa n gs removed a nd these fe llows a re sn ak e

,

exh ibitors rather th a n sn ak e c ha rmers The l atter u se

-
.

a m u sic a l instru ment ma de from a gou rd a tta ched to

,

a bamboo reed The sn ak e ch a rmer is a h umbug out

.
-

and ou t The sn ake h a s no proper l y developed sen se

-
.

o f hea rin g to en able him t o know m u sica l ton es ; i f he

h a d he never cou ld be ch a rmed by the vile strident

, ,

’
noise t hat comes from the so ca lled ch a rmers reed -
.

The abs u rdity of wha t pretends to be sn ak e ch a rm i ng -

shou ld be obviou s to an y observer The ch a rmer while .

,

he sits within easy rea ch o f hi s sn ak e gi ves him a ,

qu ick ta p with his h an d to i rrita te and p u t him into

his erect mode o f de f ense ; then he pla ys on his reed
and con stant l y sw ays his body back a nd forth to hold
the attention o f h is sn akeship A t the first opportu nity .

the cobra will l ow er his body a nd break a w ay from his

entert ainer when the la tter sn atches him by the t ai l
,

an d by a tan tal izi n g j erk brin gs him back into po si

Pu mou 44 . Map 7
 CA LC U TTA 1 51

ru pees . He hesitated ; I insisted W e wen t to .

a nother pl a ce where he performed another pirou ette

o f sn ak e ch a rmin g m u sic a nd motion ; there w a s n o

-

response He m ade two excu ses one tha t no more

.
, ,

s n ak es wou ld appea r on the same da y a fter on e ha d

been ki lled ; the o ther tha t c obra s ar e a fr aid of
,

forei gn ers The demonstr a tion w as complete bu t it

.
,

w as u nnecess a ry or shou ld be u nnecessa ry to even a

,

ca s ual observer Yet consider able m on ey is spen t in

.

Indi a in hi rin g the se pretendi n g s nak e cha rmers to rid -

compou nds o f the da n ge rou s crea tu res a nd it is said ,

a considerable trade is done in first pop ula tin g the

su rroun din gs o f bu n ga lows wi th snak es and then re
ceivin g a rem u ner a tion for sec u rin g their ridd a n ce .

One rea son fo r the morta lity from s nak e bi tes is -

—
m a ni fest in th is scen e notice the ba re f eet and ba re
le gs ; here the men a re in a city thoroughfa re a n d
we a rin g their gayest to gs In thei r h umble cots a t .

home often su rro un ded by j un gle they a lw a ys cl a im

, ,

the pri vile ge o f primitive in n ocence a n d go about i n

A d amic dishabille ; thei r home privi le ge of n u dity is
the cobra s opportu n ity bu t the cobra does not see k
’
,

opportu ni ty— he is a ni ght prowler ; he acts li k e most ,

sn ak es only on the defensive an d st ri k es with his

, ,

dea dly f an gs only when molested o r trodden u pon .

You see a few mums an d pica ( Indi an coins ) sc a t

tered u pon the o u tsprea d cloth T he m an who holds
”
.

“
the R u ssell s viper holds i n his right han d a sm all
’

snake ston e which they c l a im to be lieve applied to a

-
, ,

sn ake bi te neutr a l izes the poi son

-
, .

I be l ieve the sn ak e is the most u niversa lly drea ded

an d loa thed crea tu re in the an im a l kin gdom Why .

does a morbid im agin ation as in the ca se o f deli ri u m

,

tremen s t u rn to sn ak es ? S imply becau se they a re

.

Pos ition 44 .
M 7
152 mo m TH RO UGH TH E sr aasoscor s

the most loa thsome to the norma l min d I do not .

hesit ate to s ay th at m u ch o f o u r repugn a nce is

pre j u dice increa sed through a l l ages by mis represen ta
ti o n a nd i gnor ant credu lity Every ca l u mny co nceiv
able h a s been cha rged aga inst the s n ak e—th a t he sti n g s
, .

wi th his ton gu e ( a thing a s nak e never does butpeo ,

ple o ften ) ; tha t he ch a rms his prey ; th a t on e species

forms hims el f into a hoop a nd pu rsu es his victim I t .

is s aid th at the Ma la ba r basilisk kills by a look I n .

Ben ga l the whi p sn ak e is believed to flic k people on

-

the bac k with its ta il prod u cin g a fa ta l wou nd One

, .

species in the Pun j ab is sa id to drin k the bre ath o f

peo ple when a sleep An other v a riety is s a id to ti e
.

u p the legs o f the bu ff a lo with its coi l s a nd then s u c k ,

its mi l k In some qua rters they believe when the lamp

.

flickers a co bra h as entered the hou se

, .

The v a rio u s remedies for sn ak e bites i n In di a a re -

worth l ess Many k in ds o f sn ak e stones a re in u se ;

.
-

some they pretend a re t ak en from the hea d of the

s nak e some from the cha rred bones Crook e sa ys “ .
,

on e is recorded a s bei n g fou n d i n the detritu s of the

Su tle j V a lley ; a nother on exa min a tion proved to be

a ca lcu l u s t ak en from some anim a l s stom ac h T here ’
.

a re n u mer ou s other cu res all equa lly abs u rd ; s nak e ,

bite cu res a re as prev a lent a s rheu m a ti sm cu res and

abou t a s e ffic a ciou s The re a re fou r h un dred an d
.

fi fty species o f sn ak es in Indi a which is n ea rly on e ,

third of the tot a l n umber i n the whole world .

When we were look in g u p Chowringhee street from

the Y M C A bu il din g we h a d a distant g limpse of
. . . .
-

the Post Office and I spok e of Da lhou sie Squa re Now .

we will t ak e o u r sta n d on a buil di ng di re ctly overlook

‘
See Croolne o
'
M I nd m
Position 4 4 . Map 7
 CA LC U TTA 53

in g th a t s qua re You wi ll find the spot on ou r city

.

m ap ma rk ed with the n u mber 4 5 and the red lines ,

sh o w th at we sh a ll fa ce northwest Chowr in ghee .

st reet a nd the Ma ida n w ill be o ff beh ind us .

q
Pos i ti on 43 . L oo kin g n or th wes t acr os s tr ee v
s ba d ed

Dal h ous i e S ua r e a n d i ts ch ar min g l i ttl e l a ke to

th e Pos t Oflice, Cal c utta

W e a re stan di n g on a ba l cony of the Tele graph

O flice bu ildin g a t the sou thea st corner o f Da lho u sie
,

Squa re We a re loo ki n g across a portion o f the

.

squa re to the Post Oflice th a t gre at whi te bu ildin g ,

with the h uge dome fl a n k ed by col on na des which we ,

ca n see reflected in the w ater o f the ta nk The H ugl i .

is only a few h u ndred yards to ou r left ; a s we a re

loo kin g northwest we ca n see the ri ver a nd the How
r ah brid ge in the dista nce Not so fa r aw ay a nd .
,

to the l eft we ca n recognize the m a sts o f sh ips l yin g

,

a t their doc k s The bathin g gha t which we visited

.

( P osition is a t the end o f tha t bri dge on the

Ca lcu tta side o f the river .

On e h u n dred and fifty year s ago a B ritish fo rt stood

w here the P ost Offi ce now sta nds On l y a short dis .

t ance beyon d the P ost Office there is a bu ildin g with

a tablet of m arble bu i lt in to the w a ll which ma rks
“
the pla ce known to history a s the B l a ck Hole o f Ca l
cut ta. The N abob of Ben ga l h a d ca ptu red and
pl u ndered this ea rly fort a fter a spi rited defense The .

Govern o r fled and m any of the En glish were tak en

,

prisoners a nd ca st i nto a deep da r k d un geon over

ni ght In the mornin g out o f on e h u n dred and twen
.
,

ty six on l y twenty three were fou nd a li ve

-
, This fort
-
.

wa s the first Fort W illi am Forts in those da ys con

”
.

“
ta ined a p u n ishme n t cell ca lled the Bla ck Hole ; the

Pos itl m 48 . M1 9 7
 CALC UTT A 1 55

m in ded u nbi a sed tra veler lookin g ov er this grea t city

, ,

and witn essin g its m a rvelou s development which typi ,

fies m o dern ized c onditions i n every part of the grea t

empi re ca nn o t but a dmi re and feel grate fu l for w ha t
,

B rita in ha s don e fo r the u pli ftin g of the world . .

O u r next position you w i l l fin d ma rk ed on the ma p

with the n u mber 46 .

Pos i ti on 4 6 . H ow Hin d u co ws en oyj l if e in Ca l cutta

west

Did you ever before see so m an y anim a ls a pp a rently

i n a sta te o f s u preme bliss ? Di d you ever before see
a herd o f fat kine i n the possession o f a monopoly o f
.

a l l good thin gs ? They a re at thi s moment in comm an d

o f the sidew a l k an d the sidew a l k is a thorough fare in

a grea t city ; they a re fat and by their blin k in g com

,

p os ure we kn ow they a re u n molested a n d i n the

exerci se o f their bovine preroga tives Ta lk abou t .

glori ous in depe n dence an d liberty ! The most ra diant ,

liberty en j oyin g America n is a cra ven l a w oppressed

-
,
-

sl a ve when comp a red with the se cows They not only .

com man d the sidew a lk bu t they comm and the street ;

,

they oc c u py temples and sheps ; they wa lk into pri va te

homes ; they stampede the sweetmea t stalls and pa r
t ak e u n restr ained and u n ch asti sed o f a ll the
”
, ,

“
sweeties Thei r license is u n restricted ; thei r au
.

thority is u n qu estioned ; they h a ve the freedom of the

city ; they a re Cows Plen ipoten ti a ry Su persti tion ma y .

be a ba d thin g fo r people bu t it is a good thin g for

'

cows H in du cows don t need to work ou t thei r own

.
’

sa lva tio n — it is work ed ou t for them They hold .

hea vy po l icies of li fe insurance ; they not only en j oy

hospita lity bu t they comm an d the p ri vi le ge of a ccess
,

Petition 4 6 .
m 7
1 56 mom TH RO U G H TH E sr ensoscor e

to hospita ls Their ri ght to the la w of habeas corpus

.

is nev er qu estioned Thei r gi vin g o f mi l k is option al

. .

These cows a re sacred a nd a nyo ne ca n tell by thei r

,

c l osed eyes tha t they a re devoti o n al W ith a ll thei r .

l uxu riou s an d pa mpered conditions o f li fe we m a y

infer from thei r glossy co a ts th a t they never h a d a
twin ge of g ou t nor a moment of dyspepti c depression .

Wh at more cou ld morta l be a st wi sh W h a t a bl essed

?

thin g to be a holy cow l F easted privile ged honored , , ,

worshipped the ten a nt o f sou ls dep a rted apotheosized !

, ,

W hen the day o f tr a nsmi gration comes I wou ld l ik e

to en gage to be a B os I ndicus -
.

A t j u st wh at time the co w began to be look ed u pon

a s sa cred to the Hind u does n ot seem to be known It .

is well k nown tha t bac k in A ry an times there w as no

-

restricti on on the k il l in g of ca ttle Cro ok e in Things .

“
I ndia n s ays In st ates u nder a p u rely H ind u gov
ern men t li k e th a t o f Nepa l co w ki llin g is strictly pro
, ,
-

hibited ; a nd in recent yea rs the Hind u revival h a s led

to a seriou s agita tion in favor o f proh ibition of ca ttle
sl aughter To this appea l the answer o f the Indi an
.

Governmen t h as alw ays been th a t not only the B ritish

,

troops a nd residents bu t a lso a l a r ge n u mber of Mu s

,

sulmen an d the men i a l pop u l ation cons ume beef ; pro

hibition of slaughter i s out of the qu estion I n spite .

o f these me a s u res seriou s emeut es h a ve occu rred whi ch

c au se m u ch emb a rra s smen t to the Gov ernment .

Where the people c an act themselves as in their ca ste ,

tribu n a ls the pen a lties for ki llin g a cow eve n by ac

,

ciden t a re very se vere F r a Paolin a w ritin g at the

.
,

close of the ei ghteenth centu ry of S ou th In di a sa ys ,

th at i f a B ra hmin k illed a cow or m an a ll his ca ste ,

fellows u nite against him cu t off his sc a lp loc k de

,
-
,

pri ve him of hi s s acred th rea d an d expel him from ,

Pu m a . M op )
 CALC U TT A 157

thei r ca ste He is then pu t u po n an ass with his fa ce

.

tow ar ds the ta il and in tha t manner conveyed be

,

yond the bo u nda ries of the pl ace In u pper Indi a .

,

ma ny a poor crea tu re convicted o f co w slaughter has -

been forced to m a rch u p o ne b an k of the G an ges from

the sea to its sou rce a nd ba ck aga in by the oppos ite
”
,

bank
A ga in in other tribes mil k is considered a fil thy ex
,

c rement . A ll Indi an ca ttle except the w ater bu ff al o

,
-
,

a re cl assed u nder wh a t zoolo gists call the zebu They .

are di ff erenti a ted fr o m ord in a ry c a tt l e in possessin g a

h u mp over the shou lder which is considered a tit bit -

fo r sou p m ak ing ; they h a ve a di ff erent n u mber o f

-

‘
s acred vertebrae ; thei r v o ice is also diflerent in ha v
in g a hoa rse gu ttu r a l gru nt s imil a r to the g ru nt o f ,

the y ak o f the Him a la y as which beca use o f its v o ice

”
,

has been ca lled the g ru ntin g o x ( B ar g m n niens )

“
.

Abou t the y ak it is re l ated tha t d u rin g the Thibet

w a r of 1 854 5 5 when the Nepa lese tr0 0 ps suflered
-
,

for w ant of foo d thei r lea der preva iled u pon a pli ant
,

hi gh pri est to decl a re th a t y aks a re deer an d not oxen ,

a nd consequ ently their me at cou ld be l a w full y eaten

by the Hindu s O nly the yak has the ri ght to the
.

motto cl ai med by the i nh abi tant of the Empire S tate

( Excelsior ) for amon g all an im a ls it a lone is fo und
at a n el ev a tion o f twen ty thou s and feet .

For our next g li mpse of Ca lcu tta li fe we a re to mov e

over to a poin t ea st o f Chowringhee Roa d where y o u ,

see the n u mber 47 .

W 46 .
M 1
 W A 1 59

tory over Rokt a V ij a the comm an der in chief o f the

,
- -

en emies forces an d w as so ela ted by her fe ats o f

’
,

prowess th at she began to da nce so vehemen tly th a t

she shook the world and the gods were a fraid tha t
,

it wou ld fa ll to pieces I n their distress they cri ed

.

to her h u sban d S hiv a for help A s he sa w no other .

me ans o f pa ci fyi ng her he fell dow n prostra te , ,

amongst the sl a in Directin g her gaz e to the grou n d

.
,

she observed th at she w as d an ci ng u pon the body of

her h u sban d and became a t onc e ca lm with s hame
, ,

an d thrust ou t her l a rge ton gu e In the im age which .

represents her at the K ali Puj a or Ka li Fai r she is , ,

bla ck as her na me imp lies and her h u sban d is lying ,

down u n der her feet Her ton gu e protru des from her
.

mou th ; her forea rms a re extended on e h and graspin g ,

a swor d an other the hea d o f a gia nt an d the other

, ,

two si gn a lli n g to her hosts A s ea r rin gs she has two .

-

dea d bodies o f her foes ; her nec k is ador n ed with a

nec k l ace of s ku lls a nd her only ga rment a zone is
, , ,

m a de with h a n ds o f her v an qu ished foes wh ilst her ,

ha i r fa lls down in long tresses to her w a ist I ntoxi .

cat ed with the blood o f her foes her eyes fla sh with ,

rag e her eyebrows a re dyed with c rimson an d her

, ,

blood flows down her bre a st Her worship is in k eep .

ing with her cha r acter It tak es place on the n i ght

.

o f the n ew moo n a t mid n i ght wh en n u mbers of a n i

, ,

ma ls a re sa crificed to her The d a rkn ess of the night .

,

the blea ti n g of the vi ctims the fl ashin g of the sa cri ,

ficial k ni fe the sh riek s o f the minis terin g priests as

,

they cry I c i Jai Terra the flic k er o f torches the ges

, , , , ,

tu res o f the intoxica ted worshippers m ak e th is one o f

”
,

the most terrible of a ll the fes ti va ls in Indi a .

M ost im ages a re m a de of strips of ba mboo filled

out w ith stra w and pl a stered with m u d an d dri ed u nti l

M )
1 60 mo m TH ROU G H TH E sr ans oscor a

they a re ri gid ; then they a re pain ted an d decora ted .

Domestic im ages li ke the on e before u s a re often

m ade l a rgely Of wood then p a in ted and gilded m pa rt

, ,

and gorgeou sly orn amented and draped F in a l ly .

,

before they a re s u ita ble for worship they m u st be r e ,

dedicated consecrated or san ctified by a priest The

, .

process or ceremon y of consecration— o r the ope ra

tion o f endowin g the wood and m u d im ages with the
potenti a lities o f the re a l Ka li or Da r ga a li as Pa rv a ti , ,

—
or T a ra is cu riou s The im age is m u d bu t the tou ch
.
,

of the priest c an mak e it a goddess A fter the materi a l .

p a rt of a K ali h a s been co n stru cted a nd pl a ced in the

home o f him who h a s ordered it the next thin g is its ,

ord ina tion o r the aw ak enin g O f the goddess which

, , ,

accordin g to W ilk ins is somewh a t as fol lows ,

“
W hen the time a rrives for the commencement of
the worship the head of the f amily a fter certa in pu ri
, ,

fy ing ceremonies dec l a res his na me and expresses his

,

pu rpose to perfo rm the Da r ga Puj a with proper rites .

H e then in d u e form a ppoints the ofliciating priests ,

w ho in his n ame a nd on his beh a l f perform the cere

mon ies . The most interestin g p a rt o f the
ceremony is th a t i n which the goddess is invited to
visit the hou se an d dwell in the im age th a t has been
,

prep a red fo r her The priest in order to obta in this

.
,

blessin g a fter sever a l other ce remonies h a ve been per

,

form ed pl a ces his ri ght h and on the bre ast of the

‘
im age and s ays Om ! Welcome Devi to my hou se .
, ,

with thy ei ght Sakta s A ccept my worship do ne ac .

c o rdin g to the Sa stras O Dispense r of blessin gs ; O ,

Lo tu s ey ed ! I perform this g re at A u tu mna l festi

-

v a l Respond to me 0 gre at goddess ; Annihil ator of

.
,
‘

all tr an sg ressi on s in this u n fo rd able oce an of the

world ! Sa ve me blessed goddess I sa l u te thee be
, , ,

Pooltlon 4 7 . M0 9 7
 CALC UTTA 1 61

lov ed ! O Sanka ra ( S iv a ) protect my life my hon or , ,

my oflsprin g my wives a nd my we alth As thou a rt

, .

the on ly defender o f all O godde ss the most beloved

, ,

i n the world enter and stay with this s acr ifice as lon g
,

as I am worshippin g thee ’
F irst the ri ght eye then
.
,

the left then the eye o n the forehe a d a re tou ched by

,

the priest a nd a fter thi s the other pa rts o f the body

, ,

and an approp ri ate ma ntr a recited by which mea ns ,

the ceremony o f Pranpratishtha o r the gi vi ng of li fe ,

to the im age is per formed .

M any other second a ry c eremon ies follow fo r sev

era l days I f then li fe is given to the image in this
.

w ay ho w ca n the more i n tell i gent Hindu s decl a re th at

,

the K ali im ag e is only a sym bol ? I cannot a nswer

m y ow n qu estion ; I ca nnot expoun d dogm a O n the .

fou rth day the goddess is s u pposed to take le ave o f

the im age accomp anied by elabora te dismiss a l cere
,

mon ies .

F or o ur ne xt stu dy we wi ll proceed to Ka li G ha t
temple a few miles down the old bed o f the H ugli
, ,

where we sh a ll see s acrifices in honor of the bl ack

tongu ed goddess The spot is a little too far from
.

the cen ter o f the town to be set down on ou r loc a l

m ap .

Pos i ti on 48 Se ven g oa ts s l a in , butK a li wa n ts mor e

.

-
h or r i d s ac r ifi ce to th e Hi n d u g od d ess , Ca l cutta

W e a re in the inner cou rtya rd o f the well kn own -

Ka lighat temple bu i l t o n the spot where Ka li s fin ger

,
’

fell ( S ee page The H ugli is only a h undred

y a rds distan t in the di rection to w a rds which we a re
lookin g We c an see a t the ri ght some steps lea ding
.

u p to the ma in portion of the temple To the left a re .

a n u mber O f timoro u s kids o r h al f grown goats bleat -

Position 4 8 . Hop 1
 CALC U TT A 1 63

m
b ui lt the tem e and don ated one h un dred and ni n ety
fou r acres of l an d for its ma inten an ce A priest an d .

his descend an ts h ave contro lled this temple property

for th ree h undred ye a rs They ha ve t aken the n ame
.

H ald a r a nd a t the presen t time contin u e to hold the

,

esta te They h a ve am assed v ast we a lth n ot so m u ch

.
,

from the proceeds o f the prope rty a s from ofler in gs

ma de to the shri n e by pen iten ti a l Ka li worshippers -
.

I t is a da ngerou s thin g to attach a blood god to -

’
one s p antheon ; it pu ts a premi um o n cru elty an d
sa crifice and gods and goddesses a re not a lwa ys sa ti s
,

fied with an im a l s acrifice You h ave read of Th uggism

.

which refers to a cl a ss o f profes sion a l robbers and

mu rderers i n In di a— a kind of sec ret reli giou s fra
tern ity m u rderin g ste a lthily by str an g lin g by break
, ,

in g the backs o f thei r victims or by poi sonin g with ,

d a tu r a ( a dea dly na rcotic thorn app l e ) Indeed the -

.
,

Th ugs pra ctised system a tic killin g in m any di ff erent

wa ys It is a dmitted th a t Thuggism h a d its ori gin
.

i n K a li worship M an y th ou s ands o f people were

-
.

killed by Th ugs in I n di a which is to sa y th at m a ny

,

thou s an ds o f h u man bein gs were killed by Ka li w o r -

ship .

This hideou s reveler in blood is s u ppo sed a lso to

ha ve power to bestow fa vors Fa milies i n sorrow or .
,

pa ren ts desi rin g a son vo w to K ali tha t i f the fa vor is

,

gr an ted a kid will be O fi ered to her I n the m ain .

pa rt o f the temple there is a gorgeo u s bu t ta wdry

im age of the goddess In front o f the temple ther e is
.

a pl atfo rm on which the pr ies ts rea d the S as tras .

S heep and sometime s bu ff a loes a re sl aughtered A t .

all times the si ghts in a nd a bou t the temple a re abo min

able On grea t occas i o ns when the approaches a re

.
,

j ostlin g with people lead in g thei r sa c rifici al vict ims

P oa ltl m 4 8 MI ' 7
1 64 mo m T H ROU G H TH E ST EREOS OOPE

and the temple and the behe adi ng pl a ce are c row ded
with g ri my a nd ill vi s aged pil grims squ i rtin g the red
-

sa li va o f betel j u ice over eve rythi n g togethe r wi th the

-
,

blea ti ng o f sheep an d goats the floor slippe ry w i th ,

blood the sti flin g a i r redolent o f persona l fu mes a n d

,

every know able a nd u n kn ow able stench it is w ha t ,

o ne mi ght im agi n e t o be a u n i on o f Hell Pa ndemo n i u m ,

an d an aba ttoir .

We lea ve the repu lsive scen e a nd j ostle ou r w a y

through the approach lined with be gga rs lepers j ug , ,

g ler s j
, o gis a n d f ak i rs stoppin
, g for a moment not ,

far a w ay to witn ess the perform a nce of a professio na l

penance d ee r -
.

Po si tion 49 . Hin d u d ev otee d oing p en an ce on a bed

o f sp ikes n ea r th e s h r in e of K a l i, Ca l c utta

When we were a t M t Abu we h a d occasi on to s a y .

“
somethin g a bou t j o gis o r f aki rs ) W e a re no w before
an other o f th ose qu eer men H e is s a id to be doi ng .

pen an ce I do not th in k it is pen ance so much as it

”
.

“
is a stu nt for alms I f this feat of tort u re be a .

‘
rea l au sterity his o flenses m u st be m an y an d grea t
,

if for tips he is a faki r i n deed

, This fellow is called .

a reli gi ou s devotee Do yo u thi nk there is the ri ght

.

sort o f hea rt in th a t co rpse lik e ca rca ss wi th which -

—
to worship ? Y ou say j u dge not I sa y a man
—
w ho d oes no t thi nk is a fool a nd even u n u tte red ,

tho ught is j u d gment W e see in this ca se a s we sa w .

,

at M t A bu th at the body i s smea red with ashes

”
. .
,

“
Does this mean sa ck cloth a nd a shes ? M ore a shes -

th an s ac k cl oth there seem to be Wh at is tha t cloth

- .

sprea d ou t by his side si gni fy ? There is on e bi g

En glish penny deposited thereon It is clea rly a bid .

‘
See pom so ss .

Pos ition “ . “9 7
 C ALC U TTA 1 65

for penn ies—piety for pence—pen ance for p ay ~His .

eyes a re closed a s were the eyes o f the sa cred Hind u

cows therefore he m u st h a ve acqu i red yoga o r u ni on
,

with Divinity yet I n oticed th at he oc ca sion a lly

,

gl anced tow a rds the cloth by his side This is a dro l l .

occu pati on .

Crook e tells about some orders of j ogis who h ave

possessed so m uch yo ga tha t they cou ld die at will
and retu rn to li fe at a concerted time O ne d ay a .

j ogi o f this order mi stoo k his rec konin g and never re

v ived O thers h a ve themselves bu ried for a time and
.

then res u rrect when they f eel li k e it It wou ld prob .

ably be no grea t economic loss to the co untry i f they

“ ”
did not feel li ke it for a s Crook e says most o f “

”
, ,

them a re little short o f impostors and st u rdy rogu es .

S ome however a re worthy men and l ead u se f u l

, , ,

lives . The s ame au thority above referred to sta tes

th at there a re five million begga rs in Indi a th at o f ,

these seven h u ndred thou sa nd are reli giou s men dic an ts ,

and tha t the n u mber o f fakirs and j ogis m u st be m u ch

la rger .

You will see th at this j ogi wea rs a ros a ry The .

ros a ry is gener ally worn in e astern co untries ; its u se

was probably intro d u ced to western cou ntries as l ate
a s the time o f the Cru sa des The B u ddhists the .
,

H indu s an d the M oh ammed an s we a r rosa ri es The .

—
bea ds a re m ade o f m any su bsta nces pea rl cor al , ,

wood an d m a ny kinds o f ston e The n u mber o f bea ds

, .

i n a rosa ry v a ries grea t l y The sects difler in the n u m

'

ber o f bea ds worn ; a S hiv a worshipper wea rs thirty

two o r th at n u mber dou bled ; a Vishn u worshipper
,

on e h un dred an d ei ght Many o f their be a ds a re m a de

.

with fac ets and mu ch import an ce is atta ched to the

,

n umber of facets A celiba te j ogi wea rs bea ds w ith

.

P os ition 4 9 . M 7
 CA LC U TT A 1 67

h a s ta sted h u man flesh a pre ference is formed which

encou rages the pra ctice o f k i ll in g h u m an bein gs It .

is m u ch easier to creep stea lthi ly u p to so me na tive

but where children are a t pl ay abou t the compo und ,

and sna tch a child th an to pu rsu e a deer

, .

Becau se o f the extension o f r a ilw ays the develop ,

men t o f ag ricu ltu re and destru ction by h un ters this

,

ferociou s beast is be comi n g more reti rin g th an in

former times H un ter reports th at in th ree yea rs on e
.

o f these drea ded m a n e a ters killed on e h u ndred a nd

-

five people another ei ghty while a th ird was the

, ,

dreaded pest o f th irty n ative vil lages ; a f ou rth ki lled

and devou red one h undred and twen ty seven people -
,

an d fo r m a ny weeks closed a n importan t hi ghw ay to

'

a ll travel It is believed th at Ben ga l is the ori gi na l

.

home o f the ti ger and from thence his habita t h as

,

gr adua lly extended northw ard to China eastw a rd to ,

the M al ay pe n insu l a and l atterly to S ou th I ndi a ; the

,

fa ct th at there a re no ti ge rs in Ceylon leads to the

re a sona ble inference th at the mi gr ati o n h a d not ex
tended to sou thern Indi a before the sepa ra tion of th at
isl an d from the m ainla nd Ther e a re no ti gers in
.

A frica an d it is a dmitted by those who a re f ami li ar

,

with the ch a racteri stics o f both anim als tha t the ti ger
“
is a m u ch more ferociou s bea st th an the A fric an Kin g
o f the forest
” .

F is h stori es are proverbi a l

-
S n ak e stori es m ay
.
-

easi l y ra nk secon d as a field for the licen tia te o f

hyperbole Ti ger stori es will s u rely t ak e the thi rd
.
-

pl a ce Ex aggera tion concernin g the size o f ti gers a nd

.

their deeds is so g re at a nd so common and the state ,

men ts o f h u nters an d na tur alists a re so di verse th at ,

it is very diffic ult to re ach the tru th On e m an gives .

a ca se o f a tiger wi th a bulloc k in his j a ws j ump

M on ”
. M 7
1 68 mmm onc n me sr s moscon

ing a six -
foot hedge
witho ut breaking a br an ch .

Oth ers tell about thei r skipping off freely w ith cows
in their mouth s when the cows a re m u ch taller a nd
,

a ble j ok e tiger stor ies conn ect ed with bur n and ha i r

-

breadth esca pes wherei n the be ast in the stor y ha s

,

been exp anded to forty feet ; other n a rrators with a t

gullible auditors or less m agni fyi n g power in

visua l organs ha ve contr acted thei r qua rry to
or twenty feet We may expect someth in g li k e ac
.

cu ra cy from su ch authority as Ca pta i n F orsythe who ,

cla ims tha t a ti ger over ten feet is u n u s ua lly l a rg e ,

or from the famou s sportsm an S i r S am u el B ak er who

’
fixes the a ver age a t ni ne feet six inches B aker s .

estim ate correspon ds with th at of M r . H

another eminent h u nter who says the l a r gest he ha s

,

ever killed mea s u red n i ne feet six inches from tip

to tip The mor al is obviou s : with any respect fo r
.

tru t h abou t fish s nak es or ti gers bewa re of hyp er

, ,

bole l
There is ho wever no qu estion about M r S tripes
, , .

bein g a very powerfu l and ferociou s beast U ndo u bt .

edly he is s uffi ciently powerfu l to drag an ox for a dis

t a nce when occa sion req u ires ; bu t as for lea pin g ,

ac ross ch a sms with an ox in his j aws or hoppin g ove r

s ix foot hed ges with a cow
-
you wi ll do well to re
,

“
member the s apient speech of Josh Billin gs It
is better not to know so m u ch th an to know so m u ch ,

th a t isn t so ’
E ven ou r school book s a re filled with
.
-

these abs u rd e xaggera tion s th at a modicu m o f comm o n

sense ought to repu di ate .

The governmen t of I ndi a off ers rew a rds for the

k illin g of these anim als so destru ctive to h u m an life ,

yet there is little lik elihood of their u as the

 CALC UTTA 1 69

deep h au nts o f the Ta ra i an d the reed cover ed pl a i n s -

o f Be nga l a re li kely to rema i n secu re cov e rts fo r many

ge nerations to come The ann u al average dea th rate

.
-

from ti gers is about ten thou sa nd h u m an be ing s yet , ,

g rea t as th at n u mber i s it is sca rcely o ne ha lf that

,
-

cha rge able to the dea dly cobra .

’
The stories told abou t a ti ger s s u ck in g the blood
o f his victims a re now known to be myths ; there a re

still ma ny theori es off ered a s to how he destroys his

prey M y belief is th at he has no p a rticu la r method
”
.
,

“
bu t s eizes it in any sort o f c atch a s c atch c an as - - -

other an im als do ; he has however a re gu l a r w ay o f

”
, ,
“
devou ri ng his k ill e ati ng first the hi nd q u arters if
, ,

( hi s repa st be from an o x and retu rning a secon d day

,

to fi n ish the ca rc ass .

The re are severa l w a ys o f h u nti n g this fierce de n i

zen o f the j un g le : the s a fer an d m o re c o mfortable w ay

is on the ba ck s of howdahed eleph an ts th at roam abou t

in su ch j u n g les a s the T a ra i u ntil a specimen is lo
cated and s u rro u n ded ; a fter a sha rp e n cou nter he is

u su ally soon brought dow n by gun fire from the oc -

‘
cupants of the howd ahs This method u s ually a flo rds
.

little opport u nity for the poor bru te to show his

prowess in sel f defe nse Eleph ants fo r s u ch h u nts
-
.

m u st be tho roughly tr ai n ed otherwise they a re li able

,

to become fri ghte ned on facin g a ti ger in which ca se ,

a st ampede is l ik ely to occu r when the h o wdahs wi th ,

their occu pants a re su re to be precipitated to the

ground and li able to be attacked by the i n fu ri ated

A secon d method is by staking out a bait in the

sha pe of a cow or an ox and then constru ctin g a
perc h within ea sy gun range o f the ba it This hun
-
.

ter s pe rch called a muchan must be hi gher th an can

’

, ,

N M “ .
M 1
 CA L CU TTA 17 1

ceptabie to the Deity and li k ely to ga i n them favo r

bo th here and here after Here we can beho ld o ne o f
.

the m o st be au tifu l J ai na prayers in stone W ha t .

hi gher i nce ntive cou ld a devotee h ave to bu ild a beau

ti fu l and costly temple tha n to feel that merit and
,

acceptability a re accordin g to be au ty and costliness ?

We here see only one of a se ries o f be au ti fu l bu ild
in gs surr rounding this cou rt a ll filled with a m a ze
,

o f ex qu isite decoratio n . The fine ma in e ntrance is

to the left beyond th a t pool of w ater ; the home ( or
o ne of the homes ) o f the we a lthy b u ilder o f this

temple is to the ri ght A seco nd co u rt with a floor

.

o f mosa ics , sha ded by rich ca no pies under whic h

,

da nces in honor of the J a i na sa i nts a re held and ao

companied by i n stru me nta l m u sic is a l so to the ri ght
,
.

These cou rts a re often crowded with worshippe rs and

the a i r l ade n with per fu me and ince n se ; fou nta i n s
pla y and the bloom o f flowers o f m a ny co lors adds
,

contr ast to floors o f m a rble and the s nowy sta tua ry .

I n every di rectio n you c a n see how p u re white m a rble

h as been chiseled into forms o f beau ty That magnin
.

cent stru ctu re beyond the cou rt the chief temple with
,

cl u stered tower g lea ms withi n and withou t from a

,

mosa ic o f mirror gl ass which gi ves the e ffect o f

-

myri ads o f brilli ants h u n g u pon the w alls The .

hi ghly polished floors appea r to be pools of limpid

wa ter refl ectin g the mirrored co l u mns an d the deli
—
cate tra ce ry o f m a rble l ace work a l abyri nth o f
-

i
sta l act tes in —
a ca vern stu dded with gems or an a rctic
frolic o f soft s now oversprea d with glitteri ng j ewels .

T his is a J a i n temple which we h ave called the

richest and most be au ti fu l pla ce of worship in Cal
cutta . You h a ve n ot forgotte n ou r visit to the
famou s J ain temples a t M t Abu ( Positions 1 1
.

M 1
172 mo m r n ao oc n m sw am

When at that te mple l told you something about this

br anch of the Hind u o r as some sa y o f the Buddh is
, ,

tic reli gion ( pag es 53 The term J ai n is fro m

the w o rd l ino which mea n s spi rit ua l co nqu eror ” A .
,

pri nce na med Va rdh am ana born in 5 99 B C w as the , . .

,

fo u nder o f J a inism The spi ritualized s a ints a re som e

.
.

times spok en o f as J in as and sometimes as Tirtha n

“
ka ras o r deified morta ls W il kins sa ys
. T hese
they decla re to be great er th an even the chief deities
o f the Hi n d u p antheon S ta tu es o f the se being s in
.

bl a ck and white a re to be seen in their chief temples .

They a re a ll o f the sa me style o f fea tu re qu ietn es s an d ,

—
ca lmn ess bei ng their chief cha racteristic n othin g a t
a ll a pproachi ng to the g rotesqu e a s a ppea rs in m a ny ,

o f the ordi na ry Hi n d u ob j ects o f worship ; and the

J ain temples fo r be au ty and cle an l in ess a re in every

w ay s u perior to those o f the orthodox Hi nd u .

The followi ng epithets a pplied to the sa ints will show

the profou nd reverence tha t is pa id to them They .

a re ca lled J agat pra bh u s ( L ords of the world ) K s h ina ,

ka rma ( F ree from ceremon ia l acts ) Sariagn a ( Om ,

n iscien t) ,
A diswara ( Su preme Lord ) Devadideva ,

( G o d o f Gods ) Ti rth a
, n ka ra s ( Those who h a ve p a ssed
over the se a of li fe ) and Ji nas ( Victors over all h u ma n
,

pa ssions and
S ome Jina s a re mythica l and some a re believed to
h a ve bee n historic personages Y ou can see abo u t the .

beau ti fu l cou rt before u s m any sta tu es ; they repre

sent these de ified morta ls o r the Tirth anka ras The ,
.

ea rly sa ints o r mythic al ones a re believed to ha ve

been h uge ( old myths li k e modern lies tend towa rds
e x aggerati on ) the historic or re al pe rson ages normal ,

in size The re a re m any divi sions and su bdivisions

.

o f the J a ins Schism is ri fe in J ainism a s in ever y

.

m 31 . M 7
 173

is m . Accord in g to the same au tho rity before qu oted ,

one o f the m ai n division s is s u bdiv ided i nto two grea t

cl a sses viz ,
— “
.The Swetamba ras or white robed and -

the D i gamba ra s or a ir cl ad i e n ak ed Between

,
-
, . .
, .

th ese the most bitte r animosity prev ails P robably the .

D i gamba ra s ori gi n a lly we nt abou t n ak ed o r n ea rly so ;

n ow they simply dives t themselves o f their u pper ga r

ment a m any colored one worn du ri ng meals ; the

,

Swetamba ras on the other h and retain thei r clothes

, ,

du ri ng their mea ls This however does not con

.
, ,

st itute the only o r m a i n difi erence between them The ,

.

S w etambaras decora te thei r im ag es with j ewels ; their

oppon ents consider this action to be wr ong The gu ru s .

o f the Sw et amba ras ea t their food from vessels ; those

of the Di gamba ras m us t tak e it from the han ds of

their disciples The Swetambaras assert th a t the (mg as
.

( S cript u re s ) were the wor k o f the imm edi a te disciples

o f the Ti rth an ka ra s ; the Di gamb a r as affirm a m u ch

later ori gi n fo r them The S wetamba ras assert th at

.

women cann ot obta in N irv a na ( Hea ven ) the D i gam

ba ras de ny this ” The a bove is chiefly i n teresti ng as
”
.

“
showi n g how J ai n ism li ke other isms the world over
ru ns to sc hism a tic divisi o ns an d frivol ou s distin c
tion s ; and the above is only on e division o f a lon g
and tediou s list o f sects cu lts and c as tes into which
,

this branch o f B u ddhism or H in d u i sm is sepa rated .

You will realize the n to understand fu ll y the sig

,

n ifica nce of the scen e before u s this bea u ti ful temple ,

with its da ily crowd of worshippers its deco rations , ,

its symboli sm wo u ld require more time and space th an

,

we a re able to assi gn to it .

The Bot anica l Ga rdens of Ca lcu tta a re des ervedl y

f amou s and we shou ld not omit to see on e o r tw o
,

Petition 5 1 .
M 7
 CA L CU TTA 17 5

this m agni ficen t out door bot an ica l ga rde n Travelers

-
.

from every l and ha v e stood u n der its u mbrageo u s

crown It is ca refu lly protected and often a chosen
.

nook for picnick ers These cu riou s trees were known

.

to M ilton who refers to them in the follow i ng co up

,

let
Su ch as at this day to I ndi an known ,

I n Ma l aba r o r Decc an sprea ds her a rms .

This widely kn own tree belong s to the fig family ’

-
,

tw o species o f which a re fou nd in m any e a stern cou n

trie s The bany an is a wild Indi an fig tree ( flow I n
.
-

dicus ) The other is the sa cred fig tree ( ficus re

.
-

lig iosus ) They a re both sa cred ; the l atter is some

.

times ca lled the peepu l tree and in Ceylon it is uni ,

v ersally k nown as the sa cred bo tree ; the former w a s -

rega rded as the home o f go ds and spirits Bishop .

Hebe r when he first witnessed its m any den dral col

umn s and its ample sh a de ex cl aimed
“
Wha t a noble
”
,

place o f worship !
The m u ltiplyin g h abit o f this old ba nya n tree is
encou raged by the c aret ak ers of the ga rden ; it has
g ive n re now n to bo th the ga rden and the city o f Ca l
cu tta The sle nder rootlets which th ru st d o wn from
.

the limbs tow a rds the ea rth a re often protected from

the encroa chmen ts o f w anton boys and the possible
tra nsg ression of an omnivorou s goa t by bei ng in
ca sed in pieces o f bamboo until secu rely rooted in the
g rou nd It would seem advantageo u s if other t rees
.
, ,

especi a lly fru it trees wou ld a dopt the habits of the

,

ba nyan tree .

The generic companion o f the banyan f ree the

'

peep u l o r bo tree is undou btedly the most reli giou sl y

-
,

cheri shed tree in the O rien t F er gu sso n says — “

If .

n ot t he oldest it is certa i n l y among the most ancie nt

M tb n sz . M oo ?
17 6 mo m TH RO U G H TH E m w osco r s
s

of the i dols th at still comm and the ad oration o f m an

kind ” .This uni vers al reverence for the peepu l tree
is owin g to the a lle ged fact th at u nder it B u ddh a oh
f a in ed e n li ghtenme nt at a pl a ce n ot f a r from Ben a res .

The Ki ng of Ceylon be gged fo r a branch of th at tree ,

bu t it wou ld h ave bee n s acrile ge to c u t a branch By .

some sort o f a miracle a branch bec ame severed from

the tree ; it w as sen t in a golden v a se to the k i ng w ho
pl anted it in A nu ra dh apu ra the ancie nt capita l ; an d
,

today it or its o fi shoots may be see n old and gn a rled

'

, ,

bu t still worshipped ann u ally by thou sa nds o f devou t

pil grims It is more th a n two thou sa nd ye a rs since
.
‘

the tree w as first tak e n to Ceylon and no w abo u t eve ry

B u ddhistic temple th rougho u t the e nti re world you
may see this ve nerated an d m u ch worshipped tree -

id o l So the n we may re ga rd the bany an and the

.
,

peepu l as the twi n s a i nts of the a rborea l world

-
.

A nother pa rtic u l arly i nteresti ng si ght in these ga r

dens we ma y see from ou r n ext position .

P os i ti on 5 3 . G ra s s es a t w h os ef ee t men ar e li k e in
s ec ts — en or mous ba mbo os in B otan i ca l Ga r d en s ,
Cal cutta

The bamboo belon gs to the g r ass family a nd has

been ca lled the Ki ng of Grasses ; yet from its stru ctu re
an d its grea t size it may properly be c alled a tree

and i f cl assed accordi ng to its ma n i fold u tilita ri an

p u rposes it may easily be c all ed the most u sefu l tree
in the wo rld It is m o st abu nd ant in tropica l cou n
.

tries yet it is sometimes fou n d in m any v a rieties as

,

fa r n orth as l atitude a s in J ap an where its ,

a rti sti c fe atu res hav e bee n reco gn ized an d where it

flour ishes in m an y species an d in grea t abu ndan ce .
 CA LC U TT A 177

sca rcely im agi ne how the in habitants cou ld li ve with ’

ou t the ba mboo ; it is thei r food their shel ter their , ,

clothin g ; it is their sta ff of li fe .

The growth o f thos e sta lk s is pecu li a r ; it m u lti

plies by shoots sprin gin g up from the p a ren t root in
the ea rth until li ke other gr asses and reeds it forms
, , ,

cl u mps ; hence w e spe ak of cl u mp s o f bamboo .

B ranches do not a ppea r u nti l a shoot has rea ched its

fu ll hei g ht ; thi s shows a wise provision o f n atu re ,

becau se lateral branches in a close compact cl u mp

su ch as you see here wo u ld be dest royed in an up
,

w ard growth When the stal k h as rea ched its fu ll

.

hei ght the br anches spr in g ou t hor izon ta lly from the
j oints The g ro wth o f the ba mboo is very rapid
.
,

sometimes exceedi ng three inches in a si ngle day I .

have seen in Ceylon a you n g gi ant b amboo seve nty

fiv e feet in hei g ht the growth of only ei ghtee n mon ths
, .

The spro u t o r shoot as it bu rsts from the ea rth has

the fu ll thickness o f the matu re sta lk abou t fo u r o r ,

five in che s Su ch you ng shoots a re edibl e and may

.
,

be seen in every orien ta l ma rket The y form o n e .

of the vegetables on most table s even E u ropea n tables ,

in the East .

We pa ssed from a con side rati on o f the sacred

b any an and the sa cred peep u l trees to the bamboo .

Wou ld it be more tha n j u st to complete the de ndra l

tri n ity by apotheosizi ng the ben eficent u tilitie s of the
ba mboo ? I n spe ak i ng of the u ses o f the bamboo it '

is pos sible to men tion on ly s ome o f the more gen e ral .

—
Books h a ve bee n w ritte n o n the bamboo a whol e v o l
u me has bee n w ritte n on some of its m ani fold u ses
a l o ne
. Its gra ss li k e lea ves ar e fodd er fo r ca ttle
-
.

M ack i ntosh es o r rain c oa ts are al so m ade f ro m th em

-
.

The wood contains m u ch silica and when bu rn ed the

”
,

P os ition . M op ?
 CA LC U TT A 179

to ca rry sever al tons A few l a r ge tru nk s p laced

.

one withi n another will p rovide masts fo r ships o f

sev era l h u ndred ton s .

When the tree g rows old it secretes wi thi n its cu lms

a deli ghtfu l bever age I f this is allowed to re main
.

withi n the hollow j oi nts it becomes a con crete su b

stance with v a l uable me dici na l pro perties c alled ta ,

bas cheer . This s ubstance is fou nd to be wholly

silicio u s m atter which resists a cids and is qu ite ia
destru ctible by fire an d with a l kalies it forms a tr ans
,

pa ren t gl a ss It is recorded in Chi nese hi sto ry th at

.

the seed of the ba mboo h as preserved the lives of

thou s ands H in du s eatthe seed mi xed with honey and
.

con sider it a ra re delica cy e qu al quanti ti es of ea ch

,

bei ng placed in a j oi nt coated with cl ay and roasted

over a fire Ne a rly all fishi ng a rticles a re ma de of
.

it ; it is u sed a s a tile in roofing hou ses The famo us .

W i za rd of electrical scien ce from whom N atu re can ,

hide sca rcely any of her secrets w as the first to lea rn ,

th at the si liciou s fibre of the bamboo forms a d u rable

—
ca rbon the ca rbon n ow long famili a r in connecti on
w ith the i n cande scent li ght It ha s bee n sa id th at in
.
, ,

Chi n a this wonderfu l reed is of grea ter val u e th an her

,

mi n es Its u ses a re so n u merou s so va riou s and so

.
, ,

ben efici al th at we can sca rcely see how the cou ntry
cou ld exist without it .

It is sa id tha t this grac efu l an d ben evolent k ing o f

the g rasses is a favorite of the fierce ti ger whose yel
low coa t sim u lates the correspon di ng colo r o f the
bamboo amon g the cl umps o f which he is wont to
,

see k a gr atef u l shelter .

We h ave seen th u s far in ou r j ou rney m any people

of the middle and lower cla sses It is i ndeed not ofte n
”
.

Position . M00 7
1 80 mom T H RO UG H TH E ST EReosoops

that an ordin a ry tra veler h a s any opportun ity to meet

persona lly a representa tive o f the hi gher rank s o f
society It is by specia l privilege th a t you now ha ve
.

a chance t o see at his o wn home a man o f high rank

and vast wealth .

P os i ti on 5 4 H i s H ig h n es s th e M a h a raj a h
. of Ta
g o r e in D ur ba r c os tum e w i h
t j e wel s w o r th $2 0 0 ,

We ha ve hea rd so m u ch abo u t the wea lth of In

di a and her wea lthy pri nces th a t I h a ve decided to
present you to the Ma ha r aj ah o f Tagore He is the .

o w ner of v ast esta tes the possessor of m agnifice n t

,

pal a ces in Ca lc u tta an d though a pr ince of hi gh ran k

, ,

and possess i ng e n ormou s we a lth is a s g eni a l and un ,

p re tentio u s a g e n tlem a n a s co u ld be fo u n d in the

h u mblest wa l k s of li fe Through a letter from o ur
.

cons u l in Ca lcu tta who w as on i nt ima te terms with

,

this prince I w as en abled to vi s it him o n severa l oc

,
‘
casio ns He speak s English fl u e ntly is well i n formed
.
,

o n c u rrent s u bj ects and e n terta in s with exceedi n g

,

ge nerosi ty and cou rtesy After a plea sant conversa.

tion which con tin u ed for some time I sa id to him ,

“
Is it possible for you r Hi g hness to permit me to mak e
”
stereographs of you r severa l p al aces ? He replied
“
You are quite at liberty to photog ra ph a ll my bu ild
i ngs— i n te riors a nd exteriors M y castle is across the
”
.

street poi nting ac ross the way to a magnificent stone

,

castle displ ayin g all the a rchitectu ral fe atur e s of ba

“
ron ial times . Con ti nu i ng he said : I h ave o ne
,

pa l ace a few mile s ou t ; my gr an dson w ill drive you

in m y car ri age to tha t a nd o n y ou r retu rn he wi ll ac
”
,

compa n y yo u through the castle I accepted his .

g enero u s o ff e r and v isited both p al aces which I found ,

ery be au ti fu l . The cou ntry mansion is situated in

 CA LCU TTA 1 81

spa cious grou nds orna men ted with flowers and shru b
bery an d pool s fou nta in s and sta tu ary
, The castle is .

a m o re c o stly bu ildin g richly furn ished This the

, .
,

gr and son to ld me w as k ept solely fo r the use o f the

,

gu ests o f His H ighness which o f co u r se em br aced

, , ,

the hi ghest di gnita ries o f the Empi re i ncl u di n g the ,

Vice roy an d go vernment oflicials .

It w a s du ri ng a third visit to the p al ace and by ap ,

pointment th at this stereog raph o f His H i ghne ss was

,

m ade He w as dressed in his sple ndid Du rba r co s

.

— —
tu me th a t is his sta te dress with j ewels and j eweled
,

sword and other preciou s ba d ges o f rank an d a tu r ,

ba n o f costly fabric with a tu ft of fin est plumes tipped

wi th ra re gems The fron t o f his tu rban g lea ms with
.

a cl u ster of brilli a nts H is side a rms an d the sca b

.
-

ba rd of his state sword a re encru st ed with sp a rk lin g

o ld di a mo n ds o f the first w ater He ha s j u st a ri se n
.

from a richly ca rved state cha ir o f solid s ati n wood ;

the drapery abou t the room is o f the fin est m aterial
and the prod u ct of the cu nni n gest loom c ra ft His -
.

neck l ace o f severa l strands i n cl u des m an y shell s and

ston es ra re and preciou s The robe is s ati n ed ged with
.
,

gold and his s ash is a mi racle of needle work -

.

After my nega ti ves were m ade I w as a little c u riou s

to know the v a l u e of this ma tchless costu me with its
decorati on o f gems ; so before tak in g lea ve of His
,

Hi g hness I ven tu red a qu ery as to the va l u e of the

,

gems on his person He smiled beni gn antly and re

.

plied — “ ‘
I t is very diflicult to tell becau se some of ,

them a re a lmost priceless hei rlooms bu t I thi nk a ,

moderate estima te wou ld be fou r l ak s of ru pees

B u t more be au tifu l th an the priceless
gems on his person o r the gor geou s p a l ace in which
he lived wa s the u na ff ected u n assu mi n g unpre
, , ,

Pu ltlon 84 .
M 7
 E A R ES
B N 1 83

be far amiss O ver six cen tu ries before Ch rist S akya

.
,

Mu ni ( B u ddh a ) on his w ay from Gaya where he

,

received Ni rva na soj o u rned here to beg in his work

.

o f enli ghte n ment It is i n ferred from this fact th at

.
, ,

unless the city h a d then bee n a pl ace of considerable

i mportance it wo u ld not h a ve been chose n by so grea t
,

a prophe t The g re a t Hi nd u au thors wrote a nd sent

ou t their work s from this pl ace

.
.

We a re soon to l a nd and w al k a mon gst those tem

ples th o se h o ly ba thin g pl a ces ; bu t be fore we l a nd
,
-
,

and while yet floa tin g u pon the sa cred w a ters let u s ,

reflect th at three thou sa nd ye a rs ago a nd possibly

,

mo re there were sh rines a long those ban k s and m any

, ,

worshippers here j u st as there a re tod ay No dou bt a n .

ea rly Ben a res city stood on th at ba nk before u s a t

the time o f the A rya n inv a sio n and no dou bt Ben a res
s a w the ri se o f B ra hm anism ou t o f the e a rly Vedic
reli gion P robably for over three thou s and ye a rs
.
,

accordi ng to Ma x M uller the priest a nd philosopher

“
,

ha ve sat side by side in Bena res and together h a ve ,

woven th a t closely el aborated web of fa ith and prac

tice in wh ich the Hind u mind is toda y enmeshed The .

vision o f tha t ea rly past is dim bu t enticing and it ,

floa ts be fore the eye li k e the pict u re in some mag ic

crysta l When B abylon w as an u psta rt contend in g
. ,

with lordly Nineveh and the ea rly J ewish her oe s a nd

,

k in gs were weldin g the Israelitish tribes into a nation ;

while the Phoenici a n ba rk s were yet content to ploug h
the sheltered M editerr anea n not yet da rin g to at
, ,

tempt the white cli ffs of Albion : while the Grecia n

comm u nities were slowly and j ea lou sly fo rmin g them
selves into commonwea lths and Athens was ha rd
“
,

more tha n a name and Rome not yet tho ught of he

, ,

' 80 0 mu 3»
Mi .
“

Pa nic 33 .
1 84 mo m T H nOU GH T H E STEREOSCO PE

in this q u iet retrea t by th e ca lm flowing Gauges and ,

amid t he teemi ng fru itfu l pl ai ns dwelt tho ughtfu l

, ,

seers and pro u d prie sts and hither to worship at a

”
, ,

h u ndred s hri nes toiled stream s o f wistfu l pil grim s

, .

Her e then is a city as old a s the cities o f the a ncient

emp ires Tha t those ba n k s before u s were trodden by
.

the feet of pil g rims th ree thousand yea rs ago is an ,

overwhelmi ng thoug ht Gau ta m a w a lk ed the re and .

taught his doctri ne o f how to a tta i n perfect pe a ce of

m in d more th an twenty five h u ndred yea rs ago S ince
,
-
.

th at time co untless millio ns h a ve visited the sh rin es

an d bathi n g pl a ces ; cou n tless tho u s ands h a ve been
-

tran s fo rmed to ashe s at the bu rn i n g places whence we -

can see the smo k e iss u i n g eve n a t this di s tance an d

at this moment ; million s in tre a s u re h ave been ex

pen ded ih erectin g those beau ti fu l temples which l ine

the b ank o f the river for m any miles The kind an d .

gen tle teacher the fi rst de fen der o f lower li fe B u ddh a

, , ,

took u p hi s abode for a time a little n orth o f the city

in a deer pa rk j u st in the direction in which we a re
-
,

looki ng The grea t B u ddhist mona rch Asoka ru led a t

.

Pat na 250 B C and exercised grea t i n fl u ence at

. .

Bena res The grea t Chi n ese devotees Fa H ian a t the

.
, ,

be ginn ing of the fifth centu ry and Hio uen T hsan g in , ,

the seven th came here to Ben a res to obtai n m an u

,

scripts o f the B u ddhist sc riptu res The reports o f .

these Chi n ese pil grim a dventu rers sa y — “

Famili es of
g rea t wea lth whose hou ses a re stored with ra re and
p reciou s thin gs a re to be seen The people a re gentle .

and polished and esteem most hi ghly people given to

stu dy : S ome c u t o ff the h air ; others reserve a tu ft
u pon the crown go naked and a re destitu te of any
,

ki nd of clothi ng S ome besmea r thei r bodies with

.

ashes There a re thi rty mona steries ( B u ddhi st ) con

”
.

Position . Map .
 B E N A R ES 1 85

ta ini ng abou t three thou sand devotees ; there a re a

h un dred temples o f the H in d u gods and abou t ten ,

thou san d heretics This w as writte n by

Chi ne se travelers m o re th an thirt een h un dred yea rs
ago ,an d thei r descriptio n s h a rmo n ize perfectly with

the condition s of the pl a ce today .

M any cen tu ries ago B u ddhism lost its hold on I n

dia and no w Be na res is the reli gious ca pita l of Hin
,

duism .Those beau ti fu l stru ctu res we see n ow a re

bu ildi n gs belonging to the city which lies i mme
diately beyon d them ; they are temples pa la ces an d ,

shrin es s u rmounted by domes pi nn acles and mi na rets

, ,

and others exte nd alon g the ban k fo r miles Those .

wide and long fl ights o f ston e steps exten di n g d o wn

to the river a re broken by bro ad pl a tforms where you
will see fin e Hi nd u shri nes ba thi ng hou ses and
, ,

prea chi ng can opies All these pl aces are con ti n u a lly
.

in a sta te o f g rea t agita tio n with pil g rims from every

pa rt of the coun try dres sed in eve ry style o f ga rb ;
,

some a re u n dressed others liste ni n g revere ntly to

,

some expou nder o f H ind u beli efs Some are la vi n g .

them selves with m u ddy but holy Gan ges water ; others
a re w atchin g some pious ascetic powdered with ashes
they a re cou nti ng bea ds in the w ater ; they a re dryi ng
themselves with towels ; holy bu lls mi n gle wi th the
pil grims S ome a re under h uge umbrella s ; some in
.

dulge in copious gu lps o f the holy w ater unfi lter edg

to them holy wa ter ca nnot be impu re
,
eve n when ,

dead bodies and living a re i mmersed in thou sa n ds

ne arly side by side .

You natu ra lly w on der wh at has m a de Ben:

p u rifica tion pla ce for the Hi ndu and wha t ,

ori gin of its sa credness W il ki n s in M odem H

.

gives the following le ge nd a s show in g the on

h o m -8!
o
 E AR ES
B N 1 87

the comm and o f B ra hma sha ll be procl a imed for it

to be forever e nveloped in the coils o f th at i nter
mi nable deity N o w when the j u dgme nt takes pl ace
.
,

in the city of Ka si withi n a circ um fere nce o f ten

,

miles from its cen ter it a l one wi ll rem ai n fi rm F or

, .

it rests u pon the hea ds o f An anta bu t is fixed u pon ,

the three points o f the trident of S hiv o r M aha deo ,

to whose ca re it will be e n tru sted All who now die .

withi n its w alls a re blessed and those w ho a re fou nd ,

withi n it o n th a t eventfu l day sha ll be blessed a thou

s an d fold .

“
A ges before the M oh ammeda n con qu est o f this
city by the Su ltan M oh ammed which ha ppe ned in ,

the seven th centu ry ; ages before it was ma de s u b

servi ent to the Patans which was a h un dred cen tu ries
,

e a rlier ; ages before Ka si was the secon d ca pita l o f

'

the Hi nd u Ki ngdom o f Ka nau j which w a s the ca se ,

a h u ndred cen tu ries before tha t ; ages before history

h as any record S hiv bu ilt thi s won derfu l city of the
,

p urest gold and a ll its temples o f preci o u s stones

, .

B u t a la s ! the i n i qu ity o f m an contami n ates and de

,

stroys the beau ty o f everythi n g divi ne In consequ ence .

o f the hei nou s sins of the people the preciou s ma ,

terials of this sa cred pl a ce were deteri o r ated and ,

eve ntua lly ch an ged i nto stone by permission of the

, ,

founder S hiv
,
La tely
. the excesses an d ,

wick edness o f the i nh abitants a re aga in i ncrea si n g ,

and now the i ndi gn ant S hiv is be gi n n i ng to displ a y his

an ger by tu rn in g the stone edifices into h u ts o f m u d
an d th atch
” .

F rom the first appe a rance o f m a n on the ea rth to

the present day is it not m a rvelou s wha t the h u m an ,

mi nd en d owed with rea son is ca pable of believin g ?

, ,

M enta l ill umina tion seems to be a s ra re as the gem

W e 85 .
M 8
1 88 I N D IA TH RO U G H TH E sr sknoscor s

in the lithic world ; and average hu m a n bei n gs a re

no t u n li k e the pebble s o n the sea sh o re i nn u me ra bl e
-
,

a n d o f every co lor and ki nd but r a rely can be fo un d

”
,

a g em o f p u res t r a y sere n e W hile

. Ben a res to
Hind u eyes is the most holy pl ace in the world to ,

ou tsiders it is the wickedest city in I n dia .

A gain callin g yo u r atten tion to the scene on the

shore you see several boats about this gha t ; these are
,

u sed for ca rryi ng pas se ngers u p an d down the river

fo r a p anora mic view o f the several miles o f temple
a nd g h at lin ed ban k O f the river
-
Thi s nea r g ha t is
.

u sed chiefly as a boa t l andi ng pl ace ; it is n o w e a rly

-

in the day an d th at is why you do not see the river

filled with bathers bu t a t the gha t tow a rds the ri g ht
, ,

y o u can see them comi n g dow n from be n e a th h ug e

u mbrella s to the river Nea r the center of the ba nk
.

you will notice a thin clou d o f smok e iss u in g from

n e a r the ed ge o f the w ater ; it a rises from the b u rn in g

gh at or the pla ce where bodies a re bu rned There a re

, .

several people standi ng on tha t elevated pl atform peer

ing dow n at the bu rn in g bodies Ma ny of those beau
.

ti fu l shr ine temples h avi ng bee n erected on silt foun

,
-

d ation s h ave been u ndermined by the river and now

,

lie h alf su bmerged in wa ter .

For our next position the boat on which we now

sta nd moves ne a r the bu rning gh at so tha t we m ay ,

witness the g ru esome process of Hi ndu inci nera tion .

N o tice the location as m a rk ed on our loca l m ap .

P os iti on 5 6 Wh o d i es in th e wa ter s of th e Ga n ges

“
”
.

o bt a i n s H ea v en B a th in g a n d b ur n in g H in d u
.

—
d ea d B en a r es

We h ave brought o ur boat n ea r to the bu rn ing gha t

wh ere we can closely i nspect the prepa ration for the
 B E N AR ES 1 89

bu rning o f bodies You h a ve not forgotten th at while

.

in Bombay we visited the Hi nd u b u rn in g place ( Posi -

tion Here fo r a second time we a re before a bu rn

in g scene o r ra ther we see the prep ar ation of the
,

pyres and the prep a ration o f the bodies to be bu rned

thereon There a re here before u s th ree bodies and
.

two pyres Two bodies are in the w ater by the

.

river s edge The wood is mu ch li k e wh a t we cal l

'
.

cord wood You see the hei ght of the pyres and tha t
-
.
,

on one is al re a dy pl aced the body o f a man ; we know

it is the body o f a man beca use it is robed in white ;

We know that the corpse at the edge of the w ater is
tha t of a wom an bec au se it is wrapped in red c loth .

There is ha rdly an hou r in the day whe n the smoke

and f u mes of the bu rn in g dea d ar e not ascen din g from
thi s ru de cre ma tory S ellers o f wood do a prosper ou s
.

bu siness The process o f b u rn in g is somewha t lengthy

.
,

bu t not u n worthy o f bein g rela ted .

The corpse is brou ght here to the g hat tied u pon

a ru de bier o f bamboo and ca rried o n the shou lders of
rela tives who as they move th rough the city streets
,

k eep u p a cha nt o f Rama noma sa tya ha i ( The n ame

, ,

o f Ra m is t ru e ) The corpse is s wa thed in w hite

.

cloth i f a ma le in a red one i f a fema le and is at

, ,

the gha t deposited with its feet in the Holy G an ges

while the pyre is bei n g prepa red W ood for the pyre .

m ay be p u rchased on the spot though in some ca ses ,

rela tives brin g it with them ; expe nsive scented wood '

is sometimes u sed by the wea lthy .

After the pyre has been con stru cted a nd the corpse
l aid thereo n comes the ce rem o ny o f applyi ng the fire
, .

A very cu riou s fea ture of this rite is the position

held by the gha t atten da nt This man is alw ays a .

Dom i e of a ca s te so deg ra ded tha t sh o u ld he

, . .
, ,

tie-86
Pa t .
M O
 B E N ARES 1 91

the ba nk o f the river in their l ast ag onies To die .

even nea r the sa cred ri v er is Hea ven ass u red On all .

roads le adin g tow a rds the sa cred terri tory o f Be na res

may be seen the dyi ng borne on litters and m any ,

a re overtak e n by the l ast s u mmons be fore these holy

precincts a re reached .

A little tow a rds the left a t the top o f t h is ban k is

a suttee pill a r which we shal l vi sit la ter ( Position
Towards ou r ri ght is a famou s tank ca lled M ani ka r
ni ka Kun d ; thither we shall go fo r our n ext view
-
.

The map shows exa ctly where we are to sa nd .

P os i ti on 5 7. H i n d u p il gr im s ba th i n g in th e sa cr ed
wel l of th eir god Vi sh n u, n or th ba nk of th e G a n
m a t B en ar es

I have told you the legend which shows the ori gin
o f the extrao rdina ry sa credness o f Ben a res a nd tha t ,

the holy city with its precin cts is not of the ea rth bu t ,

n —
sepa rate and disti ct a bit of celesti al te rritory N ow .

we are loo ki ng i nto M a nika rnika K un d the most holy

-
,

place or spot in a ll the holy am This ta nk is the

sa nct um san ctomm o f the most s acred city in the
Hi n d u world) “

Every pil grim who visits Bena res a fter he has ,

received absol u tion and pu rification in the sa cred river

and pe rformed a ll the rou tin e cerem on ies at the gh ats .

an d temples sta rts from this ta n k t

,
o wa lk a round the

en ti re celesti a l gro u nd a dista nce o f fifty miles He

, .

co mpletes the circ u it here at M anikarnika K u nd by a -

d o uche in thi s ree kin g pool which one au thor has

“
ca lled the pa radi se o f micr obes ” .

’
Here is the Rev Arth u r Pa r ker s graphic desc rip
.

‘ See m
hi by Hurst , a nd M odern mm by Wilki nson

M iter! 87 . M ap a
1 92 I N D I A TH RO U G H TH E ST EREOs CORE

tion o f this n a sty holy tank : W i thin a rai led eu

c los u re is a squa re tank ha vi ng on e ach o f its sides ,

a sta i rcase of stone lea ding down to a pool of stagnant

w ater fetid with the rottin g flowers which ha ve been
,

cast i nto it as off erin gs I n this the visitor sees the .

most sa cred spot in Ben a res To ba the in that filthy .

w ater means to the Hi nd u to obta i n deli verance from

a ll pen al ties even fo r s ins o f the deepest dye
, The li a r .
,

the thief the mu rderer and the a d u lterer may here

,

w a sh an d be cle an in a spot which the foot of the ,

p u rest Christ ia n man or wom a n w o u ld i n st a n tly defi l e .

“
There a re m any legends co nn ected with this we ll ,

the most common bei ng this — Onc e u pon a time the ‘

good lord Vishn u in a time o f grea t drought d ug ou t , ,

with his discu s not withou t grea t p ain and l abor thi s
, ,

well to s u ccor his faithfu l worshippers His sacred .

s wea t filled it to the brim with a pea rly flood and wh en ,

M ah adeo a rrived and loo ked down in to its limpid

depths he saw reflected as in a mirror his o w n cha rm
,

in g vis age Enraptu red with the s i ght and fu ll o f the

.

prai ses of Vishn u he as ked him to name for himsel f ,

some grea t rew a rd to which the du tifu l Vi sh nu re ,

plied th at he cou ld wish for nothi ng better th an that

he mi ght a lw ays h ave the company o f M ah adeo him
sel f . Now g re a t indeed w as the deli ght of the god ,

and in the e xcess o f his emotion his body trembled

with raptu re when lo ! from one of his ea rs ri ght i nto

,

the midst o f the well there fell a j eweled pen dent ,

m aki n g it sa cred for all time A nd thi s is why to .

,

thi s day it is ca lled M an ika rnika the well o f the ea r

, ,

ri n g Betwee n the well and the gh at o n a ra ised p lat

.

form is a sm a ll m arble represe nt ati o n o f two mi nu te

feet This is the Chemna Pad uka the mon u me nt o f
. ,

Vi sh nu s foot for here it is s a id the god ali ghted

’

, , ,

W it M O
 B E N A RES 1 93

and m ar ked the spot fo r ever by the si gn of his o wn

Now let the visitor loo k a rou nd him for he is at ,

the very hea rt of Hi nd u ism Above him tower s a lo fty

.

temple the gi ft o f the Raj a o f A hmety a nd below

, , ,

alon g the ed ge o f the sa cred strea m a re severa l others, ,

m as sive an d richly ca rved bu t all slowly s i nki n g i n to

,

the bed o f the mi ghty river Arou nd him su rge s a

.

m otl ey th rong o f pil grims and devotees o f all k i nds ;

here is the nak ed yogi with m att ed loc ks an d smea red
fro m hea d to foot with s acred ashes an d side by side ,

with him the gentle S an yasi as clea n as the oth er is ,

fou l ca rryi ng in on e h an d his go u rd of s acred w a ter

,

and in the other his b amboo w and which never t o u ches

the g rou nd N uz zling abou t among the cro wd fo rag

.
,

in g fo r s acred fl o wers and leaves an d dropped rice ,

a re sacred bu ll s ; at you r ea r comes the famili ar whi ne ,

‘
B ak h s hi sh give here sir ; on e rupee eight anna fou r
, ,

an na I a m a priest sir I mak e prayer for you and

.
, , ,

tu rn i ng one sees wh at is s u rely not the least sa d o f

all mel an choly si g hts her e a fine you ng Brahm an
, ,

with fai r sk i n and i ntelli ge nt feat u res o ver which the ,

sh adow o f greed an d cu nn i ng is only j u st creepi ng ,

taki ng u p the mixed rOle of be gga r tou t bu lly and , ,

general frau d probably in s u ccession to one o f the

,

fat son s of the Ga n ges s qu atted do wn there by the

,

w ater side .

“
S m all com fort is it to know th at his few wor ds o f
broken English w ere lea rned in a Government Col
lege o r percha nce in a M issi o n S chool B u t sa ddest
,
.

o f a ll is it to see the little han ds of pil g rims whose ,

dress pro ves them to be str an gers to Be nares who a re ,

h u rried fro m sh r i ne to shri ne by hired tou ts S lowly .

they descend the steps o f the sacred well and seat

Petition ” .
M C
 B N E ARES 195

( ofte n spe lled s a ti) W e h a ve. al re a dy referred to

Th uggee o r Th uggism and how it w as sometimes done
by means of poi son I n remote times poison was a
.

common mea ns o f tak i ng li fe in In di a It is said th at .

s uttee had its ori gi n in a l a w compellin g widows to

bu rn themselves on the bodies o f thei r h u sbands be ,

caus e in so m any ca ses the dea th o f h u sbands was

owing to poison admini stered by wives H u sban ds .

were often poisoned for the most trivi al o ff e nse rea l ,

o r im agined ; a nd as a correcti v e fo r these femini ne

misdemeanor s the pena l law of s u ttee w as en forced .

I n l ater cen tu ries it beca me a vol u nta ry sa crifice in

proof of fidelity and devotion an d when a faint , ,

he arted wife h ad not the co u rage o r loyalty th u s to

accompa ny her lord to the other world the nei gh ,

bo rs fo rthwith sh a ved her hea d as a ma r k of de gra da

tion and compelled her to do all sorts of dru dgery
,

for her h u sband s family

’
.

W hi le you loo k a t this spot try to think o f the

terrible agonies o f the n u mberless u xoria l sa crifices ,

the livi ng crem a tions th a t h a ve tak en pl ace .

I will give a brief accou nt of some attenda nt cir

cumst an ces o f a s u ttee a s witnessed by E u ropea n s
“
si nce the British o ccu pati o n *
H a vi ng bathed the .
,

widow dressed in her clean ga rme nts and ho ldi ng

, ,

some eu sa gra ss sips w ater from the palm of her

,

h an d Bea ri ng cusa and ti la on her hea d she look s

.
,

to wa rd the east or north while the Brahma n u tters ,

the mystic wo rd 0 m Bowi ng to N a rayan a she next

. .
,

decl a res — ‘
On this month on this day I ( n am in g , ,

herself and her family ) th at I may me et A r undhati ,

( the w i fe o f V a sis th a the gu ru o f ,the g ods ) an d ,

res ide in S w a rga tha t the yea rs o f my sta y may be

,

Colobrook a k
'
ay o

Pos ition 88 .
M 8
1 96 mum TH ROU G H TH E sr s as osoor e

n u merou s as the ha irs o f the h u m an body ; tha t I m ay

e nj oy with p aterna l an d m aternal progenitor s and the ,

ancestry of my h u sband s father ; th at lau ded by the

’

Apsa rases ( Cele sti a l n ymphs ) I may be h appy with ,

my lord through the rei gn of fou rtee n Indra s ( Ki n gs

o f the g ods ) ; th at expi ation be m a de fo r my h u s

ba nd s o ff ences whether he has killed a B rahm an

’

, ,

broken the ties o f gratitu de or m u rdered his frie nd

thu s I a sce nd to my h u sba nd s bu rn i ng pile I ca ll on
'

y o u ye, gu a rdi an s o f the ei g ht re g io n s of the world

S un a nd M oon Air F i re Ether Ea rth and Water
, , , , ,

my o wn sou l Yam a ( the g od o f the spirit world )

, ,

Day N i g
,
ht a nd Twili g ht a n d tho u — c on scie nce bea r
, ,
'
witness I follow my h u sband s corpse o n the fu neral
pile Yo u will remembe r th at the g u ru is the wi se
’
.

spoke sm an o f the gods an d his wi fe s name is A rund

’

h ati .

It is the d u ty of a son o r nea r rel a tive to li ght the

fu n era l torch a fter the widow m a rtyr h a s repe ated her -

m antras ( s aid her prayers ) ; and the m antra s a re

based o n the followin g pri nciples of Hi nd u faith
The wi fe who commits hersel f to the fl ame s with her
h u sban d s corpse sh a ll equ al A rundhati and reside
’
, ,

in S w a r ga .

“
Accomp any i ng her she sh all reside so lo ng in,

S w ar ga as a re the o f h a irs on the h u m a n

body .

“
As the sn ak e catcher forcibly drags the serpe nt
-

from hi s ea rth so bea ri ng her h u sband [ from hell ]

,

w ith him sh all she e n j oy h eave n l y bliss .

“
Dyi n g with her h u sband she sanctifies her ma .

tern al an d paternal an cesto r s an d the ancestors o f

him to whom she gave her virgi nity .

“
Su ch a wi fe ado r i ng her h u sband in celesti a l
, ,

ca mp s
 B N E ARES 1 97

felicity with him greatest and most admi red sh all

, ,

en j oy the deli ghts o f heaven while fou rtee n I ndras

rei gn.

“
Tho ugh a hu sband had ki lled a Brah man brok en ,

the tie s o f g ratitu de o r m u rdered a frien d she ex

”
, ,

p ia tes the cr i me .

A commo n exclama tion as a victim en ters the fire

—
is z Ram Ram S a ti ( Go d God I a m ch aste )
, , , , .

W hen the m antr as h a ve bee n concl u ded and some ,

one n ea r o f kin h as applied th e torch frien ds who ,

h a ve a ccomp anied the su ttee widow from her h ome -

ga ther a ro un d the bl az in g pile and throw u pon it

bu tter and wood ; this o f cou rse is to i ncrea se the
, ,

fl ame and shorten the time of agony Cases a re re .

corded in which the self m a de victim u nable to su s -

,

tai n the terrible su ff eri ng spran g from the pyre ,

w rapped in fl ame while the bystan ders with wh ips and

,

cl u bs rained blows u pon her to compel her to re

en ter the fire ; if she esca pes and recovers from her
ch a rred con dition she becomes an ou tcast The
, .

frien ds an d witn esses o f this bru ta l pra ctise will re

ceiv e as they believe grea t rew a rd for the pa rt tak en
, ,

in the s acrifice .

While at first su ttee w a s pra cti sed as a pen a l in

fliction la tterly it w a s a s a lrea dy sta ted a vol un ta ry
, , ,

act; yet when a widow fa iled to ca rry ou t her de

cla red p u rpose o f sel f immol ation she wa s s u bj ected

-

to the most deba sin g au sterities S ometimes su ttee .

,

s ubj ects were drugged almost to u ncon scio u sn ess be

fore the cru ci al moment ; in other cases grea t qu an ti
ties of wood l ashed down were pl a ced over the tw o
, ,

Co l S leem an
. in his Rambles and Recollections re

w as . w e
 BEN AEES 1 99

A few instrumen ts of mu sic ha d been provi ded ,

an d they pla yed as u su a l as she approa ched the fire ;

n ot as is commo n ly su pposed
, in order to drown ,

screa ms bu t to prevent the la st words of the victim

,

from bei ng he ard as these a re s u pposed to be pro

,

p h etic a nd mi ght become so u rces Of p ain or stri fe to

”
,

the livi ng .

The H i nd u code sa ys a wom a n who bu rns hersel f

sha ll rem a in in Pa ra di se with her h usba nd three hun
dred and fifty mi llion yea rs W ell th at s not a ba d .
,
’

term o f heaven i f the h u sband he the ri ght sort o f a

man with whom to live for so gre at a period bu t I ,

can t see wh at the h u sband h a s don e tha t a ll th at

’

prolon ged pe riod o f bli ss sho u ld accru e to him I .

su ppose however the Hi n d u wou ld say as w om an

, ,
—
lost Pa r a dise it is only fai r dea ling th a t she shou ld
,

re ga i n it even by s u ttee
, .

This sm all pill a r n ow tells u s of the m any terrible

sacrifices offered on this spot ; it is also one more re
mi n der o f wh at En gl and h a s done for I ndia and the
world in the aboli shme nt Of revolting cu stoms
, .

A g l ance alon g this ba nk o f the Gan ges beyon d

the s uttee memori al is not withou t in terest The .

wr etched and semi ba rba rou s appe a rance o f the ha l f

-

n u de devotees i s repel lant ; it is diffi cu lt to associ ate

in telli ge nce with s u ch aspects o f h u m an li fe even i f ,

it were possible to associ ate in telli gence with the re

ligious beliefs and ceremonies to be witnessed here .

Yo u see women in scan t robes some in white an d ,

soin e in red a nd both sexes with ba re and ca llou s feet

,
.

They all appea r to be ha lf sta rved M en and women -

.

both chew betel lea ves and spit the red j uice over
-

everythin g You see a ba rber plyin g his tra de and

.

sca ttering hi rs u te tu fts to the fou r wi nd s Cobblers

”m
.

Pa tties .
p .
200 i xnu T m m m

do a flourishing busins s in the repair of il

p g rim foot

ing into the river You see that g reat remnant o f

.

cl u stered col u mns h a lf way down the emba n k ment ; -

m any others ha ve reached the ri ver and lie h a lf sub

mer ged .

The scenes at Benares are impressive as an ethn o

g p
ra him l st u dy bu t dep r essin
, g a s a socia l en viron
ment How can a scen e be otherwise than depressing
.

when it tells you Of two h undred and fi fty million s o f

people in i g norance in d ar kness in poverty Ben a res
,
?
,

h as been a del usi on school for thou s ands of yea rs

-
,

where millions h ave been confi rmed in error in su per ,

stition in fana ticism and in false hopes and beliefs

,
.

I f M anika rnika Ku nd nea r by which w as on ce fi lled

- -
,

with the pea rly swea t drops of Vishn u were to re -

,

the ru pees which ha ve been extorted from the

poor i gnorant pil grims by the priests it wou ld be
, ,

filled I ventu re to sa y a h u ndred times

, , .

N owlet u s move a short distance from the bath

ing and bu rning g ha t s to the door of the borne of a ,

m a rvelou s loca l a thlete .

p oun d weigh t

W e a re in an age of athletics or wh a t Kipl in g ,

“ "
wou ld ca ll an age o f flanneled fools There are .

few who do not a ttach g rea t importance to physica l

cult u re Ther e is Often however a v ast di ff erence
.
, ,

between a thletic sports and ga mes and tru e physi ca l

.

cu ltu re Ma d and bru ta l contests u n der m any di f

.

ferent n ames a s Ofte n mea n physica l destru ction a s

physica l development
”M
.

W on . O
 B E N ARES 201

There a re none who do n ot commend the hi ghest

developme nt o f the physica l man ; bu t the t erm
a thletics as u sed toda y is fo rced in its applic ation to
, ,

co ve r ga mes which a re corporeally i nj u riou s and

mora lly a seriou s detracti o n from a n ecessa ry ap
—
plica tio to work and d u ty am u seme nt rather th an
n

developmen t It is practical ly impos sible fo r chil

.

dren in school o r you ng men in college to ha ve thei r

mi n ds an d he a rts e ff ectively set on games ( athletics )
and book s a t the s ame time The bli n dest o ught to .

“
see and know this All wor k an d no pl ay m ak es
”
.

J ac k a d u ll bo y is an old pl atit u de but it is tru e

”
, , .

All pl ay and no work m ak es J ack a mere to y is ,

—
the trite cou n terp a rt e qu ally tru e Both extremes .

a re obvio u sly wron g and both extremes often see k

,

apology in these stu pid o ld proverb s Man y seem to .

believe th at S andow s physica l cu ltu re book s and

’
.

school s will m ak e S andows th at physica l cu lture will ,

tran sform i nvalids i nto athletes The hi ghest the .

,

best the only rea l physical cu ltu re is an abun dance o f

,

eve ry kind of n a tu ra l out door rec re ation -

.

The ca t and the ti ger never atten d gymn a sia .

N ature m ak es athletes ; the gymnasi um helps a little .

N a tu re mak es poets schools help a little sometimes

, ,

sometimes they do not N atu re m akes orator s ; ed u

.

ca tion retou ches N atu re m ade Edison an d then

.

plen ty of experimenta l exerc ise ( h a rd work ) com

p le te d him N. a t u re m a de Corbett the most a g ile ,

p ugilist in the world ; N at u re m ade Su llivan the m ost ,

i n vi ncible fi ghter o f his da y N ature m ade J efl reys .

,

the ch ampion o f the world P ractice improved them .

,

bu t N a tu re m a de them Gymn a s ia did little or n othin g

.

’
for them All the tr a i n i ng in the world won t m ak e a
.

co w as agile as a monk ey Tra ining on l y mak es the

”M
.

Pos ition . O
 s aun as 203

sea ted postu re he tilted the ston e from its flat sur
face to its ed ge betwee n his kn ees the n lyin g pros , ,

trate he brought it u pw a rd s tow a rd s his chest by ef

,

forts a lmost p ai n fu l to witn ess W ith elbows thru st .

down by his side he wed ged him sel f be ne ath it u ntil

,

it w a s well over his chest the n the fina l m uscu l a r,

eff ort w a s m a de ; it w as s ublimity in m u sc u l a r exertion

and h u ma n effort As the m u scles in the chest and
.

a rms beca me more an d more ri gi d his veins bec ame ,

gorged and stood ou t li k e whip cords As the ha l f -

.

to n of stone moved slowly u pw a rd in ch by in ch a , ,

tremor shook his whole fra me ; the compre ss ba nds on

his biceps look ed a s thoug h about to snap ; his eyes
were closed in an agony o f effo rt ; and th u s the gre at
stone w a s su sta i n ed till the ca mera secu red fo r you
thi s n — —
e gative only a second when with a tre ,

mendous m u scu l a r e ff ort he tossed the ha l f ton to the

,

ea rth beyon d his k nees This w on derfu l feat of

.

st rength was then repe ated fo r a second n ega tive .

You see no g rea t rol lin g m u scles abo ut thi s hu m an

won der ; his mu scles a re n ot la rge bu t they a re o f ,

steel ma de so by n atu re and k ept in best form by

,

exercise Tra i n i n g is good becau se tr a ini ng is ex

.

ercise bu t it is too often u nn a tu r a l

,
mech anica l and ,
’
insuflicient It w a s not Palwan s ve geta ri an ism th at
.

m a de him str on g but it did n ot preve nt him from

,

bei n g stron g Y oun g men shou ld not be so fa r de

.

luded as to believe th a t they w ill be Palwan s i f they

live as Pa lw an did or th at they will be S andows i f
, ,

they st u dy an d practi se his theories of physica l tra i n

ing. No ma n w as ever grea t by imita tion and sel ,

do m m u ch g rea ter th a n his n atu ra l e ndowments .

I pa id Pa lwan I thi n k a doll a r for each O f the

, ,

two lifts a handsome fee for a poor Hi ndu He lives

”
.
,

W . M .
204 w ma a OU GH TH E
-
sr m oon

but c lo se by He has no k nowledge o f phys iology

. ,

hygiene or sanita ry philosophy ; his dietary is chiefly

rice There is little dou bt but wha t this same Pal
.

w an cou ld toss over his hea d the best athlete of the

bes t co l le ge team in America and he is presen ted ,

as an e xample Of a n a thlete not made by athletics .

ifwe tr ace the cou rse o f the G an ges river on ou r

genera l ma p o f Indi a up stream tow a rd the n or th
,
-

west we find the city O f Ca wn pore abou t two h un

,

dred miles above Ben a res Ou r n ext position will .

“
be tak en on the river ban k o f th a t ci ty o f mela n
-

"
cho ly fa me .

P oeiti o u 6 0 P ea cef ul n ow, but s ta i n ed wi th h or r i

.

—
bl e memor i es n or th at th e M a s s a cr e G h a t o u th e

We are sta ndin g on the ba n k of the Gan ges at a

spot rendered s acred by one o f the cru elest an d most

pathetic events in the an na ls o f I n dia Let u s recall .

somewh at o f the story of the Mu tiny There w a s a .

line of n ative k in gs who lon g ru led in Indi a c alled

‘
the M ahra tta s En gl and h a d m any w a rs with these
.

r u lers In the sou th they were fin a lly overthrown at

.

the memora ble ba ttle o f Pl a ssey which ga ve E ng ,

l and soverei gnty over the grea ter pa rt of Indi a .

The l a st k in g o f the M ahra tt a s w a s B aj i Rao An .

a dopted so n O f this ki ng beca me the inheritor O f a ll the

esta tes j ewel s and houses of B aj i Rao ; he h a d been
,

trained a nd re ga rded a s a prince When Lord Dal .

hou sie ca me to ru le in I n di a he decla red th a t a fter

,

R —
the de ath of B j i ao the a dopted son ca lled N ana
a ,

—
Sahi b shou ld cea se to be con sidered as o f the line
o f k ings and shou ld therefore be a llowed to inherit
,

M ae-60. Mo !
 C A W N PORE 205

only priv ate property This ga ve g rea t Off en se to

.

the dis inheri ted N an a S ahib He determin ed on re

.

venge and insti gated the terrible u pris in g o f 1 85 7

”
,
“
kno wn in histo ry as the I ndi an Mu ti ny This how .
,

ever shou ld be re garded a s only one of the iirmi e

,

di ate an d min or cau ses of the m u tiny .

N an a Sah ib lived a short distance u p the river

from the pl ace show n in this view The I ndi an .

soldiers recognized in N an a S ahib a legitimate s u c

cessor of the Mahratt a dynasty and it w as not di f
ficult to a ro u se them aga i nst the E nglish ru le The .

on e h u ndredth an nivers a ry o f the battle of P l assey

w as chose n fo r the m u ti ny The En glish comm ander

.

here at Ca w n pore had only a sm a ll force bu t he did ,

not believe a n att a c k wo u ld be ma de ; so i n stea d o f ,

pl aci ng the English people— men women an d chil ,

—
dren in the magazine fo r sa fety they were s imply ,

tak en withi n the li nes Of a sm all milita ry gu a rd where

they were a lmost defen seless The m u ti n eers fired
.

u pon the helpless band killi ng in discri mi na tely After

, .

grea t nu mbers had been k illed and a fter u nspea kable

,
.

depriv atio n and s u fferin g had bee n e nd u red for m a ny

days by the s u rvivors a note came from N an a S ahib
,

to Genera l Wheeler the En glish comm ander say

, ,

ing z— “
All those who a re in no way con nected with
the acts Of Lord Da lhou s ie and who a re willi ng to la y
,

dow n their a rms sh all receive a sa fe pas sage to

All ahaba d ” ,

Ge neral Wheeler thought it a great O fler ;

.

others we re s u spiciou s o f the revengefu l ex prin ce -

,

bu t General W heeler pre v ailed All the h a l f sta rv ed

.
-

En glis h peopl e w ere brought to this pl ace o n the river

bank by th at o ld ru i n the rem ai n s O f a bathi ng gh at
, ,
.

Twe n ty o ne boa ts were filled here at the edge of the

-

river the people be in g only abou t one h al f the n um

,
-

Pod ttn co . M ea t
 GA WN FORE 207

—
Gh at by the En g lish Ma ss acre Gh a t The memories
, .

o f this spot will rem a i n forever M ost na tives prob .

ably wou ld gl adly forget the bloody an d trea cherou s

record o f Ca wnpore ; and it shou ld not be forgotten
th at some n ative troops did rem a in faith fu l to the

Nea r every city in Indi a every w ater fron t is li ned,

-

with dhobies or w ashermen You see them n ow a long .

the Gan ges at this poi nt Th at bridge over the river .

is one mile from where we sta nd ; the city is to the

left ( northwest ) abou t two miles distant S oon we
, .

sha ll p ass over yonder brid ge on o ur w ay to Lu ck now

We m u st witness one more h allowed spot in old

Ca wnpore therefore we go on to the outs ki rts o f the
city to visit wh at no traveler in Ind ia fa ils to visit the ,

M emori al Well .

P os i ti on 6 1 . M emor i a l at Ca wnp ore, to B r i tis h

1 35 7

I f I were a sk ed to n ame the sa ddest and most

p athetic spot in the entire world I wo uld say th a t over ,

which the pu re and brooding a ngel stands Cawn .

“
port as I ha ve said is ca lled the City o f melancholy
”
, ,

fame . The story of Ca wn pore can never die The .

n ame o f N an a Sahib will forever rema in a synon ym

of perfi dy cru elty cow a rdice an d besti al li centiou s

, , ,

n ess— a worse tha n M oloch the a rch fien d o f the ,

-

orienta l world I pres ume you ha ve rea d the story

.

O f the I n di a n Mu tin y ; i f ou h ve n t seize u pon n

y a o a

opportu n ity Ou r l ast view sugg es ted an i ncident con

.

n ec ted th e rewith — h m u rder Of i oce t m wome

t e nn n en n ,

an d childre n at the M assa cre Gh at You remember .

ho w those people were severa l wee k s pen ned wi thi n the

W M “ M t
208 I N D IA TH RO U G H THE STEREOSCO P E

milita ry lines and wh ile there how m any were killed

, ,

and how m a ny died from s ic kness a n d were con si gn ed

to a deep well for bu ri al F o u r men esca ped from the

.

slaughter at the Massa cre C hat and two h u n dred ,

women were brought back and pl aced in a hou se n ea r

the pal ace occu pied by N ana Sa hib These as alre ady .
,

s ta ted in the l ast story were backed t ,

o piece s by pro

fes sio nal bu tchers from the city hi red to do the bloody ,

work by mi n ion s o f N ana Sahib The two h un dred .

bodies o f bu tchered wome n and children were thrown

i nto a well .

The well is be neath th at stone on which the a n gel

stands The be au ti fu l an gel is by the famou s Ita lian
.

scu lptor M arochette Her a rms a re folded de noti n g

, .
,

resignation ; she holds in her hands the m a rtyrs pa lm ’

.

Over the e ntr ance bu t not seen from our position is

, ,

i cribed
n s — “
These a re they who h ave come ou t o f
grea t tribu l ation ” A nd arou n d the well cu rb you c an
.
-

a lmost re d from where we sta d

a n — “
Sacred to the
perpetua l memory O f the g re at comp any o f Chri stia n
people chiefly women an d children who n ea r this spot
, ,

were cru elly m a ssacred by the followers of the rebel

N ana and cast the livin g with the de a d into the well
, , ,

belo w on the 1 5 th day of J u ly

, ,

I s it any wonder t ha t the eyes o f every visitor g row

dim as he st ands before this holy shrine an d reca lls ,

the l o ng wee k s O f morta l fe a r o f agony an d o f hun

, ,

ger thi rst an d sic kness ; the bra ve ry of those noble

,

wom en who gave thei r ga rments to serve the gun

ners and their u nderga rme n ts as b and ages for the
wo unded ; the ann ou nceme n t tha t all m u st die ; the
l ast fa rew ells a fter lon g s u ff eri ng ; the l a st fond cl a sp
in g of chi ldren as the bla c k vis aged bu tchers entered
w ith gleamin g k nives Is it any wonder th a t the
.

m ac-oi .
“
l i sp !
 —
CA W N POR E L U C K N O W 20 9

A g l Saxon silently li fts his ha t as he p as ses be nea th

n o-

the a rch O f tha t sacred memo ri a l ?

The memorial is not confi ned to this m agn ificent
sc u lptu red screen ; a pa rk of thirty acres s u rro u nds
this well The entire pa r k is beautified by trees
.
,

sh ru bbery flowers an d w al k s and vistas through the

, ,

l u xu ri an t foliage reve a l the spark li ng Gan ge s in the

di stan ce A B riton loves a hero an d does not forget
.

the heroic dea d The Ca wnpore M assacre has been

.

ca lled the black es t crime in h u m an history and i f yo u ,

w ant to fire an Ang lo I ndi an hea rt you h a ve only to

-

say
“
Ca wnpore ” Remembe r not all who we re
.
,

sl aughtered by the bu tcher pri nce were E ngli sh ; the

bo nes of American wome n a re m in g led with those O f
their English sisters fi fty feet below tha t c u rb stone
,
-

on which the weepin g a ngel sta nds .

An other city o f Mu ti ny f ame is dista nt on ly a two

’
hou rs rail way ride and there we sha ll next go to
,

loo k u pon some other pl aces associ ated with the sa d

and ever memor able S epoy Rebellion which is an other

na me for the same even t in I ndi an history I refer

.
.

to Lu ckn ow ; bu t before e nterin g the city we wi ll ha lt

at the river Goomt i to witness a w ash ing scen e .

P os i ti on 6 2 I n d us tr i o us dh o bi es ( was h er men )
. a t
wor k i n th e r iv er a tL uckn ow

W e are look in g u p the Goomti ( a branch of the

Gan ges ) northwest to the iron bridg e The city of
,
.

Lu c know is a little to o ur left and extends for severa l

mile s u p a nd do w n the ri ver ban k The famou s -
.

Re sidency is o n ly a h a lf mile to o ur left .

I ha ve cas u ally mention ed dhobies before bu t he re ,

n ea r Lu ck n ow the river is l ined with them Dh obie s .

—
a re profession a l w ashermen th ey i n fe st every pool ,

P os ition “ .
M l
 LU CK N O W 21 1

method is a bou t as destru ctive to clothes as the com

mo ner method of swishin g them on a rock W hen the .

sa nd Of the river ban k is sufliciently clea n w ashed

-
,

clothes a re spre ad out thereon to bleach and dry ,

otherwise cloths are sprea d over the grou n d to re

ceive the w a shed a rticles . O ne fellow h as erected
a clothes li n e bu t tha t shows too much en terp ri se for
-

a n ative ; the innova tion w as s u rely prompted by an

En glish mistress .

A dhobie w ash and a dhobie l aundry a lw ays emit

a disti n ctive odor or ra ther a p ai r o f them ; o ne is
'

betel lea f an d th e other the smok e Of the dhobie sh ack

-
.

M r D hobie is chea per than John Chi naman by abou t

.

one h u n dred per ce nt ; bu t his work is abou t on e hun

’
dred per cent inferior to John s There a re no fema le
.

Lu cknow is the ca pita l o f Ou de and covers an a rea

,

of thirty six squa re miles It has a popu l ation o f

-
.

nea rly thr ee h un dred tho us a nd We shou ld not fin d

.

here the beau ti fu l a rchitectu re see n in northern and

wes tern I ndi a ; bu t wh at Lu c know l a ck s in a rchi
tectu re she m ak es u p in history W e lea rned m u ch
, .

o f the tr agedy of w a r ( a ss a ssi na tion ) at Ca wnpore ;

we sha ll lea rn more in this Old capita l on the Goomti .

W e hea rd from H avelock and his bra ve men at Ca wn

pore ( pa ge we sha ll hea r from them again at
Lu c know SO we will forsak e the dhobies and w an der
.

over to th a t memorable thea tre o f struggle the Resi ,

u ni-
n ee .
M t
212 "mu T K I O UG H me m es

P os i tio n 6 3 . B a HI i e Ga te fr mn th e ea et -
to r n by

We are now before the famous Baillie Gate the ,

m a in entr ance to the histori c Residency at Luc kn ow .

The Ba illie Gua rd was stationed few yards

only a

he rig ht of this
to t gate , and ho w bra vely tha t guard
fought and held thei r post the world knows . No one
w ho ca n recall the story of the siege o f Luclmow
can stand before this gate unmov ed I t was here that .

the noble H a velock , follow ed by the kilted H i g hla nd

ers entered a fter m any hou rs o f ha nd to ha nd fight
,
’
- -

ing th rough the streets and l anes o f Lu ckn ow The .

Res idency bu ildin g is only a h undred y a rds within

and tow a rds the ri ght a lthough the e ntire g round
,

m ay be ca l led the Res idency The l ar ge bu il ding oc

.

cupied a s a hospita l is a lso to the ri g ht and imme

diately inside the entra nce ( It m a y be

. n ecess a ry to
expl ain th at the te rm Residency in Eng lis h colonies
mea ns the oflicial residence o f a Governor or a Gov
ernment Oflicial a ppoi nted to o versee Briti sh interests
‘

in that place ; bu t in the histo ry o f the siege o f Lu ck

”
now the term Residency incl u des the e nti re place
occ u pied by the defenders ) Whe n H avelock en .

tered he re it is s aid th a t the sick and wou n ded cra wled

,

f rom thei r cots in the hospita l nea r the ga te and in ,

a feeble w ay cheered and w a ved to thei r deliverers ;

and when he en tered the Residency the meeting of
the rescu ers and the resc u ed ca nnot be desc ribed
sta rved and emaci ated la dies fell u pon their knees be
fore thei r d u st sta i ned and blood st ained delive rers ;
- -

the i nvincible Hi ghl anders c aught the childre n from

m others a rms k issed them and p assed them from
’

h e we ak a nd h un gry tried to cheer bu t

O h and ; t ,

a n. “
 Luc k n o w 21 3

thei r voices were chok ed with g ra titu de ; they cou ld

o nly so b and weep their h app in ess Although the ar.

rival O f H a velock brou g ht i n crea sed secu rity their ,

fu ll deliverance w as n ot accomplished u n til the ar

riv a l of S ir Colin C ampbell in November two months ,

a fter H a velock s force h ad en tered the Residency

’
.

S ir Coli n Campbell with re in forcements e ntered a lso

-

a t this gate Very ne ar where we sta nd is a fine

.

obelis k erected by Lord Northbrook w ith a n in scrip

ti o n in memory O f na tive offi ce rs and Sepoys who
died n ea r this spot nobly perform in g their d u ty .

One of the sa ddest a ccidents of the deliver ance oc

—
cu red a t this spot O u the da y the relievi n g force
entered some f ai th fu l S epoys were left gu ardi ng the
,

Ba i llie Ga te and the a dvanci ng 7 8th Highlan ders tak

, ,

ing them to be o f the e nemy ch a rged them ba yon eti ng

, ,

th ree who o ff ered no resist ance When expl ana tion s

, .

followed and re grets were expressed o ne o f them

”
w aved his h an d cryi n g — Kootch purwann i 1 ( Never
“
,

—
mind it is a ll for the good cau se ; welcome frie n ds ,

and the n fell and expired .

You remember wha t provok ed N a na Sahib s re

’

“
ven gefu l spirit which resu lted in the black est crime
”
in h u m a n history ( S ee pag e 204 ) The g e n era l
cau ses of the I n d ian Mu tin y a re sever al bu t one of ,

the immedi ate an d most rema rkable w a s givi ng

ca rtrid ges to the native troop s which had been greased
with t allow— the fat of the cow which anim a l is ,

sac red to the Hi nd u Thi nk of this appa re ntly trivi al

.

off en se and the disastrou s c on sequ ences The loss of

, .

life in the defen se of Lu ck n ow a lone w a s o ne hun

dred and seven ty Officers and over twe nty two h u n dred -

men This does not i ncl u de the gre at loss of li fe a t

.

the siege of Delhi an d elsewhere It is the O ld story .

Pos ition “ . Mop !

 w cxn ow 21 5

the ni ght gu ns and the fl a shin g o f rifles from s u r

-

ro un din g hou se tops and he was let down i nto a pit

-
,

with others o f lower r ank j u st beyond the Residency

yonder .

I n the ba sement o f tha t bu ildin g there were born

d u ring the sie ge ei ght babies who were alw ays there
“
a fter c alled S ie ge babies .

Visitors ofte n a scend the old tower for an o u tloo k

over the entire a rea An e xtensive and well k ept
.
-

cemetery lies j u st behi nd the Residency To this day .

n o n a tive is a llowed t o e n ter the s acred gro u nd It .

is the mo st sa credly cherished spot in Lu ckn ow Two .

thou san d heroic men and wome n lie b u ried there A .

s imple sto ne m ark s the gra ve of S ir Hen ry La wrence ;

it bea rs a to u chin g i nscripti on by himself
Here lies
Hen ry La wr ence ,

W ho tried to do his du ty .

M ay the Lor d h ave mercy on his sou l !

Born 28th J un e 1 806 , .

D ied 4th of J u ly 185 7 , .

There is on the m ound to the left a beau ti fu l c ross

of w hite m a rble This is c a lled the La wrence M e
.

mori al a nd on it is inscribed
,

In memory of
M aj or Gene ral S ir Hen ry La wrence ,

K B C . . .

And the br ave men who fell in defense of the Residency

1 85 7 .

N ot the lea st i nteresting th in gs in this scene a re

the person a l representatives of the besiegers and be
—
sieged the two men on the la wn n ea r u s The on e .

on the left is a E u ra si an th at is a m an who is a

, ,

Eu ropea n on one side and an Asi atic on the other .

M i lan “ . Map !
21 6 mom THRO U G H r ue s m msoor s

Dufi ng man occupied the Dr Farer

the siege that .

hous e on ly a few h undred ya rds to the lef t of where

he sits now in frien dly con fa b with a H ind u who w a s
a mong the besiegers Wh ether the H ind u took an
.

active pa rt, I do not know . N ow they are both Res i

deney gu ides ; both ha ve served me in tha t capacity ;
the la tter accompa n i ed me to the cemetery but w as ,

—
not a llowed to enter ( no native is all owed to enter
this cemete ry ) The former a veteran of the siege
.
, ,

w a s u nder no s u ch ban It is not yet fifty yea rs since

.

the sie ge o f Luc kn o w a nd m a ny a re yet living who

,

u nderwent its ho rrors a nd its agonies .

It i s not u ncommon d u ri ng s uch sou l t ryin g crises -

th at i ncidents occu r to excite h u ma n risibles even in

time o f g rea t distress ; they occu rred at Libby Prison
and at A ndersonville At Lu cknow a midst dea th.
, ,

su ff erin g and fun era l g rief an event occu rred which .

provok ed irresi stible l aughter — F or a time a porti on

of the o ri gi na l ga rrison were left to de fend a power
fu l old fo rt ca lled M uchee B a w an on e mile from the ,

Residency S i r Hen ry decided tha t it m u st be

.

aba ndoned and ga ve the followin g order by si gn a l

“
Blow u p the fort and come to the Residency at twelve
'
o cloc k toni ght Brin g you r tre as u re and gu ns and
.
,

destroy the rem a inder This order w as obeyed the

.
—
fu se to the mine u nder the fort w as left lon g so tha t ,

a ll mi ght be well clea r when the explosi on occu rred .

The shock w as tha t of a n ea rth quak e a nd a bl a ck

clou d of smok e w a s a ll tha t w a s left o f M uchee B a w an .

On c a llin g the m u ster roll on the followin g da y one

-
,

m an w as missin g a n I rish soldier ; he w a s given u p

,

a s lost It proved that he had been left behind in a

.

t e o f intoxication He w as blown into the a ir re

l i
.
,

ned to the ea rth unhurt and fell again into a ,

be “ . Ma o-1
 LU C K N O W~ A GRA 21 7

dru nk en sleep I n the morni ng fin d in g the p lace in

.
,

ru i n s and deserted he st a rted for the Residen cy an d

, ,

str an ge to say he p as sed the d angerou s li n e u n ha rmed .

At daybreak the men i nside the Reside ncy gate were

s u rprised to hea r a man c ry out in I ri sh brogu e
”
,

“
Arrah thi n open yo u r ga tes ! They let him in and
, , ,

as k ed him why he h ad left the fort ; with a loo k o f

bewilderme nt an d simplicity he rep lied an I

’

di dn t see ara m an in the place

’ ” .

I n tra gic contra st to this amu si ng siege in cide n t is

the story o f the poor wi fe of an offi cer at J an see ,

another Mu tin y point who whe n the pl a ce w a s s u r

, ,

ro unded an d there w a s little hope fo r escape drew ,

from her h u sban d a painfu l and rel u ct ant p romise that

—
he would not allow her to fal l alive in to the h an ds o f
the bru tal e nemy The promise w as give n and when
.
, ,

“
the fie nds brok e in u pon them she sp rang to her h u s ,

‘
b and s side and wi th a la st caress excla imed N o w
’

, , ,

,
—
Ch a rlie now you r promise l He ki ssed her p u t the ’
,

pistol to her hea d and then tu rn ed and sold his life

”
,

dea rly to the wretches abou t him .

W ith this brief refere nce to the memorable siege ,

we will resu me our j ou rney westw a rd for two hun

dred miles u ntil we rea ch on the bank s of the J umna , ,

a city which no tra veler in I ndi a lea ves unseen

A gra Ou r n ext position is to be a short dista n ce out
.

from the town It 15 defi n itely loca ted on our speci a l

.

m ap of A gra ne a r the ri ght h and m a rgi n

,
-
.

P os i tion 6 5 Ga me] d r i v er s wai tin g a t s outh ea s t

.

s id e of ga teway to th e f a mo us T aj M a h a l , A g r a

W e a re here loo kin g northwest in the direction of

the city of A gra The J u m na River is two h u ndred
.

y ards to ou r ri ght .

Pos ition 68 .
M 9
 TH E TA ] M A H AL 21 9

st a n d below tho se m arble domes F rom the opposite.

side on e c an overlook the be au ti fu l garden s and the

,

Taj itself Every dome and mi na ret g litters with a

.

golden spi re It is abou t two h u ndred and fifty yea rs

.

si n ce the Taj and th is gatew ay were completed and , ,

day by day and yea r by yea r du ri ng th at time tou rists ,

an d tra veler s ha ve bee n strea mi ng th rough th at ga te

w a y to ga ze u pon the glory of the m atchless stru ct u re

with in .

The ca mels and thei r drive rs in this gr an d s qua re

are in no way co nnected with the Taj o r the s u r rou nd
ing bu ildi ng s ; they a re h a lti ng for a few mi nu tes o n
their way across the cou rt on their homewa rd j ou rney .

W e now enter th a t fine porta l on the so u th side and ,

p a ss th rough to the opposite or north door f rom the ,

steps o f which we sh a ll behold the world f amou s Taj -

M aha l ( S ee the loca l ma p )

. .

th e —
Ta! M a h a I ma r bl e tomb of a M og ul Queen ,

This is the won derfu l T aj Ma hal the most beau ti ,

fu l bu ildi n g in the world It is a tomb and the most

.
,

magnifice nt ever con st ru cted to prese rve and honor

the ashes o f a h u m an bein g It w a s er ected by the
.

Emperor S ha h Jeh a n in honor of his beau ti fu l and be

loved qu een M oo mtaij i Mah al There is so m u ch in
,
- -
.

terest atta ched to this peerless stru ctu re and to the

be au tifu l qu ee n whom it commemorates th at some in ,

form ation rel a ting to the bu ilder the b uildin g and the
,

hi ghly honored qu een is n ece ssa ry It seems th at a .

good dea l of error exi sts and many co n flicting state

ments h a ve bee n ma de in referen ce thereto I ha ve .

every re a son to believe that the Rev W illi am B u tler

”m
.
,

da n -66 . M op Q
220 mo m '
a oucH e sr sasosoor s

OU . is a fu lly in formed and reli a ble au thority on

.
,

these points and I wi ll the refore mak e u se o f his state

—
ments z l n many book s M oomta ij i Ma ha l is co n - -

founded with Noor Jeh an the consort o f J

‘
eha ngi .

Noor Jehan and Jehan gi r were the hero and heroine

in M oore s Lo lla Rookh S hah Jeh a n wa s the son of
’
.

Jeh an gir by anoth er wife Noor Jeha n Jeh ang i r s .

,
’

wi fe h ad a brother A suf J an M oomtaij i Ma ha l w as

. .
- -

the daughter of As uf J an and bec a me the fa vo ri te ,

wi fe of Emperor S h a h Jeha n and in her honor and ,

memory the Taj here w as erected M oomtaij i Maha l .

- -

di ed in 1 631 her au nt Noor J eha n the wi fe of Jeh an

, ,

g i r died in 1 646 M oo mtaij i Mah a l w a s m a rried at

, .
- -

twenty and died at twenty n ine yea rs o f age A t her -

.

—
d eath she m ade two requ ests on e tha t the Emperor
sho u ld not m ar ry agai n the second th a t he should ,

bu ild fo r her a tomb th a t wou ld pe rpet uate her n a me .

The two requ ests were fa ith fu lly fu lfilled .

This memoria l tomb w a s commenced immedi ately .

W ith wh at love devotion a nd fidelity the l ast requ est

,

w a s ca rried ou t you h a ve the testimony be fore you

. .

T he g eni u s requ ired for the crea tion o f this s u perb

m au sole u m w as fou nd in a F renchm an by the n a me of
A u stin de Bo rdeau x Shah J eh an knew the ra re .

ability of the man to whom he ga ve the commissi on .

The Emperor ca lled him Z urrier Du st — “

the Jewel ‘

"
h anded The na tives ca lled him Gosta n Es au N a dir
”
.

“
al As u r the W onderfu l of the A ge
. His s al a ry .

w as six thou sand doll a rs a yea r ; besides the T aj he

bu ilt the pa la ce a t A gr a also th at at Delhi The , .

buildi ng of the Taj occ upied twenty two thou s and -

men for twenty two ye a rs and cost in the mon ey o f

-
,

tod ay si xty million dolla rs a nd even this accordin g to ,

”
,

‘
Some tlmn calle d N ur N ahal ; n o page: Sr .

M ucus 66 . Map 9
 TH E TA J M AH AL 22 1

Dr B u tler does not i ncl u de the e normou s v al u e o f

.
,

preciou s and semi preciou s ston es which were pre

-

sented by tribu ta ry ru lers The w onderful a rchitect

.

an d a rtist went to Goa in beh a lf o f the emperor an d is

believed to h a ve bee n poison ed by the Po rtuguese o n

a cco unt o f j ea lou sy becau se o f his grea t infl u e nce at
cou rt .

N o w th at we h ave le a rned for whom and by whom

thi s m atchles s a rchitectu ra l blossom w a s created we ,

w ill con sider it in p a rts M any eminen t w o rd a rtists

.
-

ha ve v ai n ly tried to describe this won derfu l stru e

—
tu re It ca nnot be described it can on ly be felt ; a
.

rosebu d a bo uqu et ca nnot be described in words

, , ,

n either can th e —
Taj M ah al an d one may say o f those
'
who try as Pollock said of those who essa yed Byron s
,

fli ght s of poesy— u nea rthly flutterin gs m ade

“
You .

ca n here see fo r yo u rsel f m o re th an the cleverest word

a rti st cou ld tell yo u and yet eve n this does not sh o w

,

the mi les of tra cery in preciou s gem s o f every color .

B u tler sa ys when Lady S leem an w as as k ed by her

h u sba n d what she th ought o f the Taj she qu ick ly re
,

plied I ca nnot tell you what I thi nk fo r I k now,

n ot how to cr itici ze s u ch a bu ildi n g ; b u t I can tell

u how I feel — I wo u ld die tomorrow to h ve s u ch

y o a

another pu t over me l ”
The J u m na river flows towa rds the ri ght j u st be
hi n d the pla tform w a ll o f the Taj The beauti f u l ga r
.

den exten ds from the gate by whi ch we stand to the

Ta j ei ght h u ndred and ei gh ty feet ; the width is
,

ne a rly a thou sa n d feet The a rea occu pied by the

.

ga rden is divided i nto sixtee n eq u a l sp aces and each ,

spa ce is set apa rt fo r pl ants or trees o r fl o wers o f a

kind Th at ma rble li ned chann el filled with limpid
.
-

w ater extends the fu ll length of the pl a za and spa rk les

Pos ition 66 . M 9
 T H E TA ] M A HAL 22 3

buildin g s mostly in red sandstone give a most ef

, ,

fectiv e contra st in col o r cou nteracti ng the possibi lity

,

of too mu ch white f rom the predomin a nce o f white

ma rble The temple at the left is so situated as to
.

allow worshippers t o f a ce westw a rd or tow a rds M ecca .

These three bu ild ings the Taj the temple an d its

, , ,

co u nterpa rt on the Opposite side occu py an entire front

,

ag e o f n in e h u n dred an d sixty feet o n the J u mn a

river ; this frontage extendin g ba ck from the river
,

three h un dred and thi rty feet con stitu tes a founda
,

tion pla tform o f solid sa ndston e for the several build

in gs U po n this grea t s u bstru ctu re o f solid mason ry
.
,

a seco n d pl atform o f m a rble eig hteen feet hi g h and

three h u n dred and thi rtee n feet squa re is pl aced Thi s .

is the tru e base of the Taj ; and even from th is dis

tance you ca n see how h andsomely it is ca rved and set
o fl in relief p an e ls ; the fo u r sides a re a lik e
’
and re ,

member th at the base pl atform is ei ghteen feet hi gh .

You a m see a proj ection in the mi ddle o f the front

si de of the pl atform ; on both sides o f tha t proj ecti on ,

m a rble steps lea d to the top of the pla tfo rm which

is on a level with the m ain floor The crypt wherei n
.
,

are co n ta ined the sa rcoph agi o f M oo mt aij and the

Emperor is below the ma in stru ct u re withi n the

, ,

bas e and is rea ched by steps

,
The ce notaphs o r
.

memori al ca sk ets are on the m a i n floor even wi th the ,

top o f the ba se wher e we can see a sm a ll door open in

the center of the l arge porta l .

I n the center o f the gre a t pl atform st a nds the g rand

M ausole um one h u ndred an d ei ghty six feet squa re
,
-

w ith t hi r ty three feet cu t o ff the corners to ov ercome

a h a rsh an gu l a rity . The hei ght o f the go lden spire
which cu lmi nates the gr aceful dome is two h un dred
and seventy five feet ; the dome is fifty ei ght feet in
- -

M n fi mp o
224 mm
11 r H l oucH
“
me sr fl eoscor e

won derful stru ctu re is of pur est white m a rble brought

one h undred and thirty th ree feet skyw ard

-
. They a re

n w white ma rble
s o - . There is another m a rble wnk or

the ba la nce ed ifice on the ri ght There a re within the .

enco mpassin g w a lls of the entire Para disia c enclo s u re

ei ghty fou r founta ins tossin g silvery spra y alon g every
-

vi sta of da rk g reen fol iage .

T he most wonderfu l of a ll a re the astonishing

a mou nt o f work and the inc redible n umber o f preciou s
stones u sed in the rm sa ic decorations Dr B u tler says . .

a Persi an ma nu sc ript prese rved in the Taj gives an

accou nt o f a ll the m ateri a l u sed in its constru ction ,

recordin g th a t crysta l ca me from Chin a j as per from ,

the Pu n j a b ca rneli a n from B ag da d tu rqu oise from

, ,

Thibet a gate from Yemen l apis la z u li from Cey lon

. ,
-
,

d ia monds from Pu n ah rock spa r from N arbudda lode

,
-
,

stone from Gw a lior a methyst and onyx from Pers ia

, ,

from Villiat and s a pphire from ,

o r

and thi s is on ly a p a rti a l list It is cla imed tha t the .

enti re is inl a id on the w alls with in a nd

The Kom te xts in Arabic letters a re cu t and
in hlmk m arble on the ou tside and in precious ” is

in the interior F rom where we stand almost two

. .

h undred y a rds a way we ca n only indisti nctly see the

,

deco ra tive ic : th at in preciou s stones we sh all

t our next pos iti o n
g
se .

sten to the words o f on e who has see n the Taj

from nea r the place we occu py — “
The moon had j un
h i dde n her f befo re the a pproa ching break o f day .

W “ M
. Q
 m a TA ] m ax
. 225

W e look ed down u pon the imme n se inclosu re crowded

with trees min gled together in one i n dis ti ngu ish able
ma ss gen tly s u r ging and moanin g in the ni ght breeze
, .

Above rose app ar ently in the di stance a huge g ray

, ,

bl u e ma ss withou t sh ape o r form which rested li k e

, ,

a clou d on the g loomy sea o f folia ge S oon a faint .

glimmer o f li ght appea red in the eastern hori zo n ;

as the d a r kness fled a w a y before its g ra d u a lly in c rea s

ing powe r the clou d ch an ged first to a li ght and the n

, ,

develo ped into shape and proportion and the minarets ,

and the c u pol as a nd dome defi ned t hemselves in clea rer

li nes u po n the still dar k sky beyo nd S oon the first .

rosy ti nt o f the daw n appe a red an d as if b y magic

, , ,

the whole a ssu med a rosea te h u e which i ncreased as

,

the sun m a de its appea rance and the Taj stood before
,

us dazzlin gly brilli an t in pu rest white absol u tely per

, ,

feet in its fai ry propo rtions It is imposs ible to de

.

scribe it I ha d hea rd o f perfection of ou tli n e and

.

o f gr acefu l symmet ry of pro po rti on b u t never re alized

,

the tru e mean i n g of thewords u n ti l the m o rn ing when

I wa tched the T aj bu rst i nto loveli ness at the to u ch o f
the s un s m agic w a nd
’
.

A nother pou rs forth his sou l th u s As fo r the

stru ctu re in the cen ter the first bewi lderin g glan ce
,

rev ea led wh at seemed to be a del icat el y scu lptu red

mou nta i n of p u re white alaba s ter s u ppo rting on its
,

crest a spa rk li ng dom e li ght as a radia nt bu bble which

, ,

mi ght a t any mome nt float aw ay and v anish i n to air .

After one raptu ro u s look at its su blime p roporti ons

the l ast dou bt w as dispelled forever The con q u est .

wa s complete ; an d I beca me a worshippe r a t the T aj

”
,

lik e all the millions who h ave gon e before me .

Now if we s troll a lon g those po li s hed m a rble w alks ,

Position “ M ap ,
 TH E TAJ M A H AL 227

octago n al sc reen abou t six feet high with doors on the ,

sides The open tracery i n this white m arble screen

.

is wro ug ht i n to beau ti fu l flowers s u ch as li li es i rises , ,

an d others and the borders o f the screen a re inl a id

,

wi th preciou s stones represen ting flower s execu ted

,

with s u ch wonderfu l perfection th a t the form s wave

as in n at u re and the h u es and sh a des o f the stems
, ,

—
lea ves a nd flowers appea r a s rea l almost a s the
,
—
beau ties which they represent .

q
These o rn amental desi gn s are so ca refu lly an d ex
uisitely execu ted th a t severa l o f the flowers h ave
as m an y a s ei ghty different ston es enteri n g into thei r
composition a ll polished un i form wi th the m arble into
, ,

which they a re so delicately in serted th a t you ca n

ha rdly trace thei r j oinin gs They seem as though they.

h a d grown there i nstea d o f bein g sepa rately prepa red

,

a n d pl a ced in thei r positio ns b y the h a nd o f the cu n

nin g workmen who desi gned this imperish able an d

”
,

m agnificent memori a l of h u ma n love .

O f the two tombs on ly tha t of M oomta ij is seen

from where we sta nd n ow ; th a t o f the Emperor is a
few feet to the le ft a little l a rger in the s ame desi gn
, , ,

bu t no t qu ite so el abor ately decor ated .

B u t the richest wor k o f all is on the cenota ph o f

the Empress with in the screen Upon her tomb ac —
—
.

cordin g to the u nivers a l M oha mmed an u sage é s a

’

sl ate o r tablet of m a rble while on the Emperor s is a

,
’

sm a ll bo x represen tin g a pen holder These alw ays -

.

’
distin guish a m an s o r a wom an s gra ve amon g these
’

people the ide a bein g th a t a wom an s hea rt is a t ablet

,
’

o n which l o rdly man ca n write wh atever ple as es him

best A nd t his ma rk of femin in e in feriority w a s not

.

spa red even the beloved occu pant o f the T aj M ah al .

“ —
B u t her tomb how beau ti ful ! The sno w white -

Pos ition 6 7 . M ap 9
228 mm
11 r e no w n r m; sr u eosoon

ma rble is inlaid with flowers so delm tely formed that

they look lik e embroidery on white satin so e xquis itely ,

is the mos aic execu ted i n c a rnelian bloodston e agate , , ,

j asper tu rquoi se l apis la zuli an d oth er p reciou s ston es

, ,
-
.

Thi rty five di ff erent specimen s of mmelian a re em

-

ployed in form ing a sing le lea f of a ca rn ation ; and i n

o ne flower n ot l a r g er th an a silver dolla r a s m a ny a s

twenty th ree di ff erent ston es ca n be cou nted Yet

-
.

these a re bu t specimens o f the beau ti es th at a re sprea d

in u n p a ra lleled pro fus ion over this enti re ch a mber In .

deed Lo n g as serts th a t he fou nd a flower u pon her

,

to mb to be composed o f n o less th an three h un dred

di ff erent stones ” .

On the en d of the tomb n ext the en tran ce we fin d

“
writte n in beau ti fu l A rabic ch a racters A nd defend
”
,

u s from the tribe o f u n believers — “

u nbel ievers me a ns
“ ”
Kaflirs a nd Kaflirs implies Christi a ns or all w ho do
'

not believe i n the Kor an M oo mtaij s own inscription .

’

also beau ti fu lly in l a id is — “

M oo mta ij i Mah al R a n ee
,
- -
,

Be gum died ,

These words from an u n kn own au thor help the

im agi n a tion — “
View the Taj a t a distan ce ! I t is a s
i f the spi rit o f some h appy dre am dwelli n g dim bu t ,

pu re u pon the hori zon of you r hope an d rei gn in g in ,

vir gi n s u prema cy over the visible ci rc le o f the ea rth

an d s ky A pp roach it n ea rer an d its gra n deu r ap
.
,

pe a rs u n lessened swelli n g i n a ll i ts fresh a nd f ai ry

,

ha rmon y u ntil you a re a t a loss for feelin gs worthy

of the p resence A pproach still ne a rer an d th a t which
.
, ,

a s a whole h a s proved so ch a rmi n g i s fou n d to be

, .

equa lly ex qu isite in the minu test deta il .

“
H ere a re no tou ches for dista nt eflect H ere i s
'
.

need to pl a ce the beh o lder in a p a rtic u l a r spot to ,

a pa rtia l li ght u po n the perfo rm a nce ; the wo rk

m ” .
 m e T A] M A H A L 229

which da zz les with its eleganc e a t the coup (f ad ! w ill

be a r the scru tin y o f the microscope ; the scu lptu re o f
the panels the f ret work a nd mosa ic o f the screen
,
-
,

the ele ga nce o f the m a rble pa vement the perfect finish ,

o f every j ot an d iota a re a s i f the me a nest a rchitect

,

h ad been one o f those potent genii who were of yore

compelled to adorn the p a la ces o f n ecroman cers an d

q
Many a s a fore men tion ed h ave tried a nd tri ed and
,
-
,

struggled to a de uately portra y the transcen dent loveli

ness o f the world s most beau ti ful stru ctu re bu t in
’

v ain ; one m u st see ; and even then u nles s endowed ,

with ra re ca p acity o f mind and hea rt you will not be ,

able to comprehend nor fu lly estim a te nor feel the

won drou s beau ty an d excellence o f this architectu ra l
mi ra cle .

O u r l ast vie w wi ll be f rom the balance temple ,

look in g u p the ri ver towa rds A gra Cons u lt the loc a l

.

m ap and notice the rea ch of the divergin g l ines .

tr ag edy , n or th west f r om T aj M ah al up th e
Jumn n to A gr a

F rom o ur new view poi n t on the buildin g a t the

-

e a st side o f the T aj we ha ve a fa rewell glimpse o f a

portion of the Taj overlookin g the J u m n a W e h a ve .

chosen this position becau se while it a ff ords only a

,

pa rti a l di sclo su re o f a portion o f the bu ildin g ne a r a t

h and it also brin gs into view the river a nd in the
, ,

dist ance the fort an d the ra i l w ay bri dge at A gra The .

ne ga tive w a s m a de d u rin g the dry sea son when the

J u mn a shrink s to a modera te stream You will see .

sa n d ba rs everywhere expos ed Du rin g the monsoons

.

the stream is of ten a grea t torren t a h al f mile in width -

.

W “ .
M O
 TH E TAJ M A H AL 2 31

Before le a vi ng this scene o f pa thetic sp l endor this ,

—
vista o f tragedy and rom ance a nd I mi ght also say
o o —
this m ck ery f a ll h u m an ambition let me s u bmit
a v aledictory in the he a rt felt u tter ance of a T aj wor
-

shipper
“
We fee l as our eyes w ander a ro u nd this ha ll owed
,

space th at we h ave hitherto la vi shed ou r l anguage

,

an d a dmi ra tion in v ain W e dre a d to think of it with

.

fee l in gs which wor km an ship less ex qu isite h as

a w ak en ed and we da re not u se in its pra ise l an guage
, , ,

hac kneyed in the service o f every d ay minds W e see k -

.

for it a new tr a in of a ssoc iation s a fresh ra n ge o f idea s , ,

a g ra ver and more s a cred co rner in the repository o f

the hea rt A nd yet wherefore shou l d thi s be since
.
, ,

n o terms a pplyin g to other work s o f be au ty exceptin g ,

the most genera l ca n be appropri ate here For tho se

,
?

there be phr ases esta blished by u sag e which thei r sev ,

era l cl a ssifica ti o ns of style render inte ll i gible to a ll

ac qu ainted with simil a r wor ks o f a rt B u t in the .

T aj we fa ll u pon a new an d sepa rate cr ea tion which ,

never ca n become a style since it never c a n be imi ,

tated . It is li k e some bri ght and new l y discovered

w in ged th in g a l l beau teou s in a beau ty pecu li a r to it
,

sel f and referable to no cl ass or order on the rol l o f Zo

,

ology which the whole w o rld flock s to gaze u pon wi th

,

sole mn del ight none pres u min g to desi gn ate the lovel y
,

stran ger nor to con j ect u re a ki n ship for it wi th the

,

win ged thin gs o f the e a rth ” .

S i x miles n orthwest o f A gra a t S i ka nda rah i s . ,

another memori a l of the splen dor o f Indi a s M o gu l ’

ru lers W e shou ld not fa il to see its witn ess to

.

Akba r s soverei gn g rea tn ess fo r A k ba r w a s on e of

’
,

the most con spic u ou s an d nobl e fi gu res of his

Pu m a .
M O
232 mo m T H RO U GH TH E sr s xeosco es

time Ou r sixty ninth posi tion will be nea r where his

.
-

d ust w as l a id a w ay three h un d red yea rs ago .

to tomb A kba r , M ogul E mp er o r

of of th e s ix

teen th cen tury , Sikund ar a h

W e a re now before the grea t gatew ay of the tomb

o f Ak ba r a t S i kan d a r ah A kba r was on e o f the grea t
.

an d j u st M ogul ru lers o f I ndi a He was born in 1 542

.

an d died in 1 60 5 He it w as who first collected the

.

v a ri ou s tribes into a sin gle empire with himself at its

head H e forba de the bu rni ng o f widows ; he en
.

courag ed litera t u re an d commerce an d w a s exceed

,

ine libera l in h is reli giou s views ; it w as ev en cla imed

by some tha t he w a s as m u ch a Chri sti an a s a M oh am
med an His spi rit of tol era tion w as wh at most dis
.

tinguished him from other M oh ammeda n r u lers He .

w a s indeed a leader in reli giou s th ought as well as in

a ll th a t perta ined to commerci a l progress a nd the a rts
o f pe a ce The mildness o f his ch a ra cter his stri ct im
.
,

pa rti a lity magn a nimity and perso n a l cou rage are men
, ,

tio ned in pra ise even by the Jes u its who visited India
d u ri n g his rei gn The memory o f his good qualiti es
.

and deeds still lives amon g the people of Hind u stan .

The tomb is beyond thi s m agn ificent ga tew ay a n d

we p a rti a lly see it through the ope n i n g ; bu t it wi ll
be seen better from ou r next position A s we did a t .

A gra ( P os ition let u s h alt before this wonder

fu l portal It seems eve n more ela bo rate and richer
.
,

th an th a t before the Taj Here aga in you r eyes will

.

con vi nce you of a grea t a rchitectu ra l tri u mph This .

s teway a s a t A g ra is o f the proportions o f a great

, ,

o f red s a ndstone a nd covered with

d in white m arble On every cor .

 S I KANDARA H 233

ner you see what h as been a beau ti fu l mina ret but ,

la cki n g the kios k which ori gi na lly cro wned the top .

The min a rets in two sto ries a re each sixty feet in

'

h ei ght correspon din g ne a rly with the hei ght o f the

,

m a in portion o f thi s grea t M ogu l propyl on The in .

terio r conta ins m an y sp ac ious h a lls finished in mas

sive ma son ry .

Yo u c an im agine from the herds feedin g nea r th a t

these costly sh rines are not gua rded a s a nti qu ities so
ra re w o u l d be in western cou ntries W ith a ll th at .

En g la nd h as done and is d o i ng to preserve them the ,

mon u ments of the p ast centu ries a re so great a nd so

n u merou s th at rep a ration a nd preserv ation woul d
almost exhau st the imperia l trea s u ry .

I f we were to ascend to the platform a t the top o f

the gatew a y we shou l d obta in a p a noram a o f the s u r
rou n din g co u ntry ; the vill age o f S i ka nda ra h is nea r
by ; beyond the tomb at the north the J u mn a spa rkles
in the s u n l ight ; to wa rds the southe a st the city o f A gra ,

the T aj and the Fort cou ld be seen a nd di rectly be

, ,

low s u rrou nded by spa ciou s grounds filled with a

,

va ri ety o f shr ubbery stands the grea t memori a l to the

,

wise a nd good A kba r .

I f we p a ss through th at cen tra l a rchw ay a broa d

path wou ld le a d u s to the fron t of the tomb where we
ar e to t ak e ou r next st a nd W e sh a ll be fac in g wes t
. .

Pos i ti on 7 0 . Tomb of A k ba r , M og ul E mp er o r th r ee
h un d r ed y ear s a g — ma r bl e l a tti ce i n u e r s tor
o pp y
—
( weat) Si ka n d ar a h
Now we a re before wh at is ca lled the tomb of
A k ba r It is somewh at a w ay f rom ou r experience to
.

ca l l so gre at a stru ctu re a tomb The rea l p lace o f .

sepu ltu re is below nea r the center o f the first story

,
 S I KAN DA RA H 2 35

cham ber in the ba semen t th irty five f eet squa re exa ctl y -
,

u nder the sim u l ated to m b th at adorns the s ummit o f

the mau so l eu m .

“
The tota l hei ght o f the bu i l din g is a little m o re
th an on e h u ndred feet to the t0 p o f the an gl e pav il
ions ; a nd a centra l dome thi rty or forty feet h igher ,

which is the proportion th a t the base gi ves seems ,

j u st wh a t is w anted to m ak e this tomb a s beau ti f u l in

ou tl ine a nd in proportion as it is in deta il H a d it .

been so c ompleted it certa i n ly wo u ld h ave r a nk ed

,

next to the Taj a mon g Indi an m au sole a .

One is n atu ra lly cu riou s to know why these M ogu l

soverei gns constru cted thei r tombs a fter the fa shion
of pal aces o r domic il es with rooms h a l ls and v a riou s , ,

orders o f apa rtments a s though a ll were fo r occu pancy

by the l ivi n g The M o g ul pri nces li k e the T a rt a r
.
,

ru l ers m ad e it a ru le to b u i l d their o w tombs they

,
n —
practised the modern precept — “
I f you w ant a th in g
"
done we l l do it you rsel f
,
I f they desired a mag n ifi.

cen t p lace o f sepu ltu re they m u st prepa re it them ,

selves They did not lik e the E gypti an s believe in

.
, ,

hidin g their d ust within d a r k col d pyr amids o r , ,

within the rock s of the mounta ins Instead they m ade .

,

thei r sepu lch res suitable for pl aces o f ga yety a nd

am u sement while they l ived S o lon g as the fou nder .

lived his tomb w as a rendezvou s for fri ends a festi ve ,

retre at a nd the central ha ll w as ca l l ed a burra h durr ie

,

( festive pl a ce ) A t the de a th. o f the fo u nder his re ,

m a ins were interred ben e ath the ce n tra l h a ll and some ,

times his wi fe or m a ybe his fa vori te wi fe w as buried

,

with him or other members o f the f a mi l y in some pa rt

,

o f the mau sole um When once an interment h a s been

.

m a de it forever ceases to be a pla ce of mirth and

,

festi vity The care o f the tomb and ga rdens is then

”
.

Pos ition . Map !

236 mo m TH RO U GH TH E ST EREOSCO P E

h an ded over to priests who m a int a in a meager exist

e n ce from fees and the sale O f fr u its f rom the ga rden .

W e sh a ll now a scend to the fourth story where we

m ay l ook u pon the cen ota ph o f A kba r .

n oor was o n ce set i n th e p il l ar bey o n d th e h eel

Here we a re in the fou rth story an d the cen otaph ,

o f A kba r is be fore u s restin g on an elev a ted pedest a l

,

of tes selated ma rble This u ppermost story one h u n

.
,

dred an d fifty seven feet on e ach side is Open to the

-
,

sk y bein g rea lly a cloistered c ou rt with beau ti ful m a r

,

ble scr een s set in the rea r of every ba y A ll the sc reens .

s u rro undin g the fou r sides a re diffe ren t i n desi gn an d ,

a g racefu l kios k crowns every an gle The entire floor .

a rea is covered with tesselated blocks of m a rble in ‘

bla ck and white The s a rcoph agus is o f clou ded m a r

- -
.

ble with the ever presen t symbo l o f the pen holder on

-

the cover a nd di rectly below this in the d a rk v au lted

, ,

cha mber o f the ba sement is the morta l d u st of the ,

b u ilder On one side Of this cenota ph i s in scribed the

.

motto o f the sect he ord a ined A lla hu A kba r ( God is ,

greatest ) a nd on the sou th side Julia Jalalo hu ( May

his glory shine ) .

A kba r w as not only a grea t bu i l der an d a lover of ,

fine a rchitectu re he wa s a lov er Of beau ty in every

,

form ; his love o f p reciou s gems m a de hi m the po s

sesso r o f the p eer l ess di a mond known as the Koh inoor .

W ith this he could not p a rt even in de ath You c a n .

see a ma rble pill a r nea r the cenota ph ; th at was once

covered with gold and within a cas k et rec eptacle i n
the u pper pa rt the Kohi n oor w a s en sh ri n ed for over
n ition ” . M ap !
 srxa mmxa n 237

on e h un dred an d thi rty yea rs un til ca rried a w a y by ,

S h ah N adir Of P ersia A s this costly stone is pro b

.

ably more widely kn own th an Akb ar himself it m ay ,

n ot be a miss to rel a te somethin g of its history in this

connection .

A di amond c a lled the G rea t M ogu l v al u ed at fou r ,

and a ha l f mi ll io n s o f doll a rs w a s lon g considered the

,

la rgest gem in the world Croo ke in his l ate wor k o n

.

Things I ndia n s ays the history o f th at stone is sti ll

,

Obsc u re bu t from the investigation of Dr B all an d

, .

M r Beve rid ge we m ay iden ti fy it wi th the Kohi noor

. .

I n the history of this re ga l gem Crook e co ntin u es

“
I t h as been s uggested th a t in con formity with the ,

pra ctice o f ch an gin g me anin gless n ames into some

thin g more intelli gible the fact th a t the d iamo n d w as
,

found a t Kall u r on the Kistn a s uggested the n ame

,
‘
Kohinoor o r M ou nta in o f L i ght Le gen d tells that .
’

the ston e w as worn by one o f the heroes O f the Ma ha b

h a ra ta ; bu t the first his toric n otice o f it is th a t Em
p ero r B aber st a tes th a t his so n H u m a y u n a cqu i red ,

it a t A gr a in 1 5 26 from the famil y of R aj a B ikrama

j it P reviou s to this it appea rs to h a ve been in the
.

h an ds of Su lt an A l a ud din who acqu i red it fr om the

- -
,

Raj a Of Ma lw a in 1 304 In the revol ution which led

.

to the fli ght of H am ayu n from Indi a he presen ted it

to S ha h Tahmasp Of Persi a a nd a s A bu l Faz l do es , ,

n ot men tion it amon g the v a l uables o f Akba r it ap ,

p a re ntly fo u nd its w a y int o the D ecc a n whence it ,

ca me into the treas u ry o f A u r an gzeb a s a present ,

from M i r J u ml a .

“
S ome ha ve s u pposed th a t while the gem w a s in
Persi a it w as cu t o r brok en by clea v age and th at one
, ,

fragment is the O rlo fl di amond n o w in the scepter o f

'

the Emperor of R u ssi a while an other portion is 3

,

Pos ition “ . mp :
 G WA L IOR 239

I n di ana or a little less th an th at of Po rtu ga l an d con ,

ta in a pop u l ation of between three a nd fou r m illi on s .

There h ave been Indi a n records cl a imin g th atthe city

w as fo u nded thi rty cent u ries B C bu t this story is
. .
,

u ndou btedly only tra di ti on a l and more tru stworthy au

,

tho r ities p lace the time at 27 5 A D It is a t a l l . .

events a n ancient and historic pl ace where the r uins ,

of p a l aces and fortresses tell the Old story Of con tend

in g factions fo rei gn inv asions the rise an d f all Of
, ,

dyn a sties the bitter ri va l ry O f s u cce ssion an d a ll the

, ,

vici ssitu des through which n ations seem to p ass in

c a rryin g out the h u m an l a w Of sel f .

A t the time o f the Mu tiny this w as on e Of the l a st

and most obs tin ate strongholds of n ative sedition .

W hether the st u bborn resist ance shown by the people

was owin g to a feelin g of secu rity i n their impre gna
ble mou nta in fortress or to the pride of prestige o r to
, ,

resol u te determin ation to dispossess the British it is ,

difli cult to sa y ; bu t it is well known th a t even a fter ,

the de fe a t o f the m u tineer s a t Ca wnpore and Lu c k

now and a fter the fa ll Of D elhi it requ i red a ll the ,

str atagem and va lor of the En glish to overpower the

enemy here a t G wa lior The G w a lior Dominion s were
.

for a time independen t bu t a re no w s u bsidi a ry to the

,

En glish ru le un der a n a ti ve Ma h a raj a h the son o f

, ,

the l ate M ah a r aj ah S indhi a His Hi ghness the pres

.

ent Maha raj ah s u cceeded his father in 1 886 La ter .

we sh a ll present you to H is H i ghness bu t for the ,

present let u s con sider where we ar e and wh a t is this

,

beau ti fu l stru ctu re befo re u s .

W e a re on wh at I mi ght c all the inl an d G ibra lta r of

Indi a a roc k three miles in len gth o ne h a l f mile in
, ,
-

width a nd three h u ndred feet in hei ght F rom a n y

, .

pa rt of its s ummit a p an oram a comm andin g the pl ains

” M 73 . Map l
240 I ND IA TH RO U G H TH E sr eanosco m

i n ev e ry di rection for tw enty miles mi ght be Obta i n ed .

In the pl a in not fa r a way there is a little P resbyteri a n

chu rch conta i n in g m an y memori a l tablets to brave
Eng lish soldiers killed a t the time o f the M utiny ; in
an other di rectio n sta nd the glitterin g white pa la ces Of
the present Mah a raj ah N a tu re in on e o f her capri
.

cion s moods thru st u p from the level pla in this dome

of trap u nder our feet I t i s crown ed with palaces and
.

temples ; it is tu nn e l ed with s ubterr anea n p assag es ; its

esca rpmen ts a re a live with scu lpt u red re l iefs r an gin g '

in hei ght from six feet to thi rty feet A s a fo rtified .

rock I h ave ca lled it the Gibra lta r o f Indi a ; becau se

of its pa l aces its temples its a lta rs a nd its scu lptu res
, , ,

I mi ght a s fittingly ca ll it the A cropol is Of Ind ia .

S ome scu lptu res a re per fect m any h ave been w an ,

tonly m u ti l ated a s ha s been the c a se in a ll pa rts o f

,

—
the world icon ocl asm is aga in another evidence of
the h u m an l a w of self J a inism left its impress on this
.

mou n t o f pa l aces in some o f the most ch a racte ristic

a rchitect u re of tha t sect There a re nea r here the .

ru ins of eleven temples Jeha n gi r h a d a pal ace her e ;

.

so a lso h a d S h a h Jeh a n ; bu t I ca n n o w s ho w y o u a

f —
portion o only one the one before which we sta nd ,

the Man S in gh p alace .

W e see merely the end o f this pa lace ; fou r others

exten d tow a rds the left bein g a lm o st a contin ua ti o n
,

Of the M an S in gh pa l ace A lthough you h ave only .

a pa rti a l view it is suflicient to give you an ide a of

,
'

the gra nd proporti o n a nd the m agnificent style in which

the bu ildin g wa s constru cted This p al ace h a s been .

c alled Chit M andir ( the pa inted p a l ace ) becau se the ,

w a lls a re covered with a pro fu si o n o f be au ti fu l colored

tiles showin g ca n del a bra Bra hmi n du ck s eleph ants
, , ,

a nd pea cock s en a meled in bl u e green an d gold g iv

, , ,

W 71 Ml p l
 G WA LI O R 241

ing to the w al l an uns u rp a ssed ch a rm and ele gan ce .

The inimita ble colors o f the en ameled tiles a re as

brill iant as they were when first ma de m an y centu ries
ago .

W e a re loo k in g eastw a rd and a t the so u thern en d o f

the pa l ace ; the e astern fron t is th ree h u ndred feet lon g
a nd ri ses on e h u ndred feet above the roa dw ay a t its
ba se The so u th face which we now see is one h u n
.

dred a nd sixty feet lon g and si xty f eet in height ,

showin g those fin e ro u nd towers con nected by a bat

tlement o f la ttice wor k ; the interior is arr an g ed
-

a rou nd the two cou rts which exhibit sin gu l a rly beau
ti fu l dec o ra tion A view Of the p la in below is hid
.

den by the maj estic Hathiya Pau r or Eleph an t Gate, .

A t the en tra nce to th a t ga te a beau ti fu l ca rvin g of an

eleph ant w a s once pl aced and this w as the o ri gin o f
,

the n ame The Eleph an t G ate i s co n nected with the

.

pa l ace and w a s bu ilt by Man S in gh af ter whom the

pal ace t akes its n a me Pa ssin g thro ugh that ga te
.

and tu rnin g to the le ft a lon g roa dw ay lea ds down

the side o f the rock to the city o f G w a l i o r a t its bas e .

A gua rd Of n ative so l diers is alw ays sta tioned here ;

two o f them you see no w on d u ty .

W ith thi s s in gle view O f a rock fortress and an In

-

di an A cropolis we descend by yonder ga te A t the

,
.

foo t Of the mou nta i n a ca rri age wou ld take u s to the

modern pa l ace o f His Hi g hn ess the M aha raj ah .

Pos i ti o n 73 . G r ea t D u r ba r Ha l l i n th e P a l a ce of

H i s Hig h n es s th e M a h a raj a h of G w a l i o r , o n e of

I n d ia s r ic h es tp r in c es
’

N ow we a re within the great Du rba r H al l o f the

P rince Of the Dom inions of G w al ior Did y ou expect .

Pos ltb n 7 3 . M ap I
 G WAL IO R 243

T here w as n o one in s ight an d the pa rt of the bu ild

i n g to whi ch I referred w as so e distance aw ay The m .

Mah a raj ah follows the c u stom of his hi gh ca ste an d

a rranges a bsol u te secl u sion for hi s own f amily .

On state occasions and du rin g other ceremoni al

f unctio ns these gorgeo u s ch an deliers a re abl aze with
li ght displ a yi ng most e ff ecti vely the gilded ceili n gs
,

and the rich u pholste ry a s well as the spa rk l in g gems

i n the d u rba r costu mes O f pri ncely gu ests Court .

eti qu ette a t d u rba r gatherin gs aniongst na tives is of ,

cou rse very el abora te and wo u ld qu ite co n fu se the

, ,

u n in iti a ted.

W e ha ve the speci a l privilege of meetin g the m aster

of this grea t pal a ce an d l and in his o wn h o me .

li or , on e o f th e r i ch es t m en i n th e w or l d

I promi sed to pres ent you to His Hi ghness and ,

yo u a re no w before him a t the doorw a y o f his p a l a ti a l

He is the son o f a hi gh born Ma ra tha f amily and

-
,

w as born in 1 87 6 He received a co l le ge ed u ca ti on at
.

the University o f Cambrid ge En g land and ga ined , ,

the de gree o f LL D from th at great institu tion He

. . .

s u cceeded his father the l ate M a h a raj ah S indhi a in

1 886. His H ig hness is Hon Colon el in the B ritish .

A rmy speci a l A D C to Kin g Edwa rd and Kni ght

, . . .
,

G r and Comm an der o f the S ta r o f I ndi a Thi s de .

s cen dant Of a noble line is a n excellent type o f the

newer Indi a of tod ay keepin g well abrea st of the times

,

by the rea din g o f Eu rope an book s a nd j o u rn a ls Some .

yea rs ago he became especi a lly interested in r a ilroa ds

an d bu ilt a n a rrow gauge ro a d of his own pe r fect in ,

ev ery det ail in the pal a ce ga rd en In 1 90 1 when he

, .
,

M 0 0 “ 7 3-0 4 . Map !
244 umns . THRO UG H TH E sr anaoscor e

we n t hi s regi ment over to Chi n a to j oin the in

w ith
ternationa l A llies aga in st the Boxer hordes he fitted ,

ou t at his own expense a model hospita l ship for the

A s we see him here he is dressed in the u ni form O f

an English Offi cer exceptin g his ca p which is the
,

styl ish tu rban or p ugg r ee o f a na tive prince ; bu t on

d u rba r Occasions and a t ceremo n i a l fu nctions his cos
t u me is very costly and pict uresqu e Ofte n Of the r arest ,

si lk en fabrics embroidered in gold an d silver with

,

pea rls and ru bies to add splendo r T he buckles of his .

shoes m ay then spa rk le with di amonds ; his family

cr est a n d his sword will g lea m with priceless j e wels ;
you c an get some idea Of the e ff ec t i f y ou remember
the Ma ha raj ah o f T agore whom we s a w in d u rba r
’

dress i n his pa lac e in Ca lcu tta and the v a l u e o f his,

costu me an d j ewels ( P osition H H the Ma . .

h a raj ah O f G w a lior is even more wea lthy th an the

Mah a raj ah of T agore I n Eu ropea n co u n tries roy alty
.
,

u sually m ain ta ins a stu d Of beau ti fu l h o rses ; here in

Indi a princes a fter a simila r f ashio n show Off their
wea lth and di gnity by m a inta i n in g m agn ificent herds
o f eleph ants They h ave eleph ant hou ses elephan t
.
-
,

gea r of every description and eleph an t keepe rs to at

tend the h uge steeds This pri n ce o f G w a lior is n ot
.

on ly very rich bu t he is ve ry gen erou s a nd ve ry popu

,

l a r It h a s lon g been one o f his kindly pra ctices to

.

sen d one of his eleph ants to meet tra velers a t the

r ailw ay sta tion It is a nove l a nd interestin g expe
.

ricuce in tr avel to be met at the st ati o n not by a ca b '

nor coo lie porters bu t inste a d by an elephan tine omni

,

need less to say th at H H bein g ed u ca ted a t

, . .

ge spe
, ak s E n g lish perfectly a n d is fa milia r
Mo i
 —
G WA LI OR DEL H I 245

with Eu rope an cu stoms W e see by his side an Eng

.

lish Officia l and behind him n ati ve attend ants with thei r
,

sect a rial ma rk s o n their fo rehea ds .

When we were about to be g in o u r itin era ry I to l d ,

y ou th a t Indi a is a co u n try where the poor a re very

poor a nd the rich very rich ; the Mah araj a h is

one Of the very rich ; the Du rba r H al l in his
p a l a ce is a s uggestion of his wea lth bu t only a sug ,

gestion When we rea ch Delhi we sh a ll see some o f

.

his sple n did e l eph an ts gorgeou sly ca pa ri son ed .

The n ext position we sh a ll tak e for obse rva t ion wi ll

be in Delhi and i f you do not c l e a rly remember the
,

re la tive l oca tion Of G w a l ior and Delhi it wou ld be we l l

to loo k u p the fa cts on our ma p o f Indi a a s a who l e .

The rou te to be followed in an actua l j ou rney over the

g ro u nd wou ld t ak e u s first northw a rd seventy seven -

m iles from G w a lior to A gra ; then northwestw a rd on e

h u ndred miles to D elhi A t De l hi a spe ci a l loca l m ap
.

i s provided for the preci se location o f o ur su ccessive

,

sta n dpoints there You will fin d the nex t position

.
,

m a rked 7 5 n ea r an an gle on the western side of a

,

hea vy ou tli n e which indi ca tes the Old w a ll o f the

fortress .

s i d e of

wor l d,
th e l ar ges t M oh ammed a n
Del h i
mos ue q in th e

W e are loo kin g a little n orth of we st towa rds the ,

grea t mosqu e ( J u mm a Mu s j id ) We h a ve before u s

.

a third style o f vehic l e ; the first we sa w in Bombay ,

the herdic ; the second a Hima lay an con triv a nce ca lled
an e kka Here we see a two s tory ca mel w agon In
.
-
.

some pa rts Of thi s space where we st and c ame l w agons -

m 78 . n o “
 DEL H I 247

he ha s been su bj ected by cru el m a sters ever since m an

fi rst appea red on the ea rth He w a s probably the first .

bea st o f bu rden a s a ntedil u vi ans and postdil u vi ans

,

a nd c a mels were con tempor a ries occu pyin g the s ame

regi o n A n au tomobi le o r a n Empi re S ta te Express

.

is an a dv ance on the prehistori c c amel motor -

.

Beyond the camels we see the l a rgest M oh ammedan

mosqu e in the world It is rather distant for a n im
.

pressive view ; we sh a ll however see it from othe r , ,

positions when on l y a portion o f the great stru ctu re

—
will be in view there fore from this po int where the ,

g reater pa rt o f the entire p l a n is shown I m u st te ll ,

y o u somethin g a bo u t
. it W h en I s a y it is the
. l a r g est
mosqu e in the entire wor l d yo u m ay a s k i f l a rger th a n ,

S t S ophi a in Const a ntinople Yes m u ch l a rger when

. .
,

—
we con sider it in a ll its pa rts its grea t qua dr an gu l a r
cou rt its stu pendo u s gatew ays a nd its Cloisters You
, .

remember the gr ea t empe ror and bu ilder S h ah Jeh an ; ,

he it w a s who erected th is the grea test o f a ll mosqu es , ,

and it seems s ad to re l ate th a t in the very yea r when

it w a s completed he w as deposed a nd imp ri soned by
his son A u ra n gzeb *
.

S i r Rich a rd Temple s ays Of the J u mm a M usp d z

This is probably the most be au ti fu l mos qu e on a very
l a rge sca le th at h a s ever been seen in the world Its .

vast dimensions swe ll in g cu pol as and l ofty a rches

, , ,

its spa ciou s cou rt y a rd a rc ades ga tew ay cloi sters a nd

-
, , , ,

fli ghts o f steps prod u ce u ltim ately a n imposin g effect .

B u t even this is ha rdly perceived at first by the be

h o lder becau se his a dmi ra tion is so riveted by the
,

gr ace O f its forms the nicety O f its proportions the

, ,

delica te ad j u stment o f its component pa rts a nd the

ha rmony o f its col orin g F or the m ateri a l o f this .

stru ct u re the ma rble lends its whiten ess and the sa nd

,

‘ See paee uo
.
248 mo m T H RO U G H TH E sr aaaosooee

stone its finest red Not the le ast impressive fe a tu re

.

o f this v a st pile is the g re a t pl atform on which it is

re a red The platform i s a scended by a fli ght o f f ort

. y
steps before each o f the three m a ssive port a ls You .

c an j u dge somewh a t o f the maj esty of the steps when

I tell you tha t the first on the grou nd level i s one
h u ndred a nd forty nin e feet lon g They ri se li k e the
-
.

three sides of a pyra mid gr acefully narrowin g till, '

they reach the porta l There a re th ree gatew ays ap

.

p roa ch e d by three simil a r fli ghts of steps The three .

gatew a ys remind u s o f those we sa w a t Agr a ( Posi

tion and at S ikand a ra h ( Pos ition The
qu adra n gle with those enco mp assin g cloistered w a l ls
is th ree h u ndred a nd twenty five feet squa re ; the pa ve
-

ment within is o f white m a rble W hen we reach ou r .

next position we sh a ll see the enclosu re filled with

M oh a mmed ans prostrate in pra yer The ponderou s .

gates a re orn amented with a rabes qu es in hea vy br ass .

Notice the g race fu l min a rets in white m a rble one ,

h u ndred and thi rty f eet in hei ght .

T he li fe in the foreg rou nd shows you a pec u li a rity

o f the orien ta l m a n thro ughou t the en ti re ea stern

world ; he has no knowled ge o f ch a i rs nor u se for ,

them The common people seldom u se them ; they a re

.

sitters or ground perchers They seldom stan d in

,
-
.

fa mil ia r confa bs T hey squa t as you see them here ;

.

they sit by the hou r in this f ashion smo kin g a nd ch a t ,

tin g There isn t m u ch m anly dign i ty in this c rou ch

.
’

in g postu re bu t to them it is restfu l an d n ot u n di g

,

n ified .

We sh a ll obta in from the next position a better a nd

n ear er view Of the p o rt a l to the m a in portion of the

mos qu e W e a scend to the roof o f the w a ll a n d loo k

.

W 73 .
M 10
 D EL H I 249

to w a rds the porta l o f the mos qu e proper . The m ap

m ark s the spot in the u s ual m anner .

Pos i ti on 6 Dev out M oh a mmed a n s r os tr ate a t

7 .
p

q
m — u t Jumm M u i d I di
'

p r ay er t i e C o r t o a sj , n a
’
s

g r e a tes tm os ue, D elh i

A few min u tes ago the m u ezzin w as u p in one O f

those m ina rets tellin g a ll within hea rin g o f his v o i ce
to come to prayer an d s u re enough they h a ve come
, .

You see thou sa nds bu t you do not see ha lf The m ain

, .

bu ildin g beyon d i s filled and you do not see even h al f

Of those within the cou rt A rou nd the buildin g ou t
.

side the court the steps a nd the grou nd fo r s ome dis

,

tan ce a wa y from the mos qu e a re co vered with still

other worshippers a ll in the s ame pros trate po sition
,

a t the sa me m oment .

We ha ve seen M oh a mmed a ns at prayers be fore

( P o sition b u t then we did not see them pr a yin g
in concert ; this is a speci a l occasi o n a t the concl u ,

sion o f the g rea t f ast ca l l ed R a m ad an Ra m a d an is .

the ni nth month o f the M oh ammed an c alend a r ; at the

conc l u sion of the grea t fa st in imita tion of the Ch rist
,

i a n Easter the M oh ammed a ns h ave orda ined a feast

d ay c a lled B a ir am This prayer fu l scene ma rks the
.

en d of the fa st P rayer on this occa sion is re gu l ated

.

by priests within th at mos qu e A s I told you at .

Ahmeda bad Mu ss ulmen a t prayer go thr ough a series

,

of post u res a n d genuflections ; they som etimes sta nd

erect sometimes the Open p a lms a re pla ced beh ind
,

thei r e a rs ; then they a re u pon thei r knees ; ne xt they

prostra te themselves to the ea rth ; here on this d ay
a ll pr a y in mech a nica l rhythm l l l Obedien ce t o a si gna l
’

from the priest within tha t mosqu e beyond the court

( C a n yo u see the priest in his p u lpit bene ath the cen
Poc ltlon 7 6 . M ap no
 DEL H I 25 1

of the red lines ma rk ed 77, the direction a nd extent Of

o ur next o u tlook .

q
Po siti on k m m
‘

77 L
. oo i n g n o r th f r o a i n a r e t o i th e

gr ea tes t m o s ue i n th e wo r l d o v er th e f a m o us

W e a re look in g north over the ou ts ki rts of D elhi ;

the princip a l pa rt o f the city is behind u s ; in the dis
tance to o ur ri ght is the Old fort conta i nin g the fa mou s
,

p a lace the D iwa n i am Diw an i k has ; the M oti Mu s

,
- - - -

j id and other wonderf u l bu ildin gs The historic Ca sh .

mere G ate which we sh all see l ater ( Position lies

tow a rds the northwest ; the De l hi gate sou theas t ; the
sie ge line Of the En gli sh a t the time Of the Mu t iny
is westw a rd ; the famou s Ch andni Chow k ( S ilver
S treet P ositions 7 9 80 ) extends ea st and west across
,
-

the city north o f u s i e ahea d , . .

, .

W e a re look in g out from a cu po l a or ba l con y simi

—
l a r to the two now before us I mean the two which
crow n the lower min a rets W e ca n her e study at c l ose
.

qua rter s an d in det ai l these h andsome fe atu res pe

cu li a t to the M oh ammed an mosqu e These a re not O f .

pu re white m a rble l i ke the Ones belongin g to the peer

less T aj Mah al ( Position bu t o f red sa ndstone ,

traced vertica lly wi th lines o f white m a rb l e The gre at .

dome and the domica l mi na rets a re all l ined with bla ck

m a rble whi le the da r k s andston e is lined with white
m a rble The pa vilions or ba lcon ies a re pl an ted in lotu s
.

c u ps O f m a rble All the pinn ac les a re o f glitterin g

.

gold It is from th at high pa vi lion a t the top o f the

.

mi na ret th at the m u ezzin five times a d ay l i fts his

, ,

voice to cal l the f aith fu l to pr ayer This mos qu e w a s .

completed two h u ndred and f or ty ei ght ye a rs ago ; at -

five ca lls a day for two h u ndred a nd forty ei ght ye a rs -

,

M M 77 .
M (Q
 I ND IA TH RO U G H TH E ST EREOSCO PE

the devou t w ail Of the mu ezz in h as echoed from these

mina rets over fou r h u ndred a nd fi fty th ou s and times !
M odern Delhi a ro u nd u s is a city o f two h u ndred
, ,

tho u sa nd inh abita nts There h a ve been m a ny Delhis ;

.

city has s u cceeded city on o r nea r this site since the, ,

remote A ryan times S ou th o f the present city ( O ff

.

behind u s ) there a re ru ins o f m an y an cien t Delhis cov

er in g a n a rea o f fo rty five s qua re miles A ll the -
.

ancient ci ties seem to ha ve forts aro un d which they

were bu i lt The H ind u ru ins d ate ba c k to 1 05 2 There
. .

a re the ru in s Of five M oha mmed an citi es the first bu ilt ,

abou t 1 304 .

“
De l hi h a s been frequ ently a ttack ed an d often ca p
tured I t w a s s ack ed by Tim u r the M o gu l in 1 398 ;
.

by N a dir S h ah the P ersia n in 1 7 39 ; by A hm a d S h ah

Du rani the A fgh an in 1 7 5 6 O n the l oth o f Ma rch .
,

1 7 39 the sm a ll P ersi a n ga rrison which N a dir S h a h

,

h ad introd uced into the city when he ca pt u red it w a s

almost entirely pu t to the sword by the people He .

ga ve his troops who h a d bee n su mmoned from the

,

encampmen t ou tside the city orders for a ge n era l ,

m ass acre F rom s u n rise ti l l twelve o cloc k De lhi pre

.
’

sen ted a scene o f shoc kin g c a rnage the horrors o f ,

which were increa sed by fl ames th a t sprea d to almo st

ev ery qua rter Of the capital The M ogu l Emperor .

M oh ammed S h ah then in terceded fo r the people ;

“
N a di r replied the Emperor Of Indi a m u st n ever ask
”
,

in va in and comm a nded th at the m ass acre shou ld

,

ce a se A v a st m u ltitu de o f persons h a d peri shed how

.
,

ever a nd when N a di r left Delhi he ca rried with him

,

immense trea s u re estim ated at from thirty to sev

,

en ty millions sterlin g a lso the f amou s P e a,c oc k Thron e ,

‘
an d the Ko hinoor di amond .

'
Sec pnse 0 37

m um 77 . M ap no
 D EL H I 25 3

In the Ma ra th a chief M a haduj i S in di a ca p

1 7 89
tured De lhi an d the Ma ra th as ret a ined it ti ll in S ep
, ,

tember 1 80 3 Gener al Lak e defea ted Lou is Bou r

, ,

qu i n comm andin g S in dia s a rmy and ga ined possession

’
,

of Delhi an d o f the fa mily and person Of the M o gu l

S h ah A l a m .

“
In October 1 804 D elhi w as besieged by the
, ,

Ma ra th a J a sw a nt Rao Ho lka r bu t it w a s s u ccessfu ll y

,

defended by the B ritish u nder Genera l O chterlony .

F rom th at time to 1 85 7 th is o ld ca pital Of Indi a re

m ai ned in the posses sion of the British a lthough the ,

descend a nts o f the M o gu l were a llowed some sho w o f

roy alty a nd the title Of Kin g B a ha d u r S h ah s u c .

ceeded in 1 837 ; he w as a bo u t ei ghty ye a rs old when

the Mu tiny broke ou t W ith his dea th at Ra ngoo n

.

in 1 862 the l ast vesti ge o f the M ogul dyn asty disap

red
”
pa .

La ter history brin gs u s to the time o f the Mu tin y

when Delhi fell into the h ands o f the rebels We will
'

there fore descend p assin g northwest thro ugh the city

,

to the point where B ritish v a lor overca me the desperate

—
resista nce O f the m u tineers the C as hmere Ga te Ou r .

position i s ma rked on the loc a l m ap a nd yo u see we ,

a re to stand j us t beyond ( o u tside ) the gate look in g ,

sou thea st .

Pos i ti on 7 8 Th.e C a s h m er e G a te, ba tter ed by sh ot

a n d sh el l , w h er e th e B r i ti s h ente r ed

W e a re fac in g sou the ast a s we sta nd be fo re this

shell to m memento o f the siege We acqu i red so me
-
.

kn owled ge O f the con ditions O f the In di an Mu ti n y at

Pos itions 7 7 -7 8 . M"to

 DELH I 25 5

center o f the Eng li sh pos ition lies directly behind u s

on e mi le distan t The w a ll by this ga te w as known as
.

the C as hmere B astion ; one ha lf mile to the ri ght -

from th is ga te is the M ori Gate which w a s a lso a ,

point o f a ttac k ( S ee the city m ap ) A little west

. .

w a rd o f the M ori G ate the w all tu rns sou thw a rd to the

Kabu l G ate one fou rth o f a mile fa rther on and in
-
,

another q ua rter of a mile is the La ho re G ate Those .

fou r gates with thei r interveni ng ba stions coverin g a ,

dist a nce O f little more th an a mi l e incl u ded a ll th a t ,

portion o f the city w hich the Bri tish besiegers deci ded
to a tta ck .

The C ashmere Gate before us w as a chief point o f

a tta ck The rebels fought with the inspi ration O f a
.

h ope to reé stablish their a ncient empire a nd with the

ven gea nce of fa n atici sm ; the British fo ught not merely
with the u s ua l va lor O f the Sax o n blood bu t with
”
,
“ *
Ca wnpore for a w a tchword and with despera ti on ,

t hat c ame o f a rea li za tion th at defea t me ant loss of

empire and a repetition of Ca wn pore Six thous and .

in open a tt ack aga inst sixty thou s and beh ind stron g
defenses m ak e one th in k o f B a l akla va
, .

It is worth a p age o r two of det a iled history wh ile

yo u gaze a t the sc a rs on th a t Ol d ga te which a fter ,

fifty ye a rs stan ds a s a witn ess of the blood y stru ggle .

“
O n the morni ng o f the 4th of S eptember the siege
gu ns dra wn by eleph an ts with an immen se n umber of
,

a mm u nition w agons appea red on the Rid ge On the

,
.

6th the rest Of the Ri fles f rom M eeru t ma rched in On .

the 8th the J ummoo c o ntin gent a rrived with Rich a rd

La wren ce at their he ad Man y a nd amon gst them .
,

fo rem o st o f all Nicho lson c ha fed at the del ay which

, ,

occu rred in sto rmin g Delhi .

80 0 m 3 0 4 - 20 9 .

M on 78 . M ap to
25 6 m m m sr u mscom

being impossible , it wa s necessa ry to o

c ncentra e all t
thcir breaching power on a portiou od the m ll selected

fl m t was choscn bea use the fire of m M mi B

e a stion
ahue cmmmnded the ap oad i m m d bea nse fim e m '

m
was excellcnt cover to w ithin a shmt distz nce of the '

wall s . O u the even ing of the sin h of SeptembET , a

liglxt battery cousisti w of six 9 -pa mders and uro 24

M un da tin C co
a pm
tain Ren i ng m
an d o f
n ,

was con cen trated m the plateau o f flie Ridge to pro

tect the open tious going c u belo w O u the nigln of .

the 7 th the first hu vy battery was cmstn x ted a t

,

seven hu ndred yu d s from tbe wall It cousifi ed od .

tw o parts counected by a trm d x . The righ po rtion

hekl h gun
ir s to heep b wn h
t e fire o f the fi e m
Ba stion While darkness h sted the a m y ouly fired
m m
.

; wb m tbe mmn mg m e 3 ru
'

kd ish ph ns
the rebd s pume d in
'
a M O f st d mme
flse rebel ln ttery wa s sfleuced

m h the um
.

“
W W M lost Th e
left s ed ion o f thfi r h tter y m ul z med a fire
’ ’

on flx
m m m mm m d m
day s h rt at noon ou the wth it took fire an d the gm s
of u c essity wm w b dn m By that tia o z

in the fi u n of lmfl o w Ca fl e ( m q mfle tn

fru t of it. Bolli were wkhin lnmdmd ymfi six of

tbe ci y ; th e rigin s cd iou h d sem howiuen a i

 D ELH I 25 7

two 1 8 po un ders and the left section n i n e 24 pounders

-
,
-
.

A t 8 A M on the 1 1 th Of S eptember the nine

. .

24 pou nders in the left section of N o 2 B a ttery

-
.

open ed with terrific e ff ect on the Ca shmere B astion .

The enemy replied and severely wo u nded the com

m an d an t o f the hea vy gu ns bu t their fire w as soon ,

silen ced by No 2 B attery a ided by the morta rs in the

.
,

Kudsiya B agh ( a ga rden three h undred y ards to our

left ) The w a lls of De l hi be gan to fa ll and who l e
.
,

ya rds of p a ra pet came down A t 1 1 A M on the . . .

1 2th N O 3 B a ttery u n m as k ed and pou nded t

, . he Water
B a sti on into ru ins ( h a l f a mi l e to our ri ght ) A l l .

th rough the 1 2th a nd 1 3th the ro a r of fi f ty hea vy

gu ns w a s hea rd day and ni ght withou t intermissi on .

“ —
O n the 1 3th Al exa nder Tay l or o f whom N ichol
,

so n s a id — ‘
I f I s u rvive tomorrow I will let a ll the
—
world know tha t A leck Tay lor took Delhi an n o u nced ’

th at the breach es were pr acticable The arra ng ements .

for storming Delhi were forthwith m ade T he fir st .

col u mn u nder Nicho l son consisted Of three h u nd red

men of the 7 5 th Foot two h u ndred an d fifty Of the ,

l st Fu siliers a nd fou r h u ndred and fift y o f the 2d

,

P un j ab Inf antry It was to storm the brea ch in the

.

cu rta in near the Cashmere B astion The sec ond col .

umn u nder B ri g Jones C B w a s to storm the brea ch

, .
, . .
,

in the Water B astion and it con sisted of two h u ndred

,

and fi f ty men o f the 8th F oot tw o h un dred and fif ty ,

O f the 2d Fu si liers a nd three h u ndred an d fifty of

,

the 4th S i khs The third col u mn u nder Col C ampbell

.
, .

of the 52d w as to a ssa u lt the C ashmere Gate a nd con

, ,

sisted of two h un dr ed men o f the 5 2d Foot two hun ,

dred and fi fty of the K u m aon B a tt alion a nd five h un ,

dred of the 1 st Pu n j ab Infa ntry The fo u rth col u m n .

,

u nder Maj or Ch arles Reid who so lon g a nd ga lla ntly ,

Pos ition 7 8 .
M to
 DEL H I 25 9

plied and soo n both sections o f the first col um n h ad

,

c a rried the brea ch nea r the Ca shmere B a stion an d ,

t aken u p thei r position a t the Ma in Gua rd The second .

col umn entered by the breach in the C ashmere Cur

ta i n dou bled a lon g the Ope n sp ace to their ri ght an d
,

clea red the r ampa rts to the M ori B a stion where the ,

rebel gu nners fought gallantly an d were bayoneted at

their gu ns The col u mn then adv anced a nd took the
.

K a bu l G ate on which a soldier Of the Gl st pl an ted a

,

a flag .

“
F rom the Lahore Ga te the e n emy k ept u p a gallin g
fi re N icholson coll ected a n umber O f men to storm
.

this ga te As he adv anced he fo u nd himse l f in a

.

lon g n a rrow la n e lined with m a rksme n on both sid es

, .

S ome o f the enemy s guns were bro ught to bea r on

’

the a tt ack in g col u mn and the men fell f ast Maj or

, .

J acob Of the l st F usilier s received hi s death wo und .

C apta i n G revi lle a nd Lie u t S pek e were stru c k down . .

The col u mn w avered ; N icholson ru shed forw a rd his ,

lo fty st atu re ren dered him con spic u ou s and i n a ,

moment he w as shot through the body and in spite Of

his remonstra nces w as ca rried to the rea r to die .

“
The th ird col u mn had been a ppointed to enter the
city thro ugh the C as hmere Gate which w a s to be ,

blown open by Lieuts Home and Salkeld S er gea nts .

,

Ca rmich ael B u rgess and S mith

,
Home with his .
,

bugler w as first do wn into the ditch He pl anted his

,
.

b ag bu t as Carmichael a dv anced with his he w a s

,

morta lly wou nded S mith th en adv an ced pl aced his

.
,

dyin g co mrade s bag as well as his own and prepa red

’

the fu ses fo r i gn ition Sa lk e l d w as rea dy with a slow

.

ma tch but as he w as li ghtin g it he received two bu l

lets ; the m atch w as ta k en by B u rges s and ,

S mith w as in the act Of givin g him a bo x o f l u ci fers

M 0 0. 7 8 . M ap to
260 mo m TH RO U G H TH E sr anaoscor s

when B u rgess a lso fell with a bu llet through his body .

S mith w a s no w a lone ; bu t he ha d stru ck a li ght an d

w a s applyin g it when a port fire wen t ofi in his fa ce
-
.

There w as a thic k smo k e a nd d u st then a roa r and a ,

cr ash a s S mith scra mbled into the ditch There he

, .

pl aced his h ands o n Home who sa id he w a s u nh u rt

, ,

and h avin g j oined the colu mn went forw a rd The .

—
G ate h a d been sha ttered not so destroyed as ha d been
a nticipa ted but the thi rd col u mn p a ssed throug h it .

S mith then obta ined stretchers a nd had B u r gess and

S alk eld ca rried to the camp bu t both o f them died ,

— B u rgess on the w ay and Sa lk eld a few da ys a fter

”
,

w a rds .

The above is bu t a n i n tim ation o f the terrible strug

gle by which the w alls were bre a ched a nd an en
trance to the city w a s m a de It requ i red six more .

day s o f ha rd fi gh tin g by this sm a ll force against the

h osts within the city be fore the pl ace w as fu lly oc en
,

pied by the B ritis h .

Does it not fire you r blood when you look u po n

these g rim reminders o f a h andfu l o f ou r ga ll ant ki n
sca lin g these w a lls a nd d as hin g forw a rd with bags
o f powder u nder a shower o f bu llets from the w al l

to the ri ght to bl ow a w ay the po n derou s i ron bo und

,
-

gates which ba rred the porta ls of those m assive a rch

w ays ? It seems a l m ost u nk ind to mention one hero
where a ll were heroes ; bu t one ca nnot repress a pc
culiar tenderness of sorrow becau se he who c ha fed
,

u nder the del ay in att a ckin g the city a nd who ga ve ,

“
the order to storm an d who w a s fi rst to sc ale the
,

w all nea r this gate a nd then to le ad hi s decim a ted

ban d a lon g the space within the w a ll to the M ori
Gate then onw a rd to the La hore Ga te and who when
, , ,

the remn a nt o f his col u mn w a vered before a gallin g

W 78 . M 10
 DEL H I 2 61

fire o f ri fles from both si des o f his adv a nce ru shed ,

before his men to l ea d them aga inst the l a st stron g

hold w a s in the m omen t o f victo ry brought down by
,

a rebel bu ll et I refer to the gal lant N icho l so n The

. .

drea m th a t inspi red the stu bbo rn resista nce o f the

H ind u and M oh a mmed an a t D e l hi proved only a
dream ; and the fa n aticism o f the Mu t iny proved in
e ffectual against En gl ish steel and v alor .

The old gatew ay sti ll stan ds with all its sca rs a nd

memories The pondero u s gates a re gone an d some
.

restorations h a ve been m a de within the a rches You .

see it is tod ay a bu sy thorough fa re with one pass age

w ay fo r entran ce and the other for exit Y ou see .

none o f the a nti qu e primitive vehicles here a l l a re ,

o f the m o re modern type bec au se Delhi i s becomin g

modern but most of the cost u mes we see a re na tive ;

we not i ce t wo En g lish ofiicers in k h ak i u ni form s
!
.

The scene a t this momen t is more a nim ated th an u sua l ,

it bein g a t the time o f the grea t Du rba r .

Du rin g ou r itinera ry we ha ve occu pi ed severa l posi

tions which h a ve presented memo ri a ls o f the terrible
Indi a n Mu t iny This will be ou r la st ; our positions
.

h a ve o ff ered on ly hints of those ste rn times ; there

a re m any f u l l and able historical work s re l ati ng there
to which ii you ha ve not a lrea dy read it is hoped
, , ,

this c u rsory sk etch m ay prompt yo u to re a d .

Exten din g across the city o f Delhi from west to

e a st the ma p shows a g rea t thoroughfa re c a lled
,

Ch andni Chow k which me ans in the n ative ton g u e

, ,

S ilver S treet ; it h a s been so ca l led becaus e of the

great n u mber of silver shops the rein Ou r two fo l
-
.

lowin g position s will be in —

Ch an dn i Chow k not a
very e upho n ious n a me nor a very be au ti fu l street
, ,

W 0 78 . M1 9 1 0
 DEL H I 263

the ca rrot geran i u m and tu rpentine a compa ri so n

, ,

qu ite correct .

The on l y fru it on this sta nd w hich I c an recom

mend is a sm a l l species of ba n ana to be seen su spended
in the rea r a little to the l e ft of the d u sky ven dor
”
.

“
Those little b an an a s a re known as la dy fin gers -
.

They a re sweet j uicy and well flavored an d a re fou nd

,
-
,

a t every mea l o n every E u ropea n table in Indi a de ,

licious and as wholesome as apples The la rg e fru it .

on the ri ght is a spe c ies of m u s k melon fou n d i n -

,

nea rly every cou ntry I can ide nti fy a poor qua l ity
.

o f pea r which grows a t elev ations and pome g ra n a tes , ,

a l ways s eedy worthless fru it The m an go I c a nnot

, .

discover it bein g probably o ut o f the m an go se a son

,
.

The p ap a w is not on this stand although it gr ows in ,

Indi a but o f an in ferior quality

, .

The ethnologica l is more interesti n g th a n the fru it

exhibit The h a l f dressed squ alid a ppea rance of the
.
-
,

da rk s kinn ed assembl age abou t the st and is al ways re

-

u
p g n an t to the str a n ger W h a t wo u ld.
you thin k o f
a fru it seller in New Yor k o r London sitti ng a mon gst
-

edible fru its with n u de grimy knees thru st up be fore

,

y o u ? Fa rther b a c k yo u see s ever a l well ni gh n u de -

fi gu res others with thin di rty shi rts in whole or in

, , ,

p a rt which ha ve never kn own the dhobie s cra ft The

,
’
.

grimy and semi n u de coolies sta re at the photogr aphe r

-
,

knowi n g his work is a con stant desec ra tion accor ding

to the Kor a n— the m akin g o f im ages .

We will now wen d ou r w ay to where the map shows

the n u mber 80 a t the western end of the famous
,

Ch andni Chow k where we c an look into the celebra ted

,

thoroughfa re ; yet it is so filled with lines of trees

th at m u ch o f the view will be sti ll obscu red Ou r .

M ic-7 9 . I n. no
2 64 mo m T H ROU GH TH E sr aRaoscor e

view into S ilver S treet is however on a ra re oc , ,

c a sion a nd we sh a ll find the street occu pied with

somethin g more wonderfu l th a n trees .

P os i ti on 80 . M ar vel s of r i ch n ess a n d g ra n d eur — tb s

g rea t D ur ba r p r oees ai on s t Delh i

A gain we a re in Ch an dn i Chow k F rom ou r l a st .

position the street w a s hidden by our nea mess to a

fru it sta nd ; from this position it is pa rti ally obsc u red
-

by v ast m ultitu des o f peopl e —m u ltitu des so gre at a s

to fi l l wi ndows an d streets a n d to cov er the roo f s ;
so th a t i f we c annot obta in a n u nobstru cted view o f
,

the street and its shops we can see somethin g m u ch

,

g r ander ra rer a nd more wonder fu l I f never before

, , .

in the l o ng history o f Delhi its f amou s street possessed

a ch a racter su itabl e to its n a me it s u rely does at ,

this time ; for never before in pa st or prese nt in its ,

m a ny centu ries o f histo ric splendor h a s S ilver Street ,

been so fu l l of silver a s at the present moment .

Y ou wil l u ndersta nd wh at I me an when I sta te th a t

we a re so fort u n ate a s to be loo kin g do wn into this
street when it is filled from end to en d with the most
gorgeou s pagea nt ev er presen ted to the gaze o f m a n ,

either in an cient o r modern times This p ageant is .

severa l miles in len gth an d extends beyond thi s street

fa r out into the su burbs o f Delhi bu t the portion of ,

the procession which is n ow pas si ng is composed of

two h u ndred a nd nineteen of the finest eleph ants with
in the Empire ca pa risoned in gold a nd silver a nd
,

embroidery o f gold a nd costly si l k s which represent ,

in va l u e a goodly proportion of the wealth of a v a st

Pagean try an d spectacu la r pomp h a ve been fa vorites

m u ss .
m m
 DELH I 26 5

of the orien ta l mind from time immemoria l ; they

h a ve alwa ys been a lea din g fea tu re o f g rea t occa sions .

This occa sion h a s gone down to histo ry a s the gre at

“ ”
Delhi Du rbar he l d to h o nor a nd commemorate the
,

coron ation o f Kin g Edwa rd VI I of En gl and as Em .

p e ro r o f Indi a The term

. d u r ba r is from the P ersi a n
word dur bar which implies a prince s court or au di
,
’

ence ch amber ; now it is gen er ally u sed to denote a

gr and reception o r levee especi a lly a reception o f
,

n ative princes he l d by the Viceroy o f Indi a A d u r .

ba r w a s held by the princes o f Indi a when Qu een

Victori a w a s m ade Empress in 1 87 7 bu t th at held in ,

1 90 2 when Edw a rd V II w a s m a de Emperor fa r s u r

p a ssed a l l o ther previ ou s du rba rs It was ina ugura ted.

by Lord Cu rzon at tha t time Viceroy o f Indi a Lord

, .

Cu rzon w as exceedin gl y popu l a r with n ati ve princes ,

and through hi s popu l a rity a nd his w onder fu l ta ct

,

a n d ener gy s u cceeded in organizin g a nd ca rryin g

,

through this su rp a ssin gly m agnificen t du rba r The .

Viceroy inspi red the Maha raj ahs o f the di ff erent

sta tes and provin ces with a spi rit o f riv alry in prep a ra
tion for this gra nd occasion Fab u lou s s u ms were
.

expended in prep a ra tion both by the m any Ma ha raj ahs

an d by the Government The we a lthy princes brought
.

to D elhi thei r finest elephan ts from e very state an d

province even from Ca shmere and other remote
,

sta tes ; they brought a lso their ra rest a nd richest trea s

u res an exhibitio n of which in a stu pendou s bu i l d
, ,

in g erected for the pu rpose w as one featu re o f the,

Du rba r Visitors ca me from every pa rt of the Em

.

pire an d f rom forei gn cou ntries .

'

E ach n ati ve prince established an enca mpmen t ,

u s ua lly coverin g m any acres and containin g m an y

“
ri chly decora ted ten ts An d whe n I say richly dec
”
.

W u . M ap “)
 D EL H I 7

richly an d ex tra vaga ntly c apa ri soned in gold and sil

ver and richest silk s an d ridden by thei r prince l y
,

owners d ressed in d u rba r cost u mes spa rk lin g wi th ,

priceless gems .

Here is pa ssin g before you now through Cha ndni ,

Chow k the most m agnificent procession o f elepha nts

,

the world h a s ev er witnessed The cen ter o f this .

street is tak en u p with two rows of trees ; the space

o n the ri ght of the trees equa ls th a t on the left On .

the cen tra l grou nd tempo ra ry se a ts ha ve been p u t u p ,

extendin g the f u ll len gth o f the str eet which so l d ,

qu ick ly a t a ru pee ea ch Roo f sp ace as you c an infer

.
, ,

h as been in g rea t demand a t a ll sorts o f prices .

This procession w as dr a w n u p in line a t the r a il

w ay sta tion to a w a it the a rriv a l o f Thei r Excellen cie s
Lord a nd La dy Cu rzon a nd Their H ighnesses the
Duk e an d Du chess o f Connaught The Viceroy and .

Vicere ine rode the f oremost e l eph an t ; they were fol

lowed by the Duke and Du chess of Con n aught then —
came princes o f the blood in order of their ran k ;
the n umerou s ret ainers o f the princes followed I .

need not tell you how the line o f this re ga l procession ,

exten din g fo r m an y miles w as crowded with wonder

,

in g spect a tors from all over the world ; you ca n see

from this position how grea t m u lti tu des are a ss embled
to witn ess this scene of i n compa ra ble sp l endor .

O win g to the na rrown ess of this h a l f of the street ,

and the dense crowd a lon g with sha dows ca st by those

,

trees the proc ession i n the di stan ce is somewh at oh

,

scured . F or th at rea son we will seek an other posi

tion from which we can obta in a mo re open an d un
i n terru pted view A bou t one ha lf mile from where
.
-

we stan d an d not fa r from the fa rther en d o f Ch a n dni

”
,

Pos ition .
M 10
 268 I ND IA TH RO U G H TH E ST EREOSGOPE

Chow k is the gre a t M osqu e J umma M usp d with

, , ,

which we h a ve a l rea dy become somewha t f ami l ia r ;

j ust sou th o f the great M o squ e we will t ak e an other
positi o n where we ca n look down an d over the line
o f h uge a nd gor geo u sly dec k ed steeds bea rin g thei r

be j ewe l led m ast

ers The point where we sh al l st an d
.

is m a rk ed 81 on our ma p .

—
Pos i ti on 8 1 T h e f abul ous weal th o f I n d ia n a ti ve
.

Pr in ces in th e g ra n d Sta te E n try , Del h i Dur ba r

Now we a re in a n open space ne a r the J u mm a Mu s
N ; we a re loo k i n g n o rthea st tow a rds the fortress
c o nta inin g the famou s o ld pa l ace bu ilt by S h ah Jeh an .

The w a lls o f the F ort a nd the pa l a ce towerin g above

ca n be seen in the dist an ce ( Comp a re wh a t you see
.

with wh at the ma p te l ls o f the w a lled fo rt ) W e see .

a t the left the w onderfu l fli ght o f steps I described

when we were st u dy i n g the m o squ e ( page Those
steps a re well cov ered with spect ato rs exc ept where
the ou tlook is u nfa vorable The broa d pla t form a t the
.

top is covered with tempora ry seatin g accommoda

ti o ns a ll t ak en at hi gh prices by the hi gher cl a sses
, .

The Du rba r w a s a historica l even t o f so great im

port ance th at in order to secu re the best possible
, ,

stereogra phic represen tatio n the pu blishers of this tou r ,

sent speci a l photographers from Lon don to assist in

the work P revi ou s to their a rriv a l I h a d been on
.
,

the ground selectin g the most a d va nta geou s positions

fo r photo gra phic operati ons One of my chosen points .

w as on those steps and ev en from thi s dist an ce you

, ,

m a y discover my coa d ju tor now in fron t o f the sec

ond ra i sed u mb rell a to the ri ght There a t the a n gle .
,

o f the steps I hired from the mosqu e offici als o ne

,

squa re ya rd of space for tw en ty ru pees The

P os itio n 81 . mp 10
 D EL H I 269

photographer a t th at poi n t an d the people a re fac in g

q
eastw ard bec ause the procession is a dv ancin g from
,

tha t direction bu t nea r the mos u e it tu rns tow ards

,

the p lace we occu py Y ou ca n disti n gui sh the pro

.

cession fa r a w ay alon g the w all of the F ort a dv ancin g,

tow a rds the ri ght .

—
F o r a second position the one we a t this moment
occu py— I h ired from the m un icipa lity a spa ce ten feet
s qu a re on this open g rou nd by the street with the ,

privilege of erecting a photo gr aphin g stand thereon .

F or a mon opoly o f ten s qua re feet I p aid forty

ru pees I erected on this spa ce a pl atform
twenty feet hi gh w hich I dec orated with hunting and
En g lish a nd America n fl ag s On th a t comm an din g
.

pla tform we a re no w sta ndin g ; and I a m su re we a re

as n ea r an d as hi gh as you cou ld po ssib l y wish to be .

I fou nd it n ec essa ry to gua rd my elevated per ch against

interlopers— it w as in the midst of a s u r gin g and
excited m u ltit u de a nd it w as not s uffici ent to rope
,

0 3 my st and ; it w a s necess a ry to hi re a v al i an t na tive

to stand by e ach pos t Even this w a s not sufli cient to

.

k eep ba ck those in a desperate sea rch fo r some sli ght

eleva tion so I k ept by m y side a lon g pole with
,

which to ra p the hea ds o f the intru ders N ati ves give.

little heed to a protest from their o wn kind ; b u t the y

‘

“ ”
ho nor the bi g stic k a dmonitions o f a E u ropean
-
.

Now let u s ga ze a nd in some de gree a n a lyze this

scene of un p a ralleled sp l endor — F i rst observe the fine
,

mi lita ry be a rin g of these S i k h gua rds ca refully ,

groomed in bl ac k u ni form with h uge red tu rba ns ; the

,

line o f this gra nd S ta te Entry for mi l es w a s gua rded

by s u ch s u perb specimens o f na tive soldiers For da ys .

a nd ni gh ts th o se men h a ve been bu sy prepa ri n g for

this grea t occa sion ; every bu tton an d bu ck le and piece

9 0-
Ma Oi . M 10
 DEL H I 27 1

h. ve been con sideri n g ; they are of hea vy cloth em

b roidered i n gold an d silver ; one ca pa riso n c loth s imi -

lar to these m a n u fa ctured in Ca lcu tta cost twe n ty

, ,

thou s a nd ru pees A s a lrea dy intim ated a ll ,

the pri n ces vied on e with the other to m ak e their Du r

bar di splay the most m agnificen t .

Th in k o f tha t f ar extendin g line o f eleph an ts To

-
.

a ll th a t is s uggested here could you a dd t he gorgeo u s

,

colors o f ra re fabrics the g litter o f bur n i sh ed gold

,

and silver and the sp a rk le o f gems on the d u rba r cos

,

tumes within th a t lon g line o f howd ahs it wo u ld a s ,

sist in gi vin g you a n a de quate idea o f the costlin ess

and u nequa led splendor o f this procession An esti .

ma te not u nre asonable pla ced the val ua ti on of ea ch

elepha nt with his decora tion a lon g w ith the d u rba r ,

perso na l a dornment o f the princes within the howdah ,

at Mu ltiply by two h un dred and

nineteen the n u mbe r o f elep hants and you will ha ve
, ,

some basis for comprehen din g the m agnifice n ce of the

Du rba r S tate Entry An d yo u m u st not forget tha t
.

even thi s pro cession o f e l eph ants w as on ly one fea tu re

o f the S ta te En try ; it con t a i n ed m a ny milit a ry and

civic presen ta tions which added m u ch to its interest .

I a m s ure you h a ve seen I n you r school books dur -

in g you r school da ys or i n pictu res in histories d u r

-
,

in g a fter yea rs a grea t tower nea r Delhi whose n a me

,

a lw a ys o ff ers a stu mblin g sort o f orthography ; its

pron u nci a tion bothers me still becau se it is a lw ays ,

a w k wa rd to m ak e syll ables withou t vowels ; some

w riters however give it a phon etic spelli ng I refer
, , .

“
to the n ame Kutb M i na r a towe r s u rpa ssin g a ll
,

the towers in the world in the el aborate beau ty of its

con stru ction T his won derfu l old tower is ne a rly
.

m
Poe 81 . M m
27 2 I ND IA TH RO U G H TH E ST ER EOSCO P E

eleven miles sou th of De lhi T he dist an ce is u sually .

covered i n a dawk gha rry and the w ay is f u ll of in ,

terest as the roa d p a sses the ru ins o f m an y former

,

Delhis an d severa l wonderfu l t ombs sti ll in fi n e preser

v ation Ou r exa ct position is m ark ed on the map o f
.

the Envi rons o f D elhi set i n the c orn er of the city

,

n ea r Del h i

The historic and often pi ctured Kuth M i n a r is be

-

fore u s W e a re lookin g northea st ; an d i f we were on

.

the top of the tower look i n g in the s ame di re ction we

co u ld see Delhi eleven miles aw ay a nd the shimmer
o f the J u m n a windin g its cou rse through the pl a in .

To m ak e my negative fo r this stereo gr aph owin g to ,

the g re a t hei ght o f my s u bj ect I w as obli ged to move

fa r bac k into this ragged field fu ll o f sh ru bbe ry a nd ,

remn a nts of a ncient wa lls F rom this position we oh

.

ta in a fu l l view o f the won derfu l tower though we ,

c an see nothin g o f the m an y rem a rkable ru ins o f

ancien t cities fortresses a nd pa l aces a ll abou t thi s
,

pl ace W e h ave come here to see the Kutb M in a r

.
,

an d no w it cl aims o ur attention .

A t the be ginnin g o f our iti n era ry I promised m any

interestin g an d won derfu l thi n gs in Indi a A lrea dy .
,

I ha ve show n you the imperi a l mou nt a in ra n ge of the

world ( Position an d wha t is alw ays c on ceded to
be the most be au ti fu l structu re in the world the T aj .

( P osition Y ou sa w at Ellora the most perfect

and won derfu l roc k hewn templ e in the world ( Posi
-

tion yo u sa w from o ur l ast position the greatest

and most resplen den t procession a l exhi bition the wo rld
h a s ever witn es sed ( Position In the same city
W e) . M 10
 D ELH I 27 3

you saw the world s grea test mos qu e ( Position

’

A t Ca l c u tta you took shelter a mon g the aeri al br an ches

o f the l ar gest ba n y an tree in existence ( P osition
’
there yo u a lso sa w a m an ea ter th a t hol ds the world s
-

record ( P osition 50 ) a nd here again you a re before ,

a tower which cl a ims a world record -

.

’
When precedence a mon g the world s grea t towers
is c la imed fo r the K u th M ina r we may thi nk o f the ,

B unk er H ill and Was hin gton t o wers ; we m a y reca ll

the L ea nin g Tower o f P is a ; the C amp anile a t F l orence ,

o r the o ne a t Venice ; bu t non e of these a re worth y

o f comp a rison with their Indi a n predecessor The .

Wa shington M on u ment is m uch hi gher the F l orentine ,

ca mp anile a tri fle hi gher bu t neither will a llow o f com

,

p a ri so n with this The former m ay be re ga rded a s a

.

s ky scrapin g fli ght o f m a son ry the l a tter a tru ly

-
,

beau tifu l pile ; bu t let me gi ve you the co mpa riso n

m a de by one whos e j u dgment you wi l l ha rd l y qu es
tion th a t of F er gu sson
, .

“
It is probabl y not too m u ch to a ssert th at the Kutb
M ina r is the most beau tifu l ex ample o f its cl ass kn own
to exi st anywhere The riv a l th at will occu r to most
.

people is the Campa nile a t F loren ce bu ilt by Gi otto ,

-
.

Th a t is it is tru e thirty feet ta ll er but it is cru shed

, , ,

by the m a ss o f the ca thedra l a lon gside ; a nd beau tifu l ,

q
tho ug h it is it w ants the poetry of desi gn and ex
,

uisite fin ish of deta il which m a r k every mo u ldin g of

the M in a r . W hen viewed from the cou rt o f
the M osque its form is perf ect an d u nder any aspect , , ,

is preferable to the prosa ic squa reness of the ou tline

of the Ita l i a n ex ample .

“
The on l y M o h ammed an buildin g kn own to be t a ller
th an this is the min a ret o f the M osqu e of H ass an at
Ca i ro ; but a s the pi lla r at O ld Delhi is a wholl y ln
,

W e 33
. M e. to
 D ELH I 27 5

but the restora tion was ba dly —

done mu ch in j u ry w as
don e to inscriptions ; balco n ies were removed and
repla ced by flimsy ba l u stra des ; a new cupo la w as m a de
bu t w as n ever ra ised to its pla ce ; it rem ains on the
mo und ne a r the base a memori a l o f incompeten ce
,

and bl u n derin g ne g lect .

There a re five stories with fou r beau ti fu l ly co rbelled

bal co nies ; an d you m u st a llow at lea st twenty feet fo r
the missin g c u pol a The first ba lcon y is ninety seven
.
-

feet from the ba se the second one h u ndred and forty

,

ei ght f eet ; the thi rd on e h undred an d ei ghty ei ght -

feet and the fou rth two h u ndred and fou rteen feet Do .

no t fa il t o n otice the va riety o f desi gn in the lower

—
story the proj ectin g ribs or fl u tes a re a ltern a tely
an gu la r an d ci rcu la r ; i n the secon d story they a re
ci rcu l a r ; in the third they a re altog ether a n gu l a r ;
above the fou rth al l is white ma rble M y bea rer h a s.

appea red a t the top whi ther I sent him to demon

,

strate the rela tive hei ght o f a h u m an fi gu re a t tha t

elev ation ; he w as too f a r a w ay and too hi gh to hea r
—
my vo ice I co u ld on ly motion to him to a s su me a
pose whi ch wou ld en able one to distin gu ish a per
sona l prese n ce ; I e xtended an a rm he imi tated and
, , ,

sure en ough ther e he s tan ds a s I left him ye ars ago !

,

F rom this distan ce we c ann ot disti n ctly disce rn the

exqu isi te orn amen tal det a il whi ch is so wonderfu l and
,

w hich h a s been c a lled the poetry of th is s u rp as si ng

a rchitectura l stru ctu re ; we will therefore approa ch to
a point from which we sh a ll be able to comprehen d
the breadth an d richn ess of the detail .

W H O) . M 10
27 6 I ND IA TH RO U G H TH E STEREoscor E

Now we a re looki n g di r ectly n o rth an d so n ea r the

,

great M i na r th a t it occu pies a lmost the en ti re field of

vision ; we ca n see the difi erent sh ades of the s an dston e
o f which it is bu ilt ; we c a n see distinctly the tw o

forms of fl u tes so di ff eren t from wh at we ordi n a ril y

see in fl u ted col u mn s ; we c an now a lso obse rve th e
ban ds of da rk sandstone be auti fu lly i n scribed in
,

A ra bic scri pt th ree bands in the fi rst story two i n

-
,

the secon d an d two a lso i n the third T he inscri p

m
.
,

tion s being in A rabic an d recordin g pa ss ag es fro

, ,

the Koran m ak e it appa ren tly certain th at this pa rt

,

of the work w as done by M oh ammed an s On e in .

sc ription rea ds A l lah invites to Par adise and bri ng s

into the w ay o f ri ghteou sn ess a ll who a re willin g to
enter . In A sia tic Researches ( Vol X I V p 481 ) .
, .

the insc ription on the fou rth ban d is tran sl ated a s fol
low s — “
The erection o f this bu ild in g w a s commenced
i n the gloriou s time of the grea t Su lta n the m i ghty ,

Ki n g of Kin gs the Mas ter o f M an kind the Lord of

, ,

the M on a rchs of Tu rk estan A rabi a and Persi a the

, , ,

Su n of the World a nd Reli gion of the Faith a n d o f,

the Fa ith fu l the Lo rd of Sa fety and P rotection the

, ,

—
H eir of the Kin gdoms of Su lim an Abu M uzefla A l
ternsh N a si r A min ul M omenin
” An y k in g with a
.

name lik e th at shou ld be able to bu ild a pretty hi gh

tower This insc ripti on it wou ld seem ought to et
.
, ,

tie the qu estion a s to who w a s the bu ilder of the pres

en t M in a r bu t there m ay possibly h a ve been previo u s
towe r s .

Ru i n s n ea r by a re m u ch older tha n this to wer There .

stan ds sca rcely seven ty y a rds from her e an iron pil

P mmon 88 . a m 10
 DEL H I — U LWAR 27 7

l a r which a nted ates the M i na r by seven h u ndred yea rs .

A little o ver fo u r h u ndred feet north o f u s is the

begin nin g o f a second tower ca ll ed Ala i M ina r which , ,

w as ca rried only to a hei ght of forty feet a nd left

u nfinished ; if completed it wo u l d h a ve been twice the
,

s ize of the on e before u s th at is five h undred feet

, , .

Let u s p a rt from a nother o f Indi a s peerless wonders ’

in the u se o f S todda rd s g racefu l words

’
— “
U n u tterably
solemn therefore seems this mi ghty col u mn look
, , ,

in g m aj estica l l y down from its imposin g hei ght u pon

the silent desol a tion o f the pla in s Fo r tho ugh f rom .

this the grandest of a ll M oslem mi na rets no voice

, ,

n o w c al ls to pr a yer these A ra bic inscriptions sti ll pro

,

c l a im a s they h a ve done fo r centu ries the mercy an d

”
, ,

m aj esty o f God .

F rom Delhi our co u rse turns sou th wa rd and be , ,

fore we con cl u de ou r j ou rney at ihe so u thern end of

the grea t pe nin s u l a we h ave yet more th an two thou
,

s and miles to tra ve rse The ren ow ned city o f Jey

.

pore is set down on o ur Indi a m ap sou thwest abou t

one h undred a nd ei ghty miles f rom Delhi and mid ,

w ay between Delhi a nd Jeypore lies the city o f U lw a r

—
w hich mos t travelers desi re to see ; there fore hop
ing it m a y n ot be for a y e b u t fo r a time only— we ,

say fa rewell t o the grea t M in a r and to Delhi for a ,

glimpse or two in the prettily located city o f Ul w a r .

Pos i ti on 84On e of th e l ov eli es t sp o ts i n I n di a

.

k i os l r- bor d er ed ta n k a t Ul wa r by a s ta tely tomb

W e a re in Ulw ar loo k i n g across a portion of a bea n

tifu l a rtifici a l pool o f w ater often c a lled a t a n k i n the
,

East Ulw a r is the na me o f a province o r st ate nea rly

.
,

a s l a r ge as the state of Maine The city in which .

 U LWAR 27 9

riage, an en ormous vehicle two stor ies high ca rry

, ,

in g fi fty people a nd u sua lly dr a wn by fou r finely

,

ca pa ri soned eleph a nts T his w a s on e o f the won d er

.

fu l thin gs which His H ighness took to De l hi to tak e

p art in the Du rba r processions His stu d of several .

h un dred beau ti fu l horses is an interesti n g si ght A t .

feedin g time they a re ca lled from the j u n gle i n a fu ri

ou s ga llop clea ri n g walls an d fe nces i n a w ild race for
,

food .

F rom our next position I will show you a n ov el

s ubstitu te for horses .

Pos i ti on 85 H o w bea uty ta kes th e a ir —I n di a n red

.

or bul l ock c ar r ia ge us ed by l a d i es of r a n k. U l wa r

Many of the won de r ful thi n gs we h ave seen in

India belon g to the middle o r remote p ast ; ex cept i n
railwa ys loco motion is not a n exception A demon
, .

st r ation is be fore u s ; and this i s not the first ; yo u

ha ve seen the herdic ( Position the ekka ( P ositi on
the ca mel w agon ( P osition
-
yo u h a ve see n
a twen ty wom a n team ( P osition
-
you h ave seen
the ric ks h a w ( P osition There are m any other
modes o f locomotion which you h a ve n ot seen s u ch ,

as the j hampan the pa lan ki n a nd others ; the howdah

,

eleph ant you h ave seen in fu ll glory ( Position s 80

On e mo re an ti qu e convey ance we have to show you
from this position i n U l wa r ; it is called in n ative pa r
l a nce the r eet; in En glish we c a ll it a bu llock ca rt -
.

This is qu ite stylish in its way although to u s it seems,

qua int and an tiquated ; there is splendid di gn i ty in

the bu llock s ; they a re su re l y consciou s o f a bovine
elev ation fa r above the w ater bu ff a lo who w allows -

in the pa ddy fields T hese bullock s a re less fortu n ate

-
.

M M 88 . M t
280 I ND IA TH RO U G H TH E S T EREOSCO PE

th a n the cows o f the s ame speci es becau se less s a cr ed ;

the y a re compelled to do service ; the cow is not Th e .

re l ation ship re minds o n e o f the prospective o ne be

” —
tween the new wom a n and m an a potheosis and th e
—
yok e The ha rness is simple en ough a gu idi n g rope
.

through the n o se sometimes an addition al hole thro ug h

,

the ea r wi th co rd atta ched when a steed a sserts h i s

o wn whims too persistently ; we ca n see a tell ta le rin g -

in the o ff ea r o f the ni gh ox ( Do not let ox nom en

.

clature con fu se yo u ; it is sometimes a s with the right

a nd l e ft b an k o f a river ; the ri ght b an k i s on the left

“ ”
ha nd when loo kin g u p stre am 5 0 the ni gh ox is the
,

o ne fa rthest a w a y a s we st and j u st no w ) .

The c o nstru cti o n o f the c a rri age is more comp li

cated th a n th at o f the h a rness The fancy o f both
.

the Hind u and the M oh ammed an mind is so imbu ed

with the domica l in a rchitect u re tha t a reet a s well a s

q
a portico m u st ha ve a dome I t look s like a l ittl e
.

mos u e with dome and a rches an d porch all on a ,

rather u nstable platform The ru nnin g gea r is very

.

cru de ; bu t the richly embroidered c an opy an d cu r

t a ins h ave cost the imprisoned i nm ates o f som e
Z en an a months o f pa tien t toi l W hen women of r an k
.

go out in this ca rr i age the cu rta ins a re ca refu lly dra wn ,

and when they enter o r lea ve it they a re en ti rely en

screened from ou tside gazers This reet is a t this .

moment occu pied by gi rl s who m ay be photogr aphed ;

l adies are photogr aphic irnpo ssibilities bu t it is n eed ,

less to sa y th a t in In di a a s in all cou n tries not a ll

, ,

wome n a re la dies .

I t is not diffic u lt to see th at the driver is consc ious

of bein g photogr aphed The fa nta stic tilt of the ta i l
.
,

the sprea d o f the feet an d the lordly toss o f the hea d

M N ”
. Map !
 JEYPO RE 281

show th at the first ox is not uncon sci ou s of the n ea r

presence o f photog raphic m anoeu vres .

W e a re now rea dy for another r a il wa y jaun t of

ei ghty miles to the city o f Jeypore a pl ace we m u st ,

not p as s withou t some inspection To every tr a veler .

in Indi a the home interrogatory will often be z D id — “

you go to Jeypore The city o f Jeypore is cl a imed

to h a ve more resembl a nce to a E u rope a n city th a n
a ny other pla ce in Indi a There we sh a ll find p a l aces
.

a s u s ual and poverty as u s ua l ; these indeed we fi n d

, , ,

in every pa rt o f the world Wea l th and poverty for

.
,

t u ne an d misfortu ne m u st a lw ays co exi st ; they both

,
-

to a cert a in de gree belon g to the c onstit u tion o f m a n .

Pos iti o n 86 . N or th f r om S a n ga n i r G ate up j a nh r i

W e a re in on e o f the pri ncipa l str eets loo k in g di

rectly north ; it is abou t mid d a y ; the li ght is stron g
-

a nd the sh adows a re northw a rd Watch the bu sy .

orient a l li fe in this spa ciou s a ven u e while I st ate some

fa cts abo u t this interestin g city before we stu dy the
scen e in deta il .

The city o f Jeypore is the ca pita l of a sta te o f the

s ame n a me wh ich covers fi fteen thou s an d squa re
miles o r abou t twice the area o f Ma ssa ch u setts The
, .

sta te h a s a pop u l ation o f nea rly three millions and ,

this city abo u t on e h un dred a nd fifty thou s and The .

n ame is derived f rom the famous Ma h a raj ah Saiw a

Je y ( o r J a y a ) S in g I I w ho. fo
, u nded it in 1 7 28 .

A rou nd u s on a ll si des except the sou th a re rugged .

fort crowned hi l ls A crenell ated ma son ry w all with

-
.

seven gates en compa sses the en ti re city .

“
Jeypore is the ple as a nt hea lthy ca pita l o f o ne o f
,

Pos ition “ . bh o t
 J EYPOR E 283

thin g there off er ed for s a le You c an di s cov er two

.

w o men wi th b as k ets on thei r hea ds ; those women

represe nt an important occ u pa tion in Indi a an d in
o ther eas te rn c ou ntries tha t o f du n g ga therers Thi s
,
-
,

occu p a tion is followed chiefly by low ca ste women an d

children ; du n g is gathered in the ha n ds from the
streets pla ced in those b as k ets ca rried to the miser
, ,

abl e home s o f the gatherers bea ten into fl at di sk s and

,

stuc k over the sides o f bu ildi n gs to dry When dry .

it con stitu tes the u nivers a l fu el o f the lower cl asses .

There a re du n g ba z aars in every vi ll age and i n l a r ge

-
,

cities the d u n g fu el m a rk et is a g reat an d b u sy thor

-

oug hf ar e where o n e c a n see this u n u s ua l commerci a l

,

prod u ct in grea t sta c k s a s we see cordwood in w est

ern co un tries
m
.

A s photogr aphic a rt is defi cien t in ch ro a tics let ,

me expl a i n to you tha t m a ny o f these stu cco bu il din gs

a re somewh at gau dy in rose a nd yel low tints not ,

common in other I n di an cities Notice the ascent to .

—
a second floor from the sidewa lk o dd bu t not in
convenient You notice here as elsewhere in Indi a
.
,

and indeed in all the O rient the tenden cy o f the

, , ,

h u m an bein g to s quat en bun kers which a lw ays seems

, ,

to me to den ote a shorter l apse o f time since the ad

v an ce from fou r peda l s u pports to two !
-

Obse rv e th at ran ge o f hi gh hills a t the north ;

it a lmost s u rro u nds the city as alrea dy mentioned .

Before we lea ve Jeypore we s ha ll follow a st reet east

wa rd through the city to those hill s to visit a f amily ,

o f homog enea l a ncestors .

I n a nother important street there is a c u riou s an d

fa nta stica lly constructed palace which every visitor to
Jeypore goes to see and which every accou nt o f the
,

city men tion s ; to it we will n ext go th a t we m ay see ,

9 0 0 00 011 86 . M ap !
 JEYPO RE 285

ported by sticks ; it is too often the case in all O ri ental

coun tries that the re a re ta wdry condition s side by side
with th in gs costly an d beau ti fu l .

There is a s aying which I gr eatly cherish which is ,

ve ry nea r to me in a rt and a rchitectu re an d in most

—
other re la tions o f li fe it is this — “
There is noth in g
beau ti fu l bu t the tru th ” O f course with a too litera l
.

or a forced interpreta tion this wo u ld pl ace a l l society

bac k in primitive conditi on s ; li k e other proverbs it
m u st h a ve a qua lified a pplica tion ; a p ainted flower
is n ot so be au ti fu l as the flower itself ; it m ay elicit
ou r a dmi ra tion a s a clever ill u sion bu t it is not the ,

tru th a n d c an never be so beau ti fu l as the flower it

self A n en ameled s kin or a rouged cheek is not
.

beau ti fu l ; veneered fu rnitu re is fa lse ; pl ated j ewelry

is fa lse ; the fa lse c a n never t ak e the p lace of the
rea l either in people or in things
, S tu cco is not .

stone it is a n a rchitectu ral ill u sion an d there fore can

, ,

not be tru ly beau ti fu l .

Now in gl a n cin g at the li fe in the street you see

, ,

a Raj pu t bu lloc k ca rt no t u nli k e wh a t we h a ve seen

-

before a lso an e kka not u nli k e wha t we s a w in the

, ,

mo un ta ins on the Cas hmere ro a d ( Position you

see the m an with his stoc k in tra de ca rried on the
ba ck of a n un sanctified bu llock and a Raj pu t wom an
,

bu ndled in grimy r a imen t an d tin k li ng with c heap

j ewelry .

F rom this gau dy Pa l a ce of the W i n ds we will go

to a p a l ace wi th more cla im to be aut y a nd a rchitect u r a l
merit the pa l ace occu pied by the present Mah a raj a h
,

of Je ypo re It is situ ated in the midst o f a cha rm

.

in g ga rden o ne h a l f mile in len gth ado rned with f o u n

-
,

ta ins fin e trees an d flowe ry shrubs Be fore one c an

, , .

w attle-87 .
M l
 J EYPORE 28 7

the left there are a richly fur n i shed modern buildi n g

for the accommoda tion o f the women of the p a l ace
( the Z e n a n a ) an d a lso
, q ua rters for the co u rtiers .

East of the Chan dra Mah a l is the fa mou s J a n tra o r

Obser vato ry built by the celebrated astron omer Jey
,

S in g W e ca n not at presen t see the observ atory b u t

.
,

it i s ve ry curiou s an d u nli k e ordina ry modern build

in gs for th a t p u rpose ; it is a n open cou rt filled with
odd and fa ntastic inst ru ments con stru cted by Jey S in g
himsel f The i nstru me nts ha ve go n e out o f repa ir
.

an d eve n the u ses o f m any o f them a re u nk no wn ;

a mong them a re di a ls gn omons qua dr ants etc very
, , ,
.
,

in teresti n g to modern astr onomers In one p a rt o f the .

p alace there is a fu ll y eq uipped printi ng offi ce ; in

a nother pa rt there is an a rmory ; there is a clock
tower ; there a re l a w co u rts ; there is a pa r ade groun d ;
-

there is an inclined ca usew ay by w hich horses ca n

—
ascend to the to p of the pala ce this presu mably is
to en able the prin ce to re ac h his qu arters withou t dis
mou nti ng N ea r the Observatory are roy a l stables
.

where horses an d the fin est modern equip ages are

k ept .

A t the time o f the Coron ation o f K in g Edw a rd

VI I His Hi g hn ess the Mah a raj ah visited En g l a n d
,

with a g rea t n u mber of ret a i n ers and se rv an ts On .

th at occ asion he ch a rtered a ship at fabu lo us cost an d

too k with him s u pplies of food to l a st for a period of
six months In order to live u p to the p ri nciples of
.

his hi gh ca ste he m u st pa rtak e only o f his own cou n

’
try s prod u ce a nd cook with w ater from his o wn home
s u pply ; therefore both w ater a nd provision s fo r the
whole time o f his absen ce were ca rried o n bo a rd his
ch a rtered ship .

Be au tifu l bu ildi n gs in Jeypore a re not confi n ed to

M l
l e
 288 mo m TH RO U G H m s s rsasoscop e
'

the pa lace g rou n ds ; there is a p ublic ga rden ou tside

the city w a ll which ra nk s as o ne o f the finest in
,

In di a It embra ces an area of seve n ty a cres w as l ai d

.
,

ou t a t a cost of tw o h un dred thou s an d dolla rs an d ,

n ow costs the Ma h a raj ah fi fteen thou sa nd doll a rs an

nually fo r m a inten a n ce W ithin the ga rden there is
.

a well stoc ked men agerie and a vi ary also a splendi d ,

a rt and ind u st ri al m u se u m Then there a re beyon d

.

the ga rden some ex cellent mode rn benevolent institu

—
tion s a fine hospita l accommod ates o ne h u ndred and
fi fty p atie n ts There is a h andsome school of art fo r
.

tea chi n g a n d reviving na tive bran c hes of a rt a nd in

dustry A la rge college c a lled the Ma ha raj ah Co l
.

lege open ed in 1 844 with forty p u pils a nd now h as a ,

da ily a tten d an ce o f over one thou s an d I t is con .

nected with the U niversity of Ca lcu tt a .

W he n from ou r first position look in g n orthw a rd

,

a long a prin cipa l thoroughfa re ( Positio n we s a w

a ra n ge of hills at some dista nce ou tside the city I ,

sa id th a t l a ter we wou ld visit those hills tow a rds

the east One mile a n d a h al f from the city a t a n
.
,

elev ation o f three h undred and fi fty feet there is ,

a pl a ce c alled Ga lta with the sh rine of the s u n god ;

,
-

th at is the pl ace at which I promi sed th a t we shou ld

meet homogen e a l an cestry .

Pos ition 8 9 Sa c red mon key s at G al ta n ea r Jeyp or e

. ,
—i aaoin a tin g even to th os e n o t i n clin ed to wor
'

ch ip

T he bu ildin g at the shr i n e o f the s u n god I foun d -

un wo rth y o f consider a ti o n there fore I h a ve t u rned

, ,

my stereog raphic a tten tion to a n u mero u s simi an

fa mily which a ssembles f rom the ou tly in g hi l ls a nd
valley s at the ca ll of on e of the priests belon gin g to
Pos ition ” . Mn !
 GALTA 289

the Galta shri n e You probably kn ow th a t the mon key

.

is on e of the m an y sa cred anim als in Indi a Abou t .

m an y temples they a re tr a i n ed to gather at a certa in

rendezvou s to re ceive food from priests an d visitors .

T here is a temple in Be na res c a lled the mon k ey

temple bec au se it is the h au nt o f troops o f these
,

crea tures which a re a l ways a llowed to rem a in un

molested ; they a re even petted and fed u ntil they
seem to ass ume a so rt of precedence and pri o rity abo u t
the temple I n the ei ghteen th centu ry the monk eys
.

there became so n u merou s and pesti l en ti a l th at a piou s

H ind u R aj a w a s compelled to as k the government to
sen d a re gi ment o f S epoys to destroy them A t the .

presen t time when monk eys bec o me over po pu lou s at

,
-

Ben a res they a re captu red pl aced in cra tes a nd de

,

ported to the fa rther side of the Gan ges N ot l on g .

ag o m a n y cr a tes ha d bee n th u s filled fo r expa tri ation

an d h a d been ca rried a con siderable di st a nce by r ail

w ay and while the tr a in w as det a ined at a st a tion
, ,

the ca r go o f mon k eys esca ped and for man y d ays re

m a ined about the st ation doin g m u ch d am age to eat
able goods in storage F in a lly a wily railw ay man
.
,

smea red the frei ght ca rs with trea cle ; sw a rms o f mon
k eys inva ded the tra in and while they were ra ven ou sl y
,

en gag ed i n lick i ng tre acle the tra in sta rted s u dden l y

, ,

a llowing no time for them to esca pe They were .

ca rried m any miles into the hea rt o f a g rea t j u ng le and

‘
driven ofl .

There a re two species o f monkey common to north

—
ern Indi a the ordin a ry reddish bro wn a nd a l a rger
, ,

silvery coa ted va riety ca lled the l u n goor o r hoo n imaun .

Those before u s a re of the l atter v a riety They h a ve

.

a bl ack face and a fin e silvery coa t with a bea ri n g o f

 GALTA 29 1

are n ow bef o re you i n the conditio n o f O liver Twi st

w an ting more Whether these a re degenerate me n
.

and wome n o r otherwise they certa inly c an show the

,

a verage un degen era te how to pose na tu ra lly for a

photo gr aph .

These semi h u m a n cre a tu res a re m u ch drea ded by

-

the na tive women In some pl aces the n a tives ha ve a

”
.

cu riou s method o f gettin g even with thei r nei ghbors ;

the person see kin g reven ge throws ha ndfu ls of pea s
on the tile roof o f the hou se of the n ei g hbor on whom
-

he wishes to be reven ged ; the village mon k eys soon

di scover the wherea bo u ts o f the pe a s an d before a ll ,

a re exca v a ted from a mon g the tiles the hou se i s

u s ua lly u nroofed .

While most H in du s ven er ate the mon k ey there are ,

tribes who u se it for food I m u st incl ude mysel f in

.

some o f these tribes as I have on mo re th a n one oc

,

cas ion pa rtaken o f monk ey stew I h ave fou nd it -

.

sweet a nd tender not u n lik e the flesh o f the s qu i rrel

, ,

bu t whether it ha d any fla vor of h u m an flesh for ,

obviou s re a sons I cou ld not tell In Coorg mo nk ey .

,

sou p is prescribed for sic k and we ak ly people In .

Brazil fa r u p the A m azon I sa w an I ndi a n wom an

, ,

clip tu fts o f h a i r from the fl ank s of a bo w ling mo nkey ,

with which to m ak e tea fo r her ch ild who w as s u f

fering from whoop in g co ugh .

I ha ve proba bly det ained you long en oug h with ou r

l u n goor frien ds a t G a lta W e h ave on e more pla ce to
.

visi t before lea vin g Jeypore It is a n anci ent city.

lyin g five miles westw a rd amon g the mou n ta ins for —

h undreds of ye a rs it w a s the ca pital o f Raj pu ta na I .

refer to the ancien t city o f Amber .

Pos ition 8 9 . M ap !
292 mo m TH RO UGH r a n sr aaaoscor s

—
Posi ti on go Th e scen e of d ea d M en ti on l oo kin g
.

a cr os s th e a n ci en t ci t
y of A mber to th e m oun ta i n
f or tres s

To visit A mber it is necess a ry to obtain a pe rmit

from the En glish Resident in Jeypore S ometimes a n .

elepha nt is provided by the Ma ha raj ah to ca rry tra vel

ers to this pl ace .

A mber here was the a ncient capita l of R aj pu tan a .

Jeypore has been the ca pita l fo r one h u ndred an d

seven ty ei ght yea rs bu t before Jeypore bec ame th e
-
,

ca pit a l Amber w as the ca pit a l for nea rly seven h u n

,

dred ye a rs A tribe c alled the M ina s were establi shed

.

here abou t 967 A D In 1 037 the pl ace w as tak e n . .

by the R aj pu ts the most w a rli k e people o f n orther n

,

India P to l emy the G reek geo grapher whose work s

.
,

on g eo gr aphy constitu ted the chief au thority for thi r

teen cent u ries mentions A mber ; an d we know there
,

fore th at it w as a pl ace o f some importance seven

teen h u ndred yea rs ago .

An old p al a ce bu ilt by Man S in gh in 1 600 an d

,

a rchitectu ra ll y ran kin g second o nly to the on e y o u

s a w a t G w a lior ( Position sta n ds o n a rugged
mou ntai n side overloo kin g a pa thetic wilderness of lon g
-

deserted ru ins We a re sta ndin g now on one o f th e

.

ba lconies o f tha t old pal ace loo kin g down u pon the ,

rema ins o f ancient splendor whose g lory belon gs to '

the time whe n kn i ghthood commenced in E u rope when ,

kni ghts sw o re to be tr u e to thei r tru st as ch ampi on s

o f Go d and the l a dies ; a time when the Cru s a des were

in prog ress Centu ries even prio r to those event fu l

.

times in ea rly history these v a lleys were filled wi th li f e ,

and th ri llin g events R a j pu ta n a w a s then in its fe u d al

.

stage and riva l tribes a nd cl ans w ere con sta nt l y i n

,

bloody stri fe fo r ascenden cy These m oun ta in sides .

-

m um-9 0 . M ap !
 A M B ER 29 3

ha ve echoed with the cl ash o f c onten di n g a rms as

they h a ve resou nded with the g la d h u rr a h o f victors .

Even fu rther ba ck when the grea t Co l i seu m wa s ri ng

,

in g with the shou ts o f the R o m a n pop u lace these ,

hei ghts were the ho mes o f victorious chiefs

'
.

The pictu resqu e su rro undin gs o f A mber a re won

der ful . I t is a na tu ra l fortress as well as a ra re l y
be au ti fu l situation for a series o f pa la ce b u i ld in gs -
.

The p a l ac es at Gwalio r are situated on a mou n ta in

su mmit ; here they are on mou nt a in slopes overlooki n g
a be au ti fu l l ak e and ch a rmin g v a lleys Besides the .

n a tu ra l defenses o f the mou nta ins you see a rtifici al

,

w alls o f defense extend in g to the s u mm it of those

rugged pe aks A be au ti fu l l ak e which mi rrors the
.
,

p al a ce on which we stan d is fa r below to our ri ght

, .

Every remn ant o f a bu ildin g within si ght is th at o f

some once m agn ificent stru ctu re I t s u rely h a s been
.

a city o f pa la ces and a home o f kin gs The w a ll which .

crosses the v alley and re aches the hi ghest mo unta i n

top is a powerfu l stru ctu re with a centra l space fo r
soldiers between the lines of ba ttlemen ts an d with ,

towers at interv als W e c an see at the bas e o f th at

.

fortified mou nt a in a mos qu e with two min a rets ; th at ,

o f co u rse , shows the M oslem fa ith a nd ru le .

The u s ua l entr ance to this v a lley is in a direction

ne ar ly opposite to tha t tow a rds which we are lookin g ,

a nd through a n a rrow gor ge The pa l a ce on which

.

we no w h a ve our look ou t is pl an ted midw ay u p the

slope o f a rugged and pi ctu res qu e mou nta in an d , ,

from an other point not f a r a w ay Jeypore mi ght be

,

seen five miles a w ay through the gor ge by which we

ca me. There is n a tive g r an de u r in ev ery di rection
—a gr andeu r which was defen sive in time of w a r .

Tra velers who visit Jeypore n ever fa il to re ach

Pos ition 90 .
M l
 c m roa
'
29 5

One mi ght go on en dless l y describin g portions of the

Man S in gh l abyri n th o f pa la ti a l apartmen ts bu t I ,

will lea ve you to im agine the ch a rmin g vistas u nseen

in other di rections and on ly presen t to you my o ld
,

R aj pu t gu ide who sits by the ra il of the portico and

,

pretends to con his sm a ll ma n ua l wh ile I ass a y a

pan oram a o f deserted Amber .

Ou r next shi ft o f position will be aga i n southw ar d

for a distance o f one h undred an d seven ty five miles -

to Chito r ano ther o ld city in the sta te o f M ew a r

, ,

n ot fa r from U d aip u r an d one h u ndred and fifty miles

east o f M t A bu where we soj ou rned soon a fter lea v

.
,

ing Bomba y W e wil l dela y only for on e view there

. .

Chitor is an a ncien t city wi th m any interesti n g l and

m ark s o f by gone splendor ; it w as once the ca pita l o f
the sta te of M ew a r ; now U daip u r is the ca pita l
and it is an other rem a rkably situa ted city bu t it is ,

qu i te impossible to v i sit all the wonderfu l pl aces in

India ; th at wou l d mak e ou r itin er a ry u n ending .

P os i ti on R el i c s
x
9 . of a ro man ti c —
as t Tow er of
p
Vi ctory ( fif teen th cen tury ) an d r oy a l cen otap h s
a t Ch i tor

M odern Chitor is little more th an a w a lled vi l l age .

W e a re now in a p a rt of old Chitor which contains

some traces of its an cient gr an deu r Not fa r from .

here there w as once a powerfu l fortress on the to p

o f a mou nt a i n five h u ndred feet hi gh and three an d

a ha lf miles in len gth ; this mo un ta in li ke the one ,

a t G w a l ior w a s crowned with a fortress an d many

,

pa la ces while the ancien t city sprea d over the pl ain

,

below On the p al ace crown ed rid ge stan d two ancient

.
-

tow ers one on the east rampa rt an d one on the west ;

,

W QL M l
296 mo ra r mxoncn ‘
r as sr n noscor e

the former is known as the Tower of F ame, the latter

as the Tower of Victory They a re both won derf ul .

stru ctu res but we will con sider only the one be fore
,

u s now the Tower o f Vi ctory

, .

Fergu sson s ays — T o K u mbo who reigned from

‘
,

141 6 to 1 468 we owe thi s tower erected to com

, ,

memo ra te his victory over M a hm u d Kin g of Ma l w a , ,

in 1 439 I t rs a pilla r of Victo ry li k e th at o f Traj an

.
,

a t Rome but o f infinite l y better taste as an a rchi

,

tectural obj ect It ha s nine stories each o f which

.
,

is distinctly m a rked on the ou tside A st ai r i n the .

cen ter le ads to ea ch story the two upper on es bei n g ,

open and more orn amen tal tha n those below It .

stan ds on a ba se forty seven feet squa re an d ten feet -

hi gh a nd is thi rty feet squa re risin g to a hei ght

, ,

o f o ne h u ndred a nd twenty t wo feet the whole bein g -

,

covered with orn amen ts an d scu lptu res to su ch an

exten t a s to le ave no pla in pa rt while this m ass o f ,

deco ration is k ept so s u bd u ed tha t it i n no w ay in

ter feres with the ou tli n e o r genera l eff ect The old .

dome w a s i n j u red by lightn i n g a nd a new one w as ,

s u bstituted by H H Sa ru p S i ng The st a ir i s m u ch
. . .

wider a nd e asier th an tha t i n the J a i n tower ( on the

other side of the ridge ) and in the inside a re ca rvin gs
o f Hind u deities with the n ames below In the top .

story a re two of the fou r ori gi n a l sla bs with lon g in

sc ription s T he tow er took seven to ten yea rs to
.

bu ild from 1 5 48 to 1 5 5 8 O n the road a t the corn er

,
.

of the lower pl a tform is a squa re pi ll a r rec ordi n g a

self i n 1 468 A D ” , . .

T he i n cide nts in history which led to the victory

which this tower commemor ates a re both roman tic a nd
t ragi c You see cenota phs a nd other memori als of the
.

dea d betwee n u s a nd the Tower of Vi ctory ; those tell

Pum -or
a . M t
 ca rt n o 297

of depa rted ki n gs a n d it is not improbable th at some

a re f un e r al u rns to some o f the grea t n umbers o f
de voted women m a rtyrs who committ ed s u ttee r ather
than fal l into the han ds o f li bidinou s p u rs u ers I f .

records a re tru stworthy the m ost a pp a llin g s u ttee i n

,

the anna ls of Hind u history occu rred herea bou ts .

Some time nea r the be ginn ing o f the fou rteenth cen
tu ry it i s recorded th at a M o h a mm eda n emperor see in g ,

the lovely fa ce o f the fa vo rite wi fe of the Ran a o f

Chitor reflected in a mi rror decided he m ust possess
,

this we plus ultra of femi nin e beau ty ; he ca pt u red the

R ana held him a s a hostage a nd dem anded the beau
,

ti ful princess as a r an som In a pp a rent compli a nce

.

with the dem an d a vei l ed l itter w as sent to the em

,

p e ro r a cc omp a nied by seven h u ndred m a ids o f h o n o r .

On arriv a l a t the pa l ace o f Alla n cd din fo r th at w as

- -
,

the n a me o f the M os l em Emperor the litter w as fou nd

,

to be empty an d the seven h u ndred ma ids o f honor

,

proved to be a rm ed w a rriors who rescu ed the R a na

B u t A ll a n cd din w as not to be ba lk ed so ea sily He
- -
.

laid siege to Chitor and when it bec ame evident th a t

, ,

his despera te attempt w as li k ely to p rove s u ccessfu l ,

the princess with a ll the la dies o f the pa l a ce seeing ,

the R an a an d hi s courtiers bein g s l ain ru shed into a ,

room a lre a dy in flames a nd were bu rn ed to a shes .

I f thi s be tru e we a re nea r the pl ace where occu rred

,

the gre atest su ttee sa crifice in the h istory o f H ind u

ism ; and history a nd trad ition both give the pl a ce o f
the crem a tion as nea r this Tower o f Victory .

S ou thw a rd aga in we tak e ou r w ay to a g re a t city

i n the l a r gest n a tive state i n all I ndi a I re fer to the .

c ity of Hyderaba d i n the sta te of the s ame n ame often ,

kn ow n as the N i zam s Dominion s I t wou ld be well

’
.

ru m or . Map !
 H YDERA BAD 299

as the dista n ce i n a direct line is ei ght h u ndred miles ,

but in choosin g roa ds for eleph a nt tra ve l the a ct ua l

dista nce is o ve r a thou s and miles I sa w the herd .

o n its a rri va l a t A g ra an d ta lk ed with the eleph ant

,

a ttendants who to l d me that in so lon g a m a rch they

,

allowed the hea vy be asts to rest f or a fe w da ys at

interv a ls o f a h u ndred miles .

These pa rticu l a r elepha nts th a t we see no w did

n ot a tten d the Du rba r ; for a t the time when I m a de this

ne ga tive the Du rba r eleph ants were stil l on their home

w a rd m a rch These two h a ve j u st come out from the
.

g rea t a rchw a y on the left ; they a re being brought ou t

in rea di n ess to convey some trave l er to Golcon da
the world f amou s Golcond a of fabled we a lth Yo u
-
.

ca n see the kin d o f j au ntin g ca r sea ti ng ar r a n gemen t

-

for p assen gers and with the l u mberi n g ga it of the

, ,

eleph an t the pa s sen ger will fin d it a j au n ting ca r an d

,
-

a j oltin g c ar .

B u t possibly you r atten tion is a ttra cted to the re

m ar kable stru ctu re over the street beyon d It seems .

a co mbi na tion o f a rch and mosqu e I t is an a spi rin g

.

la ndm a rk in modern Hydera ba d ca lled the Cha r M ina r .

You wi ll remember th at the word minor is an abbrevi

ated form of the wo rd mina ret and char is H ind u for
“ "
fou r so Cha r M in a r denotes the fou r m in arets
, .

W e a re i n the hea rt of Hyderaba d a t the intersection

,

of t wo streets ; ea ch front of the s qua re str u cture h as

an a rch simil a r to the one tow a rds which we a re look
in g. Every an gle s u pports a min a ret one h u ndred
an d ei ghty feet hi gh every face o f the quad ran gul a r
,

base i s one h un dred feet I t was bu ilt m 1 5 91 by M o

.

h ammed Ku l i K u tu b S h a h to c ommemo rate God s ’

fa vorable a nswe r to the pra yer s o f holy men i n time

o f a pestile nc e
“ ”
I t is the scan dal point or the
”
.

W e .
M l
300 mum T H RO U GH TH E sm aoscor s

loa fer s re n dezvou s I t is a lso the pl ac e a rou nd wh ich

’
.

public sc ribes ply thei r tr ade T he rooms abo ve the

.

a rches were once u sed as a school and mosqu e ; now

no o n e is a llowed to a scend a s f ro m its mina re ts the
,

pa la ce o f H is Hi ghness c ou ld be we l l s u rveyed Ma r .

qu is de B u ssy the F rench ofiicer wh o se infl u ence w a s

,

pa r amo u n t in the Decc an a t one time once qua rtered ,

his tro ops in the Cha r M in a r a nd the s u rrou n din g

garde ns .

Beyon d the Ch a r M in a: you see an a rch over the

street ; it is ca lled the Machhi Ka m an which mean s
“ ”
the A rch o f the F ish the fish bein g a ba d ge o f hi gh
,

ran k I n this street we shou ld find m any types o f

.

people represented ; a ll the ou tside tribes th at h a ve

dr i fted into Indi a a re represented in Hyderaba d Ther e .

is n o restrictio n on ca rryin g a rms and everybody here,

goes a rmed almost bu rdened with we apon s The ir

, .

gi rdles a re wei ghted with lon g kn ives and o ld bl u nder

bu sses and one ca nnot bu t wonder how anybody is
,

left a li ve when e very m an is both a w a rrior and an

a rsen a l .

—
I m ay here aga in refer to Golconda the story of
the rich min es of Golconda seems to h a ve been a n
absol u te myth The impre gn able o ld fo rtress a t th at
.

pl ac e was lon g a tre as u re box o f the Ni zam where ,

gold an d preciou s gems were stored for sa fe k eep

i n g an d this fact seems to h a ve led to the be l ief th at
,

the tre as u re w a s fou nd in the mines of the pla ce I t .

is bel ieved by some tha t the N izam sti ll hides trea s u re

in the old fort and th a t when the ordin a ry reven u es
“
a re i n s ufficien t he pen etra tes the c onc ea led stron g
”
box at Gol c on d a .

The hi story of Go l con da and Hyderaba d form s some

wh a t of a pa ra llel to tha t of A mber an d Jeypore Gol .

m im
P
n . n ap :
 HYD E RA BAD 30 1

c on da as a capita l w a s deserted except a s a fortress

an d H yderaba d became the capita l The wea lth an d
.

power o f the new capita l u n der a M os lem dynasty

be gan to a rou se the en vy o f the grea t Mo gu l Emper ors
of the n orth The growi n g power o f the N izam pro
.

duced in the M ogu ls a feelin g of in secu rity The .

Emperor A u r an gzeb m a rched aga inst a nd overthrew

the M oslem rei gn and established in its place the
M ogu l line A t the present time a s ucces sor o f tha t
.

old M o gu l dvnasty ru les this rem n an t o f the grea t

M ogu l Empi re .

A ga in w e a re rea dy for an other itinera ry sou th

w a rd so we m u st sa y fa rewell to the l ast br anch o f
the M ogu ls ; then a three h u ndr ed mile j o u rney will
- -

tak e u s to the grea t S ou th Indi an city of Madras on ,

the Commandel coa s t

Pos ition 9 3 S ubs ta n ti a l el egan ce o f mod er n M a d r as
.

—imp oein g La w Co ur t B ui l din gs —vi e w so uth

wes t, f r om th e ba n k

I ha ve tak en you to an un u s ua l pl ace for ou r only

view o f Ma dra s the top of the New B ank B u i l din g
, .

Do not mistak e the tomof these modern bu ildi n gs fo r

st reets an d g rou nd level .

—
W e a re look in g sou thwest ; the h arbor a ll th at
—
there is of it lies only a h u ndred ya rds to our left .

W e can almost see the wa ter o f the B ay o f Ben gal at

our left in the dist an ce The well kno wn Ma dras
.
-

su rf is even no w thr ashin g the sa ndy beac h nea r by :

but a ltho ugh the stereo scope h a s good eyes it h as no t
,

e a rs so we do n o t hea r it Cou ld we turn ou r view

, .

a f ew de g rees to w a rds the le ft we sho u ld see Fort

,

S t George o ne mile f rom u s overlook in g the se a It

. .

w as the ori gin a l n u cle u s of the city .

W ai n -9 3 . M \
 M ADRAS 303 .

the beachf There ar e here n o gr ea t and won derfu l

a rc hi tect u ra l pa la ces tombs towers o r other ancien t
, ,

lan d m a rk s to sho w you bu t there ar e modern up to

-
, ,
-

—
d ate institu tions of every order ch u rches hospita ls , ,

colleges m u se ums an d cl u bs which will comp are with

, ,

those o f a simila r ch a ra cter in other coun t ries .

Ma dr as r an k s as one of the h ottest pa rts of the

empire Y o u wou ld experience no win ter here and
.
,

i n all lik elihood you wou ld fin d a n ece ssity for a con

stan t u se of the pu nka h .

It w as in a nd abou t Madras tha t the F rench an d

En gl ish l on g contended for the ma stery in sou thern
I ndi a
'

*
Du pleix comm anded the F ren ch and defea ted
.

the En glish on severa l occ a sion s F in a lly the En g .

lish discovered i n a clerk ca lled Bob Clive a milit a ry

gen i u s This you th w as s ub j ect to moods of dis
.

couragement and desponden cy I n on e o f thes e bu ild

.

i n gs ne a r u s he h a d twice tried to shoot him sel f bu t ,

his pistol fa iled to disch a r ge When he ha d on ce .

bec ome filled with a pa triotic a mbition to en ter the

lists with the famo u s and vi ctoriou s Du pleix his ,

despondency forsook him He rose ra pidly in fa vor

.

an d rank soon proved more th an a m atch for the

,

formerly redou bta ble F rench Genera l an d defea ted ,

him . The F ren ch were obli ged to retire to Pondi

cherry a nd Bob Clive s a ved s ou thern I ndi a from
,

F ren ch domi na tion an d bec ame the f amou s Lo rd Clive .

Let u s n ow contin u e southw a rd till we rea ch a

pla ce where we c an find somethin g in a rchitectu re
which the old inh a bita nts of sou thern India ori ginated .

Du rin g our j ou rn ey I h ave all u ded to a race inh abit

ing the sou th co u ntry of Hind u sta n a cou ntry c a lled ,

‘
See m e s ss
M tlon oa. M l
304 mm TH RO UG H
11 rHs sr znsoscor s

‘I
Dra vida an d the people ther eof Dravidian
, T hat .

peop le had lik e the northe rn races made won derful

, ,

progress i n certa i n d irections T hey had a sty l e o f .

a rchitectu re pe culi ar to themselves an d they left some

extraordi n a ry memoria ls t o a ttest thei r achieveme n ts

i n their peculi a r order Between Madras an d the ex

.

treme so u thern limit of India we sh a ll see wha t the

Dra vidian s ha ve to show the modern wor ld .

Abo u t ha lf w ay betwee n Mad ras an d Ca pe Comori n

ou r m ap shows T an j ore Tric hin opoly an d Mad u ra , .

F irst we w ill visit T an j or e where we sh al l fin d tem ,

‘
ples qu ite difleren t from an ythi n g we h ave seen in the
—
north temples in hon or o f H ind u gods an d for Hin
du worshippers bu t i n a D r a vidi a n scheme of a rchi
,

te ctu re .

Pos iti on 94 G u a r.d i a n of Hi n d u my s te r ies , s o uth .

wes t to ga te way an d s cul p tumd temp l e tow er

Ou r position is before an ou ter en tran ce gatew ay

to the G rea t Pagoda o f T an j ore We a re lookin g a .
°

little west o f sou th M adr as is one h u n dred an d

.

eighty miles a w ay behin d u s an d thi rty m iles to ou r ,

ri ght is T richinopoly T an j ore provi nce is conside red

.

the ga rden of sou thern Indi a This city o f T an j ore .

is on a level and fertile pl a in n e ar the delta o f the

Cau very river I t cont a ins a popul ation of abou t si xty
.

thou s and a nd its fame is ow in g to its won derfu l p agoda

and temples The gatew a y ne ar u s is only a tem
.

p o ra ry entr a nce to the m a in ga tew a y c a lled a g op u ra ,

which is a little beyond th at lo w white entran ce Here .

we sh a ll h ave to be c o ntent with a view of this g rea t

gopu ra a nd not the p agod a itsel f fo r the reason tha t ,

I cou ld find no position which w ou ld a llow the t aki n g

‘ See 8 39
p age. 3
2 1 .

Petition 94 . M 1
 TANJ ORE 305

of a stereograph to show the f ull hei ght o f the struc

tu re o r th a t wou ld give an ythin g l ik e a sa tis factory
,

view of it The en tire surrou n din gs a re so filled with

.

a ll sorts of obstru ction s that stereogr aphic position s

a re impossflale ; therefore I ca n show yo u on l y the
gop ura o r gatew ay .

W ithin this gop u r a there is a co u rt two h u ndred a nd

fifty feet s quar e de voted to minor shrines an d to pl aces
o f residen ce f or temple a nd p agod a offi ci a ls a nd ca re

t akers Beyond th at cou rt there is a secon d gop u ra

.
,

not so l a r ge as the one before u s ; beyon d the sec

ond gopura there is a g rea t cou rt five h u ndred feet

in len gth by h a lf th at in width ; within that the g rea t ,

pagoda st a nds It is one h undred and n inety feet

.

hi gh on ly forty ei ght feet lower tha n the Ku th M in a r

,
-

at D e l hi ( P os ition I t is py ra mid al in form and

ga rn ished with s cu lptu red fi gu res from b ase to top .

This first gop u ra befo re u s is ninety feet hi gh and , ,

i f you im agine a h u ndred feet a dded to its hei ght ,

and con ceive it as t a perin g more g r ace fu lly in pyra

mid al fo rm with even more extrav agan t sc u lptu red

,

decora tion you wi ll h a ve a g ood ide a o f the appe a r

,

ance o f the pagod a itself This D ravidi a n style of

.

a rchitectu re rose du ri n g the rei gn of the Chol as or

T an j ore kin gs which wa s some time in the eleventh
,

cen tu ry A D Its stri kin g genera l ch a racteristics a re

. .

massiveness an d the absence o f cu rves ; these towerin g

gop u ra s a re p robably the most con spicuo u s featu res .

The first c ou rt beyond this gopu ra h a s not been u sed

for p u rpo ses of w o rship since 1 7 7 7 when it w a s u sed
by the F rench a s a fo rtress and an a rsen al .

I wonder i f you ca n distin gu ish beyond the secon d

gopu ra a raised plat fo rm o n which is a da rk obj ect
a lmost betwee n two white pos ts Th at is a prodi giou s
.

Position “ l op !
 TANJ OR E 307

the impression tha t th ere w as bu t on e s u ch gi gan tic

immola tor bu t there a re m an y ; every city o f import
,

an ce ha s its big holy w agon W e s hall fin d on e i n a .

s treet of T an j ore .

Posi ti on 95 . A Ca r
‘

of j aga ua th ,
—
in whi ch th e Hin d u

j ore

Here is a Ca r Of J uggern au t an d beside it a ,

memori a l represen ta tion of o ne The vehicle on the .

left is a rea l wor kin g worshipfu l ca r It is not

, , .
,

however wh a t we m ay ca ll a hi gh cl a ss ca r for T an
,
-
,

j ore is a sma ll city and c a n n ot a ffo rd an expens ive

on e. The ca r on the ri ght is a st ation a ry memori a l
ca r bu ilt o f brick co ated with ch u m an or stu cco The .

real Ca r of J uggern au t stan ds a t this pl ace in the

street by the ca r o f m a son ry u ntil a cerem oni a l oc
c asion ca lls fo r its rem ova l .

Th e word J uggernau t is from the H indu J aga nn ath

or J ag an a tha which si gn ifies The Lord o f The W orld .

It is a name sometimes applied to Krish n a or to a ,

very import an t inca rna tion o f Kri shna The name is .

a lso a pplied to a c elebr a t ed temple an d town on the

coast of O rissa ; the s a me pl a ce is Often ca lled Pu ri
or Por ee J agan at
.ha ( v a rio u s spe llin g ) or Po ree ,

is the most sa cred H ind u temple in Indi a There is .

at Poree a h uge a nd amorph ou s idol which is little ,

else th an a hea vy log with somewh a t o f the h u m a n

form This h a s bee n a dopted as an Obj ect to repre
.

sent J agann a th or Kris hn a bu t a t Poree ( or Pu ri ) ,

Krishn a is wo rshipped as Vishn u Ho w this proxy .

w o rship is d one I don t k now ; there is mu ch of it i n

’

Hind u and Bra hm anica l worship .

J aga n nath temple bein g the most importan t in a ll

’

In dia there is k ept the most pon derou s c a r of J ug

”
,

Position .
M t
308 I ND I A TH RO UG H TH E masoscor s
s

g er na u t in a ll the H i n d u wor ld — m u ch l a r ger a n d more

costly and el abora te than the on e n ea r us I t is the .

Ca r of J uggern au t Often men tion ed in h istory an d i n

m eta phor I t is forty five feet hi gh an d thi rty five
.
- -

feet square ; it i s s u pported on sixteen whee ls which

a re seven feet in di a meter J ag a nn a th h as a br other
.

ca lled B a l a ra m an d a sister Shubudra ; the b rothe r

,

an d sister idols a re ca rried in sepa rate ca rs somewh a t

sm a l ler The grea t Ca r be arin g this Krishn a idol to
.

be worshipped a s S hiva is dra wn by forty two h u ndred -

professio na l pu llers I im agine th a t it wou ld wei gh

.

well u p tow a rds twenty tons T he hard road is deeply .

c ru shed wherever it is d ra wn It w as be n ea th the .

wheels of th a t mon strou s ca r th a t devotees formerly

threw themselves to be cru shed as a sel f immol a tion -

in hon or o f J agan n ath ins u rin g thereby their en tr a n ce

,

to He a ve n These fan a tica l sel f sacrifices we re stopped

.
-

whe n Poree ca me u nder the co n trol o f the En g li sh .

A t the time o f the ca r festi v a l thou s an ds o f pil grims ,

pou red into Poree from every p a rt of I n di a I .

visited this pl ace a t the time of a gre at festiv al bu t ,

it was not a ca r festiva l a nd I fou n d the grea t en ,

gi n e of worship t ak en a pa rt and portion s o f it stored

in di fferent pl aces ; it is for th at reason I am able to
bring before you on ly this ca r o f sma ller si ze here
at T an j ore .

The n u mber Of pil g rim s visitin g the J aganna th

shri n e a t P oree is so g rea t th a t the m a i n road lea di ng
thereto a t a dist a nce O f fifty miles is re adily k no wn
by the qua ntities o f h u m a n bones strewed on the w a y .

It must however not be in ferred th at the n u merou s

, ,

dea ths a re fro m c a ses o f sel f immol ation but rather -

,

fro m accidents and sic kness .

The practice of car ryin g im ag es i n p roc essions i t ,

n ition ” . M ap !
 TANJO RE 309

is cl aimed ori gi na ted with the B u ddhist Crooke

, .

“
s ays -
I t is amon g the Hind u s o f So u th Indi a a nd
the J a ins tha t the cu stom o f pa r adin g im ages o f the
gods is most common and the practice d ates from the
,

era o f B u ddhism The procession o f the im age o f

.

J uggern au t merely represen ts the B u ddhist ri te to

which his worship s u cceeded The Obj ect o f the cere .

moni al is to brin g the god person a lly i n contact with

his worshippers a nd by ca rryin g him a rou nd the a rea
,

over which he ha s control to sc are demo ns and other ,

evil infl u ences .

J uggernau t proc essiona l ca rs a re seeming ly con

stru cted a fter the fa shion o f the J uggernau t temple ,

which a s H u nter says consists o f fou r ch a mbers

, , ,

openin g one into another The first is the H a ll o f .

Offerin gs where the bu lk ier obla tion s a re m a de only

, ,

a sm a l l q uan tity o f choice food be in g a dmitted into

the inner shrine The second is the P i l l a red H al l fo r
.
,

the m u sici an s an d da ncin g gir l s The thi rd is the .

H a ll o f A u dience in which pi l grims assem ble to gaze

,

u pon the god T he fou rth is the Sanctua ry itse l f

.
,

s u rmou nted by a lofty conic a l tower It is not di f .

ficult to see a ru de corresponden ce to the temple in

the pl an o f this ca r The wheels a nd lower frame
.

work are cru de an d cl u msy an d the u pper stru ctu re ,

is o f bamboo .

Ea ch to wn a nd city m an u fa ctu res its own J agan

n ath who is a lw ays bedeck ed with ta wdry orn a ments ;
the whole u pper fr ame is fl u tteri n g w ith gorgeou s
rags M r J agan na th holds the conspicu ou s p lace Of
. .

honor and with the j oltin g over u neven streets he

,

w abbles as though a trifle tipsy Va st crowds alw ays .

line the cou rse o f the ca r cra n in g fo r a glimpse ; fo r

a ll who see a re sa ved I f then you ca n im agine this
”M
.

Pos ition . l
 r mcmnor ocv 311

the Ol d citadel ( a fort a rse n al a nd prison )

,
The .

rock to the right is crown ed by a m an da pam or pa

vilio n from which m a y be obt a ined the gr a n dest out
,

look on the pl ains o f sou thern I ndia The ascen t to .

th at pa vilion is m ade by a fli ght of two h u ndred and

ninety steps in some pl aces dan gerou sly steep In
, .

1 849 a gr e a t crowd h a d assembled to worship G anes h

in tha t white temp l e nea r the top A panic a rose .

and in the stampede which followed five h u ndred l ives

were lost Yo u will observe the bu ild in g with the
.

pi ll a rs below the p a vi l ion at the s ummit ; th at is a

Shivite temp l e where on cert a in da ys the im age s o f
S hiva Parboti G anesh a nd Subrahananya a re wor
, ,

shipped and ca rried in processi on .

The fli ghts o f steps be g in amon gst those bu ild in gs

at the ba se o f the roc k a nd p a ss u p nea r th a t tree
between the cita del and the Rock and then tow ar ds
,

the ri ght th rough a p assage to a n exit nea r the Shivite

temp l e O n the w a lls O f the p assage a re scu lptu red
.

elep han ts The frie ze is covered with fi gu res o f me n

.

a nd women ; i n the temple is a l a rge N an di B u ll b u t ,

not sme a red with Oil lik e the monster at T an j ore ; it

is pl ated with silver a t a grea t cost A nother st a i r .

c a se lea ds from the ri ght nea r the top to the p avilion ,

at the top ; this is out l ined by a niche to be seen at the

ri ght o f the pa vi lion .

F rom the pavil ion or from any pa rt of the u pper

d ome mi ght be s een not fa r from the b ase o f the
,

Roc k the hou se in which Lord Clive lived a nd in

, ,

another di rection the B ath a t the J u dges Cou rt in ’

which Bishop Heber died .

The O l d cita del w a s once s u rrou n ded by a moa t

thirty f eet wide and twel ve feet deep ; then the enti re
Rock is encompa ssed by a wa ll ei ghteen feet hi gh
W 0 96 . Map !
31 2 I ND IA TH RO U G H TH E sr s ns oscor s

a nd five feet thick ; besides th is w a ll there is an in

terven ing sp ace o f twenty five feet an d then a seco n d
-

w a ll thi rty feet hi gh an d ten feet broad a t the top .

H u rst in his I ndika sa ys — “

NO histori an ca n tell the
fu ll story o f the blood th a t ha s been shed an d the ra ces
tha t h a ve fought on this very spot ” .

Let u s review a few Of these dea dly pa ss ages a t

a rms wi th in the l ast one h un dred an d fifty yea rs I n .

1 7 36 the widow o f the l ate rei gnin g R aj a a dmitted a

few soldiers into the fortress in order to pay ov er a
little tri bu te which they were co l lec tin g from v a riou s
pa rts o f the Karn atic They sei zed the pl ace and the
.

qu een w a s m ade prison er Soon the tide tu rn ed the

.
,

Mahratta s c aptu red the pl ace in 1 7 40 an d ki lled Dost ,

A li W ithin ten yea rs both the F rench an d the En g

.

lish appea red u pon the scene an d then it w as a con ,

flict between na tive ru lers an d fo rei gn inv a ders It .

lon g lay i n doubt which n ati ve pri nce wou ld come out
best or which people the En glish or the F ren ch
, , ,

wou ld go down i n the gen er a l cr ash The En gli sh .

took sides with the Ma hra tta s an d the F ren ch a llied ,

themsel ves with the ru lers of the Ka rnatic whose army ,

w as led by Chanda Sahib .

I n 1 7 5 2 Maj or La wren ce who led the En glish an d

,

the Ma hrattas defe ated the F rench and the Ka rnatic

,

t roops m arched u p the hil l and took thei r qua rters in

,

the fortress B u t the fi ghti n g wa s n ot ov er The

. .

Ka rnatic soldiers a nd the F rench still l a y n ea r Clive .

,

who w as La wrence s best fi ghter went O ff with a body

’

o f troops to de a l a nother blow to the enemy He wa s .

shot bu t not fa ta lly ; though he lost m u ch blood he

, ,

wa s n ot too weak to gi ve orders to capture pri son er s , ,

an d to secure a deci sive victory to the En glish ar ms .

Bu t it w a s o f sho rt d u r ation The F ren ch h a d ski l .

m os . M ap !
 T RI C H I NO POLY 31 3

fully formed an alli an ce with the M ahra ttas bu t La w ,

rence with Clive a s his powerf ul helper de feated them

, ,

all in 1 7 5 2 S oon however a ffairs took a n a dverse

.
, ,

tu rn The na tive princes a nd their a rm y who o ne

.
,

d ay fought side by side with the En gl ish tu rned ,

aga inst them the next d ay an d fought with the F rench .

H a rdly a week p assed in which the contestan ts did

not ch an ge a bo u t i n on e w ay o r a nother This fortress .

of Trichin o poly w a s generally the center of the ope ra

tions The a rmy w a s a lw ays victorious which co u ld
.

w in this gre a t hei ght .

In November 1 7 53 the F rench ma de a ni ght at

, ,

ta c k on the fort a nd s u cceeded in en te ri n g the ou ter

l ines o f the fortifica tions where there w a s a pit thi rty
feet deep ; into thi s m any o f the F rench soldiers fe l l ;
their scre a ms a rou sed the En gl ish ga rrison a nd three
h u ndred an d si xty o f them were t ak en pri soners .

The fin a l victory lay with the En glish The N a w abs .

o f the Ka rn at ic w ho h a d forfeited thei r cl a im to En g

,

lish sympa thy becau se o f thei r fin a l a lle gi ance to the

F rench h ad to give u p thei r grea t fortr ess in 1 80 1
, .

S ince thi s t ime the U nion J ack o f En gla nd ha s floated

from the lofty gra nite crest .

A side from the cas tle or fortress and the widely

'

known g ranite Rock there is little here th a t we h ave

not seen be fore ; there a re the ever present stu cco and -

whitew ash a s on th a t b azaa r borderin g the cemetery

,

where a re a few memori al s to disti n gu ished dead ; a nd

there are the f am ili a r b ulloc k c a rts which we h ave -

seen in the north I po inted out the disti ngu ishin g

.

m a rk of the T amil at Tan j ore— the shorn fore lock ; -

here you see it again .

By a ca rri age drive of a few miles we ca n re a ch the

Position “ .
m 1
 SE RI N GHA M 31 5

severe a nd good ta ste th roughou t Its d ate for .

,

tun ately is perfectly well known a s its progress w a s

, ,

stopped by its be ing occu pied a nd fortified by the

F rench d u rin g ou r ten years stru ggle with them for ’

the possession o f Trichinopoly ; a nd i f we a l lo w fifty ,

ye a rs fo r its progress ev en this wou ld brin g the whole

,

within the limits of the ei ghteenth centu ry .

T he other th ree gop u ras Of this enclos u re a re in the

s ame style and were comm enced on the s ame sc ale
, ,

bu t not being so f a r a dv an ced when the w o rk w a s

,

stopped their gate posts pro j ect above their wa l ls in

,
-

a ma nner th at gives them a very sin gu l a r appea rance ,

an d h as led to some stran g e theories as to their desi gn .

Look ed at from a dista nce o r in any direction where ,

the whole can be g ra sped a t o nce the fou rteen or fif ,

teen grea t ga te towers ca nnot fail to prod u ce a cer

-

t a in eff ect bu t even then it c an only be by con sideri n g

”
,

them as sepa rate bu ildin gs .

F rom the portion Of this temple her e in view and ,

those gopu ra s never completed one m ay j u d ge of its ,

e xtent ha d the enti re pl a n been brought to comp letion .

A t this dista nce we ca nn ot stu dy the wonde rfu l

sc u lptur e and det ail ( W e sh all stu dy deta ils at ou r
.

ne xt stoppi ng p lace Ma du ra ) The ston es in some o f

, .

those gatew a y a rches a re enormou s monoliths on e —

is twenty ni n e feet seven inches lon g ; fou r feet five
-
, ,

inches br oa d and abou t eight feet thi ck You will

,
.

n otice tha t these t owerin g stru ctu res dimi nish in si ze

tow a rds the centra l one which is c alled the vimanah
o r a dyt u m Into th at cen tra l shrine none bu t believers
.

a re a llowed to en ter ; it is su rroun ded by a cou rt of

a thou s and pill a rs e ach pi ll a r a gra nite m on olith
,

ei ghtee n feet in hei ght W ithi n the i nn er cou rt is a

.

m a nd apa m or pa vilion con tai n in g the tre a s u ry Of

Position ”
. Map !
31 6 I ND IA T H RO U G H T H E sr aRsoscop R

j ewels Amon g the j ewels a re two ornaments Of d i a

.

m o nds and emera lds an d one of di amonds and ru bies

, .

O ne O f these is v a lu ed a t thi rty five th ou sand ru pees -

.

There a re idols of gold stu dded with j ewels A mon g .

the m any costly orn aments there is a gold bowl worth

over eleven tho u s a nd ru pees There a re cou ntless other .

idol atrou s extr av aganc ies within those cou rts an d ,

a lmost u nivers a l poverty u n der those stucco roofs e x

ten din g in every direction .

B u t the m a rvelou s el abor a tion in these D ra vi di a n

mon u m en ts we m u st see ne a r a t h a nd A nother h u n .

dr ed miles sou thw a rd wi l l t ak e u s to Ma d u ra the ca pi ,

ta l o f the o ld Padyan kingdo m a la rge and bu sy ci ty ,

of nea rly one h u ndred thou sa nd people an d conta in ,

in g s o me O f the most rem a rka bl e temples in Hind u sta n ,

or indeed in the w o rld In a nci en t times Mad u ra w a s

.

fa med a s a seat o f lea rnin g ; it w a s the Re gio Pan

dion is mentioned by Pto l emy Now it is celebrated .

for its won derfu l temples .

of M a d ur a '
s Hin d u Temp l e—two of i ts n in e

p g
a od as

A s a tra i n approa ches Mad u ra the traveler sees , ,

piercin g the sk y ma ny da rk towers H ere no w in the

,
.

hea rt o f the city we find the m a rvelou s aggre gation of

stru ct u res f amous throughou t the world as the Tem
,

ples o f Ma d u ra W e a re in a street where we h a ve a

.

view o f two o f the nin e gop u ras which c ompose the

wonderful series W e a re n e a r en ough to see some
.

of the infinite deta il the inconceivabl e el abora ,

l the cre a tion o f nine o f these g op u r a s or door

0 the i nn er sh rines W e a l so observe a see .

o n e of the temples with i n the nine stupendo u s

. 97 -9 8 . Map !
 M AD U RA 31 7

gatew ays The highest of these ga tew ays is on e hun

.

dred and fifty two feet The others a re only a trifle

-
.

less.

The most wonderfu l feat u re of these nine toweri n g

gop u ra s is the amou nt o f fine sc u lptu re necessa ry to
fill u p the fou r fa ces of nine gatew ays to s u ch a hei ght ,

an d with lif e s ize fi gu res o f a ll the s aints and gods

-

Of H i n d u ism man y of them oft repe a ted to portra y

,
-

mythologica l events conn ected therewith Crook e

”
.

— “
sa ys z Redu plica tion is the key note o f H ind u a rt
and I am su re i f we co u ld go c a ref u lly over a ll the
fi gu res on these gatew a ys and n ote ho w m any times
,

the whole Hind u p antheon appea rs and reappea rs in

these mo u nta ins o f sc u lpt u re you wo u l d ag ree w ith
,

him It is a veritable sta ck over a h undred a nd fi fty

.
,

feet h igh o f gods goddesses and other scu lptu red fig

, ,

u res I m a de an attempt to co u nt the fi gu res on a

.

si ngle f ace o f tha t gop u ra a t ou r left I f my h a sty .

c a lcul a tion sho uld approxim ate accuracy there m u st be ,

well ni gh a thous and li fe size fi gu res on a sin

- -

gle gopu ra ; nine gates wo u ld give n ine th ou

—
s a nd sta tu es if I m ay ca ll th em su ch ; a n d the
figu res represent only a por tion o f the ca rving
on the gatew ays ; an d the nine gatew ays represent on ly
a fra ction of the fine scu lptu re on the inc l osed temple
an d other rel a ted stru ctu res Mu ch o f the ca rving is
.

s aid to be the fin est in so u thern India .

M ost of the temple in its present condition was co n

stru cted by a g rea t ru ler ca lled Ti ru m a l a N ayak to
w ards the be ginnin g O f the seventeenth cent u ry Ti ru .

m al a w as the greatest o f the k in gs of Ma d u ra He .

ru led thi rty six ye a rs an d his rei gn w as a go lden pe riod

-

for his kin gdom A mile o r two from th is grea t tem

.

Petition ” .
M l
 M AD U RA 31 9

bu i lders pa s sed a w ay un til a la ter western civi li za tion

,

exh u med the grea t mon u ments o f a g rea t p ast .

Let me here u se some pa rt o f a less gener ali zed ac

count from Mu rr ay s Hand B ook of I ndia ; speak ing o f
’

the temple he sa ys — “
I t c on sists of two pa rts on the ,

cas t a temple to M inakshi the fish eyed goddess

‘
the ,
-
,
’

c o nsort o f S hiva ; an d on e to S hiv a here c alled Su n ,

da reshw ar on the west side

, The en tran ce is by the .

ga te of M inakshi s Temple through a pa inted corri

’

dor a bo u t thi rty feet long which is c alled the H a ll of ,

the Ei ght Lak shmis from ei ght sta tu es of tha t god ,

dess w hich form the su pports of the roof on either

side where v a riou s dea lers pl y thei r tra de .

On the ri ght of the gatew ay is an im ag e o f Su b

’
r ahma nya one of S hiv a s sons otherwise ca lled Ska n d a
, ,

or Ka rti k eya the H ind u Mars O n the left is an

, .

im age o f G an esh The gatew ay lea ds to a ston e corri

.

do r with rows o f pil la rs on either side The co rridor .

,

before pa ss in g the ga tew ay is cal led the A shta Laksh ,

mi Mand apam and the second corridor the M inakshi

,

N ayakka Ma n dap am ha vin g been built by M inakshi ,

N ay ak D iw an of a ru ler who preceded Ti ru m a la

, .

Some of the pi ll ars of the temple ha ve fo r capita ls the

c u rved pl an ta in flower bra ck et so genera l at Vij ayana
-

ga r T his is s aid by some to be the Hind u corn u copi a

. .

A t the end o f one of the corr idors on e h u ndred a nd '

sixty six feet lon g is a l a r ge door o f brass which ha s

-
, ,

sta nds to hold m any l amps tha t a re li ghted a t n i ght .

Close by is a qu adran gle with a teppa K u l um

( t a n k ). T his t a n k is c a lled S w a ma pus hpa k a rini o r -

P atra ma ra i T a n k o f the Golden L ilies

‘
,
A nother .
’

“
cu ri ou s fea t u re o f the p l ace is a little ch a mber bui l t
by Qu een M an gammal who w as seized and sta rved to ,

dea th by her s ubj ects abou t 1 7 06 A D food bein g .

M ien ” . M op !
320 mom TH ROU G H TH E STER EOSCOP E

pl a ced so n ea r she cou ld see an d smell bu t not tou ch

it A st a tu e o f her lover the B ra hm an A chchaya is
.
, ,

on the west side of the ta n k an d on the cei lin g the re i s

,

his portrait opposite to one o f the Qu een Ro u nd the .

t ank runs an a rca de .

“
O n the north an d e ast sides the w a lls o f the cor
ridor a re pa inted wi th r epresen ta tions o f the most

fa mou s p agod as in Indi a ; from the sou th side a very

good view is obta ined o f the diff erent towers o f the
gop u r as O n the n orthwest side is the bel fry with a n
” ,
.

Americ an be ll o f fin e tone .

F rom this com pa ra tively u nobstru cted view of two

ga tew ays you m ay ded u ce a fai r con ceptio n of the
,

n ine ; it is necessa ry th at you shou ld obta in a t lea st one

i n terior view th a t will help yo u in some meas u re to
un derst an d the m a n y wonderfu l places within these
ga tes a nd w a lls Yo u see I am cons ta ntly compl ai n
.

ing in o ur itinera ry of our limita tion to one h u ndred

, ,

po siti ons bu t I h ave m ade stereog raphs here of the

,

Ta nk of the Go l den Lilies o f the Ha ll o f a Thou s a nd

,

P ill a rs the Choultrie an d other chief th in gs in this

,

temple One gl impse however you mus t h ave no w to

.
, ,

sti r u p you r i magi na tion ; therefore we will take

another position before a corridor sh owin g some
spi rited figu res which form a lin e of pi lla rs .

Pos i tion 99 G ro te
. s ue f aqn cy a n d p a ti en t s ki l
Hin d u s c ul p tor s pi l l ar s of th e Temp l e, M a d ur a
-
l o f

You h a ve hea rd so m u ch and m aybe you h ave rea d

so m u ch a bo u t w o nderfu l det ail abo u t el a bor a ti on o f,

sc u lpt u re abo u t ca rvin g and a ll tha t th at you m a y s u s

, ,

peet extra v agant f ancy o r verba l ex aggeration but ,

s u rely this view will remo ve any s u ch s u spicion .

Pu ltlou 9 9 . Map !
 M AD U RA 32 1

You ha ve before you some of

the pil la rs i n the
f acade of tha t pa rt o f the temple ca lled the Choultrie ;
'

these prese n t to the eye an evidence beyond ga in s ay

of wha t is conta ined within those n ine ga tew ays I n .

the m atter o f a rtistic wor k a nd patient toil is there no t ,

as mu ch here to wonder at a s in the Pyramids o f

?
Egypt A nd this is merely a sma ll appendage of the
v a st ag g re ga te ; this g reat h a ll w as a l so bu ilt by Tir
u ma l a who bu ilt all the l ater portions of the temp l e
, .

It is three h u ndred and thi rty three feet in len gth and
-
,

o n e h u n dred an d five in width The gate tower by the

.
-

Choultrie ha s doo rposts o f sin gle block s o f gr anite

sixty feet in hei ght It requ ired twenty two yea rs to
.
-

bu i l d an d cost five millions o f doll a rs— I mean this one

h all a lon e .

I t is rel a ted th at when this wonderfu l stru cture w as

finished the k in g brought his qu een a princess o f the ,

hou se o f T an j ore to see a nd wonder a t his achieve

,

ment The qu een h a d often boa sted of her father s

.
’

gre a tnes s ; the k in g a sked her as she look ed u pon this

,

wonderful stru ctu re i f her f a ther h ad a n ythin g l ik e

,

it
. Li k e this ?
W hy the sheds i n which m y father
,

k eeps his ca ttle a re finer replied the conceited qu een

, .

The ki n g threw his d agger at her prod u cin g a w o un d

which cau sed her dea th A fter twen ty tw o years o f
.
-

l abor and a n expenditu re of five millions it w as s u rely ,

a hea rtles s sn u b to s ay nothin g abou t a lie a nd it cost

, ,

the qu een her life .

S ix o f these won derfu l pill a rs a re Ya li which is the ,

n a me of a con ven tion a l ized lion enterin g m u ch into

a rchite c tu r a l stru ct u res in so u thern Indi a These lions .

altern ate with fi ures of the Pa nd u brot hers The first

g .

fi gu re i s th a t o f A rj u n a the grea t a rcher with his

, ,

f amous bow an d beyon d that first lion is Bhimh a w ith

”M
,

Pct-
M on . l
 RA M I SS ERA M 323

Ceylon A t Ma dura we were withi n one h u n dred an d

.

fifty miles o f Ceylon an d abou t the s ame distan ce from

Cape Comori n the extreme sou thern en d of I n di a
, .

Ther e is an isl an d lyi ng between Ceylon and the south

ern en d of the gre a t pen insu la ca l l ed Paumben or ,

Man aar Isl and i n the S tr aits o f Man aa r It forms a

, .

p a rt o f a shoa l which i n old geogr aphies w a s called

A d a m s B ridge a lmost co nnectin g Ceylon and India
’
, .

O n thi s Isl and o f Paumben or M an aa r is the Temple

of Ramisseram or R a meswa r am There is a ch ann el .

in the shoa l th ro ugh which moderate si zed steamers

c an pa ss ; you see therefore tha t A dam s Bridge is not ’

in prac ticable condition ; so to rea ch the isl and on e

m u st either tak e a sm a ll s a ilin g cra ft from the In di a
m ai nla nd or a stea mer from Colombo Goi n g from
, .

Ma d u r a it is e asier to tak e a tra in to the nea rest

point on the Indi an shore whence a sa il o f a few mi les
,

lea ds to the Isl and of Paumben a low san dy pl ain , ,

ei ghteen miles lon g and two and a h al f wi de covered ,

with ac aci a trees A drive o f seven miles f rom the

.

boa t l an din g wou ld brin g u s to our la st position i n the

'
-

g rea t Ramisseram T emple .

Posi ti on t oo . Corr id or s ev en h un d r ed f eet l on g, in

th e sp l en d i d g r a n i te Temp l e of R a mi s ser a m,
P a umben I s l a n d

W e ar e here in the h u n d redth a nd l a st positi on of ou r

iti n era ry in the sou th corridor loo k in g e ast i n the
, , ,

wonderful temple o f Ramisseram W e a re one h u n .

dred miles sou thea st of Mad u ra ; one h u nd red an d

ei ghty miles directly north o f Co lombo an d a bo u t on e ,

h u ndred and fo rty northe ast of Cape Co m o rin This .

is on e of the most s acred shrines in Indi a for the —

isl a nd belon gs to I n di a and not to Ceylon The isl and .

Petitio n l oo . M ap l
324 I ND I A TH RO U G H TH E sr s ns oscor s

i s i nh abited by Bra hm ans an d thei r followers who are

s u pported chiefly by the revenu es o f the temple T h e .

temple is nea r the northern shore on sli ghtly ri si n g

gro u nd in a quadr an gula r enclos u re six h u ndred a n d
,

fifty seven by one thou sa nd feet

-
It is gre at i n a re a
.
,

bu t its e l evation i s less th a n th at o f other temples w e

h ave visited its gre atest hei ght bein g o ne h u n dred an d
,

twent y feet while the entra nce gatew ay is o ne h u n

,

dred feet It is bu ilt mostly o f a d a r k ha rd limestone

.
, ,

a nd tradition decl a res th at it w a s bu ilt by o ne R aj a

Sekka rar o f K an dy an d with ston e brought from Cey
l on.

The w a lls everywhere a s you see here a re a m a ze o f ,

sc u lptu re a nd sta t ua ry This corridor is seven hu ndred

.

feet i n len gth a nd this is on ly one of m an y The na ve .

o f S t P eter s is six h u ndred feet a n d n on e o f the g rea t

'
.

q
En glish c athedra ls over five h u ndred feet The cen .

tral corridor i f notinterru pted by a central uadrangu

,

la r co u rt wo u ld be over ei ght h u n dred feet in le n gth

, .

The gl o ry o f Ramisseram is its corrido rs ; fo u r th ou

sa nd feet o f these gr an d ga lleries a re from thi rty to
fo rty feet in width a nd nea rly twen ty five i n hei gh t -
.

The cei lin g is fo rmed o f h uge mono l ithic sl abs o f ten

forty feet in len gth .

Thi s ga llery space in every direction is covered wi th

the richest c a rv in g in end l ess v a riety o f desi gn It .

is a ma tchless ex ample of the D ra vidi a n style This is .

the corridor which I li ken ed to the cen tra l h all o f the

Choultr ie a t Mad u r a It h as been estimated th at this
.

o n e corridor o f Ramisseram wou ld cos t a n a mou nt

equa l to the enti re c o st o f the Choultrie which wa s
F our tho u s and feet of ga l le ries in th a t
ra tio wou ld cost somethin g li k e
F er gu sson sa ys — “
I i it were proposed to selec t on e

M un roe. M l
 RA M I SS ERA M 325

temple which sho u ld exhibit all the beau ties of the

D ra vidi an style in thei r gre atest per fection a nd at the ,

s ame time exemp l i fy a ll its ch a racteristic de fects o f

desi gn the choice wou l d al m o st inevita bly fa ll u pon
,

tha t a t Ramisseram I n no other temp le ha s the sa me

.

amou n t o f pati en t indu stry been exhibited a s here .

The temple its ceremo nies and its attendants

, ,

a re m a inta ined from the reven u e o f fifty seven vi l -

l ag es yieldin g an ann ua l in come o f abou t

,

“
The centra l co rridor lea din g from the s anctua ry
i s a dorned on o ne side by portra its o f the R aj as of
R amna d in the sev enteenth centu ry and opposite them , , ,

o f thei r secreta ries Even they h o wever wou ld be

.
, ,

to lerabl e were it not th a t within the l a st few yea rs

,

they ha ve been pa inted with a v u l ga rity th at is incon

ceivable on the p a rt of the descend a nts of those who

bu ilt thi s f an e N ot on l y they however but the whole

.
, ,

o f the a rchitectu re ha s first been dosed with repeated

coa ts of whitew ash so as to tak e 0 3 a ll the sha rpness
o f det a il a n d then p a inted with b l u e with g reen
, red , ,

a nd yel l ow w ashes so as to disfigure a nd destroy its

,

‘
efi ect to a n extent th a t m u st be seen to be believed .

Nothin g can more p ain fu lly pro ve the de gr adation to

which ou r system h as red u ced the popu l a tion th a n this
profanity N o u pper c lass and consequ ently no re
.
, ,

finement n ow rema ins ; and the priesthood inste a d of

, ,

bein g hi gh bred an d i n tellect ua l Bra hm ans m u st be

-
,

s u nk in to a st ate o f deba sement from w hich nothin g

ca n probab l y redeem them ” .

I s it possible to con ceive o f a grea ter or more un

a rd on a bl e dese c r a tion th an this ; th a t these endless
p
w a lls a nd ceilin gs decora ted with exqu isite h and cra ft
,
-
,

extendin g altogether nearly on e mile a nd representin g ,

M on roe .
M l
 T he A sia tic con tinent is so m u ch l a rger th an other
—
gr and divisions o f the e a rth m uch l a rger th an Af ri
ca fou r times a s la rge as Eu rope and exceed in g in
, ,

—
a rea North a nd S ou th A merica combined th at m aps
ma de on the s a me sca le wou ld be impractica ble on ac
cou nt o f thei r size ; consequ en t l y they are m a de on
,

a g rea tly redu ced sca le in school and other books .

F ew people in their c a s ua l re feren ce to a m a p ever

consider the sca le on which it is m a de This I ha ve .

a l w ay s fou nd to be a difficu l ty with school a tl a ses ,

where m a ps of the Un ited S tates E u rope Asi a and, ,

Af ric a a re on p ages of the s a me size while on di f ,

feren t sc a les The m a tter o f rel ative size ded u ced

.

from difler ent sca les is a little too occ ult fo r the
p u pi l and a l ittle too tediou s to lea ve a perm an e nt im
pression on the o rdi na ry a d u lt .

Neither do the de grees o f l a titu de and lon gi tude

covered by a cou ntry give an a dequate idea o f its ex
tent for de grees o f lon gitu de va ry wi th every degree
,

o f la titu de a nd to m an y rea ders a degree o f either

,

h a s litt l e si gn ific an ce no t knowin g the n u mber o f

,

mi l es in a de gree While I mi ght st a te tha t the g rea t

.

empi re o f Indi a extends over abou t twen ty ei ght de -

grees o f latitu de and abou t the s ame o f lon gitu de ,

and embra ces a n a rea o f one a nd a h a l f million s qua re

miles y ou will u ndersta nd its size better i f I ou tline
,

a correspondi n g a rea i n ou r own cou ntry — A l ine

formed by the Roc ky M ou nta ins and the bou nda ry
be tween M exico an d the U nited S tates con tin u ed to ,

a point a litt l e sou th of Yu ca tan an d an other line ,

fro m Ma ine to the s ame point would enclose a tri

,

a n gu l a r s ection nea rl y the s ame i n sh ape an d si ze as

the three c orn ered penin sul a o f Indi a
-
.

A nd aga i n i f we t ak e the en ti re pop u l a tion o f the

—
, ,

United S ta tes ei ghty million s— a n d m u ltiply by fou r ,

we sha ll h ave the popu l ation of Indi a I f we wish .

to b u ild u p a co mpara tive In d ian empi re in the U nited

328 mo m TH ROU GH THE ST EREOSCOPE

Sta tes we m u st herd tog ether more th an three h u n

,

dred millions within the presc ribed limits .

In bou nda ries we m u st consider the M exican f ront

,

age a s th a t o i the A ra bi an S e a ,an d the A tl an ti c sea

coa st a s th a t o f the Bay o f Be n ga l I n the north ern
.

bou nda ry fo r the cha in Of g re a t l ak es we m u st s u b

,

st itute the snowy H im a l ay as . The l akes exten d from

eas t to west only ei ght h u ndred miles b u t in thei r ,

p l a ces the H im al ay as will form the ful l len gth o f the

third size o f ou r tri an gle or twice the len gth o f the
ch ai n Of l ak es Ou t o f British America will ha ve to
.

be fo rmed a S iberia and a Thibet ; bu t we sh all be

short o f territory by two mil l ions o f squa re miles .

The M exican ran ges moved a little e a stw a rd will oc

cupy the pl a ce o f the W estern G h au ts a nd the Roc k y ,

M ou nta ins wi l l correspond with the severa l offsh o ots

O f the H im a l a y a s which con tin u e so u th wa rd from the

ma in ran ge to the A rabi a n S ea an d which form the

western ba rrier through A fghan ist an an d B al u chistan .

The A ppa l achi a n system moved sli ghtly sou thw a rd

,

a nd red u ced somewh a t in a ltitu de will an swer for the

,

Ea ste rn G hau ts F or an Ameri c an cou nterp a rt of

.

S iberi a it wi l l be n ecessa ry to fill in H u dson B ay ( ex

cept a strip n orth an d sou th fou r h un dred miles lon g
a nd forty five miles wide for Lak e B a i kal ) and also
-
,

to remove the den se forest Of the former to counter

feit the bleak steppes o f the l a tter .

B ut be fore we ca n mak e this section Of the U n ited

,

S tates conform to the I ndi an pe ninsu l a a t the sou th ,

it will be necessa r y fo r the M issi ssippi to silt u p the

G u l f Of M exico a nd then be moved westw a rd severa l
h undred m iles to t ak e the pl ace of the Ind u s an d to ,

disch a rge its w aters i nto the A rabi a n Sea where M exi
co n o w sta nds The M ississippi th u s cu rta iled wou ld
.
, ,

qu ite s u ita bl y represe n t the Ind u s and i ts grea t feeder

, ,

the Su tle j which ha s a cou rse of ei ghteen h u nd red

,

The metropoli s of each is situated nea r the sea

an d nea r the mou th of a grea t river ; bu t the H u dson ,

with its feeble afflu ent the M oh a w k wou ld h ave to ,

be l en gthened gre atl y exp anded an d even s an ctifi ed

, ,

as well to be a worth y s u bstitu te for the h o ly G an ges

’

.
,
 THE LA ND OF mo m 329

I f the reader wi ll examine the general m ap o f In

dia which accompanies this book he wi ll find it g ives ,

an inter estin g comp a ri son O f the respective a rea s O f

Indi a and one o f the U ni ted S ta tes o f A merica .

In considering Indi a physica l l y the H im a l aya s a re ,

so d o min ant a fea tu re th at other mounta ins a re qu ite

i gnored both in book s a nd m a ps a nd a l l sou th o f the
,
“
gre at northern ra n ged 1 s c la ssed as the pla ins Many .

m aps give n o indic ation Of mou nt a ins s ave the H im a

la y as ; this lea ds to the conc l u sion th a t the gr ea t
stretches o f territory sou thw a rd belon g to wh a t is
cal l ed the pl ains This is qu ite misle adin g The best
. .

info rmed divide the v a st territory into fou r sec tions ;

the first embracin g the ran ge O f Him al ay a s ; the sec
,

o nd a ll t ha t portion O f the north within the ba sin o f

,

— “
the grea t river sy stem this is proper l y the pl ains ; ”
,

the third be gi ns with the rise f rom the river p l a ins

a nd exten ds to the extreme so u th This third division .

forms a m u ch divers ified p l ate au two th o u sa nd feet

hi gh bo u nded on the west and ea st by the W estern
,

and Eas tern Gh au ts respectively Two nea rly p a ra llel

.

ran ges extend well across the co u n try f rom west to

e ast tow a rds the north Of this p lateau ; the northern
is ca lled the Vindhya ra n ge the sou thern is the Sa t
,

p u ra ra n ge and forms the northern bound a ry o f th a t

po rtion o f Indi a known a s the Decc a n The western .

mou nta in bou nd a ry O f the Decca n h as an a verage

elevation of three thou s and feet w hile the Ea stern ,

Gh au ts ha ve sca rcely h a l f th at hei ght The fou rth .

divi sion incl u des B u rm a now a p a rt o f the empire

, .

It m u st not be in ferred however tha t bec au se the

, ,

D eccan is a p l ateau o r table l a nd it is level ; it is fa r

-

otherwis e bein g brok en in its s u rf ace an d con t ain

,

i n g elev a tions of over ei ght thou s a nd f eet Between .

the Vindhy a a nd Sa tpu ra ra n ges is a ferti l e v a ll ey

one h undred mi l es in width w atered by the sa cred
,

N a rbad a river .

O n accou nt Of thei r va stn ess an d s u prem a cy O f

g r an de u r it wou ld be pres umptu ou s to attempt any
fa nci fu l descri ption O f the Him a l a ya s I will therefore .

only refer to them in a m atter O f fact wa y in co n - -

nect ion with the northern bo u n d a ry o f the empi re .

 TH E LAND or mo m 331

do withou t the I nd u s the G an ges the Brahm ap u tra

, ,

a nd thei r t ri bu ta ries who se perenni a l su pplies a re

,

f ro m the snowy sto rage O f the Hi ma laya s The c ou n .

t ry w ou l d be depo pu l ated W h a t wou l d ha ve been the

.

fa te o f Egypt in the p ast o r wh at wou l d it be in the

present except fo r the moistu re which ha s been in
,

tercepted held a nd then re distribu ted through the

, ,
-

generou s Ni l e fro m the mou nta ins Of e as tern A frica ?

,

S he wo u l d be on e with the desert by which she is

hemmed in on either side A s the Hi malay as a re the .

hi ghest mo u nta ins in the world so a re they the grea t

'

,
-

est condensers o i clou ds and moistu re as sh o wn by ,

the amou nt o f precipita tion a lon g their se a wa rd fron ts .

It is not u ninterestin g to n o te where in connection

with the H im a l aya s is the greates t rain fa l l in the en
ti re wor l d ; so i f yo u wil l t u rn to the a ccomp anyin g
genera l m a p o f Indi a you wil l find indicated the city
,

o f D acca nor the a st o f C a lc u tta ; on e h u ndred and thir

ty fiv e miles n o rthe ast o f Da cca there is a hill sta ti o n

- -

ca ll ed Cherra Pu n j 1 at a n e l evati on o f between fo u r

,

and five thou s a nd f eet and on the Cossya h Hills .

This i s where the monsoon ra ins first stri k e the r an ge ,

and where the average ann ua l ra in fa ll is five h u n

dred a nd twenty three inches or ov er for ty feet In
-
, .

1 861 there w a s here a fa l l o f ei ght h u ndred an d five

inches ( sixty seven feet ) enough a s H un ter say s to
-
, , ,

drown a three sto ry hou se

-
Here a ll the p l u vi a n.

forces seem to concen trate thei r energies to m ak e a

record for the imperi a l r an ge as well a s a record o f ,

generosity in the i rri gation Of the a rid pla ins .

The Him a l aya s consist O f two irregul a rl y p a ral lel

ran ges with the table l a nd Of Thibet north o f them -
.

The dip between the ran ges is the sou rce O f the two
grea t river sy stems tha t o f the Indu s and th a t o f the
,

B ra hmapu tra which a re here sca rce ly

,

a pa rt and in a n a lmost u nexplored re gi on in the trough

betwe en the two ra n ges of the Him a la ya s The ri vers .

t ak e Oppos ite cou rses ea ch Of abou t ei ghteen h u ndred

,

miles and discha rge th eir w aters into the sea fi fteen
h undred miles ap a rt The Brahm apu tra h a s pier ced
.

the r ange fa r e ast wa rd ne a r B u rma an d the In d u s ,

332 m a m m m m m msc on

md tl utle luve forced a passag e towards tb e

western md the range .

Wher e these grea t ri vers foun d a passage through

the ro k y w al l s at the low est levels
c

foreign migrate" and i nv aders ; the pri ncipa l p as ses

are at the no rtheast a n d the northwest N a rly al l the .

i nvadi ng h ave e n tered I n di a from the nor th w

west a n d by the diflerent i n tha t di recfi o n .

H e re is the well known Kha iber Pass so ca ref u ll y

-

arded a t a ll times by the En g lish The Kuram .

can the Gwalari Pass an d the f amous Bo l a n Pass

,

a re a ll south o f the Kh a iber Pa ss i n the ran ge ma

nlng south w a rd in the n o rth w est border These pa sses .

have bee n impo rtan t teways d u ri n g c o n flicts be

twee n the A mee r o f A ghanistan an d the En glish and ,

on accou n t o f the A meer s i n tri gu es with the R u ssi a n s

’
.

W ith Ba l u chi sta n un der co nt rol o f the En gl ish a nd ,

the Am ee r unde r an ann ual frie n dship s u b

sidy t. his fron tier fo r the presui t is rhed .

PW U OTS

One m scam l
e believe
th a t with so vast a u

m
s o l

m acres
, ,

latlm lndia can a ve u ncultivated 1 40

,

m
of c u
ltivable land Bes ides feed i ng her own
. u -

ing llion s in she ex po rted tea m

of i
fl lill
,

with ful ly
17: l i n rice $7 0 m 000 wo rth 0 ‘ m
. i

men lectured goods In the

in u r .
. A

There are fe k ds w in of cro ps not rai md m ’

a

P “ 9 , I ndia H fl i .
' f

~
l l if » Of latitude m d ;
“

alti tudes aflo rd s u itable iuis

condit fa both e
r

q
huher altitudes eo rrespa id w ith m e m m tee
‘
non he
lu v etabk pmdmfi n as well as ia
o
 TH E LA ND or mom 333

of the people This is a n error ; while it is tru ly s a id

.

th a t it s u pplies the gre ater pa rt o f the food of the

h um an race it is not the staple a rticle in the food
,

s upply o f the Indi an people Rice ca n be ra ised ad .

v ant ageously onl y in the low l ands and river v a lle y s -

where the re is an ample w ater sou rce it bein g es ,

sen t ia lly a w ater cere a l Mu ch o f Indi a is table l and

.
-

and ins uffi cientl y w atered for rice prod u ction W e a re .

told by those well informed th at the ma n y k inds o f

millets a nd pu lses a re the sta ple food g ra ins for the
ma sses ; and this o ne rea dil y be lieves when he tra ve l s
over the co u ntry and sees the u nivers ality o f th o se
crops Rice is the chief crop a nd c on sequ entl y the
.

m a in a rticle o f diet in the G an ges delta w here it ,

is c la imed there a re nea rl y a h u ndred di ff erent v a

r ieties This region i s low a nd leve l and one seems
.

.
,

to pass th rough i n termin a bl e stretches o f rice cou n -

—
try a so rt o f a rchipel ago o f rice fields bordered by -

yellow an d green w a l l s o f fea thery bambo os .

J u te is prod u ced mostl y in the delta o f the Gan

ges and the Bra hm a pu tr a ; tea coff ee an d cinch on a ,

a m o n g the lower mou nt a in s and foot hills ; t oba cco -

.

from the H im alayas to Ca pe Comorin ; indi go a nd

s uga r cane i n every pa rt o f the lo w country The
-
,
.

m an go is the appl e o f Indi a It is g re at ly esteemed .

by m an y ; others tell u s with a g ra ve sh ak e o f the

,

he a d th a t the man go sea son a nd the cholera seas on

,

coincide Book s tell that India is f am ou s for its

.

fru its ; there a re so me delici ou s little ba n ana s ; and

there a re guav as d u ri a ns cu sta rd a ppl es l oquats
, ,
-
, ,

lemon s brea d fru it a nd j ak f ru it and m an y other

,
-

n ov elties i n the fr u it line bu t i f our gra pes pea rs

, , ,

pea ches apples stra wberries etc h ad to be s u p

, , ,
.
,

pla nted by these Indi a n fru its I wou ld go into mourn ,

in g immedi atel y I a m person a lly somewh at s keptic al

.

abo u t the wh o l esome efi ect o f tropica l hea t o n both

fr u its and vegetables I even so meh o w pre fer peo

.

ple rea red u nder the m o ral infl u en ce o f J a ck F rost .

C LI M A TE

To most western peopl ethe climate is the g reat

terror an d deterren t to tra vel a nd l i fe in Indi a It .
 TH E LA N D 01 ?
mm» . 335

ible
cept to hea t a nd drought become sco rched a nd
withered and appea r dea d The lively ever present
.
,
-

—
roo ks a re everywhere open be ak ed loll in g from the
-

hea t Everythin g seek s shade P eople rem ain well

. .

indoors a fter ten in the morning till mid a fternoon ; -

th ey a re w a ry o f the dan gerou s Indi a n sun ; it seems

to h a ve a m a lign ant ra y not experien ced in the west
ern s u n Nea rly a ll E u rope ans wea r wha t they ca ll
.

a solar to pee ( a pith s un h at ) a s a protection aga inst

-

the m u ch drea ded su n M y o wn Opinion in reference

.

to this evil Sun is th at his rays in Ind ia are the s ame

as elsewhere a t the s a me an gle or a ltitu de tha t it is ,

the atmospheric condition w hich m ak es the stron g

s u n oppressive a nd sometimes da ngero u s H u mid at .

mosphere is the dea dly oppressor in hot cou ntries the

world over I h a ve suflered less from heat at 1 1 0 in
.
’ °

°
the desert reg ions o f R aj p u ta n a th an from 88 in
Bombay or Colombo where h umidity is grea t The .

ho t season in Indi a is not considered u nhea lth ful ; ef

fluvia a re ba nished by drought and ma l a ri a l poi sons
'

seem to be held in su spens ion until the wet season ,

when ra in h a stens d ecomposition a nd liberates ex

h a lations The worst of the hot sea son is tha t it
.

“ ”
m akes tra vel and getting abou t uncomfortable and
'

often oppressive ; the n ights a re hot and sleep is ,

nea rly impossible withou t the co nstant u se of the pun

ka h which is a lon g hea vy f an su spended over eve ry
,

bed and din in g room t a ble The bedroom punka hs

-
.

a re s wu n g throughou t the ni ght by men whom you

m u st hire for th at p u rpose called punkah w all ahs ,
-

( p u n ka h fellows
-
)
So m u ch h as been sa id abou t the intolerable hea t
o f Indi a th a t wo u ld be visitors a re int imida ted
-
T here .

is no w ay by which I can convey a more correct idea

o f the hea t to be enco u ntered d u rin g the hot sea son ,

th an by sa yin g t hat it is exa ctly li k e wh at we ca ll

“ ”
a hot spell in New York in mid s u mmer ; there is
.
-

no apprecia ble di fference except th a t there is no re

,

mission o f the heat in Indi a d u rin g the ho t se a son ,

sa ve possibly a stron ger breeze on certa in d ays .

To wa rds the end of the hot period there is a lways

an a nxiou s lookin g for the ra ins to commence a nd ,
336 mo m TH RO U GH TH E sr saaosooee

we ca nnot wonder a t this the grou nd is pa rched and -

,

dese rt li k e ; the flock s a re ha lf sta rved and s u ff e ri ng ;

-

ag ricu lture the so u rce o f all wea lth and plentitu de is

, ,

pa ra lyzed ; the pl u vi al advent replenishes and revivi

fies the enti re Indi an world The comin g o f the r ains .

’
is na tu re s a wak enin g ; the whole l andsca pe spri ng s
into s u dden verd u re a nd echoes with bi rd song Th e -
.

“
be ginnin g o f the w et sea son is ca lled the bu rst in g o f
the monsoons and is a lw ays annou nced by te le g ra ph
f rom Ceylon where the advance ra in clo u ds first stri k e -

the coa st These mo isture laden winds blow from the

.
'

sou thwest and contin u e d u rin g J u ly A ugu st and S ep ,

tember This period constitu tes the third Ind ia n sea

.

son The temperatu re is lowered bu t d ampness i s

.
,

increased a nd this is the sea son when fever is more

,

prev a lent a nd cholera and plagu e a re more common ;

but even in this sea son which is considered the worst , ,

there is little to be apprehended from these o r other

m a l adies i f a person h ave s ufficient sense a nd pru dence
to tak e rea son abl e ca re of himself Fa r more d an .

geron s th a n fevers cholera or pl agu e is the u nivers al

,

sin of int empera nce in ea tin g a nd drink in g N a t u re .

a lw ays pen a lizes intempera nce in e atin g and dri nk

in g pa rtic u l a rly in Indi a a nd a ll hot cou ntries
, Whis .

k ey and soda is the pa ss word in Kin g Edwa rd s -

'

o rienta l empire The clim ate h a s heat enough with

.

o u t a lcoholic ca loric I f you think the trite old

.

p roverb : W h en in R ome do as the R om a ns do

“
, ,

a g ood one try it in Indi a and I wi ll gua ra ntee for

, ,

you some o f the a ilments which Eu ropea ns u sua lly

ch a rge to the clim ate .

An a verage tempera tu re d u ring the hot sea son ov er

a grea ter pa rt o f Indi a a s fa r north a s Delhi Lu ck ,

no w and Ben a res is a pproxim a tely 85

°
Fa hrenheit in
—
the sh ade not a hi gh m a rk o f temperat u re bu t it ,

m u st be remembered th a t 85 is a n a verage and th at °

,
°
90 is not u n u sua l The hi ghest reached d u rin g the
.

l a st hot sea son I spent in Indi a w a s 1 22V2 in the °

sh a de in a notably hot loca lity in the northwest Du r

. .

in g the wet se a son the temperat u re often fa lls fifteen

deg rees .

There is one importa nt o ff set to the hi gh temper a -

v
 TH E LA N D O F I ND I A 337

t u re which sho u ld be ho me in mind by those contem

pla tin g t ravel or residence in Indi a There a re m any
.

elev ations where cha rmin g hill sta tions c an be reached

in a r ailw ay j ourney of a few hou rs Thro ughou t the
.

northern r an ge o f the H im a la yas there a re m any s u ch

—
pl aces there is Dehra Du n at an eleva ti on of twen
ty three h u ndred feet N a ina T a l a t six thou s a nd feet
-
, ,

S imla a nd Da rj eelin g a t from seven to ei ght thou

sa nd feet a nd sou thw a rd from Bo mbay to Ca pe
,

Comorin there a re m any hi gh and cool level s qu ite

above the torrid pl ains All these pl aces con stitu te
.

veritable little mou nta in p a ra dises beau ti fu l wi th

,

, ,
—
pa r ks drives lak es and sh ade trees d eli ghtfu l and
-

invi gora tin g bits o f home con ditions in a tropica l

clime ; they a re the geographic and clim a tic benedic
ti ms o f Ind ia and the traveler is never fa r f rom some
0 é flicm
,

.
 TH E sr onv o p mo m 339

but we re gra d ually p u shed sou thw a rd by the s u perio r

Aryan hosts tha t fo llowed them N ow the descend ants .

o f the D ra vidi a ns a re sca ttered in m any tribes over

the sou th cou ntry ; in the Sans k rit l anguage the gen
-

e ra l n ame fo r the country they once occu pied was

D ra vid a .

It will be well to keep in mind these ea rly settlers ,

becau se in our itinera ry over Indi a we sh a ll ha ve an

opportu nity to a dmi re some wond erfu l ex amples o f
their a rchitectu re ; bu t it m u st not be for gotten th a t
the term Dr a vidi an h as a ve ry wide ran ge of applica
tion th a t it is a genera l term for the ancestry of a
,

grea t n u mber of diff erent tribes prim a rily of the ,

same ori gin Indi a is a v ast ethnological m u seum with

.

a ra ther v agu e cla ssifica tion o f exhibits not u nl ik e ,

Ame rica with her n u merou s abori gi na l races ; bu t in

the former there h as been a comming ling o f ra ces for
,

three tho u sand yea rs wherea s America ha s been

,

known for only a few h u ndred yea rs .

T he histo ric pe riod o f I ndi a begins with tha t won

der ful people from who m a ll the more prog ressive
E u ropea n na tions were formerly believed to h a ve
spr ung the Ary ans
, .

“
Forty yea rs ago the ori gin o f the his toric ra c es
o f E u rope seemed to mos t schol a rs to h a ve been
definitely settled It w a s believed th at they ca me
.

from Asi a d u rin g the period of Arya n m ig ra tion

possibly year s before the Christi an era a nd—
—
th a t they a ll belo g ed to the s ame ra ce the Ary an
n
ra ce. Durin g the l ast tw o deca des howev er tha t , ,

theo ry h a s been aba ndoned by modern schola r s as the ,

res u lt bf most sea r chin g and exh au stive investi gation .

It does not come with in the province of this cha pter to

enter into the deta ils o f this long an d complica ted con
tro versy ; we ca n only g ive some o f the g enera l con
clusio n s Th u s fo r ex a mple in the opinion o f on e o f
.
, ,

the most competen t scientists o f the n ineteen th cen

'

tu ry the l ate Thom a s H H u xley the three principa l

, .
,

—
ra ce types of E u rope a re E u ropea n types not Asi atic .

In the revised edition o f his work s p ublished in 1 896 , ,

he m a inta ins th at the evidence on the qu estion is con

sisten t with the s u ppos ition tha t th ree ra ce types o f
340 I N D I A TH RO U G H THE STE REOSOOPE

‘
A rya n speak ing people h a ve existed in E u rope
-

th ro ughou t historic times and very fa r ba ck to p re ,

‘
histo n e times And he a dds : There is no proof o f
.
’

a ny mi gra tion o f Asi a tics into E u rope west Of the

down to the time o f Attil a fou rth cen tu ry , ,

S ir W illi am H u nte r sa ys : The l an guages o f

Eu rope and I ndi a altho ug h a t fir st si ght they seem
,
‘
wide a pa rt a re merely difleren t g rowths from the
,

ori gin al Ary an speech This is especi ally tru e of the .

common words o f family li fe The n ames for father .

,

mother brother sister and widow a re the same in

, ,

most o f the Aryan l an guages whether spok en on the .

ba n ks of the Gan ges o f the Tiber o r O f the Th a mes , , .

Th u s the word d aughter which occu rs in ne a rly all .

o f them h a s been derived from the A ryan root d u

, g h ,

to mil k a nd per h a ps prese rves the memory of the

, .

time when the d aughter wa s the little mil km a id in

the primiti ve Aryan hou sehold'

T he fo ur holy book s of the Hindu s consist of the

ea rly records o f the Aryans in their o w n cl a ssic lan
guag e the Sansk rit ; these boo k s a re collectively c all ed
,

the Ved a s The first is ca lled the R i gved a o r Veda o f

.
,

praises or hymns ; the second the Sam a veda o r Veda ,

o f ch ants or t u nes The Veda o f p rayers is ca lled the

.

Yaju rved a ; and the A tha rvaveda is the Ved a of the

Ath a rv an $ ( book o f spells ) M ost tha t is known o f .

th is ancient people is from these vene rable wor ks .

The R i gved a conta ins an a ccoun t of the first settle

ments o f the A ry ans in the Pu n j ab O rthodox Hin .

"
d u s s ays H u nter believe it existed befo re all time
, , ,

at lea st yea rs B C O rienta l schol a rs conclu de . .

from astronomica l fa cts to which it refers th at it w as

written abou t 1 400 B C Ary an progress over I ndia . .

is qu ite clea rly set forth in the R i gveda .

There i s a rem a rka ble correspond ence between their

diviniti es and those of Greece and R ome They wor .

shipped one Go d bu t not one a lone ; they peopled the

,

l imalaya s with gods ; they h ad a rem a r kably intelli

nt co ncepti o n o f the o n e God a s shown by the fol
ving Vedic hymn qu oted from H u nte r ,
 T HE STORY OF I NDI A 341

In the be ginning there a rose the Golden Child .

He was the on e born Lor d of all th at is He .

established the ea rth and s ky Who is the Go d .

to whom we sh a ll o ff er o ur sa crifice ? He who

g i ves li fe he who gives stren gth ; whose command
,

al l the B right Gods revere ; whose sh adow is im

morta lity ; whose sha dow is dea th Who is the .

God to whom we sha ll ofi er ou r sa crifice ? He

who th rough his power is the one k ing of the
, ,

breathin g and a w ak enin g world He w ho gov .

erns a ll m an a nd bea st Who is the God to whom

, .

we sha ll o fi er ou r sacrifice ?
He throug h whom the s ky is bright and the
e a rth firm ; be through whom the heavtn wa s es
tablished n ay the hi ghest
, , he aven ; he who
mea sured out the li ght a nd a ir Who is the God .

to whom we sha ll o fi er ou r sa crifice ?

He who by his mi ght look ed even over the
w ater clou ds ; he who a l one is God above a ll gods
-
.

Who is the God to whom we shall Off er ou r sacri

fice ?

W omen were held in hi gh esteem ( p roba bly ha d

equa l ri ghts ) Ma rri age w as held sac red The bum
. .

ing of widows w as u nk nown The abori gines bu ried .

their dea d bu t the Arya ns pra ctised crem a tion The

, .

Aryans ha d bl acks miths coppersmiths and goldsmiths ;

,

they cu lti vated with a plow They we re physica lly and .

menta lly s u perior to the abori gines ; they had fair

complexion s were stron g fea tu red s trong in cha r
, ,

acter and aggressive in spi rit indeed it ma y be sa id ,

they showed a ll those ch a racteristics which m ar k the

ma rvelous civil iz ati on o f their modern hei rs At first .

the Aryans held the abori gines in grea t contempt ca ll

”
-
,
“
in g them flatn oses a nd oth er contemptu ou s na mes .

A fter su bd u in g ensla vin g o r drivin g them sou thw a rd

,

for centu ries the two races gra dually be ga n to inter

,

mi ng le and to interm a rry .

At this time in the ea rly history o f the Indi an peo

ple we come to the o ri gin of the Hindu reli gion ; bu t
,

tha t will be con sidered u nder the su bj ect of reli gion s .

( S ee p ag e
 TH E STORY O F I ND I A 343

Indu s at the site o f the modern town of U chh where

, ,

his army ca mped fo r a time he bu ilt a city which he ,

named Alex andri a ; proceedin g downw a rd he fo unded

another city — Pat ala which at the presen t time is
,

known as Ha ideraba d .

F rom Pata l a Alex ander sent a portion of his a rmy

,

by ships around the coast and by the P ersi an Gu lf

back to Su s a The other di vision he accornpan ied
.

overl and across Bal u chist an a nd P ersi a to the s ame

po int which he re ached in 325 B C Du rin g his two
, . .

yea rs campa i gn in the no rthwest of Indi a the gr ea t

’

w arrior ma de a lli ances established colonies founded

, ,

a few cities and p lanted some Greek garrisons bu t ,

su bj ugated no provinces nor did he m ak e any im ,

portan t con qu est ; he however ga ve mu ch territory to

, ,

n ative chiefs who h ad espou sed his cau se After grea t .

priv a tions he rea ched Su s a where he so j ou rned to

con s umm ate a m a rri age with the daughter of Da ri u s .

T wo yea rs later he died a t B abyl on .

A fter Alexa nder the Grea t there were other Greek ,

inva sions ; the Gree ks h a d est ablished a powerf u l kin g

dom in B a ctri a and Gree k B a ctri an in vaders ad
,
-

v anced aga inst the northwest frontier s ; bu t they ma de

no important con qu ests and founded no kingdoms .

The most endu rin g traces of G reek occu pa tion ma y

be found in thei r beau ti fu l scu lptu res and in their
coins On B u ddh ist sta tu es a re sometimes found
.

Gree k faces and in temples ma y be seen G ree k sc ulp

,

t u res
.

SOYT H IA N I NVASI O N ( 1 00 a . o . to 500 A D). .

Fo r abou t two h undred yea rs a fter the Alex andria n

expedition into the northwest of Indi a the Gree k and ,

B a ctri a n incu rsions continued ; and no sooner had

those northern a dventu rers ceased to ex ploit the tempt
in g cis Himalay an regi ons th an other ho rdes com
-
,

men ced to follow thei r example coming from a regi on ,

lyin g farther to the north and east They embra ced .

representa tion s f rom va riou s tribes and formed a ,

connecti ng li nk between Indi an and Chinese history .

Scyth ia bein g a vast cou ntry lyin g northw a rd th ese ,

344 I ND IA TH RO U G H TH E STEREOS COPE

new inv aders from the north we re gen e ra lly ca ll ed

Scythia ns ; they are so metimes ca lled H u ns o wi ng to ,

their simil a r cha racteristics and sometimes T a rta r s ,

becau se of a correspondin g identity o f qua li ties F rom .

100 B C to 500 A D tha t is

. . for six h u nd red
. .
, ,

yea rs o r longer these restless and fu riou s S cythia ns

,

co ntin u ed their incu rsion s into northern India ; thei rs

were the beginnin g of a se ries Of aggressions which
contin u ed do wn to the time o f Tim u r and Gen ghis
Khan an d which resu lted in the fo undin g of the
,

M ogul empi re S ome cl a im th a t B u ddh a w as a

S cythi an They drove ou t the Greek colony from
.

B actria and s u ppl anted wha t w as left of the Gree k

,

element in the northwest Of Indi a They establi shed .

themselves secu rely in Indi a abou t the beginnin g o f

the Ch risti an e ra fou nded a mona rchy a nd appointed
, ,

one Kan ishka to be their k in g who fixed his c apital ,

in Ca shmere : bu t the limits o f his k in gdom extended

from Tarkan d on the north to A gra a nd S ind on the
south The S cyth i a ns adopted the B u ddhist reli gion ;
.

and while the sou th cou ntries adopted B u ddhism as

,

prom u l gated by Aso ka s Cou ncil in 244 B C the ’

. .
,

S cythi a ns at the no rth chose the sa me creed as ex

pou nded by King Kanishka s Co u nci l in the ye a r 40 ’

A D and wh ich became the B u ddhism north of India

. .
,

from S cythi a to J apan It is believed th at a la rge pro .

portion o f the pop u la tion o f no rthwestern Indi a at

the present time a re descenda nts o f these Asi a tic
Northmen Ther e is con siderable diversity of op in ion
.
,

a s to the ori gin of races in the north O f Indi a bu t it ,

is not lik ely tha t the blood o f a vi ri le ra ce domin ant ,

six centu ries h as been extin gu ished

, Du rin tha t .

lon g period m an va in attempts were made by ndi an

ru lers to expel t e S cythi ans .

Du rin g the period we ha ve been con siderin g th a t ,

is betw een the a dvent o f the Ary ans and th a t of the

,

S cythi ans ( 1 40 0 B C to 5 00 A two great world

. . .

reli gions were fou nded viz : B u ddhism and B rah ,

.

ma nism o r Hind uism ; and i f the spa ce of time be ,

extended forw a rd less tha n a h u ndred yea rs it wou ld ,

inc l u de M oh ammed anism m akin g three of the grea t ,

reli gions Of the world Much o f the history of Indi a .

 T HE STORY or I N DIA 345

d u rin g these cen tu ries is therefore re li giou s ra ther

tha n politica l and will be fu rther consider ed under
,

the s ubj ect of reli gions As however M ohammedan

.
, ,

ism w a s largely an aggressive and politica l religion

.
,

given to con qu est of territory as well as of converts ,

the Moh ammedans m u st be cl a ssed a mon g the other

inva ders of In di a M oh a mmed died in 1 632 a nd with
.
,

in one h undred yea rs a fter his dea th the crescen t

had been ca rried ea stw a rd to the H ind u Ku sh mo un
ta ins bu t the new fa ith ha d not ga thered stren gth to
ca rry its forces into the midst o f the contendin g hosts
o f B u ddhism and Hind u ism .

Ar ab M oslems h ad cond u cted an ex pedition by sea

to Th an a and Broach on the so u th coa st and in cuf ,

sions were m ade into S ind bu t there were no perm an

,

ent res u lts a lthough the inva ders were n ot ex

,

p e lled from S ind u nti l 828 A D An Opinion h

. a s pre
.

v ailed th a t Ind ia w as a complete con qu est for Isl am ,

bu t this is clea rly disproven by historica l facts which

show th at w hile a series o f inv asions extended over
,

eleven centu ri es at n o period di d the M oh ammedans

,

ru le over all Indi a .

The history of Indi a d urin g a milleni u m o f forei gn

i nv asion was not u nli ke tha t o f Eu rope when overru n
by semi barbaric hosts from the g rea t breedin g grou nd
-

o f ea rly ti mes An accou nt of a ll the attempts at con

.

qu est du rin g these many centuries would fa r exceed

the limits o f this synoptica l s ketch o f In di an history .

M O H A M MEDA N ASOE N DA N OY ( 1 0 to
0 1 1 7 61 A D)
. .

This space of ove r seven cen tu ries incl u des e ight

diff erent dyn a sties and the most celebra ted Of these
,

w a s the line o f Tim u r or T a m erla ne This famo u s .

wa r rior u nited the tri bes of the north and west crossed ,

the northwest ran ges and advanced on Delhi where be ,

defeated Kin g Mahm u d and ente red the ca pita l a fter

a ba ttle o f five days when the streets were impa ssable
,

from the n u mber sl a in After a few d ays of festive

.

debau che ry du rin g which he pra i sed God for his vic
,

tory a s co n querors u s uall y do he procl aimed himsel f

, ,

kin g He c ros sed the G an ges l a id w aste H a rdwa r

.
,
 TH E STORY O F I N DIA 847

se mbly of the doctors o f all religion s and is allowed ,

to ha ve h ad the best of the a r gu ment .

The l ast days o f this tru ly gre at m an were embit

tered by the i n tri gu es of his f ami ly pa rtic u l a rly his ,

son P rince Sel im who s u cceeded to the th rone o f his

,

father A kbar the Gre at died I n 1 605 and w as b u ried

.
,

at S ikanda r ah in a m agnifi cent mau soleu m w hich we

sha ll visit on ou r stereo graphic j ou rney ( P ositions
69 In 1 87 3 the B ritish Viceroy Lord North ,

brook p resented a cl oth o f honor to be pla ced over the

,

s lab which cover s the tomb o f the grea test of the

Grea t M og u ls .

P rince S elim s u cceeded to the throne of his father

and w as ca lled Jeh an gir His qu een w a s the lovely .

N u r Ma h a l in Latin Rookh A kba r the father did .

, ,

not fa vor his son s symptoms of a lli a nce with N u r

’

Maha l a nd sent her a way and compelled her to ma rry

,

a bra ve soldier After the old emperor s dea th Jeha n

.
’

g i r ordered the soldier h u sba nd to relin qu ish his cl a im -

o n the former sweethe a rt of him who w a s now em

pe rot The soldier refu sed and w a s k illed ; bu t a fter

.
,

a cha ste a nd becom in g retirement N u r Ma h al bec ame ,

’
Jeh an gi r s empress Jeh an gir in a mea s u re followed.

the wi se a dm inistration of his father and l abored with ,

con siderable zea l in the interests of his empire wh en —

he w a s sober He rei gned twen ty ye a rs and w a s s u c
.

ceeded by his so n S h ah Jeh an .

S ha h Jeh an the fifth Grea t M ogu l a g ra ndson of the

, ,

gr eat Akba r rei gned from 1 628 to 1 658 He gained

, .

territory in the south bu t lost some o f his Asiatic prov ,

inces he ma inta ined the splendo r of his cou rt ; he put

to dea th his brother and a ll Scions of the Akbar fa mily
who mi ght lay claim to the th ron e ; bu t in those days ,

it seems an occasion a l m u rder of a riv a l a sp ira nt w a s

,

almost a prerogative o f soverei gnty The peerless .

stru ctu res which he erected at A gra ( see P ositi ons

65 a re still witn es ses to the wor ld o f the glory
of the M ogu l dyn asty for u nder S hah Jeh an the Em ,

pi re atta ined its hi ghest point of stren gth and m ag

n ifil e nce .

l he so n a nd s u cces sor of S h a h Jeh an w a s A u r ang

'

zeb who somewh at incr eas ed the dominions of his

.
348 I ND IA T HRO UG H T H E sr sn mscor s

father b u t at the same time termina ted the rei gn of

,
“
Grea t M ogu ls W hen you re ad of the P ea cock
.

Throne tha t cost thi rty millions of dolla rs a nd see the ,

Taj Mal at A gra and lea rn th at the desi gn er o f so

,

m u ch beau ty w as cru elly imprisoned in the fort a t

A g ra by this A u r ang zeb you will agree with H u nter
,
“
who sa ys tha t Akba r s dyn a sty l a y u nder th e
'

cu rse o f rebe lliou s sons As Jehan gi r h ad risen aga inst

.

his most lov in g fa ther Ak ba r and S ha h Jeh an ha d ,

m u tinied again st Jeh an gi r ; so S hah Jeh a n in his t u rn

su ff ered from the intri gu es and rebellion o f his fa mily .

In 1 65 7 the Old kin g fell ill and A u ran g zeb a fter a

, ,

treacherou s conflict with his brethren deposed his ,

father a nd procl a imed himsel f emperor in 1 65 8 The

, .

u nh appy emperor Jeha n w as k ept in confinement for

seven yea rs a nd died a S tate prisoner in the fo rt o f
,

A g ra in W e see in this a s in a ll cases whether

, ,

o f n a tions in Olden times or in modern times and ,

whether in governments or in families wh at I will '

,

ca ll the in gratitu de of inheritance ; it seems to the

w r iter i f in a brief historic n a rra tive a p rivate thought
,

m a y be interj ected th at so gre at a p a rt o f govern

, ,

menta l stri fe and family stri fe h a s a ri sen a nd co n

tinnes to a ri se from the l a w o r cu stom o f su ccession
and enta ilment a practicable abolishment of the same
,

wo u ld a dd to the prog ress and h appiness o f ma n ki nd .

However A u ran gzeb rei gned fo rty nine yea rs w a s

,
-
,

the sou rce o f much grief to others and c ame t o

him self He wa s the l ast of the grea t M ogu ls T he
. .

yea r a fter his accession he pu t to dea th his eldest

,

brother W ith in a second yea r he h ad driven O ff a

.
,

second brother who perished amon g sa vages ; a thi rd

brother wa s soon therea fter execu ted in prison ; his
inv a lid father was confined in the fort at A g ra mou rn
in g over his m u rdered sons until his death .

A u ra n gzeb spent twen ty yea rs Of his rei gn in con

tin uo us w a rs sou th o f the Vindhya s He w a s a .

bi goted M oslem ; he fa iled in c a rryin g ou t the con

ciliatory policy o f his g re at g ra ndfather A kba r A
-
, .

g re at new Hind u fo rce had been increa sin g in power

, .

in the centra l a nd weste rn p a rt O f the empire ca lled ,

the Ma rath a s ; a fter lon g and bloody w a rs with the

 TH E STO RY O F I ND I A 349

Ma ra th a s he w as compelled to s u e for terms of set

tlemen t; terms w ere a rran ged bu t wer e soon bro ken ,

o ff by the h aughty Ma r a th a chiefs and A u r an g zeb ,

fled to dista nt p a rts o f the empire for sa fety and

where he died in 1 7 06 O n the approa ch of dea th
.
,

says H u nter he ga ve u tterance in broken sentences

,

to his worldly co unsels and a dieu s min gled with ter ,

ro r and remorse and clos in g in a n agony o f despe ra te

,
‘
res i gnation ; Come wh at ma y I ha ve l a unched my ,

vessel on the w a ves Fa rewell ! F arewell l Fa re

.

well
A u ran gzeb w as the l ast o f the g rea t M ogu ls ; the
”
grea t were su cceeded by eleven lesser M ogu ls The .

former were a ll distin gu ished by ma ny eminent qua li

ties while the l atter ha d only the qua lities which cha r
,

acterize a declinin g imperi a l line The les ser M ogu l Em .

p e ro r s cov e r a pe riod extendin g from 17 07 to 1 85 7 .

The l a st date o f the period corresponds with the time

of the grea t India n Mu tiny and in th a t m u tiny the ,

l ast O f the M ogu l line too k p a rt with the S epoys

against the En glish After the Mu tiny w as p u t dow n
.
,

this mise rable res iduant of a grea t dyn asty was a

prison er in Delhi ; there within the p a l ace wa lls o f his
,

noble ancestors he w as sentenced to ban ishment to

,

R angoon where he died in 1 862

, .

THE M A H RA TTA S ( 1 650 to 1 81 8 )

T here is a rugged mounta i nous region in centra I

Ind ia between N agpo r and the western coast which
, ,

w as formerly called Ma h a rastra ( the Grea t Kin gdom ) .

The in v incible w a rriors and th rone h u n ters known in -

Indi an history a s Mah ratta s o r Ma ra th a s took thei r ,

n ame from this their homel and They were prima ri ly

, .

an u prising of the old Hind u el ement which had re

m a ined qu iescen t du ring the su p rem acy o f the M ogu l
empire They were j oin ed by the independent M ogu l
.

pa rty in the south and became on e o f the most fo rmid

able a rmy o f ra iders ever kn own They were sc at .

tered th roughout t he West ern Gh au ts mou nted on ,

h a rdy po nies and cou ld be a ssembled qu ick ly to repel

an atta ck Ther e we re five Ma hra tt a hou ses
.
 THE STORY O F I ND IA 51

tra ders The na tive princes lea rned to love and honor
.

Albuqu erqu e bu t despised his s u ccessors who soon

, ,

were s u pp l anted by the h ardier and better tempe red

Du tch and En g lish The only Portugu ese possessions
.

now in Ind ia ( 1 90 7 ) a re a t Goa Dam an and Di u al l

, ,

—
on the west coast settl ements embrac in g eleven hun
dred s qua re mi l es with a pop u l ation of There
are Port ugu ese h al f ca stes in Bombay called
-

E u ras ians and abo u t

, in Ben ga l .

E U RO P EA N SETTLEME NTS— D UT CH ( 1 5 964 7 58 )

P rod u ce brought to Eu rope from Indi a by the

Port ugu ese k in dled the spirit Of explora tion in the
Du tch and En glish The Du tch m ade three a ttempts
.

to re a ch the O rient land o f promise by the n o rth pa s

s age Corneli u s Hou tman w a s the first Du tchm an to
.

double the Cape o f Good Hope in 1 5 96 He followed

, .

the coa st of Su ma tra and established a post a t B an

t am in J a va the first foot hold of the Du tch in the
,
-

O rient In 1 61 9 they m ade B at a vi a thei r chief hea d

.

qua rters in the East Nea r the sa me time they dis

.

covered A u str ali a and founded the city o f New

Amsterd am ( New York ) in A merica Du ring the .

seventeenth centu ry the Du tch were the most powerfu l

m a ritime people in the world They compelled the
.

En glish to withd ra w from the Ea stern Archipelago ,

and drove o ut the Portugu ese from Ceylon F o rmosa ,

and Ma l a cc a In 1 65 1 they pl anted a midw ay colony

.

a t the Ca pe o f Good Hope ; and in 1 664 they ca p

tured from the P ort ugu ese a ll their pepper p rod u c -

ing sta tions a lon g the Ma l aba r coa st L i k e the .

P ortugues e the Du tch were u nscru pu lou s in their

,

trea tment o f commerci al competitors They stopped .

at no deeds o f cru elty to atta in their commerci a l a im ,

which was to hold a monopoly O f the spice tra de ; bu t

they fa iled to introd u ce their civiliza tion withou t ,

which permanency o f co lon i za tion is impossibl e .

Du tch s u prem acy in the Ea st en ded when Cl ive

forced an i gnominiou s capitul ation at Chinsurah Du r
the grea t F rench wa rs— 1 7 93 1 81 5 —En
.

I ng -

forced from Holland her eastern settlements ; J a va ,

35 2 I ND I A TH ROU GH TH E STEREOSCO PE

howev er w as a fterw a rds restored and S um a tra ex

,

ch ang ed for Ma l acca in 1 824 At the present time

.
,

whi le the Du tch hold J ava and Su ma tra and a n u m

ber o f isla nds in the East Indian a rchipelago they ha ve ,

no foothold on the ma in land o f Indi a .

F REN C H A N D EN GLI SH SETTLE MENTS ( 1 496 -

1 7 60 )

The En glish ma de several attempts to rea ch Indi a

b the north pa ssages westw a rd and then ea stw a rd
1 h Cabots m a de the first a ttempt in 1 496
.
,

They .

fa iled bu t disco vered New fou ndl and F ifty seven

, .
-

yea rs l ater W illoughby m a de a ventu re by the north

e ast , and lost his li fe in the f ru itless a ttempt After .

a l apse o f twenty five y ea rs renewed ess ays w ere

-

m ade by s u ch men a s F robish er Davis H u dson and

, ,

Baflin ; they s u cceeded in en gr a ving their n ames im

perisha bly on the ma ps o f the world b u t fou nd no w a y ,

to the Ea st by the north .

The Indi a n Archipel ago w a s the first obj ective point

for the establishment o f trade by the Eng lish ; they
form ed a tra din g post at B antam in J av a They .

b rought ca rgoes o f spices from the M ol u cca s from ,

B anda and from Amboyna and B a ntam The P ort u

, .

g u es e resisted the En g lish development o f tr a de .

T rade riv a l ries led to na va l hostilities both in the

Eastern Archipelago a nd a lon g the coasts of Indi a .

In 1 61 5 occu rred a famou s sea ba ttle O ff the coa st-

o f Bomba y du ring which Ca pta in Best fou r times

,

repelled the a tt a ck of an overwhelm in g P ortugu ese

fleet ; this filled the native with respect for En g lish
cou rage F in ally the En glish relin qu ished thei r trad
.

in g posts in the Archipel ago and directed thei r ener

gies to the m a inland o f Indi a : they bu ilt fa ctories a nd
esta blished trading sta tions a lon g the Corom andel and
Ma l aba r coas ts and at Su ra t on the west coast a nd a
, ,

few yea rs l ater In the nei ghbo rhood of C alc u tt a .

A grea t many tra din g companies were formed in

Engl and and I n other Eu rope an cou ntries there w as , ,

indeed a Eur ope an cra ze fo r exploitin g this new sou rce

of trade There were S wedish P ru ssi a n A u st ri an
, , ,

F rench commnies besides those al ready under men

.

,
 TH E ST O RY OF I NDI A 35 3

ti on I t w as a commerci a l scramble an O rienta l Klon

.
,

dyke and as in a ll s uch competitions it w as a s u rviva l

, , ,

o f the fittest En g lish cou r age and tena city domin ated
.

a fter nea rly three h undred yea rs and the Eng lish ,

Ea st Indi a Company ou tlived all its competitors .

The F rench fou nded one Ea st Indi an Comp any in

1 604 a secon d in 1 61 1 a third in 1 61 5 a fo u rth in
, , ,

1 642 a nd a fifth in 1 644 ; a lso a sixth a few yea rs

,

l ater B u t in the lon g w a rs w aged between Engl a nd

.
,

and F rance in I ndi a and in Eu rope the l a tter lost ,

both her politica l and commerci a l hold o n the grea t

Eldorado o f the East At the pre sent time F r an ce
.

reta ins only a few sm a ll and u nimporta nt st a tions ,

su ch as Ka ri ka l Ch anderna gore and Pondicherry em

, ,

bracin g altogether som e o ne h undred an d seven ty ei ght -

squa re mi les with a pop u l ation o f abou t

The centu ries O f trade w ars a s well as politica l ,

w a rs and government intri gu e a ll seemed to eventuate ,

in a d ua l stri fe between F rance and Engl and for the

control of Indi a En gl and w as a t w a r with F rance
.

m u ch o f the ti me between 1 7 40 and 1 820 Du pleix .

w a s the famous leader of the F rench and C0 1 Clive .

( a f terw a rd L ord Clive ) of the En g lish It sho u ld be .

remembered th a t d u rin g this lon g pe riod of w a r be

tween the two cou ntries in Eu rope a nd America the ,

w a r in Indi a w a s r ea lly only a n i n cid ent of the w a rs a t

home . The decisive battle between the se riva l
Eu rope an n ations in Indi a took pl ac e at Wandiwa sh ,

when Col Coote defea ted the F ren ch g enera l Lal ly ;

.

and here ended the prolon ged strugg le betw een these
g rea t powers o f Eu rope fo r s u prem acy in Indi a The .

pa r amou ntcy of En gl and w a s now est ablished The .

men who did most to secu re this fo r B rita in were

Clive the hero o f the b attle o f P la ssey ; Wa rren H ast
,

in gs who in a gre a t crisis held wh at Clive h a d won ;

, ,
“
Lord Wellesley ; and Lord Da lhou sie the grea test ,

of Indi an pro cons u ls -

.

The a dminist ra tion o f Da lhou sie brin gs the pe riod

o f Indi an history u p to 1 856 T he time between the .

fin a l overthrow of the F rench in 1 7 60 a nd the grea t

Indi an Mu tiny in 1 85 7 nea rly a h u ndred yea rs is, .

filled with import ant even ts The En glish we re fre .

 THE STORY O F I ND IA 35 5

of forei gn encroa chment The terrible ordea l Of the .

Mu tiny taught two never to be forgotten lessons to - - — -

the India s the fu tility of a ny a ttempt to overthrow

,

B ritish ru le— to the En g lish never sl umberin g vigi ,

l ance .

Thom as S teven s the first E n glishm an to visit I n

,

dia re ached Sa lsette in 1 5 7 9

,
O n J an uary l st 1 87 7
.
, ,

Q u een Victori a w a s procl a imed Empress of Ind ia a t

Del hi Therefore it may be s a id tha t En gl and w as
.

two h u ndred and ei ghty years in bui ldin g u p her

g re at Indi a n Empire J u st twenty six ye a rs l a ter
.
-
,

J an ua ry l st 1 903 Edw a rd VI I w as procla imed Em

, ,

p er o r from the s a me pl a ce ne a r D elhi th a t witnessed

Q
’
u een Victori a s reception of the imperi a l title At .

this grea t imperi al ceremony k nown as the Delhi ,

Du rba r o ne h u ndred n ative princes were present to

,

testi fy thei r allegi ance to the B ritish Empire .

By the latest cens u s of the en tire Empi re annou nced ,

in 1 90 6 the pop ul ation is

,
this incl u des
n ative S ta tes bu t directly u nd er British control a re
,

Wh at a bewilderin g rel ationship fo r the

two Arya n ofi shoot s —one pl anted in the fa r west and
-
,

the other in the far east ove r three thous and ye ars ,

ag o !
 The rea der shou ld here give some st u dy to the gen
era l ma p Pa rts of the land which lik e Ben ga l
.
, ,

Madra s and Bombay actua lly belong to the B ritish

,

Empire a re distin gu ished in colo rin g from the N a tive

,

S tates which li k e Ka shmi r and R aj p u ta na a re merely

, , ,

u nder a B ritish protectorate .

The S tatesm a n s Yea r Book th u s clea r ly defines the

’

difi eren ce between the B riti sh P rovinces and the N a tive

S ta tes
Indi a in its widest sen se inclu des B ritish Indi a
, ,

and the N ative S tates ; the former is u nder the direct

control in a ll respects o f British Offici a ls The co n .

trol whi ch the Su preme Gove rnment exercises ove r

the N ative S ta tes v a ries in de gr ee ; but they a re all
gove rned by the n ative princes ministers or co u ncils ,

with the help and u nder the a dvice of a resident or ,

agent in po litica l ch a rge either of a sing le S ta te o r

a grou p of Sta tes The chiefs h ave no ri ght to mak e
.

w a r or peace o r to send amb assadors to ea ch other o r

,

to extern a l S ta tes ; they a re not permitted to m a int a in

a milita ry force above a certa in specified limit ; no
E u rope an is a llowed to reside at any of their murts
withou t speci al sa nction ; a nd the Su preme Govern
ment c an exe rcise the ri ght o f deposin g a chief in
ca se of mi sgovernment W ithin these limits the mo re
.

import ant ch iefs possess soverei gn au thority in their

own territories S ome of them a re requ ired to pa y
.

an ann ua l tribu te ; with others this is nomina l o r not ,

T he a rea and popu l ation of the severa l provinces a re

re given and wi ll be fo u nd interestin g to notice in
,

In ectio n with a stu dy o f the m a p and its division s .

 G V O ER NM EN T 35 7

ti n P vi c
i a ro n es A ea
r in qmil
s . es P pulati
o on

1 5 1 , 1 85
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

ier
Int P rovinces .

P rovince )
rovince )
’

1 3 62 1 0 7 6

ati v Stat
I e es

234 9 1 07 24 5 23I 348

n am es lik e the Pu n j ab ( in the north

,

o f Hindu sta n betw een K a shmir a nd R aj

re u sed by di ff eren t people with di ff erent

sometimes si gnifyin g the ex a ct te rritory so

I our m ap and sometimes si gnifying in a
:ra l w a y a vagu ely limited a rea of co u ntry

n ity .

rm o f the English Gove rnment of Indi a is

It is the ou t growth Of gre a t w a rs and l on g
ou s legi sl a tion There ha ve been two dis .

i ca l stages The first w as a n in divid ua l g ov

.

»r the ru le o f the Ea st Indi a Comp any from ,

0 to 1 85 7 The second h as prev a iled f rom

.

e present and is the government u nder the

,

Ch an ge from the Ea st Indi a Compa ny to

tcontrol Of the Kin g w a s m a de by di rect a ct
rent It w as the resu lt of the S epoy Re
.

Ien it became clea r th at to hold Indi a there , ,

di rect responsibility of the government itsel f .

tem is d u plex the genera l s u pervi sion bein g

,

1 but the rea l work being done by the loc al

,
 GOVE RN M E NT 35 9

chan ge o f l a ws which a pply to Indi a as a whole bu t ,

l ea ves the loca l legi sl ation to the provinci al legi sla tive
bodies It is n ot necessa ry that the Governor Gen
.

era l s Cou ncil consist Of E u rope ans only

’
.

There a re five provinci a l governments Madra s Bom , ,

bay Ben ga l North W est P rovinces and the Pu nj ab

, ,
.

Ea ch o f these gove rnments is fu lly equ ipped ha vin g ,

civil Offi cers j u dici a l Officers and au thority to co llect

,

reven u e The Governor o f Madras is a ppointed by

.

the Crown holds oflice five yea rs has his capita l at

, ,

Ma dra s and h as a Council o f three The Gove rn

, .

men t o f Bombay is constitu ted in the same wa y as

th at o f Ma dras with the city of Bombay as the
,

capita l The Government Of Ben gal is a dministered

.

by a Lieu ten ant Governor with a Le gisla tive Cou nci l ,

o f twelve members The L ieu ten ant Governor is ap

.

pointed by the Viceroy a nd holds oflice five yea rs , .

Ca lcu tta is his ca pita l The No rth West P rovinces .

and the Pu n j ab a re each under a L ieu te nant Gov

cruor appointed fo r five
,

It mu st not be for gotten tha t the Government above

described refers only to the p art of Indi a directly and
wholly u nder En glish control There a re a ltogether .

one h u ndred and fi fty three n a tive states ; b u t m a n

o f these are sm a ll and u n import a nt and a re for ace :
-

ministra tion pu rposes gro u ped into thi rteen divisions ,

governed by their respective na tive ru lers with an

advi sory B ritish representa tive c alled a R es ident H a r .

mon ious rel ations exist between these ru lers of in

dependent sta tes and the gen era l governmen t ; neither
shou ld it be forgotten th at d u rin g the Mu tiny m a ny
, , ,

o f the n a tive princes rem ained tru e a nd loy a l to En g

l a nd an d bu t for thei r s u ppo rt In di a wou ld ha ve been
,

lost to En gla nd .

There a re in Indi a Eng li sh troops and some

native troops besides N ative R eserves I m
, ,

p eri a l S ervice Troops and Eu ra si a n Vol un teers m ak ,

in g an a ddition al 7 5 000 The Indi a n police force costs

, .

abou t ann ua lly yet it m u st be a dmitted ,

tha t a n average H ind u servitor of the pe a ce l ack s the

persua sive qua liti es of a New York cop ” .

O sm rm w cm m w . d rm m cm br l a nm
 W ith s uch a teemin g popu la tion and pove rty so wi de
,

spre ad it need sca rcely be sa id th a t there is a grea t

,

percentage o f illitera cy in In di a The la st cens u s re

.

tu rns show only abou t fifty three persons in a t hou

-

sa nd who a re literate or able to rea d their own l an

,

guage tha t is a bou t five per cent The cau ses a re

, .
,

,
—
of cou rse not f ar to see k popu lou sness struggle for ,

existence lac k of intelli gence ca ste prej u dice the low

, , ,

estate o f wo men and the hi gh esta te of the priests .

Althoug h there a re not yet any comp u lsory l a ws ,

the government is doi ng m u ch to a dva nce ed u ca tiona l

interests in the empi re The annual cost to the gov
.

ern ment for k eepin g u p the ed uca tion a l system rea ches

the su m o f while receipts from fees an d

school reven u es amo u nt to abou t this of ,

cou rse refers only to the B ritish P rovinces

, .

In the N ative S t ates the o u tlook is not so favorable ;

bu t m u ch even there is bein g done by the mission a ry
work ers and considerable by the n a tive rulers
, .

The gener a l government of Indi a a ppropri ates a bou t

one fortieth o f its a nn ua l reven u e for ed u ca tion a l p u r
-

—
poses abou t bu t this is not necesas rily
considered a grea t su m for so l a r ge a cou ntry I f we .
'

a llow only twenty million out o f the three h u ndred

mill ion of the popul a ti on to be o f school age th a t is , ,

i f ou t o f ev ery fou rteen persons we a llow for on e to

be o f school age the ,
will yield fifty cents
for the yea rly ed u ca tion o f e ach child B u t no dou bt .

the government app rop ri ation will be gr ad ua lly in

cre ased The ed u ca tion o f Indi a is a st u pendous ta sk
.
,

nevertheless the government h a s u ndertak en it In

,
.

1 85 9 there were p ublic schools in all Indi a with

a tota l attendance o f a ll ages of I n l ate yea rs
the n umber o f schools h a s increased to and the
atten d ance to One interestin g fea tu re of the
ed u cation a l movem ent in l ate yea rs h a s been the grea t
 ED U CA TI O N 36 1

progress ma de in the ed u ca tion o f wo men Only a .

few yea rs ago the most a rdent and san gu ine mission a ry
enterta ined no hope fo r fem a le ed u ca tion The emi.

“
nent D r Du ff sa id One mi ght as well try to sca le
”
-
.

a wa ll fifty miles hi gh . The a verage n ative belief

seemed to be th a t women a re ment a lly defective a nd ,

ca nnot lea rn ; fu rthermore th a t ed u ca tion wou ld en

,

dan ger their mora ls ; no w h al f a million women and

girls ha ve vin dica ted the intellect ua l and mora l ca
p a c ity of Indi a n women by tak in g u niversity honors .

In country vill ages where the old n ative w ays a re

still adhered to one ca n witness some droll la ws o f
,

ped ago gy ; the gentle Hind u shows cleverness in de

v i sin g ori gin a l penal s tunts . Crook e sa ys a Ben ga l
dominie w o u ld compel a boy to sta nd with his bac k
bent a nd a bric k on his nec k which i f he dropped
, ,

ea rned him a canin g ; refr actory boys were sometimes

p u t in a bag with a bu ndle of nettles or a ca t and Often ,

( Hind u boys h a ve sc a nt a ttire ) the bag cont a inin g

the bo y and ca t wa s rolled a bou t the floor Another .

pen a lty consisted in compellin g the cu lprit to m a rk o ff

a given n u mber of y a rds on the grou nd with the tip o f
his n ose ; bu t s u ch things o f cou rse belon g to the old
regi me .
 —
RELI GI O N H I NDU S

not rest on the ancient Ved as bu t u pon the l ater

scattered and so ca lled sacred writing s
-
” ,

The Bra hm a n priests h a ve a wonderfu l history ,

they m ay be re ga rded a s the founders o f the grea t

Hind u reli gion They h a ve m a inta ined their hi gh
.

position for th ree thou sand yea rs and a re at the pres ,

ent time the most c u lt ur ed and most hi g hly estee med

amon g the people Of Indi a They form a n unbrok en .

desc ent from the ori gin al Arya n con qu erors In in .

tellectual t ra in in g and physicia l development they s u r

pa ss a ll other n ative ra ces They lon g ag o developed .

a system of philosophy a nd st u died a stronomy medi ,

cine m u sic and l a w Thei r lan guage w as the Sa n

, .

skr it; and it is cl aimed th a t in the excellent develop ,

men t o f gra mmatica l per fection they su rpa ssed the ,

Gree k s and Rom ans .

Some o ne h as said th at no fu ll account o f Hind u ism

can be given in on e ordi na ry vol u me so here I ca n ,

aim only a t presenti n g a few sa lie n t fe a t u res The .

—
reli giou s system of Hindu ism says Thobu rn is —
a dmitted withou t cha llen ge to con ta in all tru ths a ll
, ,

errors a ll virtu es all vices a nd only insists th at a ll

, , ,
"
sha ll we a r its bra nd B u t wh a t the a verage rea der
.

most desires is its chief te n ets in briefest form .

M ost people a re more or less fa mili a r with the

n ames of the th ree principa l divi nities of the Hind u
— ,
—
fa ith Bra hm a Vishn u and S hiva Bra hm a the , ,

Creator Vishn u the P reserver and S hiva the De

, ,

stroyer The stu dent o f H indu ism will however soon

.
, ,

find hims el f bewildered by the en dless list of subordi

na te divinities in the Hind u p antheon — thi s is becau se
the p rim a ry tri a d h ave for milleniums been multiply
in g inca rna tions Vishn u and S hiva especia lly appea r
.

in m any inca rna tions ; a nd besides the tri a d there a re

m any inferior gods to s u it all sorts o f conditions as ,

with the divinities o f Greece a nd R ome .

As a lre ady intim ated H indu ism m ay emb race all,

the evil and a ll the good and for th at re ason it is di f

,

ficult to form u l ate a ll its tenets ; there a re however , ,

seven points of fa ith on which th ere I s a u n animity o f

belief Th ese seven points of fa ith I have dra wn
.
,

from W il k ins M odem Hi nduis m:

’
364 I N D IA TH RO U GH wa s sr s as oscor s

F irst God is one witho u t a S econd is a com ,

mon sayin g a mon g the Hindu s when referring to the

Deity Th ey con fess th at this one God is the Crea tor
.

o f a ll men wh atever their ra ce color and creed

,
They , .

expla in their position in this m anner — God is gr ea t

and cannot be fully expressed by any one bein g ; a ll
the gods diff ering as they do in form and c ha ra cter ,

represent a pa rt bu t only a sm a ll pa rt of His im

, ,

men sity They wi ll rea dily a dmit th at Christ is one

.

of the ma nifesta tions o f God a nd th at Ch risti anity i s ,

a reli gion good in itsel f though not for H ind u s It , .

’
is the cla im for Christ s s u prem acy which gives o f
fen se .

S econ d — They believe in the perfect holiness o f

God and a dmit a ll the divine attribu tes which Ch rist
,

i a ns apply to Him ; bu t they believe th a t when He is

inc a rn ated in some being He is ca pable of de gr ad a
tion , and u sin g His grea ter wisdom is ca pa ble o f
, ,

g rea ter off enses As a ru le the c ha ra cteristics of the

.

inca rn ations a re qu ite the Opposite of the su preme

Idea l ; a nd yet Hindu s c annot be m ade to see the in
con g ru ity .

—
Third The H in du s believe there ma y be mil lions
o f inc a rn a tions ; we then see how i f a n inc a rn a tion ,

constit u tes a divinity thei r p antheon is overflowing

, .

I f a grea t teacher a rise he is li able to deification , ,

either d u rin g his li fe or a fter his death .

Vishn u h ad ten inca rn ation s the eighth bein g the ,

most popu la r ( th at of K rishn a ) and yet he w as a ,

bestia l inca rn ation o f l u st and is sa id to ha ve ha d ,

sixteen thou sa nd wives Vishn u and S hiva a re both

.

more pop u l ar gods th an Brahma who is looked upon ,

a s a rbitr a ry a nd un approachable It is sa id there is .

only one temple in Indi a dedicated to B ra hm a S hiv a .

the R estorer is g re atly honored with temples in a ll

pa rts of the country The blood thirsty bl ack ton gu ed
.
-
,
-

wife of S hiva Ka li or Du rga ( Position

,
is
grea tly fea red and her fa vor anxiou sly sought a s
, ,

you will rea lize i f you visit her temple in Ca lc u tta

and witness the d aily sl augh ter of goats to appea se he r ,

a nd to secu re her fa vor .

—
Fou rth They believe in M aya The term M aya .
 REL I GI O N — H I NDUS 365

means ill u sion and a belief in illu sion is an important

,

fea tur e in H ind u fa ith The aver age H ind u believes.

that everythin g in the world is an ema na tion f rom

God bu t th at a ltho ugh al l t hin g s a re God in some
, ,

form men a re apt to consider themselves as some

,

thing diff erent from H im This they consider Maya .

,

o r ill u sion They believe th at t ru e wisdom consists

.

in recognizin g the identity o f all thing s with Go d .

They believ e fu rther th at all sorrow and s u fferin g

,

come from this i ll u sion or Maya There a re many , .

w ays they s ay of overcomin g Maya The best w ay

, , .

is by medita ting constantly on the oneness of the so u l

with God u ntil the mind becomes consciou s of nothing
,

else .

—
F ifth The p antheism o f H in du ism is shown in the
.

—
belief tha t Go d is everywhe re a nd eve rythin g th at He
is in everyone Therefore a m an s deeds a re no t his
.
’

o wn b u t a re prompted by God
,
Consequ en tly sin is .

not sin God bein g in m an and grea ter th an m an

.
, ,

domin ates a ll h um a n a ctions a nd m a n is not re ,

spons ible This is rea dily obse rved to be on e o f the

.

mos t d an gerou s a nd pernicio u s tenets of H ind u ism ,

becau se it abolishes a ll moral responsibility .

—
S ixth The belief in the transmi gration o f the sou l
of ma n into other forms of life is another o f the
ca rdin al tenets o f the Hindu— th a t the h um an so u l is
re born into the world fo r fu rther proba tion
-
m aybe ,

u nder worse conditions m aybe u nder better The re , .

birth m ay be into a lower anim a l o r into a pl ant and ,

ma y be aga in into h u m a n form hi gher or lower th an ,

in the previou s bi rth The Brahm an priests a re twice

.

born and of cou rse into hi gher conditions , T his .

twice born condition pl aces them fa r above the nu

-

fort un ate once born morta l -

.

—
S even th They believe wh en a child is born the
’
Deity s ketch es its destiny on its forehea d The child s .

f u tu re is th ereby determined or I ma y say prede ,

termined th erefore a ll th at comes to p ass in the life

,

o f th a t child is ine vita ble ; this is the fa t a lism o f the

Hind u s or sh a ll I s ay the predesti na tion of Hind u

ism ? A devou t Hind u wil l say — “
I t is w r itten
” ,

a nd th a t is his piou s u ltim atum Fat a lism predestin a . ,

 —
RELI G I O N M O H A M M RB AN S 367

me re nomina l a lle gi ance to Hindu ism w a s not di f

ficult to exch an ge for a time se rvi ng allegi ance to the
-

reli gion o f the inva ders .

Isl am has a lw ays received her greatest a ccessions

—
where i gnora nce most prev a ils in da rk Asi a and
da rk est Africa In the ill umined wes t it sca rcely ap
.

pe a rs at all T he followers o f the sel f procl aimed

.
-

P rophet o f Indi a show ho w Isl am flourishes in a

l a nd conta inin g so g rea t a percent age o f illiteracy .

S chola rly men li k e Bishop Thobu rn who h as lived ,

lon g in the cou ntry believe tha t the infl u ence o f the
,

M oh ammedan ch a ra cter on the Hind u is unfavorable .

W hen good a nd grea t men li ke the Emperor Ak ba r

, ,

a ppe a r in a n ation s history we a re too prone to con

’

sider su ch m en a s a prod u ct o f the reli gion with

which they h a ve been identified ; this is obviou sly qu ite
erron eou s Correct j u d gment m u st be ba sed on ru les
.
,

and no t exceptions to ru les ; a nd j u dgi ng Isl a m from ,

general e ffects the concl u sions a re u nfa vorable The

, .

M oslem is a stron ger cha racter th an the Hindu bu t ,

his mora lity is lower Intelli gent H ind u s tel l u s th at

.

there w as no secl u sion o f women before the time o f

the M oha mmed a n inva sions ; and the tea chi ngs o f the
Koran will co nfirm s u ch a lle ga tions There m ay he .

points o f identity between M ohammedanism and

Christi anity bu t the doctrines o f the former a re dra wn
,

more from J u da ism th a n from Chri stianity .

T he Theism of M oh ammed an ism is often co m

mended but Theism c a nnot be considered orthodox
, ,

when it represen ts All a h the Divine U nity as ca pable

, ,

of co u nten ancin g flagr ant sin fo r the sake of His

prophet
S om e det a iled a ccou nts o f M oha mmedan fo rms o f .

worship a re given on pages 43 45 and 249 in connec -

tion with Positions 8 a nd 7 6 in ou r itinera ry .

As to compa rison between the respective me rits of

Hind ui sm and M oha mmedism I will here inse rt a ,

sta tement from a n eminen t au thority — “

Be the cau se
wha t it m a y as a m atter of fact the M oh ammed ans
, ,

brou ght with them into Indi a one o r two n a meless

si n s which Hindu s to this d ay aflirm h a d never been
'

kno wn in thei r co untry before As a genera l ru le . ,

 68 I ND I A r a aouca r a s sr s a soscon

the ir mo ra l st anda rd is a little lowe r th an th at of the

Hind u s and the sa me rem ar k will h ave to be m a de
,

with reference to their general rep uta tion for mora lity .

Many good a nd sincere men no dou bt a re fou nd in , ,

the M ohammed an r an ks ; bu t where we speak a bo u t

the people a s a gre at comm u nity and compa re them ,

with thei r Hind u nei ghbors the a dvantage ce rtainly

,

seems to rest with the l a tter In fa irness I o u ght to

.

say that some of my mission a ry friends in Indi a tak e

issu e with me on this point S ome of them believe .

and ma inta in th a t the M oh ammed ans a re qu ite as

good as i f not better th an the Hind u s ; bu t I be
,

lieve I express the opinion o f —

the m aj ority a nd a
—
very l a rge m aj ority when I say th at the Hindu s stand
hi gher in po int o f mora l ch a racter th a n the M oh am
medan s a nd th at they h ave s u ffered ra ther th an bene
,

fited from a mora l point o f view by the introd u ction

, ,

o f M oh ammed anism into the cou ntry .

“
Every on e knows th a t the sacred book o f the M o
hammedan s is c a lled the Kor a n o r Alcoran or we ,

m ay ca ll it the M oha mmed a n Bible O ne of the most .

rema rka ble fea tu res o f the Kora n is the extraordi na ry

excellence o f its litera ry composition I t is u niversa lly .

a llowed to be written with the u tmost ele gance a nd

pu rity o f languag e in the dia lect o f the tribe of Kore
,,

ish the most noble and polite of a ll the Arabi ans b u t

, ,

with some mixtu re thoug h very ra rely o f the other

, ,

d ialects I t is confessedly the sta nda rd of the A ra bi c

.

to ngue and as the more orthodox believe a nd a re

, ,

taught by the boo k itself inimitable by a ny h u m a n

,

p e n ( tho ug h some sect a ries h a ve been of other opin

ion ) and therefore insisted on a s a pe rm anent mir a
cle g rea ter th an tha t o f r ai sin g the dea d and alone
,

s ufficient to convince the world of its div me o ri gin ” .

Moh ammed himself ch a llen ged a ll the grea t Ara bic

writers of his time to produ ce a s in gl e cha pter com
p a rabl e to it Herewith a re presented a few of the
.

leadin g fea tu res of the Kora n — the two p a ramo u n t

dog m a s of the Kora n a re the a ssertion of the u nity
o f Go d a nd the a po stleship o f M oh a mmed in the well

k n o wn decl a ration — Th ere is no Go d bu t All ah a nd

“
,
"
M oh a mmed is His P rophet The Kora n denou nces
.
 REL I GI O N — M O H A M M EDA NS ,
s unn a lS TS 369

idol a try ; it reco gnizes ea rlier prophets as Ad am , ,

Noah Ab ra ham M oses an d Jes u s as Ishmael and

, , ,

—
,

other mino r ones a ll foreru nners of M oha mmed It .

ac knowled ges the an gels Ga briel a nd M ich ael Az rael ,

the an gel of dea th and I srafll who is to sou nd the

,

tru mpet a t the l ast d ay ; a lso the f allen an gels and

their prince Ebl is ( Sa tan ) it recogni zes the geni i as
a clas s o f bein gs inferior to the a n gels ; it asserts the
f all of Sat an and the fa ll o f Adam a hea ven a nd a ,

hell and a fin a l j u dgment to come

, .

The Kor an notes the Noac hi an flood S odom and ,

Gomorrah Isaa c and J acob ; the gu ilt o f P h a raoh

,

and the pl agu es of E gypt ; the rod of A a ron ; the

g olden c a lf ; the m a nn a and the qua ils ; Da vid and
—
Goli ath ; Job Jona h and S olomon a ll those stori es
,

are fo und in the Koran and we readily see tha t i f , ,

a ll which is obviou sly tak en from the J u da ic a nd

Ch risti an Bible be su bstracted from the Kor an there ,

will not be m u ch left to credit to the authorship o f

All ah s prophet
’
.

Interpreters say th a t the most excellent mora l in

“
the whole Ko ran is this S how mercy do good to
”
-
,

a ll and disp u te not with the i gnorant

, .

msrs aunn

There is so m u ch th at is mythica l and u ncerta in

abou t B u ddhi sm a nd B u ddh a tha t one hesitates to
en ter u pon any disc u ssion of the s ubj ect Le gend and .

history seem to be so intermin gled th at definite knowl

ed ge is sca rcely obta in able Ori g in ally B u ddh a seems .

to h a ve been a H indu deity an inca rn a tion or m ani ,

festation of Vishn u whose p u rpose w as a s the story ,

goes to incu lca te a u niversa l scepticism agai n st the

,

tea chin gs of the Ved as .

In 623 B C there w a s bo rn a p rince whose royal

. .

n a me w as S iddartha and whose fa mily n ame w as ,

Gau ta ma His fath er wa s King Suddhodana who

.

ru led ov er an Aryan tribe P rince S iddartha w as .

born a t a pl ace on e h u ndred miles northea st o f

Bena res and forty miles from the Him a l ayas ca lled ,

Ka pilavas tu This princ e is he who h a s come to be

.

known as B u d dh a the founder o f the B u ddhistic re

,
 —
RELIG I O N B UDD H I STS 37 1

j un g le A dew ( spi rit ) ha d appe ared to him in fou r

.

di ff erent forms— a decr epit old man ; a sic k m an ; a

deca ying corpse ; and a dignified hermit He ha d .

been rea red I n a p a la ce and never a llowed to see s u ch

thi ng s and he w as profou ndly agita ted By lon g
, .

—
contin u ed meditation in the j un g le so he thought
he mi ght le a rn the cau se o f sorrow a nd the n a tu re
of m a n One ni g ht when all were a sleep in the pa l ace
.
, ,

he too k a la st look a t his sleepin g wi fe a nd chi ld ,

mo u nted his horse an d rode far a w ay to the j u n g le

o f U ru wel a where were wise hermits whose p u pil ,

he became in order to reach the hi ghest knowledge

,

for which he w as in search These hermits we re wise .

Br ahmins who taug ht tha t by pena nce and tortu re a

ma n cou ld a cq ui re perfect wisdom .

He followed their philosophy bu t fo u nd tha t it

a v ailed nothin g ; so he went deeper into the forest
nea r a pl ace ca lled B u ddh a Ga ya wher e he spent sev ,

era l ye a rs in medita tion a nd fastin g He kept a w ay .

from every form of distra ction that mi ght interru pt

his reflections ; he red u ced his food u ntil he a te little
more th an a gr ain of rice a da y ; he beca me so we ak
th at he fell down u nconsciou s When he recovered .

the tho ught ca me to him th at knowled ge co u ld not

be ga ined by fastin g or bod ily s uff ering .

After he re ga ined his stren gth he bathed in the ,

river went into the j un g le aga in and placed himsel f

, ,

u nder a peepu l tree where he det e rmined to rem a in

-

till he rea ched B u ddha ship He sa t th rough the ni ght

.

facing the ea st The knowled ge of his previou s

.

bi rths came to him and the w a y to extin gu ish desire

, .

J u st before d a wn on the follo w in g mornin g his mind ,

beca me clea rly opened li k e the fu ll blown lot u s flo wer ; -

the li ght of s u preme knowled ge o r the Fou r Tru th s ,

ca me to him a nd he there became B u ddh a The Eu

, ,

—
li ghten ed The All knowin g -
.

At l a st he h a d discovered the cau se of h u m a n sor

row and the w ay to perfect pea ce o f m ind o r t ru e ,

h app iness He h ad gone through a ter rible struggle ;

.

he ha d h ad to con qu er a ll n atu ra l defects and h u m a n

a ppetites a nd d esires which prevent u s from seein g
the t ru th He lea rned tha t the cause of all sufi ering
.
37 2 I NDI A T H RO U G H r a a sr a moscor a

is i gno rance Gau ta m a w as now a. with d —

B u d ha o ne
—
illumin ated mind so he knew the cause o f al l
h u m an s u ff erin g ; this wisdom ga ve a knowled ge of
“
the Fou r Noble Tru ths as follows ” .

( )1 The m isery of existe n c e .

2) False hopes and ill u sory desi res

$
.

3) The estra ng ement o f one s sel f from these ’

hopes and desires .

( )
4 T he me a ns of ob ta inin g thi s estr a n g ement of
desire .

B u ddha told the world th at some o f the cau ses

of h u m a n sorrow a r e — bi rth growth dec ay illness , , , ,

dea th sepa ration from obj ects we love h a ting wh a t

, ,

ca nnot be a voided cra vin g for what cannot be ob

,
~

tained He fu rther taught th a t m an ma y overcome

.

the so rrows of li fe by followin g the Noble Bi ht fold - -

Pa th which he discovered and pointed ou t T e ei g ht .

parts of this a re
(
)
1 R i g ht belief ,

( 2 R i g ht tho ug ht ,

( )
3 R i g ht speech ,

4 ) R i ght doctrine
(
,

5 ) R ight means of livin g ,

( )
6 R i g ht ende a vor ,

( )
7 R i g ht memo r y ,

( )8 R i g ht medit a tion .

The m an who k eeps these in mind and follows them

w ill be free from sorrow a nd m ay rea ch sa lva tio n
( N irv a n a ) .

After m any yea rs o f secl u sion in the j u n gle Gau t am a ,

retu rned a be gga r with a sha ven hea d in coa rse ra i

, ,

ment ca rryin g in his h and a be ggin g bowl He fou nd

, .

his wi fe still alive and the infa nt he left in his p a l a ce

,

a fu ll g rown m an The peep u l tree under which h e

-
.
-

a tta ined N irv an a h as become a s acred tree over the

Buddhistic w o rld '

.
*

Gau ta m a died in 543 B C a t ei ghty ye a rs of age . . .

His last ni g ht w a s spent in comfortin g a weep in g

disciple . r — “
His l ast words w e e z Be ea rnest be ,

E M 73 6 1 - .
 m —
mmN BuDDa I sr s ; A N IM I STS 37 3

thoughtf u l be holy Keep stea dfast w atch over you r

, .
,

o wn he a rts He who holds fast to the la w and dis

.

c ipline and fa ints not sha ll cross the ocea n o f li fe

, ,
'
,

and m ak e an end o f sorrow The world is.

fa st bou nd in fetters I now give it deliver ance a s

.
,

a physici a n who brings hea venly medicine Keep you r .

mind o n my tea chi ng All other thin gs cha nge Thi s

. .

ch an ges not ; no more sha ll I speak to you I desire .

to depa rt ; I desire the eterna l rest .

Many centu ries ago H ind u ism ga ined an a scend

,

ency over B u ddhism in India a nd then the la tter ,

sprea d and extended over Ceylon B u rm a Thibet , , ,

Chin a a nd J apan W hile the n u mber o f B u ddhists

.

in Indi a now rea ches somethin g over the

n u mber in the w hole world is sa id to exceed even

A N I M I STS
There a re ma y h al f wild tribes in India sca ttered
n -

over the mo u nta in regions and amon g hi gher wa st e ,

.

hill la nds who a re cla ssed g enera lly as abori gines

-
, .

These primitive races bea r a bou t the same re la tion

to the other peoples o f Indi a as the Ame rican I n dia ns
do to the E u rope an inh abitants o f America .

I n the Centra l P rovinces there is a very ancient

tribe c a lled the Khonds ; they a re s u n worshippers -
,

and in e a rly times they m ade h um an sacrifices A .

tribe in Ben ga l believes in a su preme bein g ca lled S ing

Bora who is represen ted by the s u n the moon bein g ,

his wife and the sta rs his daughters ; this tribe is

known as the Kols Other tribes a re the Bhils and
.

Gonds ; in Assam are the G aros Khas is and Ne ga s , .

In the north a re the Bh u tia s who profess to be fol

lowers of B u d dh a or the Ll am a .

S ome tribes h ave a reli gion which ru dely embodies

the fa ith and ceremoni a ls o f the g rea t reli gions
H induism M oha mmed a nism or B u ddhism
, .

The reli gion of the m any ha l f civi lized ra ces tak en -

,

collectively is ca lled Animism The gen era l feat u res

, .

of Animism a re a recognition o f a Supreme Be in g ;

a belief in spirits which requ ire propitiation ; bloody
o fi erings ; the perfo rm a nce of wild worship d a nces .
 AI N S 1 ( 334 l 48)
J ,

The reli gious order o f J a ins c ame into existence

about 600 A D and declined consider ably a fter five
. .

o r six h und red yea rs At o ne time it w as su pposed

.

to be an ou t gr owth o f Bu ddhism bu t in la ter yea rs it ,

is re ga rded as a n independent reli gion o r rather a ,

compromise betw een B u ddhism and Br ahm anism .

The J a ins recognize m any sa ints and atta ch a lmost

more importa nce to their sa ints tha n to their gods .

They mi ght a lmost be ca lled s a int worshippers They -

.

h ave twenty fou r sa ints o f the first order whom they

-

ca ll Tirth an ka ra s ; these are beyond the world o f

h u man experience and a re grea ter and hi gher than
the gods *
.

The J a ins a re fo u nd sca ttered over the cou ntry in

sm a ll n u mbers ; they a re noted for their intel li gence
and thei r litera ry cu ltu re The T amil l an guage is
.

sa id to owe m u ch of its refinement to J a in writers

o .

Many of them a re wea lthy mercha nts and ship owners -

.

In the reli giou s li fe of Indi a they h a ve however , ,

a lways rem a ined inconspicu ou s They possess m any .

very beauti fu l temples in which sta tu es o f their

greatly a dored Tirth a nkar as a re to be seen in grea t
n umbers .

At M t Abu ( Positions 1 1 1 2 ) and also at Ca l

m
-
.

cut ta ( Position 5 1 ) we s a w ex am es o f the magnifi

q
cent temples o f the J ains F or their reli giou s fa nes
.

they choose se uested mou nta in retr ea ts Their chief .

temple stron ghold at present is on the sol ita ry mou n

ta ins nea r Pa litan a in the penins u la o f Ka thi a wa r
,
.

It wou ld be sca rcely too m u ch to say that the Pa r

sees a re the most enterprisin g the most progressive , ,

the most prosperou s the most u p ri ght the most cu l

, ,

tured a nd the most hi ghly esteemed n ative people in

Indi a Who a re the Pa rsees ? They a re a re mn ant
.

o f an a ncient P ersi a n o r I ra ni an r a ce They mi ght .

be called the Pu rita ns of Pe rsi a .

In religion they a re the fol lowe rs of the g rea t Per

si an philosopher Zoroa ste r whose teachi ng s a re em
,
37 6 I ND I A r a cco on r a n sr u s osoor s

braced in the Zo roastrian B ible called the Zend ,

Aves ta They we re driven from thei r native Persia

.

in the ei ghth cen tury by M oha mmedan invader s The .

ancient disc iples o f Zoroa ster held very tem cio us ly

to thei r re ligio u s principles ; and the M oh a mmed a n
invader s could neithe r by force nor by rewa rds in
d u ce them to adopt a new reli gion Many of them .

fled to the isla nd of O rm u s to esca pe M oslem pe r se

cution bu t even there they found no abiding pla ce ;
,

others fled northwa rd to the mountain w ilde rness

whe re a miserable remnant o f the race may sti ll be
fou nd Thos e who h ad taken refuge on Orm u s a fte r
.
,

su ff ering grea t persecu tion s ga thered a few fra il boa ts ,

a nd set sa il fo r the coa st o f Ind i a Exile and banish .

ment were better and easier th an the acceptance o f the

inva ders reli gi on F rom tha t h andfu l o f persecu ted
'
.

refug ees ha ve a ri sen the

, Pa rsees now in
Indi a .

I n Ind ia they j oined with the H ind u ru lers bu t ,

they fell with the Hind u s befo re the i rresistible power

o f the Gre a t M o gu ls They su stained an un importa nt
.

exi sten ce u nti l the En g lish came to Indi a when they ,

a t once bega n to r ise f rom their low and oppressed

condition They ha ve a lways shown a fa ith fu l al
.

legiance to the En g lish They h a ve ri sen to g re at .

wea lth and control a g rea t pa rt o f the inte rna l com ~

merce o f India Thei r benevolence is well known.

,

and their contribu tions to cha rita ble p u rposes a re very

la rge They a re lite ra ry in thei r ta stes and their co m
.
,

m u nity shows less th an twenty five per cent o f illit -

cracy as aga inst abou t n inety five per cent in the gen -

era l pop u l a tion o f Indi a .

The Pa rsees believe in the resu r rection of the body ,

fu tu re li fe immorta lity o f the sou l a nd rew ar ds and

,

pu nishments They seem to worship the n atu ra l ele

.

ments the s u n ea rth fire and w ater and a ir They

, , , .

rega rd the su n a s the most st ri kin g emblem of Deity ,

a nd a ll fire a s a portion of the same emblem This ha s .

led ma ny to ca ll them fire worshippers wh ich is a -

,

mist ak e .

In prayer they tu rn tow ards fire o r the s u n ( see

P osition that they m ay be impressed with a vivid
 RELI GI O N — PARSEES ; s s 37 7

symbolic presence of their God as a Christ ian w ou ld ,

be impres sed by the presen ce o f the cross

’

Their theology is very complex a s dr awn from the

ancient records b ut th at is the ca se with a ll reli gions ;
,

we found it so with the Veda s ; with the Koran and ,

i f the th eology of ou r o wn Bible were not so complex ,

less exeg esis wou ld be necess a ry The Pa rsee theol .

o gy is es senti a lly monotheistic yet they believe in good ,

and ba d spirits fillin g a ll spa ce The Zend Avesta .

-

teaches an exce llent mora lity a s ma y be witnessed in ,

the hi gh ch a ra cter of its followers .

The Pa rsees recognize so close an identity between

a ll the n a tu ra l elements and their Deity that they seem
to wor ship these elements ; the ea rth a nd the se a m u st
not be poll u ted wi th corru pt m a tter ; a nd this is why ,

in the disposa l o f their dea d they do not bury in the ,

e a rth nor cons ume with fire a s do the Hindu s ; fi re and

ea rth a re sacred and m u st not be poll u ted with cor
”
ru ption Hence the Tower o f S ilence ( P os ition
.

a nd their pecu li a r mode of removin g the corru ption

o f their de a d wh ich is expl a ined in our itiner ary ’
, .

The grea ter n umber o f the Pa rsees o f Indi a ar e in

Bomba y where their be au ti fu l homes occu py the
,

choice sites in the su bu rbs T hey are the merc hant .

princes of Bomba y ; their women a re not secl u ded bu t ,

a re a s hi ghly honored a s women in E u rope o r America .

The Parsee is pro u d of the excellent creed which

h a s come down to him in the Zend Avesta from -

ancien t Ira n He is a lso prou d of his grea t ancestors

.

-
o f Cyru s Ca mbyses Da ri u s and X erxes
, , He comes .

o f a bra ve and noble l ine .

'
B u t none o f a ll who owned the chief s comm and ,

R u shed to th a t battle field with bolder ha nd

-

Or sterner hate th a n I ra n s o u tla wed men ’

Her worshippers o f fire ” .

,

JE WS

J u d aism is not one of the re ligions of Indi a ; and

the Jews form so incon siderable a pa rt o f the popula
tion and their history both secu la r and relIgI ous I s
, , ,

S p-e w as
‘ ee
es
 —
REL I GI O N C H RI ST IA NS 37 9

see In every line of occu pa tion even in the ministry ,

a t home ; it shou ld not condemn the cau se .

Once the m issiona ries d u ties were chiefly eva nge li

’

za ton ; now thei r wor k is m a nifold

i — embracin g cha r
ity edu ca tion medicine the te achin g of trades
, , , ,

women s work in m any dep a rtments ; a lso the pu blica

’

tion o f reli giou s a nd secu la r literatu re It is diflicult . .

to en u merate all the va ried forms o f the modern mis

s iona ry s labors
’
In the time o f the gr ea t f am ine I
.
,

ha ve see n ga thered into the compou nds of the mis

’
sion a ries hom es scores o f sta rvin g children where
they were not only fed bu t tr ained in v a rio u s kinds of
,

wor k It w as at the time of the f amine and the

.

pl agu e tha t I lea rned to a dmi re the wonderfu l de

v otion o f the mission ar ies in relieving w ant and s u f
ferin g in Indi a M issiona ries a re lea rnin g yea r by
.

yea r tha t the best w ay to rea ch the hea then is by a

,

ministry o f pra ctica l love and helpfu lness .

Ou tside o f tea chin g a new and better reli gion the ,

ch a rity and a ltru ism o f the Christi a n mission a ry a re

wide in scope and nobler and more beneficient in in
,

fluen ce th an the ostentatiou s benevolence o f mi]

lion aires I a m anticip atin g the u sua l trite re j oinder
.

o f the anti mi ssion a ry -

tha t cha rity be gins a t home ;
,

a nd tha t the most needy mission fields a re not in

forei gn l ands The suflering o f the heathen is mostly
’
.

owin g to the da r knes s of i gno rance w hile c rime a nd ,

w ant in ou r own l and a re often in spite of the in

telligen ce a nd i ll u mina tion of civil iza tion In time of .

great need a s in a ca ta st r ophe shou ld one first ha sten ,

to assist the helpfu l o r the helpless ?

 LA N G UA GE S

I ncl u di ng some of the more important di al ects th ere

,

a re sa id to be one h u ndred a nd ei ghty fiv e l an gua g e s

-

spok en in Indi a . The cla ssic l an guage o f the ancie n t

Aryans kn own as the Sansk rit is not now a spok e n
, ,

la nguage .

The follow in g ta bu l ated list gives the m ore im

po rt a nt l a nguages spoken at the present time an d ,

the n u mber of people speak ing each l an guage is g iven

q
in even millions fi gu res bein g taken from Thoburn s
,
’

Chr is tian Con ues t of I ndia :

R aj asthani
Ka n a rese
Guja rati
O riya
B u rmese
M al ayalam
 sa m m
Animal t atme t
s, re n of . 24 , 5 4, 155 Dilwa rra temples . 63 .

Baillie Gate . 2 12 .

E gli h in
n s
ta m dia n
sw an 2 m $5 1 3
s.
E v t M u t 1 85
.

eres o n
l af li m
.
, ,

new e 332
E xt t f I dia 827
.
,

B hees tis ' 1 42 en o n

HoIe of C
.

lac k alcu tta 15 3

. ,

B
at bull c ak i £28
.

Bo s o f o k n.
t l
.

Bo uao
-
7o
mba y
. .

Bo 16
B ahma
.
,

r 363
. .

B
B
B 31 5 . m
B
Fu al
.

g ner s. . 1 88. 1 94 .

1 23
Bun -
inc the de ad . 83. 1 88 . h l y 35 1 85
the o . . . 1 88 .

G 6 86 0a
hi t ic 1 2 25 3
.

G t
a es, s or
Gau tama 869
.
. ,

.
.

2 10 283; 287 .

Hav l c k
eo . Gen er al , 206 . 2 12 .

03. 1 65 . 1 1 0.
81. 11 1 . 1 18 . 1 28 .

31 2 . 8 1 3.
 I N DEX 333

Summ t 1 1 1 337
er resor s . Ulwar 27 7
City f th
. .
,

Su n, o e,
“
S W hipp
nn - 26 37 6
o rs ers . 37 7
Su tl j
, . .

e 1 23n v er .
Sutt (Sati ) 1 94 29 7
.

ee
1 15
athl t a
.
.
. ,
e e. . zoo .

Tag Maha aj h f 180

ore . r a o .
the. 1 1 6 . 35 8 .

T j Mahal 2 1 7
.

a
19 1 . 363 364 . .

T mil 306
.
.

a s.
Ta j
.

303
n o re ,
T mp atu
.

er re .
Wa ter~ca rriers 1 42
e
T ern l at Cal utta 1 7 0 c
Weal th of n ativ e prin ces
fil ph t 37
.
.
es . .

1 80 . 220 .
’

e an a .
E ll
336
40 o ra , . 236 , 24 3 . 264 .
Madu a 316
.

M u t Abu 5 3
r
Widows su ttee of Hin du
.
.

o n
1 94 . 297
Wo m en s apa rtmen ts 242
. . .
.
.

Ramisseram 323
'

ed u ca tion o f 36 1
.
.
.

Sering ham 31 4
Hi
.
.

Ta
.
.
n dus . 1 85 .
337
n j o re . 30 3 39 . 159.
Th f S l m
.

ron e o 79 o o on . .

Thug 1 63 s,
17 1 .

Tig
.

16 6 1 7 9
ers . .
s. 43. 67 . 249 .

Ti tha k a 1 7 2 37 5
.

r n ar s.
T mb xx n b utxful th w ld
.
.

ea an e or
2 ig
o . os .

mb ll h mm d 235 ak
g za 7 z Y
o s, o a e an . .
s. 1 33. 1 5 7 .

on s.
T p g
o h 327
o ra
Tw
.

o il
er 0
e 29 en c Z amzamah 7 0
a
. .
. .

T i mg
ra n thl t a e xc . Zen na s 242 280 .
ul 5 4 d
. , .

T ug ti
ran sn f ra on o so s. Zen -AV QSM . the 27 37 7
T i hi p l y 31 0 at
.
. . ,

r c no o . . Zo ro s er . 27 . 37 5 .
 '

U nd w d
‘
l he U nd
er oo W and th
Toun m
e
up in n ea t Vo lume Cas
places are
q
a rra ng ed
or

d i w hich a t u i t t vi it th act ual c

.

i th

w
n e o r er n o r s s e s en es .
N t that th all O iginal
m
t r no
T “m
o e
thu
ese are
T u w c mm d g o en on t
o
en fi eth en r C tu y
: St m p A h g h p i d t
o s rs e re o
Al ana n a n e e.
'

n eb r oe s e reosoo pe oa n be fnr
nis hed il desired .

AUSTRALIA m M and —
TO UR G i ving 1 00 p iti n os o s. and on e.

AUST R IA TO UR—Gi ving 84 p iti d ca os on s . an se .

B ELGIUI TOUR—G iving 24 p iti na xp1 n t y n t

,
n h oe o . e ¢ a or o es o aeh oh tsre~
og rapha. a nd eaae.

CANADA TOUR—G i ving 7 2 pos itio ns ex pla at y

n or t
no es on ha sh t
o f s e reo
g aph d a
.

r s . an e se .

CB YLOl! TO UR—Gi ving 80 p iti os ons . ex p lanat y or t

no es o n ha sh of s e reot
g aph d r s . an case.

CHILD RE N S TOUR R al Child

‘
ren in Ma n La d n s G i vi g
n 18 p i
os
fin y “
e
by M 8 . . er .

CUBA and PORTO RI CO TOUR—G i ving 100 p iti

os o ns. and e se. a

backs of stereo
m ou nt
a in.

—
“ GLAND TOUR Gi ving 1mpositions . a
an d e se .

FRANCE TOUR—G i ving 100 p siti n n h ck f t o o s. e xpl at y n t

an or o es o a s o s ereo°
g aph d r s . an ease.

OBRI ANY TO UR—G i ving p siti x p lan at y n tm b ck f o ons . e or o on a s o

t g aph d
s ereo r s . an ca s e .

”
G RAND CANYON OF AR IZONA TO UR —G i vi g 1 8 p iti guid b k n os ons . e oo
tw U nd w d pat t map d
.

o er oo en s an case.

GRE ECE TOUR —Oi , l m p iti n d b k by P f Rufu 8 Ri ch

3pag cl th a i Und w d pat t map d
os oo ro s
6
o s e
Ph D 3
. .

d a r so n . . .
. es . o . t n er oo en s an

Athen Tour ( a p‘ f th G n T u l ing 27 p iti guid b k

a
s o e ree e o r v os on s . e oo
hy ProL Biehar onJour U nde paten t ma ps an d osse.
H ALY DOUR— ‘
Oi
'

10 0 poeitioms. de book hy D J mli so n DD and

P f Jam C
.
. . .
,

ro . es . n der woo d
p t tm
a en d an
Rome T n g p t f th l t ly T
a case.
o r ar o e a on r —fl uide boo k by D r Elliso n and
Pr f Egb t 3 10 m cloth fi pat t map
.

o . er . . ve nd er wood en s and

no tes on haeh of stereo

ORWAY TO UR—( ii 1 00 p iti n guid b k dit d by P f Juliu

Pla n 3722n ight U nd w d pat t m p nd ca
N os o s. e oo e e ro s
E Ol
.

. sen . . e er oo en a s a s e.

W UR NO ( comp
Palestine l our N o 1 . l ra ve1 Lemons
' ‘
PALESTIN E
' ‘
)
—an
.

esnm and Tra v

.

o n the h fe o f J
-
l e ssons on the Ol d Teeta men t
e ) —G
r
dup li cat mitt d
es o ng 1 39 os ons
—
i vi
ree oo s an d ses p iti th b k ca
u a m T u a pa al ti T u i vi g
. .

Jer s le o r ( rt of th e P es n e o r ) G n 27
g uid e boo k by Dr Hurlh ur t. on e patmt ma p . and ense
. .

PHILIPPIN E nd HAWAII TOUR—G i vi g 1 00 p itions nd a

a n os . a e se.

PILG RIMAG E TO SEE THE HOLY FATHER— G i ving 36 p iti guid os ons . e
b k by R Fath J h N b t Smith LL D tw Und w d pat n t
oo ev . er o n o . . . . o er oo e

P RESID ENT 11 m TOUR—G i ving 60 p iti n guide b k os o s. oo 1 83 pag e

cl th nd ca
. .
o . a se .

by M . 8 . Em y er . 2 16
 W flA l ’

PATRON S S AY OF THE
‘

UN DERW OOD T RAVEL

S YST EM

G s Ca rr, M
. . . E ditor Columbus Medica l J ou rna l .

of y our men ten of y our stereoecopic to ure with books

“
I boug h t of one
a nd maps The boo ks are s er
. I e e er I ee s r e up b . valu th m v y highly . f l u
if peo p le wmrld carefully pems e such boo b . mald ng use of the ch a rta maps .

ereog raphs. they w ould be muc h be tter posted tha n th e actua l

a nd s t v eler m .

M y enthu ia m c c
s s g y u t g aph a m t u b u d d ha v
on ernin o r s ere o r s is 1 08 n o n e I e .

al ad y th Swit l d I dia C hi a H lla d I taly G c Pal ti

Ru ia Egypt I l d Wa hi gt D C Ma ti iq
re e aer sn . n . n . o n . , ree e . es n e.
u n d G a d Ca y
q
ss . . re a n . s n on . . .
. r n e a r n n on .

I wish to in uire if y ou ha v e any o ther coun tries tha t are comp lete with boolrs
and ma ps ? If y ou ha ve others l wiah to purchase them otyou .

W W S tark A thens Ga
M rs . . .
, ,
.

W ha n t ly p u c ha d T av ling i th H ly La d th ugh the

“ “
e ve rece r se r e n e o n ro

St c p with b k a d maps W
ereos o e.
’
p f ctly d light d with it I
oo n . e are er e e e .

am c tai ly enj yi g th t r og aph d th tu dy i c n cti n with

er n o n e s e e r : an e s n o ne o

th m I d n t h w ny pm n t with hild
e . o
'
uld fi d t b with ut
see o a e s c re n co a or o e o

th m I am ha vi g my u y a ld litt l gi l p lac th c
e . d t ll u the
n - e r -o e r e e s enes a n e s

B ibl hi t y i c nn cti
e s or with ac h n I xp ct h t a c mp li h this
n o e on e o e . e e er o c o s

in lees than a yea r . She is with now taldng thre e scen es a week in con nec tion

c h l t di
her s oo s u es and s As for se . I e x e to no mu ic
ore B e . m y lf p ct k wm ibl
his to ry than in all my life bef ore oug h t the stereo gr e
-
I wa n t to ad d pha .

ta my fibrary un til l ha ve almos t ev er y ooun try on the glohe represen ted I .

"
hav al ady giv
e re en the order ior p Egy t .

Josep h B Wi den S t .
. . Loui s Mo , .

“
As y ouue awa m l ha ve pretty near sp oo of yo ur stereographs . I am

boo ks an d map s . I wa n t my co llec tion to be as co mp le te an d in as per fect

pmsible zthe v lews tha t l hav e fin fifty two dn wm of y our ca bin eu
q
order as -
.

Kin dly ahip me the stereographs m uested at as ea rly a da te as pom ble an d

’

I wish yo u would kin d ly send me tro m time to time list of n ew views a nd

guide boolm th a t y ou get out You are a t liber ty to ofier me as refesen ce a t
o the deein bm
.

a n y time as t ty of having s co mplete librar y of y our bea utiful

"
tours.

Rev Sol on C B ron son D D

. .
,
. .
, Garrett B iblical I nstitute .

“
Your circula rsl ra vel Studies at hand oi
I ha ve had ior eome yea rs
’ ‘
.

y o ur studies in the Lii e o i Jesumand ev er y y ear in my claas in ped ago gy ha v e

h bit d
ex i e an d es e ese s es i t t d th
s en s in the e n r I tu di w th my tu d t S mi a y .

know ot no other method of teaching more help fi rl in Sun day SOhoo l wo rlt .

Geor ge W . Ra nkin , Li brarian . Public Libr ary Fall Riv er . ,

M ass .

“
We ar
e in receipt of the tours ordered N ov x6th
. I am much p leas ed
.

wi th this new est addition to our collection of stere oau phs z they possess a

ad junct that they should be part ot and accompany each set ot s tereo
”
a

w hen
 Rev . W . P . Swart z Ph D , . Poughkeeps i e. N Y . .

“
We uae with a ll the claaaea in tur n the stereog rapha and maps ct the
Ho ly h which we pumhaaed several y ea ra ag o £mm you We ha ve in
nd . .

our schoo l w ha t we call the depa rtmen t ior the stud y oi Bible h ndg an d in to

it each class comea ior its instruction by a teacher who with his aasiatan t. .

q
teachea thia aubj ect to a ll the claaaes in the Sun day Schoo L beg inning with
the in termedia te depa rtmen t up We fin d the e uip men t very valuahle aa .
.

it giv ea a ra lity to the B le s or ib

T I T UPON THE EA RTH t y PU S . AMONG
mald ng the Bible narra tive txuth t
or to -day a nd ior us .

Rev . Richa rd B urgess. General Secreta ry I ndia S . S .

as ed uca ton

at t
. but these with the uni ue sys tem oi
a pha. cornbioed
stereogx q
p en ma nl ving the aenae oi loca tion a nd direction looklng together wit h .

thew ll w itt gu d b
e r-
en i e- oob are e. in j en . of
. e o n . to capabl my udgm t b c mi g
on e w ho uses them thoug h t fully . not a auhstitute lor tr el ere . r el av m ly bu t t av
itseli in the hig hest sense oi ths term
“
.

In this cou ntry an d E ng lan d h un dreds of educa to rs urge

the use of the s tereosco pe . Dr . Win ship E ditor of The j our
.

na l o f E ducation. d eclar es

hand
I t is as ab u d t tudy hi t y
s r o s

u eing p h ceaJ hin gs and pw p le with the Rfd ih

exp ed eo ce of
s or or geography without ad uat e q e

rsa lis
flut
m o]
WW W as to study na t
. ural sciences witho ut a or
"
ory lab at . Sen e s s:

perience ahould be the io un da tion ston e otmin d -

n buildi g .

George J S mi
.th Ph D B o a rd of Sch oo
.
l E xa mi n ers.N ew .
. .

Yor k . sta tes :

m m
q
“
In la te yea rs there h as bee n pertected ao e thing tha t. in u
y i gd ~

men t. goea a head oi ordinary picturee and uenchea the mind s thin t for the
‘

c c t al m t
o n re e os as co le e as the er mp t ly
o je e ore the o sig ht I v y b ct b f b dily .

M W ‘O the l b E m the best pictum we still ieel to be but pic

.

"
tures ; they d o no t re e the illu c at
aiona of m lity . so lidity . depth n u b. “ .

in thia kind are but shad ows .

’
Bu t with the atereoscope the won dar oi pho
tography is b ught
ro to its culminati on .