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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..626e644 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #52896 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/52896) diff --git a/old/52896-8.txt b/old/52896-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 909f7eb..0000000 --- a/old/52896-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,10225 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Life and Travel in India, by Anna Harriette Leonowens - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Life and Travel in India - -Author: Anna Harriette Leonowens - -Release Date: August 25, 2016 [EBook #52896] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIFE AND TRAVEL IN INDIA *** - - - - -Produced by MWS, Adrian Mastronardi, Martin Pettit and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net -(This file was produced from images generously made -available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - -[Illustration: THE TAJ MAHAL FROM THE RIVER.] - - -LIFE AND TRAVEL IN INDIA - - -BEING RECOLLECTIONS OF A JOURNEY -BEFORE THE DAYS OF RAILROADS - - -BY - -ANNA HARRIETTE LEONOWENS - -_Author of "Siam and the Siamese"_ - - -_ILLUSTRATED_ - - -PHILADELPHIA -HENRY T. COATES & CO. -1897 - - -Copyright, 1884, -BY PORTER & COATES. - - -THIS LITTLE VOLUME OF TRAVELS - -Is Inscribed to - -MR. AND MRS. WILLIAM W. JUSTICE, - -IN - -GRATEFUL APPRECIATION OF THEIR FRIENDSHIP, - -BY - -THE AUTHOR. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - -CHAPTER I. - PAGE -The Island of Bambâ Dèvi.--Sights and Scenes round about Bombay 7 - - -CHAPTER II. - -Malabar Hill, and Domestic Life of the English in Bombay 39 - - -CHAPTER III. - -The Island of Shastee, commonly called Salsette.--Gharipoore, -"the Town of Purification," or the Island and Caves of Elephanta 51 - - -CHAPTER IV. - -Sampwallas, or Serpent-Charmers.--Jâdoowallahs, or -Miracle-Performers.--Nuzer-Bundyânâ, Mesmerizers.--Yogees, -Spiritual Jugglers, and Naga-Poojmi, or Serpent-Worship, in India 65 - - -CHAPTER V. - -The Parsees, or Fire-Worshippers, of Bombay.--A Visit to a -Fire-Priest and Astrologer.--His Astral Predictions.--The Gâthas. ---Zoroaster.--His Life and Religion.--History of the Settlement -of the Parsees in India 79 - - -CHAPTER VI. - -Domestic Life of the Fire-Worshippers.--The Zend-Avesta.--Parsee -Rites and Ceremonies at Birth, Marriage, Death, and Final -Consignment to the Tower of Silence 105 - - -CHAPTER VII. - -Hindoo Treatment of the Sick.--Pundit's House Defiled.--Its -Purification.--Short Sketch of the Different Races and of -the Origin of Castes and Creeds among the People of Hindostan 129 - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -A Visit to the House of Baboo Ram Chunder.--His Wife.--Rajpoot -Wrestlers.--Nautchnees, or Hindoo Ballet-Girls.--A -Hindoo Drama.--Visit to a Nautchnees' School.--Bayahdiers, -or Dancing-Girls, attached to the Hindoo Temples.--Profession, -Education, Dress, Character, Fate in Old Age and After -Death.--Cusbans, or Common Women.--Marked Differences -between these three Classes of Public Women 173 - - -CHAPTER IX. - -From Bombay to Poonah, the Capital of the Maha Rastra, or the -great Indian Kings.--Campooly.--The Ascent of the Bhor -Ghauts.--Khondala.--Caves of Carlee or Karli.--"Puja Chakra," -or the famous Wheel-Worship of the Brahmans.--Poonah.--Kirki.--A -Visit to the Peishwa's Palace.--Temple of Parvati.--The Pundit -and the Brahmin Priest at Prayer.--Sanscrit and English Colleges -at Poonah.--Suttee Monuments at Sangam.--Hindoo Bankers, etc. 208 - - -CHAPTER X. - -The beautiful Hindoo Village of Wye.--The Mahabaleshwar -Hills.--The Temple of the Gods.--The Couch of Krishna.--The -Stone Image of the Cow from whose Mouth the Five Rivers -of this Region are said to Spring.--The Holy Tank.--Satarah, -the Star City of the Mahratta Empire.--The Fort.--The Palace -of Sivaji.--Jejureh, the famous Hill-Temples where the -Dancing-Girls of the Country are Recruited.--The Mad Gossain, -and the Story of his Ill-Fated Love.--The Dancing-Girl -Krayâhnee 228 - - -CHAPTER XI. - -From Satarah, the Star City of the great Mahratta Kings, to -Dowlutabâd, the Abode of Fortune, and Aurungabâd, the Golden -City of the Mohgul Emperors.--Tombs of Boorhan Ood Deen -and Aurungzebe.--Mausoleum of Rhabea Duranee.--Sketch -of the Mohgul Invasion of India.--Manners, Customs, and -Religious Ceremonies of the Mohammedans of Hindostan 243 - - -CHAPTER XII. - -The Temples of Ellora, the Holy Place of the Deccan.--Nashik, -the Land of the Râmâyanâ.--Sights and Scenes on the Banks of the -Godaveri.--Damaun, the most famous of the Indo-Portuguese Towns 270 - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -The Taptee River.--Surat and its Environs.--The Borahs and -Kholees of Guzerat.--Baroda, the Capital of the -Guicowars.--Fakeers, or Relic-Carriers, of Baroda.--Cambay. ---Mount Aboo.--Jain Temples on Mount Aboo, etc. 286 - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -Calcutta, the City of the Black Venus, Kali.--The River -Hoogley.--Cremation Towers.--Chowringee, the Fashionable Suburb -of Calcutta.--The Black Hole.--Battles of Plassey and -Assaye.--The Brahmo-Somaj.--Temple of Kali.--Feast of -Juggurnath.--Benares and the Taj Mahal 303 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - PAGE -THE TAJ MAHAL FROM THE RIVER, Frontispiece - -BANYAN TREE, 36 - -CAVES OF ELEPHANTA, 53 - -NATIVE SNAKE CHARMERS, 66 - -A PARSEE LADY, 106 - -BOMBAY. UNIVERSITY AND ESPLANADE, 128 - -BUDDHIST PRIEST PREACHING AT THE DOOR OF A TEMPLE, 161 - -BULLOCK CART, 208 - -TOMB OF RAHBEA DHOORANE, AT AURANGABÂD, 250 - -ROCK CUT TEMPLES OF ELLORA, 270 - -NATIVE PASSENGER BOAT ON THE HOOGLY, 302 - -THE MUNIKURNIKA GHAT, ONE OF THE BURNING GHATS -OF BENARES, 322 - - - - -PREFACE. - - -In the following pages, gathered from voluminous notes of early travel, -I have tried to give a faithful account of life in India, as well as of -the sights and scenes visited by me, with my husband, before the days of -railroad travel. - -It is well known that the introduction of the railroad into India has in -no sense affected the life of the people, and has only very slightly -modified the general appearance of the country. India is still what it -was in the Vèdic period, a land of peasant classes; she still invokes, -as did the ancient Aryans in the Rig Vèda, the "Khe-tra-pati," or the -divinity of the soil, for blessings on the land. The Hindoo to-day -lives, as did his forefathers, close to the heart of Nature, deifying -the mountains, streams, woods, and lakes, while the sun, moon, stars, -fire, water, earth, air, sky, and corn are his highest deities. The most -beautiful personification in the Ramâyânâ of womanly grace and virtue is -called _Sita_, "a furrow," showing how deep was the national reverence -paid to the plough; and to this day at the _Rathsaptimi_, the day on -which the new sun is supposed to mount his heavenly chariot, a feast is -observed in honor of the sun, and the ryots on this occasion decorate -with flowers and paint their ploughs, and worship them as the saviors of -the land. - -I do not, however, mean to say that India has made no progress whatever -in all these years--her imaginative and glorious youth has no doubt been -succeeded by the calm reason of mature age--but this transition has been -gradual and progressive rather than fitful and sudden. - -The transfer of India by the East India Company to the British Crown, -and the recent laws for the protection of the ryot--or more properly the -_raiyat_, a leaser of land held in perpetuity--against the oppressions -of the zemindars, or governmental landlords, with the right of -underletting the land, have to an extraordinary degree awakened the -inborn desire of the Hindoo to become possessor of the soil and to -return to his hereditary occupation of agriculture. To these may be -added the security which England has conferred upon India, now that she -is no longer disturbed by frequent wars, which desolated the land, and -every now and then forced the people to abandon their villages and fly -to the jungles and mountains for safety, under the Afghans, Mohguls, -Mahrattas, and other predatory chiefs. Among the lasting benefits to -India it may be mentioned that sutteeism, infanticide, self-immolation -to the idols, Thuggism, and slavery have all been partially, if not -quite, abolished by the strong arm of the law. Railroads have been -built, the country has been opened, schools established, civil service -appointments thrown open to the natives and Europeans alike, good roads -made, canals and huge reservoirs for water excavated, ancient -water-courses reopened, giving an impetus to private enterprise and -industry in every direction. All these happy changes have been the -result of the more liberal policy of England toward India since the days -of the terrible mutiny of 1857; and it may fairly be hoped that British -India has before her as glorious a future as her brilliant youth and -maturity have foreshadowed for her. - -A. H. L. - -SUNNYSIDE, Halifax, Nova Scotia, } - August 7, 1884. } - - - - -LIFE AND TRAVEL IN INDIA - - - - -CHAPTER I. - - The Island of Bambâ Dèvi.--Sights and Scenes round about Bombay. - - -In that most delightful of all Indian months, the cool month of -November, with the distant booming of a great gun that announced its -arrival, the steamer from Aden came to anchor in the harbor of Bombay, -bringing me among its many passengers. Here I was in this strange land, -a young girl fresh from school, now entering upon a life so different, -one which I was to lead through a long term of years. - -The sun shone through the mists and haze of the early dawn, and I could -see from my cabin window, with a sense of mingled wonder and curiosity, -the great stone quays and the long flights of stone steps which led to -the beautiful island of Bombay, lying there like a gem in the water, and -of which I knew nothing whatever, save that it was once the -marriage-dowry of a queen of England. - -According to some authorities, it takes its name from two Portuguese -words, "Buon Bahia," Good Bay; but in reality it has a still more -ancient origin, being called after a very beautiful Hindoo queen, -afterward deified as Bambâ Dèvi, who long before the days of Alexander -the Great was the presiding genius of the land. She was worshipped as -"Mahimâ Dèvi," or the Great Mother, in one of the oldest and largest -Hindoo temples which formerly stood in the great plain now called the -Esplanade. It was pulled down about a hundred years ago, and rebuilt -near the Bhendee Bazaar, and is to this day called by her name and set -apart to her peculiar service. - -The longer I looked on that bay, and on those ancient islands with their -towers and spires, both pagan and Christian, gleaming in the pure -morning sunlight, the more I felt that it was one of the loveliest -scenes in the world and one of the best worth admiring. - -The harbor is not only one of the safest known to navigators from all -parts of the world, affording in its hollow rock-bound cup entire -shelter from sudden storms to vessels of all burthens, large and small -crafts of every imaginable size and color, but it is in itself a bit of -landlocked water unrivalled in picturesqueness, furnishing a variety of -beautiful views at every point, and, one might almost say, at every -passing moment. - -Its peculiar interest, however, depends much on the season of the year, -the brightness of the lights, the softness of the shadows, and the -picturesque character of the numberless native boats, which, with their -well-filled lateen sails, skim like white sea-birds on the surface of -the waters. - -The islands of Salsette, Elephanta, and Versovah, abounding in luxuriant -vegetation, rise like huge green temples out of the bay. A great part of -its beauty, however, is derived from the singularly shaped hills that -are found in its vicinity. Old as the world, they appear to have gone -through the hands of some gigantic architect--some so exquisitely -rounded, some regularly terraced, and others, again, sharply pointed, -not unlike spires. Lifting themselves proudly above the broad glittering -sea that bathes their palm-fringed base, they help to make the scenery -distinct from that of any other bay in the world. Then, beyond question, -there is nothing to equal in grace and beauty the palm forest. The -cocoanut, the sago, the betel, the date, the wild plantain, and the -palmyra, all cluster in such profusion here and there along the seashore -that the whole seems too beautiful to be real, and you half expect to -see the island melt away like a dream before you. - -While I look on from the cabin window things take clearer shape and -form. Far away is the dim outline of the mighty Ghauts, towering amid -soft fleecy-white clouds, and extending farther than the eye can reach -in the purple distance. The striking views of the adjoining mainland, -with ruins innumerable of chapels, convents, and monasteries erected by -the Portuguese conquerors, all covered with a rich tangle of tropical -foliage; the strange shapes of pagan temples, each in its own peculiar -style of architecture, Hindoo, Parsee, Jain, and Mohammedan; the noble -remains of the old Mahratta[1] forts and castles, which in former days -were the habitations of the famous Rajpoots, with a long line of native -and European palaces,--gradually unfold themselves under the golden haze -of an Indian atmosphere. - -One sees in no other part of the world just such an assemblage as the -passengers on an Indian-bound steamer. In the vessel that took me to -Bombay the most touching object to my mind was a young married woman, -who was looking anxiously out for her husband, a missionary in whose -labors she was now about to share for the first time. He was weak, -haggard, and spiritless, worn out, no doubt, by his combined efforts to -acquire a foreign language, convince an obstinate people, and bear the -enervating influence of a hot, muggy climate; all of which was enough to -break down the stoutest of frames and the most hopeful of spirits that -England has ever produced. A number of officers, civil and military, -some in light-brown coats of China silk and wide-brimmed straw hats, -others in frogged blue frocks and military caps, were seen pressing -through the crowd. A young cadet just out rushed into the open arms of a -handsome officer, like himself, but older by twenty or thirty years. The -deck was being fast cleared of its eager crowd. Everywhere the -passengers were separating amid almost sad adieux, enlivened only by the -oft-repeated promises to write to each other regularly--promises which -are never fulfilled. On the great continent of Asia all nations meet and -hail each other as friends, only to part, perhaps never to meet again, -as vessels do at sea. But we were all sincere enough at the moment, -which is all that can be expected from travellers scattering over the -vast unknown land of India. I remember I was very greatly troubled -because I was about to part from a gentle, blue-eyed young friend, a -frank, bright, innocent young Scotch girl, who had become very dear to -me during the most tedious and sultry part of our voyage from Aden to -Bombay. - -We were thrown a good deal together, and were almost of the same age. -One day, while passing through the Red Sea, we exchanged vows of eternal -friendship. There was on board a sprightly young officer, Ensign W----, -to whom she was already secretly betrothed. Why secretly she would not -confide to me, or perhaps explain even to herself, for every one on the -vessel knew it, and of her naturally tender and loving disposition, as -well as of her peculiarly lonely position on board, being sent out -under the charge of the captain. I only know that I shared her -happiness and her anxiety, for she would have to break the news almost -immediately to her father, whom she was expecting momentarily on board. -She informed me that her father was a widower--that she had come out to -India expressly to keep house for him in some remote inland province -somewhere in Guzerat. - -At last her father appeared on board, a fat, sun-burnt, frowzy-looking -man, and inquired from the captain as to which was his daughter, in -order to assert his ownership over her. Instead of rushing to greet a -father, she shrank back and nervously clutched my arm; and it was not -strange. She had not seen him for many years; in the mean time her -mother had died, her little brothers and sisters had all died in their -infancy; she alone had survived, and had been sent home to Scotland, -where she had been educated by an aunt. Here, then, she was alone in the -presence of an almost entire stranger, although he was her father; and -this is not an isolated case, but the fate of the thousands of European -children who are born in India. - -No blood-relationship avails anything in such cases. The mysterious -sanctities of a young girl's nature, be they more or less profound, -interpose themselves as barriers between father and daughter at the best -of times and under the happiest of circumstances. Those dim nooks and -corners of her budding sentiment can only be reached by a mother, so -justly called the mediator in the most ancient language of the heart. - -Years after I learned that my young Scotch friend had married Ensign -W----, the young officer to whom she had engaged herself on her voyage -out to India. But in one short year after her sweet blue eyes were -closed for ever on this world. She died in giving birth to a daughter, -who sleeps side by side with her young mother in the quiet little -European burial-ground at Deesa, a British station on the confines of -the great province of Guzerat. - -Very little was known about India until Alexander the Great led his -conquering army across the Punjaub (or, more properly, "Panch jeeb," or -five tongues, from the five rivers that water this portion of Northern -India) to the banks of the Hydaspes and the Hyphasis. The armies of -Alexander had hitherto visited no country which was so fertile, -populous, and abounding in the most valuable productions of nature and -art as that portion of India through which they marched. Fortunately for -the Greeks, Alexander had with him a few men who were admirably -qualified to observe and describe the country. At the mouth of the Indus -the army and fleet of Alexander parted company. The troops proceeded by -land. Nearchus took charge of the ships, sailed down the Indus, and from -its mouth, round the southern coast of Asia, to the mouth of the -Euphrates. The results of his observations during the voyage were taken -down and preserved. This expedition, undertaken 325 B .C., furnished a -vast amount of information in regard to India, its extent and wonderful -resources. Rome and most of her prosperous and civilized provinces were -also very familiar with the silks, brocades, fine muslins, gems of great -value, spices, and many other manufactures and products of the remote -East. The Latin name of rice, _Oryza sativa_, is derived from the -country, Orissa, whence the Romans first obtained it. During the -so-called Dark Ages which followed the subversion of their Western -Empire the trade with India was greatly diminished, though it never -entirely ceased in parts of Europe, especially as some of the -productions of the East had been consecrated to the services of the -Roman Catholic ritual, and have ever since continued in request with the -Christian churches of Greece and Rome. Even in the remote island of -Great Britain, and in the semi-barbaric Saxon period, some of the -precious spices and scented woods of India had been carefully treasured -by the Venerable Bede and his co-laborers in their bleak northern -monastery at Jarrow. In fact, at the very dawn of European civilization, -under the good and wise Alfred the Great, English missionaries are said -to have found their way to the coast of Malabar. - -The great seat of Eastern trade was, down to the eleventh century, the -city of Constantine the Great. Amalfi, Venice, and many other -enterprising Italian republics acquired about this time great commercial -importance, owing to their Eastern trade, which they extended to Egypt -and the Persian Gulf. - -In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries some of the more adventurous -Italians found their way to various parts of Hindostan. One of these, -the famous Marco Paulo, has given to the world much curious information -about the regions which lie between the Himalaya Mountains, the Indian -Ocean, and the numerous islands bordering on the Celestial Empire and on -India proper. - -The first European traveller who has given us an account of the country -near the island of Bombay was an Italian friar named Odoricus, who -passed nearly a month at Tana--or more properly Thanah--where four of -his family fell victims to the intolerant spirit of the natives, and -suffered martyrdom. His narrative was published in Latin in 1330 A. D. -by William de Solanga. The first Englishman who visited the western -coast of India was Thomas Stephens, of New College, Oxford. He reached -Goa in October, 1579, and in the year 1608 Pryard de Laval mentions him -at the time as rector of a college at Salsette. - -It was during the early career of the famous Zehir-ed Deen Mohammed, a -descendant of the renowned Genghis-khân, and the founder of the -so-called Mohgul dynasty, better known by his common name of Bâber, or -"the Tiger," that the Portuguese, whose maritime discoveries were -beginning to produce an important revolution in the commercial world, -succeeded in accomplishing their long-desired object of finding a -passage by the Cape of Good Hope to India. In the year 1498, just ten -months and two days after leaving the port of Lisbon, Vasco da Gama -landed on the coast of Malabar at Calicut, or more properly Kale Khoda, -"City of the Black Goddess." Calicut was at that period not only a very -ancient seaport, but an extensive territory, which, stretching along the -western coast of Southern India, reached from Bombay and the adjacent -islands to Cape Comorin. It was, at an early period, so famous for its -weaving and dyeing of cotton cloth that its name became identified with -the manufactured fabric, whence the name _calico_. The dyeing of cotton -cloths seems to have been in practice in India in very remote ages. -Pliny as early as the first century mentions in his _Natural History_ -that there existed in Egypt a wonderful method of dyeing white cloth. It -is now generally admitted that this ingenious art originated in India, -and from that country found its way into Egypt. It was not till toward -the middle of the seventeenth century that calico-printing was -introduced into Europe. A knowledge of the art was acquired by some of -the servants in the service of the Dutch East India Company, and carried -to Holland, whence it was introduced in London in the year 1676. - -The town of Calicut, though repeatedly burnt and destroyed by Portuguese -and Mohammedan conquerors, still stands, as it has done for many -hundreds of years, on the seashore, in a somewhat low and exposed -position, possessing neither a river nor any harbor within several -miles of it, so that ships are compelled to cast anchor five or six -miles from the landing-place, almost in mid-ocean. Its want of a -convenient harbor does not seem to have detracted from its commercial -importance. At the very beginning of the Eastern trade, when -Constantinople was attracting to itself all the commerce of the East, -Calicut was visited by vessels from Asia Minor, Egypt, and Arabia. It -was so well known to the Arabians that in the seventeenth century a -fanatical sect of Mohammedans named Moplahs immigrated to Calicut, and -entered with great success into the commercial life of the city, and -occupy in it, even to this day, a most important place, carrying on a -very profitable trade between Calicut, the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, -and various parts of India, its chief exports being rice, cocoanut, -ginger, cardamoms, and sandal- and teak-wood. At the time of the landing -of the Portuguese, Calicut is described as a fine city, with numerous -magnificent buildings, among which a Brahmanical temple and college are -especially mentioned, so remarkable were they for their size and -architectural adornments. - -It would be out of place to enter into particulars of the long struggle -that ensued, or the disgraceful acts of treachery and cruelty that -attended the conquests of the Portuguese. It will suffice to say that in -a very few years they were firmly established in the south of India. -Having possessed themselves of the large maritime city of Goa, they -formed a regular government, headed by a viceroy appointed by the king -of Portugal. They soon turned the trade of Hindostan and the Deccan into -new and more profitable channels, thus depriving the Venetians, Genoese, -and many other nations of all the advantages derived from their -long-established European commerce between the Persian Gulf, the Red -Sea, Egypt, and the Mediterranean Sea. From that time the Italians -began to decline in wealth, influence, and prosperity until the close of -the sixteenth and in the beginning of the seventeenth century, when the -English, Dutch, and French, sailing round by the Cape of Good Hope, -began to appear upon the scene. No sooner was this accomplished than the -Portuguese, who had monopolized the commerce with Europe during the -sixteenth century, lost (almost as rapidly as they had acquired it) -their immense influence in the East. - -In 1585, Thomas Cavendish, one of the boldest and most adventurous -navigators in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, had accomplished -successfully a two years' voyage round the world. Among other places, he -had visited and explored the spice islands called the Moluccas, but his -discoveries resulted in no permanent benefit to the British traders. In -the year following an English expedition consisting of three vessels, -under the command of Captain Raymond, was sent out to India, but its -object was rather more warlike than commercial, as it was intended to -cruise against the Portuguese. Sickness, shipwreck, and other disasters -overtook the vessels; Captain Raymond, one of the most spirited men of -his time, was lost without even having seen the Eldorado of his dreams, -and Captain Lancaster, his second in command, returned home a sad and -almost ruined man. Francis Drake, afterward knighted by Queen Elizabeth -for his many remarkable exploits at sea, succeeded in capturing five -Portuguese vessels laden with the rich products of India. These, with -the successes of the Levant Company and the accumulating information -obtained from private sources, contributed to keep alive the excitement -and to increase to an inordinate degree the desire of English traders -and merchants for a more immediate participation in the Eastern -commerce. Nevertheless, the ambition and jealousy of the British -merchants were not fully aroused until they heard that the Dutch in -1595 had fitted out and despatched four ships to trade with India. - -Then the British merchants immediately set to work. A fund was raised by -subscriptions of a number of individuals amounting to £30,133 6s. 8d., a -company was formed, and a committee of fifteen able men was elected to -manage it, which was the origin of the "East India Company." On the 31st -of December, 1600, just two hundred and eighty-four years ago, a royal -charter of privileges was granted, conditionally for fifteen years, to -the company. By means of this charter, and furnished with letters from -Queen Elizabeth to various Eastern rajahs, who were probably unconscious -of her existence, a squadron of five ships sailed on the 2d of May, -1601, from Torbay. It was placed under the command of Captain Lancaster, -the companion of the unfortunate Raymond. Fortune now appeared to favor -the brave Lancaster. The very first place which he and his crews visited -was Acheen in the island of Sumatra. Owing to the fact that Northern -Sumatra had already been repeatedly visited by European travellers, -among whom were Marco Paulo, Friar Odoricus, and Nicolo Conti, Captain -Lancaster was remarkably well received by Alaudin Shah, the then -reigning sovereign; and, to add to his good fortune, while cruising in -the Straits of Malacca he succeeded in capturing a large and -heavily-laden Portuguese vessel having on board a cargo of fine -calicoes, spices, and some of the fine gold for which Acheen was then -celebrated. Thus unexpectedly enriched, he sailed away, and, entering -the Straits of Angeer, landed at Bantam in the island of Java, where he -established an agency--the first germ of the great East India Company's -factories--and returned in safety to England in the autumn of the year -1603. For many years following the trading vessels of the East India -Company made successful voyages to many of the best-known islands in the -Indian Ocean, realizing immense profits, and returning home to enrich -the company to such an extent as to excite the jealousy of the British -government, which vainly attempted to limit the privileges of the royal -charter granted to it by Queen Elizabeth. Not many years after the -success of the company was assured by a firman of the great Mohgul -emperor, confirming to them certain privileges, and, above all, -authorizing their establishment of factories at some of the most -important ports of Hindostan. - -The Dutch, who had dispossessed the Portuguese of their factory in -Amboyna, one of the largest of the spice islands in the Molucca group, -now began to regard the English traders with much jealousy. These, only -eighteen in number, had established themselves in a defenceless house in -town, trusting to the agreements and treaties they had made with the -Dutch traders. The Dutch invited them in a friendly manner to pay a -visit to their castle, fortified and garrisoned by two hundred men. The -unsuspecting English had no sooner entered the castle than they were -seized, put to the rack and torture, and ten of the number, holding out -firmly to the last, were put to death. - -During the memorable conflict between Charles I. and the Parliament -nearly all foreign enterprise flagged. Distracted by the great civil war -that followed, the East India Company sank into comparative inaction. -But no sooner was the great Oliver Cromwell at the head of affairs than -he reconfirmed the privileges of the company, and gave every -encouragement to its trade; he also compelled the Dutch government to -pay the sum of £300,000, together with a grant of one of the smaller -spice islands, as some compensation to the descendants of those who -suffered in the "Amboyna massacre." - -A new charter was granted to the company by Charles II. in 1661, in -which, in addition to the old privileges, new and important ones were -given to them. They were vested with the right of full civil -jurisdiction and military authority over all Europeans in their -employment, as well as with the power of making war and concluding peace -with the "infidels of India." In 1662, Charles II. married Catharine, -princess of Portugal, who brought him a million pounds sterling and -gifts of the island of Bombay and the fortress of Tangiers. In 1668, at -the request of the company, Charles sold to them for a trifling sum of -money the island of Bombay, granting to them shortly after the island of -St. Helena, an equally convenient station for their merchantmen; and at -length, induced by the defensible character of the island and its -convenient and most commodious harbor, the company transferred from -Surat to Bombay the seat of their government. Thus the island of Bombay -became the presidency over all their settlements, and from that moment -numerous Oriental nations were attracted to the island, commerce rapidly -increased, the native town began to spread, and the foundation of a -great empire in India was securely laid. - -In no other part of the world are found so many races and peoples living -side by side as in the island of Bombay. In the spacious streets and -bazaars one meets Buddhists, Jains, Brahmans, Hindoos, Chinese, -Musulmans (both Persians and Arabs), Seedees or Africans, -Indo-Portuguese, Indo-Britons, Jews, Armenians, Afghans, Caucasians, -Parsees, Americans, and Europeans of all nationalities. The most -important of all these are undoubtedly the Parsees. They are as a class -the richest, most industrious, and most honorable of all the native -populations. They are the most extensive merchants and land-owners in -the island; they share largely in foreign speculation both in the -European and mercantile houses. They hold to two principles as -indispensable to their permanent success and efficiency in trade: First, -that every Parsee in any part of the Indian empire shall be subject to -the established government, whatever it may be. By this means they -diffuse a spirit of obedience and promptitude among their -co-religionists, whether in India, Persia, China, or Egypt, and are at -once able to secure the co-operation of one and every member of the -faith in any emergency that may demand the combined efforts of the -entire sect. Secondly, that every Parsee, no matter what the accident of -his birth, is the equal of his more prosperous fellow-laborers. - -The island of Bombay is separated from the mainland by an arm of the -sea, and forms, in conjunction with the adjacent islands of Salsette on -the north, Colabah and Old Woman's Island on the south, a magnificent -and well-sheltered harbor. Handsome causeways raised above the sea at -high water span the narrow channels on the south, and connect Bombay -with two of the most picturesque islands I have ever seen. To the north, -Bombay is again connected with Salsette by a causeway with a fine arched -stone bridge, and yet another causeway has been thrown over the strait, -so as to connect the great India Peninsular Railway with the mainland. -Thus Bombay and the islands which surround it form a continuous -breakwater extending from north to south for several miles. Toward the -east lies the celebrated island of Elephanta; just opposite to the mouth -of the harbor lies a thickly-wooded island of little elevation, with the -exception of two remarkable projections which are shot upward almost -perpendicularly from the level of the land, called Great and Little -Caranja Hills. - -One of our first drives was to the fort and town of Bombay. The latter -is situated within the fort, and is almost a mile in length from the -Apollo Gate to that of the bazaar, but hardly a quarter of a mile in -its broadest part, from the Custom-house across the great Green to what -is called Church gate. It is now called Fort George, and with its moats, -drawbridges, and gateways is still in tolerably good repair. There are -two gateways facing the beautiful harbor, having commodious wharfs and -cranes built out from each, with a fine broad stone quay or -landing-place for passengers. Passing through these gates, we visited -the famous Bombay Castle, a regular quadrangle built of hard stone. In -one of the bastions we saw a spacious reservoir for water. The -fortifications are sufficiently formidable, and are frequently repaired, -if not improved. Dungarree Hill, which commands the town, has now been -included within the fort, by which accession the seaward points of the -island are rendered extremely strong, the harbor being completely -commanded by successive ranges of batteries placed one above the other. -The Government House, a showy but a most inconvenient building, the old -church, and a spacious Maidan, or Common, are also situated within the -fort. - -The rise of the tides has been found such as to admit of the -construction of docks on a truly magnificent scale. Indeed, the dry-dock -of Bombay is said to be unequalled in the East for its immense size and -convenience. It has been built with three divisions, each of which is -furnished with a pair of strong gates, so that it is capable of -receiving three ships-of-the-line at a time. This operation is generally -entrusted to Parsees, and executed with great rapidity and skill. These -docks have sprung up here since the days when the island passed into the -possession of the East India Company. Another remarkable feature of this -part of Bombay is the so-called ropewalk, which is said to be equal to -any in England (with the single exception of the king's yard at -Portsmouth). Here rope cables and every variety of lesser cordage are -manufactured in great abundance. The workmen can be seen seated under -covered awnings diligently plying their respective occupations--some -cleaning the caiah, or cocoanut-husks, others plaiting, and yet again -others twisting heavy ropes and cords. - -The Bombay dockyard is also worth visiting; it is admirably contrived, -and abounds in fine stone warehouses well stocked with timber for -building and repairing vessels and ships of all kinds and sizes, with -forges, and well-instructed Parsees, who, among other qualifications, -are counted the best ship-carpenters to be found in the East. Many of -the merchantmen and ships-of-the-line in the service of the late East -India Company have been built here from time to time, and are still -built, of Malabar and Mylonghee teak-wood, which is much esteemed -throughout India. One of the most magnificent teak forests, from which -supplies of wood are obtained, lies on the north-western boundaries of -the kingdom of Siam; the other on the western side of the Ghauts and all -along the mountains lying north and east of the old Portuguese town of -Bassein. They are floated down to Bombay by means of the numerous -streams which descend from these mountain-ridges. - -Another curious feature is the celebrated cotton-press, of which there -are a great many in use here--marvellous in themselves, but more -striking amid the mountains of cotton piled up waiting to be pressed -before transportation to Europe, China, and other parts of the world. -Not very far from these one comes upon a square around which cluster -most of the European warehouses and the banks, huge blocks of masonry, -dark and dismal as the tomb, impregnated with the odors of tea, coffee, -spices, and every other known Indian commodity or manufacture. - -It was my first initiation to the commerce of the world to visit this -spot. Previous to this day I had hardly so much as purchased a ribbon -for myself, and could not conceive what trade really meant. But, driving -here about ten o'clock one morning, the whole scene dawned upon me with -peculiar force. The great square was thronged with a motley crowd of -dark- and white-faced foreigners, all eager, jostling, and contending -with each amid the confused hubbub of all languages and all manner of -dialects. Here were strange specimens of every nationality and every -phase of life, from the lordly English and Scotch merchants, the skilful -and assiduous Parsees, to the half-nude, wretched-looking fakeers and -beggars who haunt this spot in the hope of getting a few pice.[2] - -For six hours these masses of humanity struggle, work, barter, buy and -sell, load and unload, and carry on the strangely-exciting warfare, not -of flesh and blood, but of pounds, shillings, and pence, straining every -nerve each to outdo his neighbor, to enrich himself, at great sacrifice -of life, health, and at times even of honor, in the hope of returning to -his native land to enjoy the spoils--a hope which, alas! is realized -only in rare instances. - -But at four o'clock, as if by magic, the eager, bustling, jostling crowd -suddenly vanishes; the din and confusion cease. Long lines of carriages -and handsome equipages drive up to the great stone warehouses, and dash -away with their white-faced occupants. Where is now the commerce of the -world? Gone with the powerful, all-grasping white man. A silence -profound as the grave succeeds to the rush, noise, and turmoil of the -day. In less than half an hour not a human being is to be seen anywhere, -save the solitary begrimed watchmen seated here and there in dim nooks -and corners, and the armed white-faced sentinels standing grim and -silent at their posts. - -On this first visit we were the last to quit the scene. Nothing ever -made so deep and, I might truly say, so depressing an impression on my -mind as the fierce and unnatural activity which pervaded this spot. - -A day or two after we drove through the markets or bazaars of the -Parsees, or Fire-worshippers, and another and peculiar class of native -traders called the Borahs--the two most enterprising of the many -different peoples who occupy this island. These markets, nearly three -miles in extent, are perhaps the most picturesque in the world, composed -entirely of lofty, handsome Oriental houses, with projecting lattice -windows and wooden balconies elaborately carved and hung in many places -with rich tapestries. The upper stories of the houses are the dwellings -of the merchants and their families; the lower portions are given up to -stalls, shops, and alcoves where the most delicate fabrics and the most -exquisite work of all kinds are manufactured by native artisans--boxes, -fans, drinking-cups carved out of cocoanut-shells, with stools, tables, -chairs, and other articles of furniture for the homes of European -residents, as well as for exportation. Here are made kinkaubs, or cloths -of gold; mulmuls, or muslins, of such transparent texture as to be -called "running waters;" and many other articles are wrought out here by -half-nude, savage-looking men and women with tools of the rudest and -most primitive kind. Nearly all the Oriental work done here, though very -beautiful and delicate of its kind, is imitative, and it lacks that -freedom and diversity so peculiar to European manufacture. - -The street that Europeans most visit in this quarter, and the best worth -seeing for its unmixed and purely Oriental character, is called the -"Bhendee Bazaar." It abounds in the queerest and most picturesque -sights--solemn merchants, turbaned and with long flowing robes, seated -cross-legged in their dens smoking long hookas; native women, handsomely -dressed, in a variety of costumes, and half-nude beggars, who seem to -beg for fun or for a wager; cripples, vagabonds; coolies with great -heavy burdens on their backs, beneath which head and shoulders have -disappeared, and only two bare legs can be seen struggling along amid -the crowd; peddlers yelling like fiends; turbaned Mohammedans; Hindoo -and Parsee ladies closely veiled, either on foot or in draped carriages -drawn by milk-white bullocks instead of horses; indolent loungers -sleeping in the shade; dogs yelping and native soldiers crushing through -this great crowded aisle of the Bhendee Bazaar. It is not only full of -everything Oriental, but everything Occidental, even to the idols so -largely manufactured in Europe for the Indian markets--from the -costliest gems from the mines of Punnah and Golconda to the commonest -English prints; and since the introduction of free trade one can -absolutely purchase English goods cheaper in this market than in the -cities where they are manufactured. - -After visiting Bhendee we came one day upon a most interesting portion -of the bazaar, the Arabian horse-markets. Long lines of stables stretch -along for some distance, making a noble display of goodly Arabian -steeds. These splendid high-bred creatures are greatly esteemed by the -native traders, nawabs, and princes, as well as by the rich English -merchants, and often bring fabulous prices. It was very pleasant to go -through these stables and see the care and attention bestowed upon the -horses by the native grooms, who, while washing, feeding, and rubbing -them down, talk to them as if they were children. Our Hindoo _scyce_, or -groom, while grooming his horse always told him everything that had -happened to him during his absence on the previous evening, opening the -conversation with, "Kaisah hai paiyarah?--How art thou, beloved?" - -Not far off there is a less picturesque but much more densely-crowded -market called the "Chine Bazaar." It runs along the filthiest part of -the city, and leads to a stone pier devoted to the native population and -to the loading and unloading of native craft and vessels. The people who -inhabit this part of the city are chiefly Lascars, or native sailors, -and foreigners from different parts of the East. On any day and at any -hour one may see what seems the entire produce of the East piled on this -stone wharf; merchandise and mankind are in great masses here. Every -inch of ground is thronged with moving forms, presenting a wild -masquerade of extravagant dress and of the most perfect undress. -Everywhere there is more filth and dirt than is possible to conceive at -first sight; odors of ghee, or clarified butter, and fish in every stage -of decomposition, assail you amid all manner of deafening sounds. - -On one occasion, when visiting this part of Bombay, I saw the landing of -some pilgrims from Mecca--a dirty, ill-looking set of men, but the -moment they touched land the crowd was hushed; they walked in file -counting their beads through the parted crowds, who almost to a man -salââmed in abject reverence to the holy strangers. - -I also saw some beautiful girls landed here, and that they were slaves, -brought for private sale among the rich natives, I could not doubt. I -afterward learned that women were brought here every year, and disposed -of privately to fill the hareems of the rich Musulman merchants in spite -of British laws. Riding through these bazaars, it has impressed me that -whatever Great Britain might do for the improvement of the island of -Bambâ Dèvi in the way of governing it, it would take very many centuries -before she could destroy its purely Oriental character. - -At one time a very curious organization existed in Bombay for upward of -thirty years, consisting of a body of forty or more individuals who -bound themselves into a sort of secret society, the sole object of which -was systematic plunder. This society had in its employment about three -hundred men as subordinates, instructed to receive goods stolen from the -merchants' ships. The harbor was the chief scene of their secret -operations. Here those of the members who were on duty were ordered to -distribute themselves at the various wharves and piers, whence boats -went off to ships either when loading or unloading. These employés of -the secret society either detained the boats' crews in conversation, and -thus purloined goods, or hired themselves for a very low sum of money to -work with them for the night. In this way they managed to drop into the -water or into another and confederate boat some of the goods -surreptitiously obtained. The plunder was then conveyed openly to the -shore, and sold by auction next morning, without any attempt at -concealment, so far as the natives were concerned; and as few Europeans -frequented this part of the native town, they had no fear of detection. -It is said that the books of this robber society were scrupulously kept, -the division of the profits made with strict honesty, and, what is more -remarkable still, two shares of the profits were bestowed on charitable -institutions among the various tribes and castes of Bombay. It was not -until the year 1843 that this secret robber society was detected in some -wholesale plunder; the chiefs concerned in it were brought to justice -and the whole thing broken up. - -The late East India Company, in order to protect the trade of the -country against such societies, as well as against the hordes of pirates -who have ever since the days of Alexander the Great infested the western -coast of India, found it necessary to maintain an armed marine force. - -Not far from the extreme point of the Oriental bazaars, so full of -mystery, romance, and dirt, is a spot I have often visited, called -Colabah--more properly Kaláaba, or Black Water--where the sea is of the -deepest blue, and where an entirely different picture is presented to -the eye. Bungalows, as the better class of Indian houses are called, -with broad, open, and shady verandahs, each with its beautifully kept -garden, stretch along this promontory, making a charming scene. These -are the residences of some of the wealthiest inhabitants of the island. -Bright, airy-looking dwellings, nestling amid the most graceful -evergreen foliage, and standing as they do between two bays, they occupy -the most beautiful spot in Bombay. - -At the extreme end of this promontory are the European barracks, built -with reference to the exigencies of the climate and replete with comfort -for the British soldiers and their officers. It is really both pleasing -and interesting to see that these are well cared for in this foreign -land; but the curiosity and charm born in the native parts of the -island, and especially in the bazaars, lessen by sure degrees as you see -your countrymen quietly and comfortably established in a spot with which -they seem so out of harmony in form and color. On the southern extremity -of Colabah is the lighthouse, a graceful circular building standing on a -desolate rock which stretches far into the sea and commands the entrance -to the fort. It rises from the sea-level one hundred and fifty feet, -flashing its light to the distance of twenty-one miles. I remember going -to the top of it one moonlight night. We remained there two or three -hours, and saw the moon rise higher and higher, silently scattering the -deep shadows one by one, revealing the half-hidden beauties of that -strange shore; and at length, when she climbed over head and looked down -in the full splendor of her light, the mountain-ridges, feathered with -wavy palms, the glimmering peaks and spires of the land, were all -magnificently pictured in richest and softest colors in the polished -mirror of the sea. - -The "Maidan," or Plain, is a fine esplanade in front of the fort. Here -passing European officers, and those Europeans who are obliged by -business or any other circumstance to live within the fort during the -cool months, erect bungalows; some of these are remarkably elegant -buildings, but wholly unfit to resist the violence of the monsoon. At -the moment that the early showers of rain announce the wet season these -temporary homes vanish and their place is very soon occupied by a vast -sheet of water. The Esplanade serves to separate the European from the -native part of the island, the latter being vulgarly called the "Black -Town." - -Toward the north of the island are scattered many picturesque and -thriving villages amid native groves of mangoes, palms, and fine timber -trees, cities of the dead, and some very interesting ruined portions -once occupied by the Portuguese conquerors. - -The village of Girgaum, to the south of the island, is, however, the -most picturesque and most densely populated of all these native -settlements. No other part of the island is so fascinating as night -approaches. A blaze of light flashing on the surface of huge reservoirs -of water, on citron- and orange-groves, flooding flagged courtyards -surrounded with blooming tropical fruits and flowers, the brilliant -colors and varieties of dress of the numerous attendants, male and -female, together with the groups formed by different parties arriving or -departing, with the sounds of all kinds of music and midnight -revelry,--altogether formed a _coup d'oeil_ which I can never forget, -and which can be only seen in a tropical climate. Parts of this village, -I am told, are entirely given up to the dissipated and pleasure-seeking -youths who may happen to be beguiled by these outward appearances. It -presents a very different aspect in the morning light; the cottages amid -its palm-groves look so quiet and secluded that it is still more -attractive. In some parts there are vast plantations of cocoanut trees, -with the neat little huts, here and there, of native planters stretching -toward a portion of the island called the Back Bay. - -Lying on the opposite side of the palm-groves of Mazagaum, a fishing -village, about an hour's drive over a beautiful strand brings us to an -interesting spot called Breach Candy. On our way, especially in the -afternoon, we meet carriages full of handsome Parsee ladies, generally -brilliantly attired in their peculiar costumes, surrounded by numbers of -happy-looking children, taking their evening airing. Grand mohguls and -nabobs, driving out in magnificent European equipages, drawn by two and -not infrequently by four spirited Arabian horses, pass rapidly by. At -length, leaving the grand and princely occupants of all these brilliant -equipages, we arrive at a spot desolate and yet peaceful beyond -description--the cemeteries of the dead of all peoples and all creeds. -No sound is heard. One solitary Hindoo, robed in pure white, with his -bare shaved head, is praying over a smouldering spot covered with hot -ashes, which shows signs of a body having been recently burned there. -These graves are separated, it is true, but hardly distinguishable from -one another. Desolate homes of the dead, we cannot tell which are -Christian and which pagan. All sleep quietly in the same dust. But kind -nature has decked them in tender living green, with here and there a -beautiful wild flower, while the ever-encroaching sea washes away every -year, bit by bit, the tombs of Hindoo, Moslem, Jain, Buddhist, and -Christian alike. - -There is one place that one should not miss seeing in Bombay, and that -is the Pinjrapoore, or the Jain hospital for animals. It is one of the -most peculiarly Oriental institutions in the East, and the largest to be -found in India--pagan in everything, even in that disposition which has -become almost a natural instinct to the Hindoos, the Buddhists, and the -Jains,[3] to feel respect not alone for what is stronger and more -beautiful than themselves, but for what is weaker and more helpless, and -even hideous. The Pinjrapoore is situated in one of the most -densely-populated portions of the native town. - -We were conducted by two very civil men, low-caste Jains, into what -appeared a large courtyard. A number of low sheds and several other -courts ran all round it. I must confess I was greatly disappointed in -the appearance of the building itself; it was mean and wretchedly -dirty. But as for the aspect of the inmates, it was at once both -ludicrous and pathetic. I felt inclined to laugh and cry by turns. Never -was such a medley of sick and aged animals seen anywhere else. A number -of sick oxen were undergoing treatment at the hands of several native -physicians who live near the hospital, and whose sole care is to attend -to its inmates. One poor old, lean cow was having her leg dressed, and -she seemed to be pretty conscious of the physician's kind intentions, -for she stood perfectly still and quiet during the operation, which must -have lasted an hour at least. The other aged and sick cattle, some -blind, others scarred, not a few with bandages over their eyes or with -halting steps, presented a singularly pathetic sight. We passed into -several small courtyards where cats and dogs and many aged greyhounds -find a pleasant home. Some of these were old and infirm to such a degree -that it was painful to look at them. One big dog was pointed out to me -by one of the men as the "bura kahnah wallah," one who delighted in big -dinners; they certainly did not aid in fattening him, for he was the -leanest creature I have ever seen. - -The monkey part of the hospital was the most entertaining. A big ape -supported itself on crutches; another sick inmate was lying stretched -full length on the floor, gazing most piteously into the keeper's face. -It seemed to be an object of deep interest to all the other monkeys, who -clustered around it. The native doctor shook his head solemnly, and if -it had been a human being he could not have said more tenderly, -"Bachara! bachara! whoo murta hai" ("Poor thing! poor thing! she is -dying"). Almost all of the infirm inmates looked on their dying comrade -with peculiar intelligence in their faces, as if they had a sort of -vague idea of what was happening. As I looked on, I could not doubt but -that each one had somehow divined the meaning of the doctor's -foreboding shake of the head. - -In these compartments were collected, as it almost seemed, every known -quadruped and biped on the face of the globe. Old elephants, dilapidated -buffaloes, deplumed ravens, vultures, and buzzards hobnobbed together -with gray-bearded goats and most foolish-looking old rams; rats, mice, -rabbits, hens, herons, lame ducks, forlorn old cocks, and sparrows, -jackals, old owls, and geese, live here in harmony side by side. I have -been shown through palaces which interested me less. - -We waited to see this curious medley of inmates dine. When the food -which suited each class was being conveyed by a band of attendant boys -to their various pens, troughs, etc., the noise and confusion were -deafening. The monkeys in particular, with the peacocks--birds the most -sacred to the Hindoos and Jains--raised such a howl and were so -importunate to be served first that we were glad to escape. Such is the -extreme limit to which Oriental charity is carried. At first sight it -seemed absurd beyond words. - -Nevertheless, there is something very noble and touching about this -"infirmary" for the brute creation. Every one who finds any animal -wounded, sick, aged, or dying is authorized to bring it here, and here -it is really well cared for until death comes to relieve it from all -suffering. Who can estimate the power of an institution that is -continually caring for the dumb mutes of the animal kingdom, who bear -not only man's burdens, but his harshness and neglect, with the patience -of almost sanctified beings? - -In my first week in Bombay I received an invitation to a grand -dinner-party to be given at the house of a rich East Indian lady, a Mrs. -C----, the widow of what is called in British India an uncovenanted -officer. So great is the prestige attached to the word "officer" in the -East that every man is an officer of some sort or other, from the -brigadier to the private soldier. A civilian, consequently, is an -uncovenanted officer, and as for the merchants, they are Mohguls, -nabobs, Badishas, or Kudawunds. Mrs. C----'s house was situated near -Parel, formerly "Nonpareil," a most lovely part of the island. Our -carriage drove through a long wide avenue of fine trees, and brought us -before a large one-storied stone building, pillared and with a spacious -flight of stone steps leading to it. On the steps were half a dozen -handsomely-dressed servants in long flowing white robes called -"angrakas," crimson-and-gold striped turbans, and bright blue-and-gold -cumberbunds, or scarfs, folded round their waists; the effect was -certainly striking. These salââmed to us, and with stately dignity -advanced and helped us to alight. We were then shown by another band of -ushers, magnificently dressed, into a sumptuously furnished apartment, -where we laid aside our light wrappings. A fresh troop of dusky-hued, -richly-draped, and turbaned individuals marshalled us into the grand -drawing-room, where we found the rich widow seated on a yellow satin -ottoman surrounded by a bevy of ladies and gentlemen. The ladies all -wore low-necked dresses of the most exquisitely delicate Indian fabrics, -Chinese crapes, gauzes, mulmuls, and silks; and some of them were young -and beautiful. - -At dinner numbers of dusky-hued attendants moved about us so softly that -they did not seem to touch the floor with their feet; gliding -noiselessly in and out, offering us costly viands and sparkling wines, -laying down plates and removing them so dexterously as not to make the -faintest sound, they seemed even to repress their breathing. Everything -was done with magical effect. The punkahs overhead moved softly to and -fro; the light fell from cocoanut-oil chandeliers in peculiarly -softened splendor on the rare flowers, the glass, and the silver below. -Everything went on with the ease and precision of clockwork, without the -faintest echo of a click or sound. Even those domestics who did not wait -at dinner-table stood with arms folded across their breasts under the -shadows of doors or pillars, waiting their turn to serve, and so still -and motionless were they that they might almost, save for the glitter in -their eyes, have passed for bronze statues. - -They impressed me very unpleasantly, and that in spite of all the -laughter and merriment, the exaltation of British power and British -supremacy in India. I had, somehow, a feeling of reserved force -pervading those mute, motionless figures around us, and I involuntarily -felt, for the first time, that it was a very solemn affair for the -Briton to be in India luxuriating on her soil and on her spoils. - -With those dark, restless eyes watching every turn, motion, and -expression of our faces, in vain were the delicious coffee and the -sumptuous dinner, the music of the fountains playing before each window. -I was anxious to escape. If I laughed or talked or moved, those dark -eyes seemed to observe me, even when they were seemingly fixed on -vacancy. If I had dared, I believe I should have risen and gone away. -But of course this would have been a shocking breach of etiquette, so I -sat still, hushing secret perturbations and longing for dinner to end. - -The conversation continued in a lively strain. I noticed that every one -seemed to have a pet theory about home government and how it could best -be administered; all of which I was then too young to comprehend, but I -did comprehend, and that very painfully, that no one seemed to mind -those dark, silent, stationary figures any more than if they had been -hewn out of stone. On coming out of that house I drew a long deep sigh -of relief and felt just as if I had escaped from some imminent danger. - -There are no less than three government residences in the island of -Bombay. One is within the walls of the fort, used for holding special -meetings of the council durbars, or assemblies, and for various other -public business. It has little or no architectural beauty, and looks -more like a stadthouse in a German free city. The one at Malabar Point -is a charming English cottage, situated on a rocky and well-wooded -promontory, commanding a beautiful view of the sea, and is often washed -by the sea-spray during stormy weather. The third is at Parel--a -magnificent building, said to have been founded on the remains of an old -Jesuit college which flourished here during the Portuguese supremacy in -India. It was bought by a Parsee, from whom it was purchased by the East -India government about a century ago and fitted up in its present style. -A noble flight of stone steps leads to the entrance-hall, whence a fine -staircase opens into two of the most spacious rooms I have ever seen in -Bombay, about eighty feet long, one above the other, and each very -handsomely furnished. It commands a fine view of the town and harbor. - -There is a curious rock at the extreme point of Malabar Hill which is -very difficult to approach at high tide. Here are the remains of an -ancient Hindoo temple, and a hole famous as a place of resort for Hindoo -devotees, who endure great hardships in order to get access to the hole -and pass through it, believing that in doing so they are regenerated, -born again, and purified from all their sins. - -[Illustration: BANYAN TREE.] - -Among the places worth attention in the neighborhood of Bombay are -Byculla and Mazagaum. The former has a fine English school-house for all -classes of children. It is placed under the supervision of a number of -English ladies of high rank, who take turns in visiting it. - -Mazagaum is a very old part of the island of Bombay, formerly a fishing -village, which its name indicates, but now a densely-populated town, -inhabited chiefly by the descendants of the early Portuguese settlers. -The Roman Catholic church here is a most venerable and picturesque -building, standing under the shadow of great forest trees. Their foliage -is certainly magnificent beyond description. The mango, the tamarind, -the graceful peepul, and the banyan attain great height and breadth, and -are covered with marvellous specimens of huge parasitic creepers and -plants forming miles of sheltered walks. The fruit-bearing trees come to -great perfection here. But with all its beauty the spot is considered so -unhealthy that it is often called the "white man's grave." - -I have seldom seen a pleasanter sight than that which is presented at -Mazagaum on every Sunday morning in the year, when the whole native -Christian population turns out to church almost simultaneously. The -streets are filled with handsome women and children. The women in their -long flowing mantles and costumes, half Hindoo and half European, are -very picturesque. But the men and boys present an appearance at once -both grotesque and ludicrous. Most of them are dressed as Europeans, and -not a few as English and Portuguese generals; gold lace, plumed hats, -helmets, and striped pantaloons are the prevailing fashion. They seem to -have no idea of the fitness of things. Their passion for European dress -is carried to such an extreme that I have seen a native[4] Portuguese -sailing down the lane without any shoes on his feet, but sporting the -military dress, with the cocked hat and feathers, of some English -general. This love of dress is exceedingly queer, but it is quite as -much a characteristic of the Portuguese men of education and culture in -India as of the more ignorant and illiterate. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] The name Mahratta is applied to all the Indo-European races who -dwell in that portion of India extending from the Arabian Sea on the -west to the Satpura Mountains in the north, to which in ancient times -was given the Sanskrit name of Maharashtra, or "the good country." The -Mahrattas are Hindoos, divided like them into four castes--the Brahmans, -priests and professors; the Kumbis, cultivators of the soil; the -Rajpoots, or warriors; and the Sudras, or menials. The Mahratta Brahmans -are remarkable for the high physical, intellectual, and moral qualities -of that caste. Their language, a fine sonorous and flexible tongue, is a -dialect of the Sanskrit, called Mahratti. - -[2] Pieces of money each of the value of one-fourth of a penny. - -[3] The Jains, a very curious sect found in India proper to-day, and -known only to the learned in Europe as the sole representatives in -Hindostan of the once-numerous adherents to the tenets of Buddhism in -that region, hold an intermediate place between Buddhists and Brahmans, -but approach more closely to the Buddhists. They hold that Mahavira the -hero, their greatest teacher, and the last of a number of deified -spiritual legislators called by them Tirthankaras, was the preceptor of -the great Gautama, the Buddha, whose followers embrace nearly -three-fourths of the human race even to-day. They have, like the -Brahmans, castes, and abstain most rigorously from flesh of all kinds. -But, on the other hand, like the Buddhists of Siam, Burmah, Japan, etc., -they disavow the sacredness of the Vèdas and the Hindoo gods, but in -their place worship twenty-four sanctified legislators or Tirthankaras. - -[4] The descendants of the early Portuguese settlers who have -intermarried with the Hindoos and other castes of India, and now form a -very large portion of the population of Bombay and Goa. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - - Malabar Hill, and Domestic Life of the English in Bombay. - - -My first stay in Bombay was a comparatively short one, and was spent -partly with friends at Colabah and partly in tents on the great green in -front of Fort George. - -My stepfather being connected with the engineer or public works -department at the military station of Poonah, my life for a year or two -was passed at that strange city. Upon the occasion of my marriage, -however, I returned to Bombay for a settled residence, from which time I -began my real experience of life in India. - -We established ourselves at Malabar Hill, in a house completely isolated -from the rest of the world, where my husband and I took up the study of -the Sanskrit and Hindostanee languages. Malabar Hill is a rocky -promontory on the south of the island of Bombay, and covered with -beautiful houses, many of which are almost palaces. At its highest -point, detached and alone, stands a lofty tower, the largest "dohkma," -or "tower of silence," of the Parsees. Here the followers of Zoroaster -deposit their dead. It is rendered not the less sombre by the birds of -prey that hover around it in great numbers. - -There are two other and smaller towers of silence on the island, all -erected in the most isolated positions. No one is ever allowed to -approach them save the Fire-priests and those who carry their dead. -These strange towers or tombs are mysterious, grand, and barbaric in -their very forms--at their base screened by huge branching trees from -all human observation, open only to the blue sky, the free air, and the -gloomy birds of prey hovering always near. - -On the other side of this much-dreaded spot, and not far from a forest -of palms which descends in graceful undulations to the very base of the -hill, stood a solitary house, called by every one "Morgan's Folly." For -full ten years it had found no occupant. Its owner and builder, having -returned to England with broken fortunes and failing health, had -entrusted the renting of it to a Parsee agent. By a happy accident this -lonely house was discovered by my husband, who had it at once repaired, -furnished, and fitted up for our use, and here we took up our abode -after a few weeks' residence at Parel. - -I wish I could do justice to this singular abode, on the portals of -which the monosyllable "_Whim_" might fully be inscribed. It was the -caprice of a rich English cotton-merchant, whose love for the feathered -tribe amounted to an absorbing passion. The house was therefore designed -and built at great cost to serve the double purpose of human and bird -habitation. Foolish, capricious, extravagant, and incorrigible as he was -called by every one, I for my part conceived an affection for this -strange Englishman who built this fanciful place in which were passed -the first few years of my married life. - -Two fine roads led to the "Aviary," as we named the house, one of which -was cut into the hillside and descended to the base of the hill, whence -at low tide you might step from rock to rock away out into the bay. The -other was connected with a beautiful road which winds along Malabar -Hill, affording a favorite carriage-drive for the residents of the -island. - -As for the house, it was the most curious bit of architecture one had -ever seen--so fanciful, it seemed more like something that belonged -rather to the mysterious land we visit in our dreams than to an actual -house made of solid stone and wood standing fast, bound to the hard, -dull, practical earth. - -The building consisted only of two stories, of great length, and a high -chamber, called the "Teak Tower," which rose above the east corner of -the house and commanded the most extensive and beautiful views to be -found anywhere on the island. The upper story was the part designed for -human habitation. The wood of which it was built was a fine-grained teak -and very durable. The balcony, running all around the upper story, was -elaborately carved. The lower part was chiefly of stone pillars, -enclosing a spacious ground-floor united by screens of fine open wire -wrought in Oriental patterns of the Persian rose and the Buddhistic -lily. The pillars rested firmly on broad stone foundations, and the open -wire walls let in all the wind, rain, and sunshine that the feathered -inhabitants for whom the enclosure was intended could possibly desire. - -But this was not all: on the ground-floor of the hall flourished some -beautiful fruit-bearing trees. Right under our bedroom chamber stood -that most exquisite of Indian trees, "the gold-mohur acacia," with its -rich clusters of golden flowers; the slender, graceful pâpiya, with its -heavy drooping leaves and round fruit of a rich yellow when ripe, so -much sought after by birds. One gigantic baobâb, which had stood here, -no doubt, for centuries, for whose growth and preservation the builder -had made ample provision by leaving a well or circular opening through -the lower and upper stories and in the roof, gave the house the singular -appearance of growing around a great tree. Forcing themselves through -this opening to the sky, the branches of the baobâb shot straight up on -one side and overshadowed the tower chamber, covering it, after each -rainy season, with masses of fragrant blossoms and fine fruit. It was -very evident that in the course of time there would be, possibly, a -prolonged but mighty struggle between the house and the tree, which -should go first, and it was not hard to tell, for already the tree had -found its way to the open sky, and its branches were seen pushing here -and there and penetrating the woodwork of the chambers adjoining. There -were one or two more trees that deserve mention. These were a beautiful -Chinese pine and a heart-shaped peepul. The ground-floor of this hall -was covered with weeds and a perfect jungle of brushwood. The gardener -told me that it abounded in all kinds of reptiles, but I never saw any -signs of them until some large snakes were called out one morning by a -party of samp-wallahs, or snake-charmers. The fruit trees had long -ceased to bear, and were gradually crowding out and killing each other. - -All the more rare and beautiful birds with which Mr. Morgan had stocked -this place had died or taken flight to homes less confined; only a few -still remained. Among them were the sooruk, or scarlet breast, an -exquisite singer; the mâina, the Java sparrow, the bulbul or Indian -nightingale, and the zeenah, a little quarrelsome brown and red-spotted -bird,--all hardy birds. They lingered here, partly from association and -partly because of the grain still thrown in and around the "Aviary" -morning and evening by the pious Hindoo employed by the Parsee agent to -look after the garden. - -The tower chamber was our favorite sitting-room because of its splendid -views and being removed from the noise and vicinity of our servants. It -was simply furnished--a table, a few chairs, mostly of cane, a couple of -sofas and a Persian carpet, with gauze nettings to every door and -window to keep out our worst foes, the gnats, flies, and mosquitoes. The -rest of the house was furnished with the same severe simplicity; there -were no curtains, no blinds, no carpets; the floors as well as the walls -were painted in subdued half-tints, which gave them the air of being -very handsomely fitted up. - -In this place I began my first attempt at housekeeping in the East, and -I can truly say, without the least exaggeration, that for months the -house kept itself and my numerous servants kept me. To begin with, there -were too many servants for so quiet and unpretending a household, but I -soon found it would be still more difficult to do with fewer: -"_dustoor_," custom, was flung into my face morning, noon, and night. I -implored my husband to send half of them away, but if he sent one off, -either the whole gang disappeared like a flash or else the work of the -banished servant was scrupulously avoided by every one in the -establishment. There was, in short, a servant for every distinct thing -to be done in the house. There was a _khansamah_, or native butler, a -high-caste Hindoo, who was supposed to keep all the servants in order, -but who invariably incited a revolution in the camp if I wished anything -to be done my way and not his. Then there was a cook, a _kling_ (a name -for a certain race natives of Madras), who got drunk whenever we -happened to have friends to dinner; there was a cook's mate, who was -inclined to be musical just as we were going to sleep; there was a -_buttee-wallah_, or lamplighter, a stripling, some near relation of the -butler's, whose friends and relatives were always dying, and who asked -permission three times in the course of a few months to be allowed to go -and bury his mother. When I very gently, because of his flowing tears -and doleful expression of face, reminded him that he had already buried -or burned her twice, he burst into a passionate sob and said, "Oh! that -one was my aunt's mother, and the last one my father's mother, but this -is my own, own mother." Of course I had to let him go off for two or -three days, and the butler too, who was also a mourner. Then there were -besides these an _ayah_, or lady's-maid; a _dhoby_, or washerman, who -came to the house once a week for the clothes, and stayed away sometimes -for three weeks, owing to that chronic epidemic, death, in the family; a -_bheestie_, who filled the tubs in the bathroom with water, and did -nothing else; a _jarroo-wallah_, who only came each morning and swept -the house and grounds, and then disappeared till the next time; a -coachman, a groom, a _pundit_, or professor of Oriental languages; and -lastly, a tailor, whose name was Tom. He, Tom, was a Portuguese -Christian, and attended to the mending of the household linen and the -making of our clothes. He was the least manageable of the whole lot. He -would not answer to the name "boy," a generic name for servants in India -and a corruption of the Hindostanee word _bhai_, brother, but insisted -on being called "Tom." This put me very often into an awkward position, -as this was the familiar name by which I had learned to call my husband, -not knowing that there was another "Tom" attached to him from his -bachelor establishment. Once or twice, forgetting this fact, I happened -to call "Tom! Tom!" after my husband, who was hurrying off to town, when -who should pop into my chamber but the grinning tailor-boy, balancing a -pair of huge scissors on his right ear and with a number of needles full -of long threads stuck into his woolly head, which served him as a -needle-case? There was nothing left me but to change my husband's name. - -But this was by no means the beginning and end of my troubles of -housekeeping in Bombay. I happened to awake very early one Sunday -morning. It was a lovely sunrise: the first blush of dawn was mounting -the horizon; the trees in the garden were unfolding their leaves; birds -of all colors were perched upon their branches opening their "ruby eyes" -on a newly-born day. But as I stood there, entranced with the beauty of -a tropical sunrise, my eyes fell on the figure of Tom the tailor going -off to early mass attired in my husband's best dress-coat and an -embroidered vest which had been a chief object of my girlish admiration. -In addition to these he sported pointed shoes, worked stockings--one of -the finest pair in my possession--and a frill six inches deep projecting -from his shirt-front, with a huge cocked hat, over which he held one of -my smallest parasols to protect him from the mildest of morning suns, -which had only just mounted the hillside. When I remonstrated with him -on his return from chapel, he burst into a passion of tears and sobs and -flooded me with such replies as these: "Your godship, you are my father -and mother; an unkind, unjust word from your divine voice will break -your poor slave's heart and consign him in the prime of his youth to a -lonely and desolate grave," etc. I absolutely began to feel that he was -the injured party, and that I was anything but a kind, generous mistress -and a Christian. It ended in my presenting him with the clothes he had -worn, but nevertheless he went about the house for days in a state of -sorrowful dejection at my unkindness, which he persisted in saying had -caused his heart to bleed to death. - -Not long after this in a rash moment we resolved to give a dinner-party -to some of our friends in Bombay, and to invite the rich East Indian -widow, Mrs. C----, who had shown us many kindnesses. Never in my life -did I pass through a more perplexing and fiery ordeal. - -The viands were all ordered and sent from town, and had arrived in good -season. But no sooner had they been deposited in the kitchen than the -butler reported, in his quiet and unconcerned manner, that the cook had -gone off to town to get help, and would probably not return in time to -prepare the dinner. The butler and the lamplighter were Hindoos, and -could not touch beef or ham, or, in fact, any kind of flesh. The butler -had no objection to putting these articles on the table when cooked, but -as for cooking them, he would lose caste. There was nothing left to be -done but for Tom the tailor-boy and I--who, being Christians, had no -such scruples--to set about and cook the dinner. - -About four o'clock everything was in a fair way toward being cooked, the -capons, ham, soup, and vegetables were all in their places on the fire, -when suddenly the cook returned, looking very strange; I thought he was -only tired and sleepy. He insisted on taking possession of the kitchen, -declaring that it almost broke his heart to see me spoiling my nice -dress and ruining my complexion over the fire. "What am I good for," -said he, striking an attitude and looking queerer than ever, "but to -cook you a grand dinner and be your slave for ever?" Thus assured, I -quitted the kitchen with all the dinner cooking away at great speed, and -betook myself to making various other preparations. It was almost the -dinner-hour before I was fairly through with the glasses and dessert and -a thousand and one of the many requirements of a European dinner-party. -No sooner had I put the last touches to my toilette than my husband -returned with two unexpected guests, which called my attention at once, -so that I had no opportunity to revisit the kitchen to see that all was -as it should be. - -The last of the guests had no sooner arrived than the butler threw open -the dining-room door and announced in a solemn tone, "Kannah teyar hai -Sahibloke" ("Dinner waits, ladies and gentlemen"). - -We marched gayly in, eager, happy, and very hungry. But, alas! no sooner -was the soup-tureen uncovered than I divined from my husband's -expression that something was wrong. The soup was sent away with some -playful apology, but when dish after dish was set on the table, -uncovered, and removed without my husband's even making a pretence of -offering the guests anything to eat, it was too much for me. - -At this juncture kind-hearted Mrs. C---- came to my rescue by saying, -"Let us all go off to the kitchen and find out what is the matter with -the cook," and coming to my side, gave me an opportunity to recover -myself, which I did under her gentle smile and oft-repeated adage, "My -dear, accidents will happen in the best regulated families." - -The gentlemen returned from their survey of the kitchen and reported -that the cook was "drunk and sound asleep in the middle of the floor," -and that the remainder of the dinner was burnt to cinders, but still in -the pots on the range. If it had not been for the kind-hearted Mrs. -C----, I do not know what we should have done. She insisted on our all -driving out to her house and taking tea with her. - -I must not omit to mention another incident which is characteristic of -life in India. My husband was in the commissariat department of the -army, and had a great deal to do with native dealers. The Parsees, -however, because of their honesty, had the monopoly of the contracts for -supplying the British troops in Bombay. One morning a number of -_Borahs_[5] were ushered into the "Aviary," and laid before me on the -table what seemed to be a tray filled with sugar candy, raisins, and -almonds. Not understanding the meaning of this gift, and not having -quite outgrown my love for sweets, I took up a handful of the good -things, when, to my surprise, I found lying below the candy a number of -gold coins called "mohurs." I hastened to inform my husband of the -magnificent present waiting for him, but he no sooner heard of it then -he turned the Borahs out, tray and all. It was simply an attempt to -obtain contracts by bribery. The Borahs seemed in no way discomfited; -they bowed most politely on my husband's prompt dismissal, and departed -as if it were with them no unusual occurrence to be turned out of doors. - -Such are some few of the most prominent features of housekeeping and -life in India. - -The native servants have some good points, however. They will rarely -quit your service, even to better their fortunes, unless driven away. -They contrive, too, to have their own way without ever being -disrespectful to you. They bow or salââm at all times, move so softly -about the house with bare feet that you hardly ever know that they are -there, and, on the whole, they attend pretty well to their own peculiar -province in the household; but as for helping in what is _not their -province_, it is not to be expected. - -They are never away a day except for sudden deaths, which take place in -the various branches of their friends or relatives once a week, on an -average. They are always clean, arrayed in their long flowing white -robes and handsome turbans, and they never address you without some -flattering or grandiloquent phrase, which helps not a little to smooth -over your wounded pride. - -Our pundit,[6] Govind, was not a servant, but a high-bred gentleman. He -came to the "Aviary" morning and evening to give us lessons in -Hindostanee and Sanskrit. He was a learned high-caste Brahman and a -remarkably interesting specimen of a Hindoo gentleman. - -Almost directly to the right of the "Aviary" was the government -summer-house already mentioned; just opposite, situated on the summit of -a steep acclivity overlooking the sea, was a grand stone house, the home -of our Parsee friend and commissariat contractor. On the west, embowered -in a thick grove of mango and tamarind trees, was the prettiest of -little Hindoo villages, the village of Walkeshwar, sacred to the god of -the strand or beach. - -We spent a day here on a certain festal occasion accompanied by Govind, -our pundit. We lunched under the porch of the Hindoo temple by -permission obtained through our pundit. Perfectly nude dusky children -were clambering about the stones watching us with eager curiosity. Our -visit here was to witness the feast of Rama, the hero of one of the -Hindoo epic poems, Ramayána, and his wife, Seeta, which did not begin -until the afternoon. Hindoo women, black-eyed and singularly graceful in -their movements, adorned with gayly-colored robes and most -antique-looking bracelets and armlets, went to and from the pool, still -called "Rama Talai," or Rama's Pool, bearing water in jars piled in -tiers on their heads, others bathing and frolicking in the pool. There -were at the same time some dozen Brahman priests at prayer, seemingly -abstracted from the scenes around them, going through with all kinds of -motions with their bodies while their lips moved incessantly, but -inaudibly, in prayer and praise. Our pundit told us that this was the -traditional spot where the hero Rama rested when on his way to Lanka -(Ceylon) to recover from the tyrant Rawana his beautiful wife, Seeta. - -The Rama Talai stands in a group of small temples--some of which are -very pretty--surrounded by gardens. About two in the afternoon the -officiating priests began to arrive, followed by thousands of Hindoos. -The doors of the temple were thrown open to all comers. The priests -placed themselves at the foot of the shrines, on each of which were -several idols--Siva, the chief god, above, and Rama and Seeta below. The -people poured forth their offerings to the priests. Those who could not -get into the temples pressed around the sacred pool, throwing themselves -into its holy waters and coming out free from all impurities. A great -many young women with peculiarly interesting faces were kneeling outside -of the temples and praying, with their eyes closed and their hands -folded, for some especial blessing. It was an interesting sight, but for -the fakeers and gossains, who make a disgusting spectacle of themselves, -and, strange to say, are encouraged by the pure, mild, and modest -Brahman priests to do so. As it was, we returned home shocked with the -nudity and filth of these sacred beggars, but very much impressed with -the perfectly pure and religious nature of the Hindoos, who have very -beautiful forms and faces, and even those that are not absolutely -beautiful have so much grace and gentleness about them that they attract -the eye and remain impressed on the memory with something of the charm -of a beautiful painting. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[5] The Borahs are natives of Guzerat, converted to Islamism about five -and a half centuries ago. They are remarkable for their extraordinary -intelligence in trade. The name "Borah" signifies merchant in the -Guzerati dialect. These Borahs are a distinct sect, followers of one -Moolah Allih, who is buried in the old city of Cambay. They pay -reverence to Mohammed Hussain, called in the records of the Crusaders -"The Prince of the Assassins" and also "the Old Man of the Mountains." -They transmit a fifth of their gains to the Saiyads of Medinah, and pay -eleemosynary contributions to the chief of their learned men, who -distribute alms among the poor. (See _Asiatic Researches_, paper by H. -T. Colebrook.) - -[6] A professor of Sanskrit or other branches of Indian literature. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - - The Island of Shashtee, commonly called Salsette.--Gharipoore, "the - Town of Purification," or the Island and Caves of Elephanta. - - -Early one morning, after almost a week's preparation for the trip, we -found ourselves in a large roomy bunder-boat flying before the wind -straight for the beautiful island of Salsette, which lies to the north -and is united to the smaller island of Bombay by a causeway erected -during the administration of Governor Duncan, chiefly to enable the -natives of the larger islands to bring their produce to the Bombay -markets. - -Presently we entered upon a wonderful river, flowing through the land -out of the sea and dividing this island from the continent, at the very -mouth of which are the bleak, barren island and mountains of Trombay, -the latter rising up nine hundred feet high. We passed along reefs of -gold, now over wide swamps, our boat riding above and crushing down the -tall waving grass, and anon we would suddenly shoot almost within touch -of dark hollow caverns, and looking up see the high beetling cliffs -piled one above the other, surmounted by the ruins of some of old -Portuguese or Mahratta forts or castles, covered with wild flowers and -huge creeping plants. The scenes along the banks of this river are wild -and romantic enough to satisfy the most enthusiastic lover of nature. We -cast anchor at length at Tannah, having reached "a land all sun and -blossom, trees as high as heaven, amid every bird that sings." - -Tannah, the chief town of the island of Salsette, was taken by the -troops of the East India Company in the year 1774, and by a treaty then -entered into the Mahratta king, Raghu Nauth, ceded in perpetuity to the -company Bassein with its dependencies, the island of Salsette, the -entire districts of Jainbhosir and other valuable provinces adjoining it -in Guzerat. It is chiefly inhabited by Roman Catholic Christians, the -majority of whom are converts from Hindooism. The interior of the island -is inhabited by a peculiar tribe of peasants who are to this day in a -condition as wild as the Bheels and Konds of Guzerat and Central India. -These peasants are burners of charcoal; they dwell together among the -hills, but apart from all other tribes, and have neither intercourse nor -any social bond with the Hindoos of the plain. At stated times they -bring down their loads of charcoal in rude carts drawn by buffaloes to -particular spots, whence it is carried away by the Hindoo or Portuguese -buyer, who, according to a settled custom among them, deposits in its -place rice, clothing, and iron tools. This excessive shyness is said to -be owing to the contempt in which the natives, as outcasts, are held by -their Hindoo neighbors. - -We were met on our landing by a very polite and obliging native -Portuguese, the elder brother of my husband's tailor Tom, in whose -company we walked about the town and at whose house we stayed during our -visit. - -Tannah, the chief town of the island of Salsette, takes its name from -the beautiful river which flows at its base, and which was anciently -called _Tainnah-Dèo_, "the Limb of God." It runs deep and narrow in -front of the town. It is a place of great antiquity, probably dating -back to the days of Vicrâmaditya, of whose universal and beneficent -rule, 57 B. C., tradition is yet eloquent throughout India. The ruins -here are few and not very interesting. There are some massive walls of a -great square building that was once a Mahratta citadel, and some -ponderous old arches that have fallen and are now covered with beautiful -wild creepers; also a Hindoo temple, a vast, shapeless mass of -architecture, but almost animate with the innumerable gods and goddesses -that grin and smirk at one from every cornice and entablature of the -building. There is here a small but perfect little fortress, from which, -during the last Mahratta war, the famous Trimbukjee escaped, occupied by -a small European garrison. The government prison is also well worth -visiting. We were surprised to see the manner in which the prisoners of -all ranks, creeds, and nationalities worked together within these walls. -Most of the prisoners, however, were of the Takhor race. They were -busily employed in the manufacture of very valuable striped cotton -stuffs much prized by the natives for scarfs, cumberbunds, and -waist-cloths. - -[Illustration: CAVES OF ELEPHANTA.] - -The cavern temples that are found in this island are the chief objects -of interest. - -On the morning following our arrival, furnished with two guides and -accompanied by our pundit, we started off to visit some of these -remarkable excavations in the mountains that stretch across the middle -of this island. At first, the road, though very narrow and rugged, lies -through a most beautiful valley formed by hills of moderate height, -covered with forests to their summits, with here and there patches of -bare rock, while the ravines and the valley itself were planted with -groves of mangoes and several varieties of the palm. For some time we -saw but few traces of inhabitants; we passed during a ride of more than -eight miles but one small village, a collection of most -miserable-looking huts, a few half-starved looking children, and a troop -of pariah dogs, who rushed out to bark at us. - -At another small village, named Viarè, we came upon what seemed a -jungle, open in some parts and in others densely thick, abounding in -hyenas, tigers, panthers, and the wild-boar; passing through this with -anything but pleasurable feelings, we reached Toolsey, named after a -famous Hindoo goddess who, like the Greek Clytie, loved some Hindoo god, -and was by him, out of pity for her unrequited passion, transformed into -the beautiful toolsey-plant, whence her name. This is a lovely spot, -encircled with hills, the highest of which is Khennari, its face -perforated with no less than one hundred cavern temples. Under a fine -banyan tree which stands in an open plain we passed the night. In -northern latitudes one can form no idea of the peculiar beauty of the -night with a bright moon shining overhead. - -Almost at dawn next morning we set off for the temples. The ascent to -the Khennari Hills is somewhat steep and difficult, but after a hard -climb we gained a platform, and was confronted by a stone porch leading -into an arched cavern temple of great majesty and beauty. These cavern -temples are scattered over both sides of a high rocky hill at many -different elevations, consisting of no less than six stories or tiers of -caverns, of various sizes and forms, all excavated out of the rocky -surface of the mountain and connected with each other by narrow stone -steps cut in the rock. The façades and great court are most imposing. - -Entering through a fine lofty portico, we saw a little to the left hand -a curious octagonal pillar, detached from the rock and surmounted by -three well-carved lions seated back to back. Passing this, we were -suddenly introduced into an elaborately carved vestibule, at the end of -which is a colossal statue of Buddha, with his hands raised in the -attitude of benediction. The stone screen which here separates the -vestibule from the body of the temple is covered with a row of male and -female figures half nude; the expression of the faces of these figures -is remarkably calm and thoughtful, and the whole is executed with -considerable spirit. Above them the rocks are carved into a profusion of -graceful sculptures. - -The great temple or cave is divided into three aisles by regular -colonnades of octagonal pillars; of these, the twelve on each side -nearest the entrance are ornamented with exquisitely carved bases and -capitals in the style usual in Indian temples. The arch of the vault is -occupied by a dagoba or mausoleum, perhaps of some early disciple of -Buddha. It is cylindrical in the shaft and surmounted by a cupola. On -the right and left of the portico are two colossal figures of Buddha, -perhaps twenty feet in height.[7] The ceiling of this cave is arched -semicircularly and ornamented with slender ribs of fine teak-wood, -disposed as if for the support of the ponderous dome overhead, but in -reality for the floral decorations which on solemn occasions were hung -from them. A flight of steps cut into the same mountain leads by various -intricate paths to smaller caves or cells, consisting only of a portico -and two small chambers, with everywhere seats for the disciples or the -recluse cut into the rock. To each cave there is a cistern for the -preservation of rain-water, some larger and more elegantly carved and -finished than others. The whole appearance of this excavated hill of -Khennari is that of a Buddhist monastic city, the cells and temples, the -apartments and cisterns, hewn in the rocky sides of the mountain. - -On Sunday we attended the Roman Catholic church, which is a stone's -throw from the home of our Portuguese friends. Early on Sunday morning -the streets were filled with men, women, and children, entirely of the -Portuguese population. The men were, with a few exceptions, quietly -dressed in the ordinary European attire, which the majority don only on -stated occasions, with the black silk hat of modern fashion, carrying -prayer-books, fans, and footstools of the ladies of their party. It was -a pleasant sight. The Portuguese here are entirely independent of the -Romish Church, and from simple contact have adopted the mode of life and -a great many superstitions of the Hindoos. One finds everywhere in India -not only Hindooized Mohammedans, but Hindooized Christians. Their -priests are natives of the country, under the jurisdiction of the -archbishop of Goa, who is a sort of Indian pope. Their worship is so -much more pagan than Christian that when in a Roman Catholic church in -any part of India one finds it difficult to believe that it is not the -worship of Khrishna or Brahm. - -The native Portuguese are darker than the darkest of the better class of -Indians, showing a mixed and degenerate race. - -I accompanied our host and his family to church. The children were -charming with their little pink trowsers, lace over-slips, pink shoes, -and were adorned with jewels; the only difference between the dresses of -the little boy and the girls was that the boy sported a hat like that -seen in the pictures of Bonaparte, which gave him a most whimsical air, -and the little girls had white handkerchiefs tied neatly under their -chins. I took little Marium's hand, and off we went; looking toward the -deep flowing river, I saw a string of Brahman priests marching solemnly -along the steep banks preparatory to beginning their morning services, -for our Sabbath is also their day of sacrifice and prayer to Suriya, the -sun-god. I was very much tempted to abandon my Christian friends and -follow the Brahman priests, but I restrained myself, and was soon within -the _temple_ of Jesus Christ. I say designedly the _temple_ of Jesus -Christ. It was crowded with images--perhaps one ought to say idols--of -God the Father, Christ the Son, the Virgin Mother, and the Holy Ghost, -besides quantities of relics, sacred vessels, tapers, candles, -incense-burners swinging from the roof, flowers both natural and -artificial, and all kinds of beads and shells on the altar. High above -the altar was a great porcelain figure of the Virgin jewelled and -crowned as queen of heaven, with her arms stretched out in benediction. - -We pressed in. The service had not begun. All the men, women, and -children prostrated themselves--some at full length; others, being -crowded for room, squatted down and touched the brick pavement with -their outspread open palms and then their foreheads; after which the -rich, among whom were classed my friends, took their seats, and the -crowd remained kneeling on the bare floor. Presently the priests, of -whom there were no less than a dozen, appeared, gaudily dressed in -tinsel and lace, and took their places before the altar, keeping their -heads covered. Now the service began, which consisted of some chants in -a kind of Latin known only to the priests, and not fully understood even -by them, with dressings and undressings, perpetual genuflexions, turning -from the altar to the people, swinging of censers, marching and -countermarching with the baby figure of Christ and a pretty wax doll -which represented the mother; these the men, women, and children kissed -with apparently genuine pleasure. This done, boys dressed as angels in -long white robes and with wings attached to their shoulders, entered, -each bearing a lighted candle and a lily, as do the Buddhists at prayer, -chanting some beautiful hymn, of which no one understood a word, and -even the music was wild and Oriental. Then finally came the ringing of -multitudinous little bells (another Buddhist custom when about to -exhibit a tooth or any other relic of Buddha), and up rose the Host, as -large as an ordinary fan, composed of glutinous rice. In the centre was -a white spot, and around it rays of gold proceeding outward. All fell -upon their faces; little Marium and I alone were the lookers-on, but -suddenly my gentle hostess gave her little daughter a vigorous push, -which sent her head foremost to the floor, whispering, "The body of -God!" I bowed my head out of respect for the poor human hearts that -worshipped here, and not without a deep sense of humiliation at -witnessing the complicated and ingenious ceremonies by which these -ecclesiastics, an outgrowth of the Church of Rome, cultivate and foster -the credulity and ignorance of the people, whom they teach to rely more -on certain forms and the supernatural agencies of the Virgin and relics -of deceased saints than upon religious and moral truths. After the "body -of God" a bone of some martyred Indian saint who had been converted to -Christianity was held up for adoration; again the people bowed down; -and then came the end, the benediction, amid more ringing of bells and -swinging of censers. - -Who can witness these imbecilities and not hold the native Portuguese -clergy accountable for withholding the true knowledge, the simple -teachings of Jesus, the true Bread of life, and for substituting -superstitions and pageantries not one whit superior to, but in some -respects even more degrading than, the most debasing paganism which they -have supplanted? Forms are the same, the names alone have been changed; -otherwise, the Roman Catholicism I have everywhere witnessed in India is -essentially the same as the lowest forms of paganism. - -Before dawn next morning we took leave of our kind friends, and in our -comfortable bunder-boat started for the island of Elephanta, or -Gharipoore. After a couple of hours or more of pleasant sailing we -reached the island. I found it larger and more beautiful than I had -expected. A good part of it is under cultivation, especially all around -a village of tolerable size, above which a couple of clearly-defined -hills rise from the sea to a considerable height. The view as you ascend -to the right is simply magnificent: the twin mountains seem to be knit -together by a grand old forest, the one rising slightly higher than the -other. The name "Elephanta" was given to it, some say, by the Greeks, -others by the Portuguese conquerors; however that may be, the name of -the caves was anciently "Gharipoore," or, "the Town of the Rock," or, -according to some, "the Town of Purification." - -We ascended a long flight of stone steps, in the wake of a party of -fakeers, Hindoo priests, and half-nude men beating tomtoms, which at -length brought us to a very handsome and spacious platform shaded with -some fine old trees. - -Here the party of Hindoo priests, drummers, and fakeers sat down to -rest, while we went on a short distance and reached the entrance to the -famous caves of Elephanta. The principal cave is of great extent, -excavated out of the solid rock; the colossal columns of the portico -seem to hold up the mountain above them. On either side of the entrance -great creepers come down in heavy masses over the mountain. Rows and -rows of columns handsomely ornamented appear within, growing beautifully -less in the distance and vanishing amid gloomy shadows and a thousand -fantastic shapes. The gateway or porch is still in excellent -preservation; it leads directly through the heart of the mountain. The -different shrines, which contain objects of Hindoo worship, are placed -on each side. In the centre there is seen by the light of torches a -majestic altar of stone, now in a state of decay, supporting a gigantic -bust of three noble heads, two of which are in profile. The Hindoo -Trinity, Maha Dèo, the Great God, commonly called Brahm, the Hindoo -Creator, occupies the centre in full relief. The eyes are half closed, -the expression serene and tranquil. It seems to be carved from a living -model, and is a perfect Oriental ideal of masculine beauty, with the -delicate and refined outline of the features and the deep contemplation -expressed in those large downcast eyes. The forehead is crowned with a -lofty diadem exquisitely carved, not unlike the mitres worn by the -bishops of the Roman Church; the right arm, which is very much broken, -once grasped the head of a cobra da capello, which, our pundit explained -to us, here typifies in its sublimest sense the masculine or creative -energy of the world. - -Siva, to whom this cavern temple is said to be dedicated, and who is -seen in another compartment with his consort Parvati, with a chaplet of -skulls round his neck, eight-handed, and bearing the cobra, and whose -name in Sanskrit signifies either happiness or pleasure, is seen in -profile on the right. In a hand outstretched from the altar he also -grasps a cobra, but with its hood extended wide. In his hand the -character of the symbol is transformed with the god into that of the -avenger or destroyer. The god's mouth is distorted with grimaces, and he -puts out the tip of his tongue, by which, according to our pundit and -guide, he mocks at the sensualist, and says as plainly as our Bible, -"The wages of sin is death." - -On the left side of Maha Dèo is Vishnu, in the grand character of -preserver; the head is very noble and the face of no common beauty; it -wears a tender and smiling expression. He no longer holds the symbol at -once of masculine creative energy and of sensuality, but a peculiar -oblong lotos-shaped cup or flower, the higher and purer symbol of -maternity. Our pundit gave this wonderful bit of sculpture, which -reaches from the low altar to the ceiling of the temple, the name of -"Maha Trimourtri, the Great Three-in-One." By some it is called Bhava -Natria, "Love threefold." Whatever else it may be called, it certainly -makes a wonderful impression seen high above from the principal aisle, -guarded on all sides by gigantic and well-proportioned caryatides. The -shape of the largest cave is cruciform and resembles the plan of an -ancient basilica. - -The massiveness and strength of the pillars, which find their deep -foundations in the earth below, supporting the elephant-shaped mountain -above, is rendered more and more striking by the thousand and one scenes -of Hindoo, and particularly Saivic,[8] mythology, in part solemn and -majestic, and in part grotesque and absurd, that fill every part of the -walls; gods and goddesses, heroes and monsters, almost stand out of the -rocks. Here are carved strong and clear the story of the babe Krishna -and the slaughter of the infants by his uncle Cansa. Everywhere are -curious and venerable specimens of sculpture, which, though shamefully -mutilated in parts, still show so high an advance in art, and possess so -indescribable an aspect of animated life, that one half expects the -stone figures to move or to speak. A great number of the pillars have -been undermined by the accumulation of water in the cavern temple; the -capitals of some and parts of the shafts of others remain suspended from -the ceiling like huge stalactites. Enormous creepers and trees have -forced themselves through certain cracks and crevices in the mountain, -and the whole scene is very wild and pagan; which enhances the beauty -and mysterious appearance of the caves. - -On going through a passage guarded by stone lions the pundit took a -little tin box out of his pocket, opened it, and scattered some -odoriferous snuff on the head of the lions, and then took a little pinch -himself. His explanation was, that he had taken cold, and snuff was his -remedy for it. "But," said I, "the stone lions haven't taken cold -too?"--"Oh, that," said he, "was a propitiatory offering, lest I should -sneeze in their sacred presence." - -As we went out of the great stone porch the declining sun sent a long -line of light through the aisle, the wind blew softly, and the island -stretched away green and beautiful, surrounded with the sea all -a-glitter with the rosy hues of the setting sun. In many places we -noticed traces of color, but everywhere are to be seen the ruthless -mutilations this cave has suffered both from the conquering Mohammedan -and Portuguese soldiers; most of the colossal statues are defaced and -broken, the arms and limbs of innumerable figures are prostrate. Long -lines of pictured story and inscriptions are effaced, but there are -still standing rows and rows of gods and goddesses, their heads crowned -with garlands. These figures, although much defaced, still show that the -artist carved some of the female forms with only one breast, like the -famed Amazons of Greek story. The temple or city of purification was -desecrated centuries ago, and it is now deserted, save for an annual -fair and occasional visits from Brahmans and fakeers; it can boast of -none of the splendors of its palmy days. - -About fifteen miles from "Gorabunder," on the mainland, lies -Bassein--or, as it was anciently called, Vassai--once a proud city and -the chief seat of the early Portuguese settlers in this part of India. -But for nearly three-quarters of a century it has ceased to be -inhabited. The city is of considerable size, and surrounded by a regular -fortification of rampart and bastions. It is kept locked up under a -small body of soldiers and an English conductor of ordnance. - -By permission obtained from the authorities at Bombay we spent a very -interesting day wandering over this deserted city, its ruined towers, -cloisters, convents, monasteries, and churches, that once belonged to -the Jesuits, which are here crumbling away unheard of and unnoticed. -The only building in good repair is a small pagoda raised over a -Mahratta saint amid a display of the most melancholy of ruined houses, -churches, and colleges. In the vast jungle-covered cemetery of the dead -Portuguese are the tombs of the great Don Lorenço and the famous -Albuquerque. In one of the largest of the churches there is a monument -to a certain lady, Donna Maria de Souza, of the date of 1606. - -Bassein was wrested from the Mahrattas by the Portuguese in 1532 A. D. -But the Mahrattas laid siege to it again under the renowned Chinaje Apa, -brother of the Peishwa Baji Rao, and after a desperate struggle the -Portuguese were forced to capitulate. It is said that the English in -Bombay might have saved them this defeat and humiliation, but from a -feeling of jealousy of the power and influence of the Portuguese in -India refused them all aid, except that of advancing fifteen hundred -rupees, for which they took some very valuable church plate and some -brass guns, which were actually removed from the defence of Bassein as -security. They were finally induced, however, to make some amends for -this barbarous treatment of fellow-Christians, and sent boats with a -strong escort to convey the refugees to Bombay, whence they started for -Goa, but were once more attacked and almost annihilated by the -Mahrattas. In 1780 the English attacked, stormed, and captured the city -of Bassein once more from the fierce Mahrattas, and have held it ever -since, a melancholy monument of the departed greatness of the Portuguese -conquerors. Such is the fate of conquering nations. It can hardly be -doubted that if the English were now expelled from India the few relics -left of their religion, their power, and their civil and military -magnificence would be swept rapidly away, and would in the course of a -century or two leave not a trace behind them. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[7] The following extract from Dr. Bird's _Caves of Western India_ may -prove interesting to the curious reader: - -"The tope (a monument erected over a Buddhist relic, sometimes -resembling a pagoda) at Khanari was opened by me in 1839. The largest, -being selected for examination, was penetrated from above to the base, -which was built of stone. In this tope the workmen found two small -copper urns, in one of which were a ruby, a pearl, and a small piece of -gold mixed with the ashes. In this urn there was also a small gold box -containing a piece of cloth; and in the other ashes (probably of some -cremated saint) and a silver box were also found. Outside, a circular -stone was found, and to it were fixed two copper plates in the Salh or -cave characters. The inscriptions read thus: 'Whatever meritorious acts -proceed from cause of these the source Tathagata (Buddha) has declared; -the opposing principle of these the great one of golden origin has also -demonstrated;' or, in other words, Whatever merit may proceed from these -acts, Buddha has explained its source to you, and also the opposite -principle of these acts; he has also demonstrated to you the one of -golden origin. This discovery establishes the fact that these caves are -of Buddhist origin, and probably date from the beginning of the -Christian era." - -[8] The Saivi Hindoos are those who worship Siva or Shiva, one of the -Brahman Trinity, as chief god; the lingam or phallus is sacred to him. -Their chief act of worship is performed on the fourteenth night of the -dark half of every moon. They fast during the day, and at night repair -to their temples, repeat the names of their god--of which there are no -less than one thousand, all expressive of certain spiritual and physical -qualities, passions, acts, etc.--pour the leaves of the bheel tree, -sacred to Shiva, because they are heart-shaped, over the lingam, then -rub it with oil, and finally sprinkle it with consecrated water. At the -Shivaratri, or the night of Shiva, which falls once a year on a dark -night, a fair is held at the caves of Elephanta during the day, and a -night-vigil from eight o'clock till five in the morning, accompanied -with music, prayer, and other strange ceremonies. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - - Sampwallahs, or Serpent-Charmers.--Jâdoowallahs, or - Miracle-performers.--Nuzer-bundyânâ, Mesmerizers.--Yogees, - Spiritual Jugglers, and Naga-Poojmi, or Serpent-Worship, in India. - - -Life in the East is altogether so novel, so full of dramatic sights and -sounds, that one's curiosity seems to grow with the abundant nourishment -it finds everywhere. Now one sees a Mohammedan funeral, or the -procession of gorgeous Taboots of Moslems, or gods of the Hindoos; anon -the body of a Hindoo or a Parsee borne on an open bier by white-robed -priests, the one to be burned, the other to be abandoned to birds of -prey in their strange silent "towers of the dead." Sometimes a gay -procession of dancing-girls, followed by troops of men and elephants -richly caparisoned, waltzing all the way to the temple and keeping time -to the pipes, cymbals, and the beating of most discordant drums; at -others, a poor funeral of some low-caste person, quiet and -unpretending--an open bier, on it perhaps an only child in its every-day -soiled garments, followed by women wailing and beating their breasts and -throwing dust on their heads. This wailing is inexpressibly mournful. -One morning, as I sat at work in my room, there came floating upon the -breeze toward the "Aviary" a sharp, penetrating, and very peculiar cry. -While I listened there came another and another of these unearthly -sounds; again they were repeated, and all at once there appeared in -sight a band of half-naked men accompanied by two women and a perfectly -nude little child--all so strange and weird-looking that I almost felt -the victim of some illusion. - -They were a band of sampwallahs, or serpent-charmers, and in rather a -bewildered state of mind I watched the gang approach the front of the -house and take their places around the doorsteps. Having deposited their -bags and baskets, they proceeded to salââm before me. I could not summon -resolution to send them away, as my curiosity was gradually getting -better of my fears, nor could I bring myself to witness their -performance in the absence of my husband. I therefore sent a message to -the one who seemed the headman of the band by my "ayah," or maid, to -inquire if they would not go away now and return in the afternoon about -four o'clock. "Return? Why, what is to prevent us from remaining just -where we are until the master comes home?" I could see no just reason -save my own fears to have them lounging around my lonely house, and in -spite of these concluded to let them stay. - -Strange it was to see these, to me almost supernatural men and women, -enjoying themselves as naturally and innocently for three or four full -hours as did this company of wild serpent-charmers and jugglers. The two -women of the party searched for the most delicate and polished pebbles -to be found in the gravelled walks of the garden, and entertained -themselves by digging holes in the sand and rolling their pebbles with -great skill into these, hitting off one with another, and seeming to -think it capital sport. Some of the men took some caiah, or -cocoanut-fibre, out of their bags and proceeded to twist a rope out of -it. Some lighted long pipes and began to smoke quietly, stroking down -the cobra de capellos, who would poke their heads from under the baskets -by their sides. The boy of the party had a bit of rag spread for him -under an adjoining tree, and here he stretched himself at full length to -sleep, with a basket of snakes for his pillow. Every now and then the -upper lid of this basket seemed to open and a snake would thrust out his -head, as if to survey the sleeping boy, then as suddenly withdraw. All -the while the beautiful sea gleamed and sparkled and dashed against the -rocks in front of the "Aviary," and completed this strange picture. - -[Illustration: NATIVE SNAKE CHARMERS.] - -A little after four o'clock my husband arrived, and, seated on the steps -of the "Aviary," we witnessed some most astonishing performances. Before -beginning his music, and while the women were girding themselves for -action, the snake-charmer paid us some very startling and original -compliments. All at once, seizing his bagpipe-like instrument and -puffing out his polished black cheeks, he produced the same queer melody -that I had first heard, with its endless reverberations, creating a -strange effect upon one's nerves. The women kept time to these sounds by -motions the most gently waving that one could conceive of. When the -sounds were low and faint they waved their arms and bent downward in -graceful undulating curves; then again, as the sounds began to be shrill -and piercing, they raised their arms aloft, turned up their faces to the -sky, and, poised on tiptoe, beat a rhythmic movement to the sound. The -dance was in itself a wonder of grace and flexibility. But, strangest -sight of all, the serpents were equally moved. In raising their heads -they had thrown off the covers of the baskets, and presently every -snake, large and small--and there were no less than six--had begun to -take part in this dance, their eyes glistening, their forked tongues -extended, their hoods spread to the utmost; they raised themselves on -the abdomen and swayed their heads to and fro, following the movements -of the charmers and seemingly ravished with the strange sounds. There -was not a doubt in my mind, as I watched the serpents, that they -distinguished the varieties of sound, for with every rise and fall of -the music they kept time with their inflated hoods and slender forms. - -Suddenly the serpent-charmer started to his feet and began a wild -circular movement, accompanied with wilder and more energetic sounds, -which were reverberated from every rock of the hill. After a few minutes -he stood still, and, taking for a moment the instrument from his mouth, -uttered a sudden "Ah!" short, sharp, and guttural, and all at once -resumed his former movements both of sound and action. We involuntarily -turned our eyes in the direction of those of the serpent-charmer, and -noticed a slight movement in the grass and brushwood that covered the -ground-floor of the "Aviary;" and as we looked the head and neck of a -cobra de capello of large size rose above the grass. The strange reptile -approached nearer and nearer. He passed with folded hood through the -open wirework of the "Aviary." Out of it, he once more unfolded his -hood, and, waving it to and fro, looked like one suddenly awakened to -some subtle and purely spiritual influence; he leaped rather than crept -toward the sound of the charmer; every curve, every change of motion, -and every movement of the body betrayed an exquisite apprehension of the -peculiar waves of the melody. The serpent, followed by another more -slender in proportions, leaped almost into the arms of the charmer, and, -swinging their bodies to and fro, both snakes seemed to give themselves -up to the enchantment of sound. Very slowly but deliberately the -serpent-charmer dropped one hand, and, stooping over the head of the -largest serpent, playing all the while, grappled it just under the head -by the thumb and forefinger and handed it to one of the men. This done, -he proceeded to enchant and capture the smaller snake, which was -accomplished in the same way. Then he dropped his instrument, took a -curious flint knife out of his bag, and, pressing tightly the windpipe -of each of the serpents in turn, cut out the bags containing the -poisonous fluid and dropped the deadly reptiles, now rendered for ever -harmless, into the bags. This was done in broad daylight, in the open -air, where no deception could have been practised. - -Some persons have suggested that these two snakes might have been -brought by the band and let loose in the "Aviary." Even if this were so, -it could not destroy the mystery of the influence which certain sounds -evidently exercised over the serpents, who voluntarily returned to -captivity even before the poison-bag had been cut out, the removal of -which, according to all testimony, renders them harmless and agreeable -pets. As far as my observation went, I am inclined to believe that these -snakes were perfectly wild till caught by the serpent-charmer. - -When I asked him by what power he compelled these snakes to abandon -their holes and come out to hear his music, his reply was -characteristic. "Asmani ka jore se, Maim Sahib," translated into -English, would mean, "By the secret power of the heavenly motions." - -The other tricks of the band were very wonderful, but not as absorbing -as serpent-charming. They appeared to cause a seed to bud, grow, -blossom, and bear fruit in the open air in a short space of time and -with but few contrivances. They showed us a mango-seed, which they -planted before our eyes in a pot of prepared soil brought with them; -this they watered again and again with a peculiar liquid, also in their -possession. Each time that there was a positive growth in the tree the -round basket which covered it was removed, and our attention called to -the fact that it was growing. When the tree had outgrown the basket a -large cloth was thrown over it. Finally, it was presented to us full -grown, and, though dwarfed in stature, with ripe mangoes hanging from -its branches. They invited me to taste the fruit, which I did, and found -it decidedly inferior in flavor to the most ordinary mango produced in -the natural way. The curious part of this feat is this, that the tree -itself, supposing they carried it about with them, had that fresh and -vigorous look of active life and growth which it could not possibly -retain out of the earth in a hot climate for any length of time without -a very delicate and careful knowledge of how to preserve plant-life on -the part of these apparently savage jugglers. I have also seen them -produce flowers on plants in the same way. - -A great many other feats and tricks were performed, such as throwing up -a top, and not only catching it on the end of a slender stick, but -balancing it on the point of the nose, and causing it, without any new -impetus to stop or to go on spinning at the request of the spectator. - -Some of the tricks are called _nuzzerbund_, "blindfolding" or -mesmerizing the spectator. A ring is placed in your hand and you are -requested to hold the hand tightly between your folded knees, and when -you look again you find a little dust. One of these tricks, called -_khano-nuzzerbund_, "ears and eyes bound," is that of a small boy being -put into a basket and made to disappear and reappear. Our juggler -produced a small basket and beckoned to the boy to get into it, which he -did; two of the men then produced instruments that looked like -flageolets and began to play, moving round the head of the child. This -seemed to have a peculiar effect on the boy, who appeared like one in -paroxysms of pain. It was very distressing to witness his convulsions, -and even while we looked the child began to disappear in the basket. -The moment he was out of sight the musicians seized long knives and fell -upon the basket and pierced it with many thrusts, and it seemed certain -that the child was not in it, nor could we see him anywhere. Presently -they straightened out the basket and resumed their music, when, all at -once, from afar the clear answering voice of the child was heard; nearer -and nearer came the sound, until the basket swelled and distended, and, -lo! there was the boy peering from under the lid serene and smiling. - -These jugglers call themselves Jâdoo-wallahs, and are of the same tribe -as the Yogees who follow the Mohammedan processions and cut themselves -with knives and sharpened flints in order to extract money from the more -tender-hearted of the crowds who always frequent such spectacles. The -name of Jâdoo-wallah is a corruption of the words Yahdèo-Wallah, "filled -with god-power." The common people believe that these powers are -bestowed upon them by the gods, and thus do everything and anything in -their power to propitiate the goodwill of the Jâdoo-wallahs. As acrobats -they far surpass the Europeans. One of the men who performed for us -received on his right shoulder, as lightly as if it had been a feather, -a heavy weight which was dropped from an over-hanging branch of a tree -above. - -It was dusk before the jugglers and serpent-charmers finished their -astonishing feats and performances. We handed them five rupees, and they -were delighted with this liberality, though I had feared they would not -think it enough. They departed with the usual benediction, "Both burrus -Jeho Sahib loke. Tumarra bucha kè bucha Ingrage kè guddee per bait -jowoh" ("Long may you live, gentlefolk, and may your children's children -seat themselves on the British throne"). - -Not long after we had an opportunity of witnessing the grand -serpent-festival held in Bombay and other parts of Hindostan in the -months of July and August. It is called "the naga-poojmi," literally, -"serpent-worship." There are many tribes in India who have assumed the -name of Nagas or Serpents from the earliest times. Diodorus supposes -that the snake had been used as their crest or banner. There are three -kinds of serpent-worship practised in India, and each is peculiar to a -distinct class of people, although all the natives of India, except the -Mohammedans, either from dread of the deadly serpent or from a feeling -of veneration, join in the festival of the naga-poojmi. - -The first of these is the worship paid to the serpent by the high-caste -Brahmans, who adopted the early serpent-worship from the non-Aryan -populations, placing the serpent, as a symbol of the masculine energy of -the world, in the hand and sometimes around the head of Brahma, the -chief god of their trinity; they adroitly represent that on the day -sacred to the serpent, Krishna, their last incarnation, slew the great -serpent Kali, who was just in the act of swallowing up the sun and moon. -The second is the worship made to the serpent-gods carved in their -temples by the non-Aryan and low-caste races of India, by whom the -serpent is regarded in the light of a benefactor and friend, and to whom -it was at one time customary to offer annually a human victim to -propitiate its deadly sting. And, last of all, is the worship paid to it -by the professional snake-charmer, to whom the art of taming the serpent -has been transmitted from father to son, and in whose eyes the serpent -is an oracle of wisdom, the harbinger of all good things, and last, but -not least, a means of livelihood to the tribe. - -On the last day of the waning moon at the end of July we rode out, -accompanied by a party of friends, to the native part of the city, -where we were told the chief of the serpent-worshippers were assembled. -Here we found an immense throng of men and women gayly dressed, bands of -handsome dancing-girls in flowing veils and glittering jewels, and rows -of young maidens beautifully attired, with offerings of rice and milk, -and some with fruit and flowers tastefully arranged in baskets which -they carried on their heads; others with baskets filled with such -flowers as serpents are reported to delight in--the champu, the -marigold, the water-lily, the tuberose, and quantities of the -snake-plant commonly called _sampkèmah_, "the mother of the serpent." We -passed through the crowd and succeeded in reaching the centre of a great -_maidan_, or open plain, where we stood. - -Not far off clustered a vast number of serpents, with their charmers and -worshippers. Immediately behind this curious assembly was a temple -dedicated to the snake-god. From within these walls the lights, kept -burning in great numbers, could be seen pale and ghastly amid the -daylight, and the sounds of the tomtom and gongs beat in honor of the -idol were heard; some noble old peepul trees surrounded the temple. -Right in front of the temple were placed great basins containing milk -and a preparation of rice and milk called _khir_, for the serpents. -Those, however, that fed out of the basins were mostly all tame; they -coiled in and out and round about the worshippers in a careless and easy -manner. But farther on, beyond the stone basins and amid flowers and -floods of sunshine, women dancing and men and boys singing, might be -seen the deadly cobra de capellos now and then inflating their hoods and -keeping time to the music. - -The Brahman worship of the serpent is characteristic. Regarding the -snake purely as a symbol, each priest prepares a clay figure of a cobra -and winds it when in a plastic state round a tall pole, the upper part -of which is ornamented with a ring, which in its turn typifies the -feminine powers of nature. - -On the day of the festival thousands of Brahmans, each with his pole -thus ornamented, accompanied by musicians and dancing-girls, the former -playing on their instruments and the latter keeping time to the music -and performing a mystic circular dance, surrounded by half-naked fakeers -and gossains, who keep shouting and leaping about, traverse the length -and breadth of the native town till they reach their temples. Entering -these, they plant their poles in front of the shrine of Siva, after -which they make over the clay serpent a wave-offering of fire, pouring -over it the oil pressed from the "telah," or sesamum-seed, sacred to the -serpent, and repeat the prayer, "Life has sway over all in earth and -heaven; protect us as a mother her children; grant us life, prosperity, -wisdom," etc. - -On this day every Hindoo and Brahman woman places seven wicks in a dish -of silver or other metal, fills the dish with telah oil, and at -nightfall waves it around the portals and windows of her house. When her -husband returns he makes her a present, generally of a scarf, and she -then performs a curious and very mysterious rite: placing her hands on -her own hip-joints, and touching his with the tips of her fingers, she -prostrates herself before him and implores for him, from the god of the -day, renewed vigor, health, and strength. - -The Nagas, or low-caste serpent-worshippers, assemble with the -snake-charmers in open plains, where all the tame snakes in the country -are brought together. After having fed these creatures, they offer up -prayers, each to his own deity, but mostly to the god Siva, for long -life and for protection from its deadly bite, making offerings of the -snake-plant, and to the priests of little lamps lighted with one or two -wicks for the altars. - -The common people in the Hindoo villages also make clay images of the -cobra and pray to them. Most of the abandoned characters turn out on the -occasion of these festivals, and the night is spent in licentious -merriment, music, and song, while the snake-charmers, jugglers, and -Yogees obtain large sums of money and presents from the people, who -regard them in the light of divine benefactors to their race. - -To understand the worship paid to serpents we must remember that the -earliest feeling which mankind had of a relation to invisible powers -must have been a compound of dread and gratitude, and in the mingling of -these emotions dread predominated. The dreaded serpent alone, says -Fergusson,[9] without arms or wings or any of the usual appliances of -locomotion, still moves with singular celerity and grace; its form is -full of elegance, its colors are often very beautiful, its eyes are -bright and piercing. A serpent can creep, spring, climb, swim, expand, -constrict, suspend itself by the tail, burrow in the ground, and even -raise its body almost erect. Its muscular irritability is remarkably -great and persistent, depending on its nervous energy. The heart -palpitates long after death; the jaws open and shut even when the head -is severed from the body; the outer skin is shed more than once, and the -ancients believed that by this means the snake renewed its youth. It -does not need food for long periods when casting its skin. It often -changes color at will, and, above all, its longevity is so great as -still to make the superstitious ascribe to it immortality. It makes no -nest (except in the case of the python, who hatches her eggs by the heat -of her own body); no food is stored for the young, who are born with -all powers in full perfection. Then the poison of a serpent is so deadly -and subtile that it excites in the heart of the savage the greatest -dread and mystery, and even more startling and terrible than the poison -of the cobra is the flash-like spring and fascination of the boa -constrictor, the instantaneous embrace, the crushed-out life,--all -accomplished faster than the human eye can follow. These are the powers -that must have impressed the primitive races of the East with dread and -terror, and wherever the serpent was found, there he seems to have been -propitiated by man with prayers, supplications, and all forms of -worship. It is perhaps strange that the serpent in the early period of -the worship was not so much dreaded as loved--whether from a feeling -that it was not as deadly as it has in its power to be, or for some -other reason, it is now impossible to determine. However, in the history -of this peculiar religion it is found that in course of time the serpent -began to be regarded as the harbinger of good gifts, the teacher of -wisdom, the symbol of subtlety, the oracle of the future, and even the -healer of all diseases. - -All the gods, and even the kings and queens, of the old world are -usually represented with serpents coiling about their heads or arms. The -Hindoos most probably adopted this symbol of the serpent from the -aboriginal populations among whom they settled. "Sanee," the oldest -rock-sculpture of the Hindoo "Saturn," the presiding deity of the -seventh day of the week, has serpents for her belts or rings. She rides -on a raven, a bird of ill omen sacred to her, and no Hindoo will -undertake any new enterprise on the day over which she presides. As one -wanders through the forests of India one finds that many of the finest -trees served as altars to a generation long gone by. Their huge old -trunks have been hollowed out and carved in the form of oriel chapels -or windows, in the inmost recesses of which may be still traced the -faint remains of what was intended to represent the cobra de capello or -hooded serpent of India. - -Sacred trees have from very early times shared a portion of the homage -paid to serpents. It would appear that while the serpent was made to -symbolize both the beneficent and dreaded powers of nature, the tree -represented man. The wondrous spectacle of a new creation every year, -the forest trees gathering their fresh leaves every spring, became to -the primitive man a steadfast promise of a similar resurrection, and -perhaps caused him to associate the tree with the serpent because of the -analogies that exist between them. The one shedding its leaves, the -other its skin, their mutual inactivity in winter, their awakening to -life in the spring, their longevity, the twig-like form of the serpent, -and a last, but not least, important fact is this, that wherever, in -India, the deadly serpent is found, there also abounds the mungoose,[10] -or snake-plant, with convex flower-clusters and long serpentine roots, -possessing the mysterious power to cure the deadly bite of a snake. - -Thus, in the course of time, the serpent became an endless writing on -the wall, so full was it of mysterious significance and dread to the -ancient races of the world. In fact, serpents play an important part in -the mythology of every nation of the earth. Even to-day the -snake-charmers will tell you that the circles on the head of the cobra -de capello are spiritual eyes which enable it to distinguish between -good and bad men. If a good man is bitten to death, they account for it -by declaring that he must have committed some deadly sin in a former -state of existence, hence his punishment in this. - -It will not be amiss to conclude this chapter with a mention of some of -the symbols for which the serpent stood in ancient times. It stands for -the higher and lower forms of the creative energy of nature; for the -emblem of evil; for wisdom and subtlety, as we all know, being -self-supporting from the moment of birth; for immortality, because of -its fabled longevity; for death, for new birth, and resurrection, from -its casting its skin and from its awakening in spring from the torpor of -winter. In the oldest hieroglyphics the serpent with its tail in its -mouth stood for cycles of time, for the horizon, for eternity, and for -life to come. Twined around the crown of ancient Oriental kings and -queens, it symbolized the fatal sting lurking beneath the power -entrusted to them; and bound round the royal sceptre, it typified -national life, vigor, and strength. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[9] See Fergusson's _Tree- and Serpent-Worship_. - -[10] This plant is named after a large rat common in India and called -mungoose by the natives. It is said to have a deadly antipathy to snakes -of all kinds. It will hunt and destroy them wherever they are found. If, -however, the mungoose happens to be bitten by a snake, it is said that -it instinctively runs to this plant, gnaws at its roots, and thus cures -itself of the poison. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - - The Parsees, or Fire-Worshippers, of Bombay.--A Visit to a - Fire-priest and Astrologer.--His Astral Predictions.--The - Gâthas.--Zoroaster.--His Life and Religion.--History of the - Settlement of the Parsees in India. - - -The race which more than others attracted my attention in India was the -Parsees in Bombay. As we drove almost daily to or from the fort to -Malabar Point, we passed a Fire-temple, and there are also two others in -the old fort. These are held very sacred, and none but Parsees are -allowed to enter them. The one, however, which stood between the fort -and our house was less guarded, by which means it was more accessible to -strangers and visitors. - -At my earnest request, I was invited by the wife of our Parsee neighbor -to witness the worship of this interesting people. It was on the -occasion of the "Khurdad-Sal," the anniversary of the birthday of -Zoroaster, that I repaired to the above-mentioned Fire-temple. Seeing a -large crowd centred about the building, I ventured to peep in, in the -hope of seeing my friend. No one paid the slightest attention to me; -presently a young Parsee lad came forward and conducted me to a quiet -corner, and I found myself the sole spectator of a very curious and -interesting worship performed by the Fire-priests alone, with a crowd of -Parsee women and children, and some very aged Parsee men scattered here -and there among them. - -The building was quite small, circular in shape, with a sort of pent -roof, small iron-grated windows, and an iron-bound door, which was -padlocked the moment the service was over. Under the central arch of the -temple was a low altar on which burned a clear bright fire; the smoke -had no means of escaping but through the windows, which made the place -rather unpleasant to stay in for any length of time. A number of priests -clad in simple white robes and quite unadorned fed the sacred fire[11] -with the different kinds of precious woods, and while some chanted, -passing each his sacred thread through the fingers of his hands, others -dropped perfumes and consecrated oil into the Fire. - -The Parsee women and children sat or stood around this central fire, -most of them beautifully dressed. I was struck with the beauty and -nobility of their faces as they worshipped here with their hands folded, -their eyes closed, listening reverently to the chants or praying -silently to themselves. - -A great many silver trays full of fruit, sweetmeats, and white robes -were placed on one side, offerings from the women to the Fire-priests. - -At the close of the service the entire congregation folded their hands -across their breasts, and, having bowed their heads, retired, leaving -the priests to heap precious fuel on the sacred fire, so as to preserve -it from going out, for which purpose the temple is regularly visited -during each day, and the fire is carefully preserved from year to year -by certain priests who take turns to perform this most religious duty. - -One evening we went to visit, by appointment, one of the oldest -Fire-priests in Bombay, who was also a famous astrologer. The -appointment was made by our nearest European neighbor on Malabar Hill, a -Mr. S----, an Englishman who had lived a long time in India, and one of -our intimate friends. Although Mr. S---- was personally acquainted with -him, the old priest had declined to receive strangers until prevailed -upon to do so by Mr. S----'s Parsee friend and partner in business. - -We started about six o'clock in the evening, and after a long drive -through the Parsee settlement of the native town and through a crowded -and noisy bazaar, our carriage drew up before a high, dilapidated wooden -building. The balcony projected into the street, supported by rickety -wooden pillars, under which there was a small garden filled chiefly with -herbs and plants. Mr. S----, who had often visited the house and was -familiar with its ways, led us through the little garden and up a great -flight of wooden steps into a corridor or hall, crossing which we at -length stood before a very old door which was slightly ajar, through the -opening of which a light streamed upon us in the dark passage. Mr. S---- -tapped, and a voice feeble and tremulous bade us enter. We did so, and -in another moment we were standing side by side with an old Fire-priest, -perhaps the oldest in the world. He did not move or speak, or even turn -his eyes upon us. - -An old Ethiopian servant present pointed to us to be seated on some -cushions near by until his master had finished his evening prayer. We -silently took our places on the seats and looked on. In the centre of -the room, which was woefully shabby and coarsely built, stood a -three-legged stand, and on it was a round earthen lamp filled with -cocoanut oil and containing depressions at the sides for wicks, of which -there were just seven burning. Before it stood the Fire-priest, his -dress, a long dingy-looking robe which might once have been white, -flowing down to his emaciated feet, which were bare. But as his lips -moved in prayer, and his thin dark fingers passed over and over his -sacred thread or girdle, that mystic emblem of his faith, there was an -indescribable reflection of some unseen interior light on his wan and -pallid features; he hardly looked old, so wonderfully was his -countenance lit up with a serene and beautiful expression of peace and -happiness. - -The floor of the room was made of planks roughly hewn and rudely put -together. A number of curious old parchments were piled up on one side; -pots, earthen lamps, vases, flowers, shawls, carpets, bedding, and a -number of embroidered silk cushions lay in seeming confusion about the -floor. The Ethiopian attendant, who looked almost as old as his master, -grinned at us from his corner, showing plainly that he had lost nearly -all his teeth; but no word was spoken. - -His prayers over, the aged Fire-priest put off his long robe and dark -conical cap, which were replaced by a short gray angraka, or coat, and -close-fitting skull-cap, revealing a few locks of long scanty gray hair. -He then turned to Mr. S----, took both his hands kindly in his own, and -saluted him by raising them to his forehead three times, and then he did -the same to us. - -After an interval of about an hour or so spent in pleasant conversation, -during which we learned that the Dustoor or Fire-priest Bhèjah was a -native of Surat, and had come to the island of Bombay about forty years -before with his family, every member of whom he had survived save some -distant connections still living in Surat, we begged him to read our -horoscopes for us. - -The old Dustoor rose at once, as if pleased at our request, and with -great alacrity led the way through a long narrow passage and up another -old wooden staircase into a small chamber open to the sky by a curious -contrivance, a sort of trapdoor, which was let down in rainy weather. -There was a bench in one corner of this room; in the middle a circular -table which revolved on a pivot, painted with curious hieroglyphics, and -beside it a three-legged stool. As soon as we had taken our seats on -the bench, the Dustoor drew out from under the table a board chequered -black and red and a piece of chalk, and, taking the dim horn lantern -that stood in a niche in the wall, set it on the table. This done, he -turned to me and questioned me very closely in Hindostanee about the -day, year, hour, and almost moment, of my birth. All such questions as I -had it in my power to reply to he put down in what seemed to me signs -and figures in one of the squares on his peculiar black and red board. - -This was a work of some time, for every now and then he seemed doubtful -of his operations, rubbing out and replacing the signs and figures in -new squares. When he had scrawled on the board to his satisfaction he -began to compare it with the hieroglyphics on his revolving table, -deciphering and studying the stars on each of his tablets with the -utmost care. He then turned up his wan face and began to gaze -alternately at the bit of sky seen through the open trapdoor and to -examine the strange hieroglyphics on the table. The stars presiding at -my birth were evidently unpropitious. He foretold for me many deaths -among relations and friends, long and cruel separations by strange seas -and oceans being placed between my friends and me; softening it off, -however, by predicting a long life, a happy old age, and a numerous -progeny of grand- and great-grandchildren; which, indeed, are the chief -sources of happiness in the Parsee household. - -He then foretold my husband's future, which was even less auspicious, -saying that a great shadow of one of the planets would cross his path in -middle life, which if he survived he would live to a good old age, etc., -etc. - -It was not what the old astrologer and Fire-priest said so much as his -perfect faith in his own rendering of the position of the stars that -most impressed me. The floating locks of gray hair, the serious brow, -the deep, thoughtful, contemplative look on that face, were all very -striking: his head full of the mystery of the stars and his heart ever -revolving the secret destiny of human life were as strange and marked as -any of the many lives whose future he believed he could so easily -decipher. - -In the Zend-Avesta--or, more properly, the Avesta-Zand--the religious -books of the Parsees, we find the Gâthas, or sacred hymns, of the -ancient Fire-priests, and these in their turn may be traced directly to -the Rig Vèdas, the oldest of the Aryan Scriptures, a collection of a -thousand hymns, more or less, called "Mantras," or Mind-born songs, -composed and recited by various priests and poets, the earliest of whom -lived about three thousand, and the latest not far from twenty-six -hundred, years ago. These hymns, some of which are very beautiful, -composed and sung long before the Aryans left their home in the Hindoo -Kush[12] Mountains, were inspired by its soaring mountains--"roofs of -the world," as they called them--capped with snow, clear blue skies, and -by the rushing waters leaping in gladness out of the heart of the hills. - -"They found the mountains ever near mighty to defend them, the lakes and -rivers eager to serve them."[13] "Sparkling bright with mighty splendor, -she carries the clouds across the plains; the unconquered Sindhui, -Indus, the quickest of the quick, like a beautiful mare, a sight to see; -by their swiftness, depth, as well as by the sweetness of their waters; -the birds by their delicious warbling; the winds by the fragrant dust of -flowers which they bore along on their invisible wings, the clouds by -their refreshing shadows." - -Light, as seen in the sun, moon, and stars, dawn and sunrise, fire in -all its mysterious forms--the spark struck from the flint, the fire that -burned their oblations, the holy flames that were lighted on the -domestic hearth--became their earliest objects of worship. These they -celebrate in the Rig Vèda, and in these they saw, with their deep -intuitive insight, thousands of years ago, an "all-productive cosmic -energy." - -Thus, the simple act of rubbing two dried pieces of wood together in -order to obtain fire became a religious ceremony, and the tiny flint -which served to kindle fire became their first idol, and gave those -ancient Aryans the first hint of the wonderous power of heat, at once -their god, the ministering angel of their lives, and their first step -toward civilization. - -This vital fire of the universe, with every upward dart of flame issuing -out of the cold, hard rock, starting out of dried wood, streaming in -jets spontaneously out of the heart of the earth itself, and flaming -luridly from mountain-tops, was an object so full of mystery, so potent, -ever present, even when invisible, ever within call, lurking in the rock -and air, water and tree, waiting to be called into life, vanishing at a -breath, naturally became the highest symbol of the unseen to those -primitive worshippers of nature. - -The early Aryan priest, who was to his race what our poets and thinkers -are to us to-day, on awakening at dawn turned his face to the east, and, -waiting for the light, cried, "Arise! arise! the breath of our life has -come, the darkness has fled." The fire had to be kindled by men. "She, -the Dawn, brought us light by striking down darkness.--Shine for us with -thy best rays, O thou bright Dawn! thou who lengthenest our lives, thou -beloved of all, thou mother of the morning clouds, leader of the days, -gold-colored and lovely to behold!" When the sun at last climbed the -mountain-tops and shone upon his worshipper, he sang a deeper hymn of -joy to the Creator: "In the beginning there arose the source of golden -light. He was the first-born lord of all that is. He established the -earth and the sky. He gives us life, he gives us strength--whose shadow -is immortality, whose absence is death--he who through his power is the -only king of this breathing and awakening world."[14] - -These songs were not only sung, but transmitted from father to son, long -before the age of a written alphabet, as a sacred, inviolable -inheritance, preserved from century to century in the religious memory -of the Aryan priest, even as they were recited to us evening after -evening at the "Aviary" by our modern pundit without book or notes or -text. - -The pictures these songs present of the deep religious and poetic fervor -of the early Aryans, both before and after their descent into the plains -of India, of their pastoral and agricultural life, divided into separate -and distinct classes, as priest, king, shepherd, warrior, and tiller of -the soil, are in themselves the most comprehensive and valuable of -historical records. - -The first and most important fact to be found in the study of these -hymns is that every home, every dwelling, has its own altar, which is -the family hearth, called the "dâdgâh" by the Fire-worshippers--that -"holy of holies" of which father and mother were priest and priestess. -This fire is the ancient "avesta," to which were attached three mystical -interpretations--first, "womanly purity;" second, the "inviolability of -the family;" and third, "the sacredness attached to the mother as the -transmitter of human life." - -There is no doubt that from the Assyrians, Chaldeans, and the early -Iranians, who were then one with the purer Hindoos of to-day, this -worship of nature, and especially of fire in its triple significance, -was propagated southward among the Egyptians, westward among the Greeks, -and by them introduced into Italy. - -The Greeks met together to worship in their Prytaneia. Here they -consulted together for the public good, and there was a constant fire -burning on the altar, which was called "vesta." The Vestal Virgins of -the Romans had their origin in the same idea. Many of the oldest and -some of the most modern usages still to be found among the Parsees, -Hindoos, Jews, Greeks, Mohammedans, and Roman Catholics bear reference -to this early worship of the "household fire," and many of the problems, -puzzles, and contradictions that are found in the religious symbols of -the world stand clear and evident when submitted to this light. - -The word "Light" is used in the New Testament as the highest symbol of -Christ--"the Light of the world," "the Light that lighteth every man who -cometh into the world." Every instance also of God's acceptance of -sacrifice and prayer in the Old Testament is made evident to the people -through the medium of fire, as seen in the case of David, in the -dedication of Solomon's temple, and when Elijah demanded that -extraordinary proof from Jehovah that Baal was not God. From Genesis to -the Revelation, from the first offerings of Cain and Abel to "the city -that had no need of a sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it, for the -glory of the Lord did lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof," -this symbol of light is the dearest to the human heart, and ever -recurring and conspicuous as the fittest and purest to be applied to -the Deity. - -It is as a symbol, not as a material element, that the worshippers of -fire have clung to it through all times; and their adherence and -tenacity are all the more remarkable when we consider the changes that -have passed over all primitive institutions. We ourselves have had a -succession of different religions and gods--the divinities of the -Phoenicians, then those of the Greeks and Romans, which superseded the -terrible gods of the Norsemen and the aboriginal deities of the Druids, -our ancestors. All these in time have given place to the sublime -teachings of Christ. Our religious forms are changing even to-day as -religious convictions become wider, deeper, and more comprehensive than -ever. - -But the Parsees, those ancient Sun- and Fire-worshippers, still offer up -their prayers in the old Pehlevi--a language which is the elder sister -of the ancient Sanskrit--in which the Zend-Avesta, the sacred books of -the Zoroastrians, are written, and older by far than the cuneiform -inscriptions of Cyrus, Darius, and Xerxes;[15] still wear the same old -conical cap in the form of ascending flame, preserved in the shape of -the bishop's mitre in the Christian symbolic dress; still adhere to the -rites, ceremonies, manners, and customs peculiar to their earliest -fathers, invoking the invisible fire upon which they called centuries -before the building of the temple of Solomon. - -The race has survived the destruction of Babylon and Assyria--outlived -the beautiful gods of the Greeks, who beat them down by land and sea. It -has persistently overcome the hatred and persecution of the Scythian and -Tartar hordes, the rage and fury of the Moslems, the intolerance and -prejudice of all sects and nations, and, strange to say, even when -placed between the currents of new ideas, which ceaselessly move and -transform those around them, the Fire-worshipper, like the Jew, stands -alone, as if he were beyond time and above change. - -From the time of Xerxes, four hundred and eighty-six years B. C., we -have to date the decline of the Persian empire. Even the old heroic name -of Iran--Ayiran, from the Sanskrit Ariya, "the noble"--has passed away -for the word Persia, which, whether we apply it to the country, to the -people, or to the language, is a misnomer. Pars, or Fars, is only a -province of the great empire of "Iran." It was owing to the fact that -the language of its chief city, Shiraz, was considered the most elegant -and fashionable speech of the Iranians that the name of the province -Pars was gradually used to distinguish the people, the entire country, -and the language. - -To the ancient world Zoroastrianism was known by the name of "Mazdasnah" -or "Mazdayasnah," the doctrine of "universal knowledge." It was revealed -by the "Pure Spirit," called also the "Excellent Word," pure, -efficacious--"the word that Zoroaster has conveyed to men," which is the -"Good Law." The priests were called Madhi, or middlemen, go-betweens, -corrupted into Magi, which name is very commonly applied to the priests -of the Zoroastrian religion by the Greek authors, beginning with -Herodotus, who had travelled in Media and confounded the name of the -priests of Magism and the Median religion with that of Zoroastrianism. - -It is impossible to fix exactly the era when the great reformer -Zarathustra--"splendor of gold"--lived. The Greek and Roman historians -make him very ancient. Xanthos of Lydia, 470 B. C., the first Greek -writer who mentions Zoroaster, is convinced that he must have -flourished about six hundred years before the Trojan war. Aristotle and -Eudoxus place his era even earlier. Berosus, the Chaldean priest and -historian, who translated the history of his native country, Babylonia, -into the Greek language, and dedicated the work to Antiochus, one of the -Greek kings of Syria, makes him a king, or rather founder of a dynasty -which reigned over Babylon between 2200 and 2000 B. C.[16] The -Fire-worshippers hold that their great priest and reformer lived about -five hundred and fifty years B. C. They identify him with the great -Kavan-Vistaspa of the Zend-Avesta, called Khai Gustasp in the -_Shahnamah_.[17] But it is very evident that even the ancient Persians -themselves were very uncertain as to who this Kavan Vistaspa was. It is -clear, however, that Darius's father, who was also named Vistaspa, and -the Kavan-Vistaspa of the Zend-Avesta and the _Shahnamah_, were entirely -distinct persons. - -There is very little doubt that this confusion of opinions is owing to -the similarity of names. A very common habit even in India to-day is to -name persons after heroic kings, great priests, or even after the gods, -without any mark being added to distinguish them in after years; and -when any period of time has elapsed it is almost impossible to separate -the personality of the father from the son, or the disciple from the -teacher, or the priest from the god. Zoroaster, or rather "Zara -Thustra," means illustrious like gold, or, in another sense, simply high -priest; and this being taken afterward as the proper name of the -celebrated priest and reformer of ancient Iran, gave rise to the endless -confusion of dates and opinions which has always prevailed with regard -to the age in which he lived. - -There is, however, internal evidence in the language and religion which -he reformed that he lived at a very early age, and there are many traces -of his great antiquity in the Zend-Avesta itself. First, that he stands -at the head of the extensive Zend literature,[18] which must have -required centuries for its growth, and which was already in a state of -perfection when Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, was born, from four to -five hundred years before Christ; and secondly, that he is expressly -called Aryana Veèdgo, "the celebrated one," in the Aryan home whence the -Aryans, now called Hindoos, emigrated in times immemorial. This title, -Martin Haug justly observes, would not have been given him had his -followers not believed him living at that early time. Under no -circumstance can we assign to him a later date than the year 1000 B. C. - -The causes which led to the schism between the early Fire-worshippers -may be readily learned from the Zend-Avesta, where the gods of the -dissenters are called "dèvas" (to whence our word devil) by the orthodox -"Soshyantos," or Fire-priests. It was a vital and successful struggle -against that form of the early religion which inclined to Brahmanism, -and later to open idolatry. Thus, for instance, the Vèdic gods Aditya, -Mitra, Varuna, and Indra became the devils of the Zoroastrian religion; -and this struggle must have taken place when Indra was declared the -chief of the gods by a large portion of the Aryans, before they had -immigrated into Hindostan proper. In the later period of Vèdic -literature we find Indra at the head of the gods; then in the great -epics, the Mahâbhárata and Râmayâna, he gives place to the Trimourtri, -Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva. A compromise was thus effected between the -esoteric doctrine of the metaphysicians and the common forms of worship, -giving rise to what was henceforth to constitute the orthodox system of -belief of the Brahmanic caste. The Vèdic pantheon, however, is not -altogether discarded in the Zend-Avesta; the existence of the old gods -is recognized, but in a very different way from that of the mysterious -triple divinity which represents not only the eternal, infinite soul, -but Brahma himself in his active relation to mundane occurrences; and -moreover, as the Trimourtri is never alluded to in the Zend-Avesta, -where most of the other Vèdic gods are named, we are obliged to fix the -religious struggle at a much earlier date than that assigned to the -Indian poems. - -The only source whence we derive anything like reliable historical -facts, and those of the most meagre kind, respecting this great reformer -Zoroaster, is in the Yasnahs, where he is distinguished by his family -name S'pitama. His father's name was Poorooshaspa. Of his children, -only his son S'pitama and his daughter Poroochista are mentioned. In -these fragments, rather than books, he appears to us as a real man, -earnest, strong, and true, just and generous in every act of his life, -taking a prominent part in the history of his country and the welfare of -his fellow-creatures. It was he who struck a deathblow to the idolatrous -practices that had crept in among the Fire-priests--who established in -his own country a new community, governed by new laws; he called upon -every man to take his part in the battle between good and evil, adding -the firm assurance that good will always prevail. In his own works he -calls himself a "Dutah"--_i. e._ "a messenger"--sent by the great -Ahura-Mazda. His ideal of home, of father and mother living together -under one roof in freedom and love and unity, cemented by a supreme and -unalterable bond of love and friendship, has never yet been equalled -save by Christianity. - -This remarkable reformer, according to the Yasnahs, was born in the -sacerdotal city of Ragha, near Teheran, the capital of Persia. His -father was an aged priest named Poorooshaspa, a man noted for his purity -of life. Like all such histories, his birth was miraculously -ordained.[19] One evening as Poorooshaspa and Dhogdha his wife, a -childless old couple, were praying in a lonely place, the atmosphere -around them became suddenly luminous. They looked up, and saw a form of -exquisite beauty standing in the midst of a bright cloud, and as they -gazed upon this beautiful vision there was handed to them a cup -fashioned out of an amethyst filled with the wine of heaven. "Drink -this," said the angel, "and renew your youth, for Ahura-Mazda has -chosen you to bring a savior into the world." Having drank the wine, -they became the parents of one son, S'pitama. - -It is related that the ruler of the city of Ragha sought to destroy the -child; at his command he was snatched from his mother's arms and thrown -into a narrow lane where cattle passed, in the hope that they might -tread him to death; but, lo! in the evening a sensible and motherly cow -brought him on her horns to his weeping, disconsolate mother. Then -again, by the order of the same cruel governor, he was cast into a -blazing fire; but he lay there unscathed, smiling so serenely upon his -persecutors that they were at once converted into friends. In fact, -every attempt made by enemies to destroy the infant is said to have been -arrested by divine agency. At last the child was permitted to grow up -unmolested with his friends and relatives, who were among his earliest -followers. - -Zoroaster did not so much reveal a new religion as reform the old -Fire-worship of his country. He abolished stone images, necromancy, -magic, witchcraft, all of which were identified with the worship of -fire. He investigated astrology, and confirmed its practices as true and -elevating. He inspired the old materialistic teaching of the -Fire-priests with a new and more spiritual meaning. He made war on the -idolatrous practices of his fellow-men, and banished from Iran all who -still bowed down before wood and stone. At the age of thirty he -completed a new code of laws, and also the Zend-Avesta, with the -Izeshnee, a still more sacred book. He distinctly recognized, above and -beyond all manifestations of sun, light, or fire, a purer, higher, -unconditioned Being.[20] When moved by deepest awe he bowed his head and -reverently called this Being "the Truth of the Truth, the Wisdom of the -Wise, the Purity of the Pure." So also in his famous prayer of -one-and-twenty words, "The world is produced, and all that is good in -thought, word, and deed, because of the Truth." - -The problem of the origin of evil, the most difficult to be solved, -seems to have been constantly before his mind. It seemed to him -impossible that the Truth, whom he conceived to be eternally pure, good, -just, and perfect, had created evil. The ancient Aryans attributed the -struggles in the physical world around them to the strife between good -and evil; Zoroaster seized this idea, applied it with the deepest -emphasis to the moral and spiritual world, and it became the basis of -his system of dualism. Together with Ahura-Mazda, the good principle, he -admitted the existence of an evil principle or spirit equal in power and -of a similar nature[21]--Angra Mainyus; in Persian Ahriman. This spirit -is the author of all moral and physical evil, sin, disease, suffering, -and death. - -All things, created by Ahura-Mazda pronouncing the creating, -pre-existing word "Honover," were pure, perfect, and beautiful as -himself until spoiled by the evil influence of Ahriman. And though -Ahriman, like Ahura-Mazda, has been eternal and self-existing in the -past, Zoroaster declares that a day will come when three great prophets -will arise, Ukhsyad-eremah, "the increasing Light," Ukhsyad-eretah, "the -increasing Truth," Açtvad-ereta, "self-existent Truth," who will convert -all mankind; everything created will become as pure as on the first day -when it issued from the breath of the "Wisest of all Intelligence," and -Ahriman will be destroyed and disappear for ever. - -Such is the real doctrine of Zoroaster, while the hymns of the -Zend-Avesta glow and burn with the assurance of the mystic and essential -life of the soul with the spiritual essence of all pure thought. The -pure heavens are like light; thought is likened to a drop of pure light, -and the departing spirit has a sunbeam for its guide to conduct it to -immortal light. - -In the Gâthas, or Songs, he says: "God appears in the best thought, the -truest speech, and the sincerest action. He gives through his pure -spirit health, prosperity, devotion" (which, more properly translated, -ought to be "love"), "and eternity to this universe. He is the Father of -all truth and the Mother of all tenderness." - -It is very remarkable that the early Aryans looked upon disease, -deformity, and weakness in the same light that we are apt to regard the -depraved and vicious. Health was the first and greatest boon, the gift -they supplicated most earnestly from heaven. Health first, then -immortality. They seemed to loathe consumption and scrofula, and many of -their most energetic prayers are supplications to the Deity to be -preserved "from this hateful indwelling sin," as they termed it. Their -laws for the happy treatment of women, especially in certain conditions -of health, of which I shall treat in the chapter on their domestic life, -is full of that reverence for her health and happiness, as well as those -of her offspring, which is seen to penetrate the whole life of the -Fire-worshipper, passing as it did in the course of time into a rigid -etiquette. Stern as it is, it is infinitely better than the careless -indifference with which the mother, "the transmitter of human life," is -so often regarded among us. - -In the Zend-Avesta we find a moral code almost as perfect as our own, -with rather a singular account of the creation. In one of the books, -called "Desater," it would seem all animals being created except man, -the dog was dreadfully lonely, and that man was created only out of -compassion for him; and no sooner was man formed than all the animals, -save the dog, broke out into open rebellion against the Great Spirit for -having favored man with speech, reason, and immortality. - -As in Genesis, so in the Desater, the Great Spirit brought the animals -to Gelshadèng and made them subject to him, and he it was who divided -them into seven classes. There is a curious dialogue that passed between -the seven great sages of Persia and the seven different animals, and the -reasons given why some are made fierce, others harmless, and yet others -beneficent. In some passages great veneration is expressed for the cow, -and great aversion to some animals, and to the human corpse; this is not -permitted either to find a resting-place in the earth or in the fire, -because of the sacredness of both these elements; and it is commanded -that it be abandoned to birds of prey or to absorption by the air in -enclosures set apart for the purpose. - -However, in spite of many things that seem childish and absurd in their -books (the unprejudiced student is not always certain that the right -meaning of the text has been rendered, for the language is full of -difficulties), yet so much is clear: that the "Gâthas" are very -beautiful hymns and full of true religious feeling. They are addressed -to the household fire, to the sun, moon, and stars, to the spirit of the -hills, mountains, trees, birds, and flowers, to the earth, air, and sea. -The earth is often called the "infinite, the all-nourishing cow," and -the sun is consequently, by the same figure, designated "the -fiery-winged one, the immortal bull." - -Then there are prayers and songs to the spirits of the righteous dead, -to the seven high angels around the throne, the planets then known. The -most spiritual are those addressed to Ahura-Mazda, "the Everlasting -Light," who is described as an ineffable Being, full of brightness and -glory. Zoroaster discovers God in the eternal invisible Fire. His wonder -and joy over the first kindling of the flame arose from the spiritual -symbolism that interpreted all nature to him. In it he recognizes the -type of the immortal Light and the spiritual resurrection of the soul. -Thrilling with religious fervor, he bows before the radiant light as the -most subtle and all-dissolving element, and in feeling its mystery -acknowledges the mystery of God, its Supreme Creator. - -Thus, all the rites and ceremonies of the ancient Fire-worshippers -abound in symbols which typify the operations of nature, not only in the -heavens, but also in the hidden recesses of the earth. They attribute -the maturing of precious gems and metals to the peculiar influence of -the sun, moon, and stars; and it is a curious fact that they called the -seven metals by the very same names by which they denominated the seven -planets, and the same peculiar hieroglyphic characters are used to this -day to distinguish both. Among them certain stones represented certain -virtues, and not a few were famed for their magical properties. The -months of the year were spirits who exerted their influence over certain -precious stones, which in their turn had power over the destiny of any -person born during the period of their sway. Thus each month has its own -presiding genius in the heavens and its appropriate symbol in the heart -of the earth, bound up with the life and character of the individual -born under their combined influence. The garnet, symbol of the presiding -spirit of January, means constancy; the amethyst, of February, -sincerity; the bloodstone, of March, courage and presence of mind; the -diamond, of April, innocence; the emerald, of May, love; the agate, of -June, health and long life; the carnelian, of July, contentment; -sardonyx, of August, happiness; chrysolite, of September, antidote -against madness, sane mind; opal, of October, hope; topaz, of November, -fidelity; turquoise, of December, prosperity. - -Rings are still used among the more superstitious of the Parsees as -charms and talismans against the evil eye, demons, and most of the ills -inherent to the human flesh. Sometimes the virtue exists in the stone, -sometimes in the magical letters engraved upon it, which are thought to -have the power to preserve the owner from thunder, lightning, -witchcraft, the evil eye, from sin, and from taking cold even when -exposed to biting frosts and storms. - -The ancient history of the Fire-worshippers presents no nobler picture -than that of Zoroaster traversing the wilds of Persia to preach a purer -doctrine to his fellow-men. Before his death he is said to have reduced -the twenty-one books he had written to three immortal maxims: Pure -thoughts, Pure words, Pure deeds. "All pure thought is spirit-worship, -or religion," said he, going at once to the root of the matter, "and all -pure actions are fed by the immortal dew of heaven;" this dew is -_virtue_, and he calls it the vapor which the pure-hearted inhale from -the heart of the eternal Sun. - -What a nation does thoroughly, she does for all time. So it was with the -ancient Persians: centuries after the death of their great teacher they -kept their faith in one God firm and inviolate amid the most crushing -persecution. On the final conquest of Persia the unrelenting soldiers of -the Caliphat forced at the point of the sword one hundred thousand -persons daily to abjure their faith. Thousands upon thousands were -slaughtered daily; only a few escaped and fled to the mountains of -Khorasan, taking with them a lamp lighted from the sacred Fire. From -these mountains they were again driven forth by the Mohammedans four -hundred years after, and the little band of Zoroastrians fled once more, -to the beautiful island of Ormuzd, at the mouth of the Persian Gulf. -Here persecution still followed them, and, driven out again, the little -colony put to sea, still taking with them their sacred lamp, which had -been preserved from extinction through all those troublous years. - -They had hardly lost sight of land when a terrific storm overtook them, -and their little fleet was soon deprived of all hope of escape. -Voluntarily exiled from their native land, they had fled from place to -place for protection; the mountains refused to hide them, the earth to -shelter them, and now even the sea and all the elements rose up against -them--all but their little feeble lamp, which, according to their -historians, continued to burn brightly in spite of the dreadful storm. -At length the high priest of Zoroaster resolved to hoist their sacred -lamp as a signal to the tempest-driven little fleet to join in prayer. -Up rose the horn lantern containing the sacred light to the masthead of -the dahstur's (or high priest's) vessel. The little fleet of boats and -ships tried to draw near to the precious beacon, but the winds blew and -the tempest beat upon their vessels. All undismayed, straining their -utmost and peering through the gloom, they turned them in the direction -of the sacred light. Then up above the din and roar of that angry -surging sea the prayer of that faithful little company ascended to the -Invisible, the shining Ahura-Mazda, for help in their sore distress. - -Next morning the storm had abated, and they landed at Diva, on the coast -of Western Hindostan, where they disembarked, and remained nineteen -years, whence they migrated in a body to Sajan, twenty-four miles south -of Damaun. The Hindoo king, Ranah Jayadeva, granted an asylum to the -fugitives. - -After centuries of cruel persecution the exiles at length found refuge -from the enemies of their faith among the Hindoos, who had separated -from them in the dim dawn of history because of a religious feud, but -whose antagonism touched only names and other non-essential rites, the -worship of light as the Creator's highest symbol remaining unchanged for -both. Though they had drifted farther and farther apart, the latter in -the multiplying of symbols, while the former gradually dispensed with -even those they once regarded as a part of their worship, they still -remained united in their worship of fire. - -In 721 A. D. they erected their first Fire-temple on Indian soil at -Sajan, and the sacred fire was once more kindled on its altars by means -of their little lamp, the flame of which they had so religiously -preserved. To the Fire-worshipper this first temple on Indian soil -seemed a resurrection of hope, of reality, striking deep into their -fervent hearts and binding them to one another by a subtler and diviner -fire. From this time the Parsees rose to importance in India. They -greatly aided the Portuguese and Dutch settlers in the establishment of -mills and factories all along the coast of Guzerat. Owing to their -enterprising spirit, Surat, Cambay, and Baroda grew into large and -influential cities and attracted all the extensive commerce of the East. -When the island of Bombay was ceded to the British a colony of Parsees -emigrated thither, and, having purchased a part of Malabar Hill from the -British, built there a Fire-temple and a tower of silence, or tomb for -the reception of their dead, and here was brought the same sacred fire -and rekindled once more on the altar of their first temple in Bombay. - -No country in the world has witnessed so many revolutions as Persia. -Nevertheless, the moral and physical condition of the Fire-worshippers, -who are still found centring about Yezd and Ispahan, has remained much -the same as when they called the country their own. They certainly are -superior in moral character to the Mohammedans of Persia to-day. In the -garden adjoining the harem of the present shah none are employed save -Zoroastrians, and this is because of their national character for -purity. As for the Parsee women, they are remarkable for their chastity, -an unchaste woman being unknown among them. - -In Persia, however, the Parsees are subject to heavy taxation, from -which the Moslem population is entirely free, and the distress to which -the poorer Parsees are reduced in order to pay this tax is deplorable. -Unheard-of cruelties are practised, and many as a last resource abandon -their homes to escape the extortions of the annual tax-gatherer. All -means of instruction are also closed to the children of the -Fire-worshippers in Persia. "The Parsees of Bombay, hearing of the -distress of their co-religionists, have recently caused schools to be -established in various parts of Persia, where instruction is imparted -gratuitously to the children of the Zoroastrians." - -When we remember that the Parsees of Bombay are the descendants of a -small colony of ancient Fire-worshippers who emigrated from Persia more -than a thousand years ago under circumstances the most overwhelming, it -is a matter of wonder that this people should have risen with the -progress of British power in India to wealth, honor, and dignity in -every condition of life. More than once, even after they had established -themselves in Guzerat, they were all but decimated by the sword of the -conquering Moslem. But up again they rose each time, creating anew the -old life, starting afresh on the same old basis, nothing discouraged, -remembering with deeper appreciation the old promise of their earliest -priest and founder, "that to persevering mortals the blessed immortals -are swift." - -It is impossible not to be struck with the life and history of this -people--a history of endless defeat and persecution, a life of the -closest unity and steadfastness. And this oneness of purpose, by which -they have distinguished themselves for so many centuries, has a still -closer relation to their moral and religious character. Whatever may be -the errors and defects of the religion of the Fire-worshipper, the -comprehensiveness and unity of his national character demand our respect -and admiration. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[11] Minute instructions for the preparation of this sacred fire in case -of its accidental extinction or in the first building of a temple are -given in the "Fargard," one of the books of the Zend-Avesta. Fires from -sixteen different places are necessary. One of the most indispensable -ingredients in the building of the Fire is the flame by which a _dead -body is burned_, though the body itself is held as the most impure of -all things. Still, the fire which has consumed it is essential, as -containing the most mysterious of all created substances, "electricity," -which is thought to be more abundant in the human body than elsewhere in -nature; it is called "naçupâka." This fire is purified by a very -extraordinary process. A certain number of holes are prepared in the -ground called "handarèza," or, in modern Parsee, "andaza," a measure. -The fire is then placed in each of these holes in turn, prayed over by -the chief priest with closed eyes, and blown over with the breath, -already purified by the prayers just uttered. - -The dyer's fire, the potter's, the glass-blower's, blacksmith's, -bricklayer's, gold- and silversmith's, with phosphorus, beeswax, -odoriferous gums, many different kinds of wood, the ashes of the rose -and jessamine-flower, salt of various kinds, etc.,--all these fires and -substances must be brought, after having been purified by the prayers -said over them, to one and the same hearth or altar, called in the -ancient Pehlevi Dâityo-gatus, now corrupted into "Dâdhgah." The -collective fire, combined into one and thus obtained, represents the -essence of nature, the mystic wine of the poets, pervading the whole -universe, even to the most distant stars. This "mystic wine" or -"life-water" is held to be the cause of all the growth, vigor, and -splendor of the physical and mental qualities of animals, men, birds, -beasts, and plants. It is therefore regarded with the deepest reverence. -Before the collection and preparation of this fire the priests who are -to take part in the ceremony must undergo great purification for nine -nights, nine being the most sacred number, as it is the period in which -the human offspring is perfected. The priest must drink the urine of a -cow, sit on stones within the enclosures of certain magic circles; while -moving from one circle to another he must rub his body with cow-urine, -and then with sand, and lastly wash himself from head to foot nine times -in pure cold water. - -[12] The "Hindoo Kush," name for the Caucasian Mountains. - -[13] See Max Müller's _The Origin and Growth of Religion_, p. 195, "The -Gâthas, or Sacred Songs of the Parsees." See Haug's essays on "the -Zend-Avesta." - -[14] See Max Müller's _Chips from a German Workshop_. - -[15] See Max Müller's _Science of Religion_, Lecture IV., page iii. - -[16] See Rawlinson's _Ancient Monarchies_, where he identifies Zoroaster -with the celebrated Median king Kudur-Nakhunta, and says: "A king of -Elam, whose court was held at Susa, led in the year B. C. 2286 (or a -little earlier) an expedition against the cities of Chaldæa, succeeded -in carrying all before him, ravaged the country, took the towns, -plundered the temples, and bore off the images of the deities which the -Babylonians especially reverenced. This king's name, which was -Kudur-Nakhunta, is thought to be the exact equivalent of one which has a -worldwide celebrity--to wit, Zoroaster. Now, according to Polyhistor, -who certainly repeats Berosus, Zoroaster was the first of those eight -Median kings who composed the second dynasty in Chaldæa and occupied the -throne from about B. C. 2286 to 2052. The Medes are represented by him -as capturing Babylon at this time, and imposing themselves as rulers -upon the country. Eight kings reign in the space of 234 or 224 years, -after which we hear no more of Medes, the sovereignty being (as it would -seem) recovered by the natives. The coincidences of the conquest, the -date, the foreign sovereignty, and the name Zoroaster, tend to identify -the Median dynasty of Berosus with a period of Susanian supremacy which -the monuments show to have been established in Chaldæa at a date not -long subsequent to the reigns of Urukh and Ilgi, and to have lasted for -a considerable period." - -[17] A collection of heroic poems on the ancient histories of Persia and -her kings, by Firdoosi. - -[18] See Martin Haug's _Essays on the Sacred Language, Writings, and -Religion of the Parsees_. - -[19] The Persian writers of the Middle Ages ascribed to Zoroaster a long -series of prodigies and miracles without end; to which both Pliny and -Eubulus, giving the last echoes of popular traditions, allude. - -[20] The Uncreated, the Eternal. He has had no beginning, and will have -no end.--_The Yasnahs._ - -[21] To reconcile the existence of these two absolute Beings, coequal -and coeternal, the doctrine of the Zarvanians was conceived in later -times. This sect, which flourished about the time of Alexander the -Great, supposed an unconditioned existence prior and Superior to -Ahura-Mazda, Ormuzd, and Ahriman, called "time without limit," -Zaravan-Akarana, from whom emanated the two spirits or principles of -good and evil. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - - Domestic Life of the Fire-worshippers.--The Zend-Avesta.--Parsee - Rites and Ceremonies at Birth, Marriage, Death, and Final - Consignment to the Tower of Silence. - - -Before we cross the private threshold with a view to take a peep at the -domestic life of the Parsees it may be well to state that "Avesta," in -one of its deepest significations, is said to be the symbol of womanly -fervor and purity. Among the early Zoroastrians it was consecrated in -the _fire_ that burned on the hearth, which typified the inviolability -of the family, through which the sacredness attached to Asha[22] as the -centre and preserver of the order of the universe is reflected upon and -consecrated in the mother as the immediate centre of the home, "the -transmitter of human life," and the preserver of family bonds. - -The ancient Fire-worshippers are commanded in their religious books to -watch over the woman in the home. It is a religious obligation. In the -first male child centre the past, present, and future glory of the -father. Children have always been the desire, "the crown of glory," to -an Oriental. Thus the mother became in the Zend-Avesta the "holy mystic -one," through whom man himself was born again as a son. She was the -goddess of abundance, the irradiator of his hearth and home. - -While the procreative and nutritive offices of woman called forth deep -religious enthusiasm and veneration, the peculiar physical difference -which these entailed on her appealed to a dawning sense of chivalric -generosity; and it was a tender regard for her physical liabilities that -first led to the institution of distinct rules for her life at times and -seasons when she was most likely to be overworked, oppressed, or unduly -taxed; and these rules time has rendered fixed and absolute as the -Medo-Persic laws. But all through this rigidness of custom are seen not -only a tenderness for the weakness of woman, but a high appreciation of -her ideality and beauty. - -[Illustration: A PARSEE LADY.] - -"A wife cannot be set aside, save for the crime of adultery alone. She -may be superseded because of barrenness, but not a beloved and virtuous -wife. It is better to be childless here and hereafter than to wound or -grieve her for a moment. And in any case let her not be set aside but by -her own consent and free will." In all such cases she must be supported -and cared for tenderly until death. It was an unpardonable offence -against _God_ to leave a wife destitute and without support. Unmarried -daughters--a very rare occurrence among the Parsees--are entitled to an -equal share of the mother's estate. A wife is not responsible for the -debts of husband or son, whereas they are held strictly responsible for -hers, and the son is enjoined, as the highest duty to the gods, to -support his mother after the death of her husband. In a husband habitual -vices--such as profligacy, intemperance, cruelty--insanity, and -impotence, were held sufficient excuse for aversion. She was neither to -be punished nor deprived of her property in any such case. - -A father is strictly forbidden to sell his daughter--_i. e._ to take -money in any shape whatever when giving her in marriage, but is -enjoined, on the contrary, to furnish her with a handsome dowry. - -The Parsee woman is as independent in her home and marriage relations as -the European, although the universal seclusion of high-born Hindoo and -Mohammedan women has not been without its influence on her domestic -life. The first use of the veil among the Persian women was as a symbol -of dignity and honor rather than of concealment from motives of modesty. -In the early days of the Zoroastrians woman was held not so much as an -equal, but as something superior in the home. In social rights and -home-duties the husband and wife shared alike, and side by side they -ministered to the holy fires on their household hearths. In the -"Prajapatya" form, which, though _Vèdic_, is equally binding on the -Fire-worshipper, the bride and bridegroom are distinctly enjoined to -perform together their civil and religious duties. But the poetic love -and reverence which surrounded woman in the early days of the Aryans, -and which is still unsurpassed in all their literature, struck deeper -than laws or rules, and in a burst of generous and spiritual enthusiasm -"all men were commanded to bow the knee in filial reverence before the -mother of a family, declaring a mother to be greater, more blessed, -than a thousand fathers." Thus we see how much the simple fact of -maternity tended to elevate woman in the home. And the desire to foster -and protect her led these early worshippers to typify womanly purity as -ever sacred, and as ever ready to comfort and cheer the heart of man as -is the carefully-watched fire that burned on their altars. - -But, alas! the rules and obligations which were originally intended for -her safety and happiness are now forged into iron fetters to bind her, -too often a willing slave, to the caprice of man, and have been used, -and still are urged, against her higher advancement to the privileges of -a liberal education. - -Nevertheless, there are among the Parsees even to-day a few -old-fashioned observances which might be introduced with great advantage -to the wife and mother among the laboring and even richer classes of -European nations. For instance, even in the poorest families there are -certain days when the woman is considered unfit to cook, wash, bake, -sweep the floor, or light the house-lamp. So strenuous are the laws -against her working at these times that among certain persons her touch -is held to pollute the thing or person that comes into close contact -with her. She is forbidden to perform even the lighter offices which may -fall to her share in the house. She separates herself from the family on -such occasions. If she is too poor to keep a servant, her husband is -enjoined to do her part of the housework in addition to his own outdoor -labor, whatever that may be. The same rules apply to all female -servants. - -During pregnancy woman is held sacred among both Persians and Hindoos. -Their laws are fixed and absolute on all points relating to maternity, -whereas in European countries women are often treated with less kindness -and consideration than the household and domestic animals. Disregarded -by man, she is too apt to neglect and overwork herself at such times. -But in the Parsee code of laws maternity and childbirth are protected by -deep religious obligations. "All harsh words, anger, sorrow, anything -that will occasion pain of mind and body, are to be kept away from the -woman with child." "She is forbidden all strong drink, all unhealthy -intercourse with neighbors and friends; she cannot travel from home or -from place to place, or look upon unsightly objects, or listen to any -but pleasant and familiar sounds." In fact, woman at such times is to be -guarded with an especial religious care, "as the household priestess or -divinity, who is on the eve of unveiling the future greatness and glory -of the family by the gift of a male child." - -Another and a very old superstition among the early Aryans and Parsees, -if we may call these tender observances by such a name, is that the -living, thinking, intelligent soul (which is held to be distinct from -the life) of the child takes up its habitation in the heart and pulse of -the unborn babe forty-nine days, or seven times seven sunrises and -sunsets, before its advent into the world. This curious belief makes -them regard the mother at such times as overshadowed by the presence of -a divine being. Hence, before the "holy breath" has animated the unborn -babe the mother is conveyed with religious care to the ground-floor of -the house. There are both spiritual and physical reasons for this step: -that she may not be disturbed by the ordinary household cares and jars; -that the child should enter into the world on the solid breast of the -great mother of all, the earth; and that she may not undergo the fatigue -of climbing stairs, which Oriental women very much dislike. Here she -remains fifty days, and sometimes even more, before, and forty days -after, the birth of her child, tenderly cared for by every member of -the family, for to neglect her at such a time is to forfeit the -blessings of the seven high angels who are about the throne of -Ahura-Mazda. - -In the centre of her chamber there is an enclosed spot, sometimes -provided with a cot, and all around it is a low wall or a light fence to -guard off all irreverent approach. At the time of delivery her women -place her in this sacred spot, and here, in the heart and centre of the -Fire-worshipper's _home_, the newborn child is ushered into the world. - -Among the Hindoos, and even among the more uneducated of the Parsees, -these observances have lost their original signification, and have -dwindled down not only to a mere ritual ceremony, but are corrupted into -a gross superstition. The poor mother is now looked upon as being -impure,[23] and her seclusion from the rest of the family necessary to -preserve the entire household from the much-dreaded pollution of -childbirth; therefore none of the members of the household will approach -or touch the mother--not from a fear of harming her, but rather of -pollution to themselves--until forty days after her confinement and -after she has undergone a series of purifications and performed a great -many sacramental rites. - -The whole course of the future life is carefully traced out for every -child that is born unto the world. First of all, at the moment of birth -it is the duty of the nurse and midwife to carefully observe the time, -the hour, the signs, and marks, and any and every unusual occurrence -which may happen at the moment of delivery, particularly the aspect of -the heavens at the time of day; if at night, the appearance of the moon -and stars, and all such phenomena. All these and the exact moment of the -infant's birth are noted down. The newborn child is also carefully -examined as to its physical conditions, and these also are commented -upon and set down for the use of the astrologer. The mother too has -especial attention bestowed upon her; incense is kept burning at her -bedside; she is fumigated twice a day by means of a censer in which -odoriferous gums are burnt; tapers are lit and sent as offerings to the -Fire-temples, with wine, fruit, flowers, sweet oils, and frankincense -and myrrh. - -On the seventh day after the birth of the child an astrologer and priest -are invited to determine the horoscope of the newborn infant. The -former, having ascertained the moment of birth and all other notable -things with regard to mother and child, begins by drawing on a wooden -board a set of hieroglyphics in chalk as curious as they are -complicated, and his dexterity in counting and recounting the stars -under whose influence the child is supposed to be born is marvellous; -after which all the assembled relatives press forward, especially the -father, eager and trembling to hear the astrologer predict in a solemn -voice the future life and prospects of the newborn babe. - -According to these curious speculations, if the child is born at the -point of Cancer he will be a great man; if at the point of Capricorn, he -will be a great priest and reformer. Under the influence of the planet -Saturn he will be distinguished for intelligence (though some priests -hold the influence of Saturn to be dark and sinister over human life); -if under Jupiter, for power and physical strength. If he happens to be -born at the moment of the arrival of the sun at the summer solstice, the -child is looked upon as the favorite of Heaven, and every good fortune -is predicted as the result. Should the planet Mars preside at the time -of birth, they foretell great trouble and sorrow; if Mercury, poverty -and early death; under Venus, contentment and peace; and under the moon, -a numerous progeny. The astrologer then enumerates the names which are -the most appropriate for the child to bear, so as to mark his or her -astral relations; the parents make a choice of one of them. The -Fire-priest then takes the babe and places it on his knees, waves a lamp -lighted from the sacred fire over it, calls aloud its name, and implores -Ahura-Mazda to fulfil all the good and avert all the evil predicted by -the stars of heaven at the hour of its birth. - -After the expiration of the forty days, and having undergone seven -purifications by fire and smoke and various incense fumigations, the -mother returns to the family circle as before, but is exempted from much -arduous work while nursing her infant. - -I was fortunate enough to be present one evening at the house of Shet -Dorabjee, a Parsee merchant of Bombay, when one of their most beautiful -services was held. It was the simple act of lighting their evening lamp, -which in every Parsee household is one of the most sacred duties. This -lamp is poetically called "the dispeller of darkness." It is always -lighted in the evening, but goes out at dawn. Besides this, an earthen -and ever-burning lamp is preserved in almost all Parsee homes. - -On the occasion when I happened to be present at the house of Shet -Dorabjee the front door was gently closed at twilight. The family, of -whom there were no less than forty-five persons, assembled around this -"hearth-lamp." My charming hostess and friend, the lady Shet Dorabjee, -repaired to the secret chamber, kindled her torch at the perpetual fire, -mingled its flame with her breath by lightly blowing on it, returned, -and lighted the hearth-lamp. Then the family all stood up--father, -mother, sisters, brothers, children, and grandchildren--no stranger -being allowed to join the circle. I stood aside and quietly watched the -scene. With their arms crossed upon their breasts while the mother was -lighting the evening lamp, they repeated this prayer (of which I -obtained the translation): "O Ahura-Mazda, thou who dwellest where the -sun never shines, where the lightnings flash not, from that world, thy -secret hiding-place, kindle our hearts to worship the pure Lord of -Purity;" to which the whole family responded, "So be it, O Divine -Illuminator." - -Consecration into the Zoroastrian religion takes place in the seventh -year of a child's life. First comes the strange purification by washing -the child's body and face with the urine of the cow. This curious and -disgusting custom is said to be handed down from the most ancient times, -when this liquid was regarded as a very effective remedy against any -disorder of the bodily organs. This done, a prayer is repeated, and the -body is bathed again in pure water. There is a second and a third -process, each called purification; the second consists of standing face -to face with the fire, and praying to the Light without beginning or -end; the third in repeating, with arms crossed, the Zoroastrian creed -and acknowledging the truth of the Zoroastrian religion. - -The child is then seated before the high priest, who puts on him a linen -garment of nine seams and a woollen girdle of seventy-two threads. -These are the exact number of the sacred books of the Fire-worshippers. -These two are called the "garments of the pure and faithful," and the -whole ceremony is concluded with a benediction of fire and prayer, the -former being waved round and round over the child, and the latter being -chanted. - -The last and peculiar initiation takes place when the youth has attained -his fourteenth year. He stands clad in pure white among the priests and -his assembled relatives and friends in the Fire-temple. Here he repeats -his vows; the priests warn him of certain temptations that will beset -his youth and manhood, and the shame and suffering that will follow him -through life if he should prove unfaithful to the higher instincts of -his nature. They then invite him to drink the "homa" or "soma" juice, -and to join them in practising purity in thought, word, and deed. - -The "soma," or moon-plant, is a round smooth twining plant peculiar to -the Aravalli Hills; it is also found in the deserts north of Delhi and -in the mountain-passes of the Bolan, and it is imported into Bombay. It -possesses not only medicinal, but, when allowed to ferment, slightly -intoxicating, properties. It is the privilege of the Fire-priests and -the most devout of the congregation to partake once a month, at the time -of the new moon, of this intoxicating juice. Those who are about to -partake of it generally abstain from food from sunrise till noon, which -is the hour for celebrating this ceremony. - -A day or two before the appearance of the new moon the stalks of this -plant are bruised with the tender shoots of the acacia and with -pomegranates, extracting thereby an acrid greenish juice. This is put in -a strainer of goat's hair, after which it must be pressed through by the -priest's fingers; this juice, mixed with barley and clarified butter, -is allowed to ferment, when it forms the "soma wine." On the first -morning after the new moon is seen in the heavens the Fire-priests -repair to their temple, where, after certain prayers and chants, the -soma-juice is drawn off in a vessel; a portion is thrown into a sacred -well as a libation to the earth, a ladleful is drank by the priests, and -the residue is handed round to the people who are present. The priests -then join hands and wait for the stimulating properties to reach the -brain, whereupon they wheel round chanting a hymn full of mystical -meaning. - -Strange as it may seem to us, the exhilarating property of this drink is -supposed to shadow forth the presence of divine life in the soul, and -this life of thought and emotion is often poetically called "wine"--"the -wine that fills creation's cup."[24] - -The Parsees in worshipping the sun turn their faces to the rising -luminary, and, holding before them branches of certain trees, chant -aloud. In our early-morning rides on Malabar Hill, as the sun made his -first appearance above the horizon, the white-robed priests of Iran were -always before us, crowding the summit of the hill; they could be seen -with their faces turned eastward, with branches of acacia raised aloft -in their hands, singing their morning hymn to the god of day.[25] - -We knew personally several of the Fire-priests of Bombay. They seemed -less intelligent than the ordinary Parsees, and some of them went -through their religious duties mechanically and without any of that -religious fervor that I had noticed in the Brahmans; but I have seen -others who were both intelligent and extremely devout. - -Among the Fire-worshippers the marriage of one's children is the first -and earliest consideration. Marriage is held a high sacred and religious -obligation, and mothers often pledge their children in marriage before -they are born, and if their children prove of the right sex their pledge -is held sacred. In most cases, however, the priests are the go-betweens -or the matchmakers. This is held as one of the most important of the -ministerial duties that fall to the care of a Fire-priest. As soon as a -Parsee sees what he and his wife consider an eligible mate for his son -or daughter, direct negotiations are opened with the parents by means of -the Fire-priest, who calls on the parties, and after some few -preliminary questions with regard to the temper and disposition of the -proposed mother-in-law on the part of the relatives of the young maiden, -the Fire-priest (who cannot proceed until he has examined the respective -horoscopes) demands the birth-paper of the little maiden in question, -who, perhaps all unconscious of what is going on, may be frequently seen -hiding behind her mother and peering timidly at the white-robed -Fire-priest who is about to decide one of the most important events of -her future life. - -Everything depends on the positions of their respective stars. The stars -once declared favorable, however, matters proceed rapidly and the -betrothal takes place. This consists of an exchange of dresses from the -parents of the young couple; but so rigid are their rules that the -acceptance of this simple gift is held by each of the parents as the -sign of an indissoluble bond between the children. - -Even the day for the celebration of the marriage (after the children -have arrived at the respective ages of eighteen for the boy and fifteen -to sixteen for the maiden) is selected by the Fire-priests. Indeed, -there are only a few days in the year held propitious for marriage by -both the Hindoo and Parsee. So many marriages take place on these -favored days that to a stranger it would appear as if the entire native -population was being married off. - -We were invited to the celebration of the marriage of Munchejee -Sorabjee's daughter, a very beautiful girl and a great heiress in her -own right, her late uncle having left her a very large fortune. We -arrived early, so as to witness the whole ceremony from beginning to -end. - -It was a lovely place near Mazagaum. The house was approached through -grand old groves; there were rustic seats here and there, and inviting -grassy slopes whence one could catch glimpses of the distant sea. We -were shown into a spacious hall, where we took our places, with several -other European guests, on divans arranged along the walls. - -Just before sunset the bridegroom's party arrived in full dress of pure -white, all save the turban, which was of a dark chocolate color, -ornamented with precious stones. Each of the gentlemen attached to the -bridegroom's party had garlands of white flowers around his neck. Behind -these came a long row of Fire-priests in flowing white linen robes, -white turbans, and long white silk scarfs. - -The nuptial ceremony must always be held on the ground-floor, and after -all the guests, some three or four hundred Parsees, had taken their -places round the hall, there was heard a gentle buzz of expectation. All -eyes turned involuntarily to the great lofty door at the western -extremity of the room. It opened, and for a moment the young bride stood -still, hesitating at the threshold of the unknown future before her. -Presently both bride and bridegroom entered. I never saw a more graceful -or more beautiful creature than this young Parsee bride. Her dress was -exquisitely simple--white satin trousers fastened at the ankle, above a -pale blue silk bodice covered with some sort of rich white embroidery, -and over it all, wound round her whole person, half veiling her face, -was a semi-transparent flowing scarf, every curve and twist of which was -arranged with the most artistic effect. They walked in side by side. A -murmur of delight ran through the audience at the delicate downcast -face, the grace, and the beauty of the half-veiled maiden figure before -us. When the couple reached the centre of the hall they bowed down and -performed a sort of mystic prostration to Mother Earth in the presence -of the Fire-priests. They then stood up, joined hands, and waited for -the auspicious moment. All eyes were turned upon the youthful pair; -every one was almost breathless with tender expectation, save the -Fire-priests, who watched the sunlight fading out of the sky. With the -vanishing of the last shimmering gleam of light the ceremony began. -Torches and lamps were kindled with fire from their temple by the -Fire-priests, who approached the young couple, and, waving round them -the sacred light, sprinkled them with consecrated water; then taking an -immense "purda," or veil, placed it over one of their number and over -the bride and groom, who were shrouded beneath its folds for some -minutes; meanwhile other priests chanted the following hymn: "O man, in -the name of the great Ahura-Mazda, be ever pure and faithful, and bright -in good actions as the immortal Light. Be ever worthy of all praise and -honor in the heart of this woman, now thy wife. May the spirits of fire, -sun, and water give thee wisdom! May the peaceful earth, whose fragrance -is excellent, whose breasts contain the heavenly drink, fill thee with -the purity of the Pure and the benevolence of the great Yohoo mano -(beneficent spirit) toward this woman thy wife!" - -Then the chant is addressed to the bride: "O woman of mysterious body, -be thou immortal like Kosru (one of the fixed stars). Be full of -understanding for thyself, thy husband, and the fruit of thy body, as a -capacious vessel full of love, fervid as the sun by day, tender and pure -as the moon by night; heavy laden as the cow (clouds) with moisture" -(meaning heavy laden with kindness, as the clouds with moisture). "Be -serene, be wise, be steady as the fixed stars. May Ahura-Mazda give you -fire for brightness and purity, the sun for exalted rule! May the -shadowless night give you the moon for increase and the sky for life -everlasting!" - -The instant the chanting--which was drawled out in monotone by the -assembly of the Fire-priests--ceased the great white veil was withdrawn, -and the young couple were man and wife. - -The bride then, blushing scarlet and looking if possible still more -lovely than before, received the eager and hearty congratulations of her -friends and relatives, who pressed around her and embraced her. Her -mother and aunts wept with joy and poured tender benedictions on her -young head. It was a trying ordeal for the poor girl. I noted every -shade of feeling that passed over her face. She wore a look of -constraint, every now and then blushing crimson; she bit her lips in -order to keep herself from giving way to her own conflicting emotions. - -After this came the bridegroom's turn to salute and be saluted by his -own and his wife's relatives. A knot of gay young Parsee gentlemen -surrounded him with welcome sounds of greeting and laughter when the -next important part of the ceremony began. A young Parsee lad, -magnificently dressed, appeared, bringing in a large bowl of milk, and a -charmingly dressed young maiden advanced, the younger sister of the -bride, with a _choole_, or vest, belonging to the newly-made wife. - -That "there is only one step from the sublime to the ridiculous" is -only too true, for this rare and unique ceremony was absolutely -concluded by the Fire-priests washing the toes of the bridegroom in the -milk, and then they rubbed his face all over with the cast-off garment -of his wife. As far as I could understand, the one was a sign of the -great future happiness in store for the husband, and the other that he -was no longer his own master, but henceforth under petticoat government. -It is but just to add that most of the Parsee gentlemen present seemed -to have outgrown this ridiculous custom, but the ladies smirked and -giggled and seemed to enjoy it immensely. - -After this came the end. The happy but confused-looking young couple -retired (dripping with rose and jessamine waters showered over them) to -their new abode, which in most cases is in the paternal home of the -husband. - -The Parsees have but few festivals; the birthday of Zoroaster and their -New Year's Day are the most important. The former is held in the month -of October, and it is a sight worth seeing. The men, women, and -children, magnificently dressed in gold-wrought silks and flashing -jewels, crowd the Fire-temples with offerings of fruit and flowers. Long -processions of priests robed in pure white take turns in officiating, -and chant after chant ascends from the temples to the shining -Ahura-Mazda, accompanied with invocations to the spirits of the -righteous dead, and to the seven high angels around the throne. The -beautiful half-veiled women, the lovely children, the noble-looking -fathers of families with their numberless sons standing at their right -hand, and the priests magnifying and feeding the sacred flame from -sunrise to sunset, form a sight as inspiring as it is novel. - -Their Noow Rooz, or New Year's Day, is observed very much as we do -ours. The poor and destitute of all castes and creeds have alms, food, -and clothes distributed to them by the rich and great, poor relations -receive presents, and among friends kindly visits and gifts are -exchanged. - -The costume of this peculiar people is exceedingly simple, and said to -be made obligatory on them by the rajah of Sajan on their first landing -on Indian soil. That of the man consists of a long seamless muslin or -silk shirt or tunic reaching to the knees, a woollen girdle with -tassels, and a pair of silk trousers; when going out he puts on a sort -of tunic, with a short silk vest over it; the modern Parsee gentlemen -has also adopted shoes and stockings. The cap or turban by which a -Parsee is distinguished is bound round a frame in the form of a little -round tower, slightly higher on the right side. The stuff of which it is -constructed is a peculiar manufacture made at Surat expressly for the -Parsee turban. It is a sort of stiff paper-muslin, figured, and -generally of a dark-red or chocolate color, bound round the frame -smoothly, till it is made to assume this one particular form of a -conical tower (typical of their earliest Fire-temple), around which -emeralds and rubies are arranged on great festal occasions. - -The Parsee women that I met and visited in Bombay were, on the whole, -remarkably good-looking as girls; before they conceal their fine curly -hair they are really beautiful, and the children among the loveliest and -happiest to be found in the East. - -The women are fair-complexioned, with a delicate brunette tinge, with -large eyes and regular features, often exquisitely formed, owing to -their dress being freed from anything like pressure on the body; but -they rob themselves of a part of their beauty by the custom of -concealing their beautiful hair under white linen bands bound around -the brow. They wear very wide silk trousers, gathered and fastened at -the ankles, over this a silk tunic, often descending in graceful folds -to the feet and bound at the waist, while a deep, wide scarf of silk or -some other light texture gracefully drapes the whole person and serves -at once the double purpose of a head-dress and a veil. - -They occupy in their homes a much more honorable position than either -the Hindoo or Moslem women. They enjoy almost as much freedom as -European women. I used to meet them in the streets and bazaars, driving -in their open carriages, surrounded by their bright, happy-looking -children. - -So careful are the Parsees of their national honor that in the whole -island of Bombay there exists neither paupers nor prostitutes among the -followers of this religion. Polygamy is unknown among them. A wife can -only be put away for immoral conduct. She is tried by the Punchayet or -Parsee court, and if found guilty repudiated amid the whole assembly; -formerly she was put to death. - -The ceremonies attending the death of a Parsee are very singular. When a -person is about to die he is conveyed to the ground-floor, washed in -consecrated water, and his face anointed with holy oil. A lamp or lamps -lighted from the sacred fire in the temple are placed by the dying man's -bed, and priests stand before him with folded arms crossed on their -breasts, and pray for him in a most earnest and beautiful chant. When -life becomes quite extinct the body is clothed in a new white cotton -shirt of nine seams and a sort of apron, which is thrown over the face. -This is bound by a new and sacred girdle of seventy-two threads. The -body is then placed on an oblong stone on the floor. - -But the most curious part of all is, that along with the Fire-priests -the house-dog is brought in, and after they have offered up prayer and -praise in the presence of the assembled family, the dog is taken up to -the dead body of his friend and master and exhorted to conduct him -safely into paradise. If the dog should lick affectionately, as -heretofore, the face, or even hands or feet, of his dead friend, it is -held as a most auspicious sign of the dead man's ready admittance into -heaven. It is but just to add here that the more refined and intelligent -Parsees have outgrown this absurd custom and superstition; but the more -ignorant certainly believe that every dog has an angel spirit residing -in some star, whence it issues forth to convey the souls of the good -safely into heaven.[26] - -When the time for the removal of the body approaches, lamps lighted from -the sacred fires burn around the corpse. The priests stand face to face -with the dead, singing praises to the immortal Light; finally, their -last prayer or exhortation to the dead soul is chanted. This done, the -body, covered with white garments, the hands crossed on the breast, is -laid on a long open bier. A number of priests robed in pure white carry -the bier to the dohkma or tower of silence, and there the long -procession of friends and relatives stand in a circle praying with arms -folded, heads bowed, and lips moving silently, while the Fire-priests -place the dead body on a long slide and slip it on the iron gratings of -this strange circular tomb, to be devoured by birds of prey. - -On the third day they pray again in the Fire-temple that the soul of the -dead may ascend to heaven, for, according to their sacred books, on the -third day "he reaches Mithra (Sun-god), rising above the mountains -resplendent in his own spotless purity;" then he comes to the bridge of -the "_Gatherer_" where he is asked as to the conduct of his soul while -living in the world. If he is pure, a beautiful, tall, swift spirit, -called Serosh, comes thither with a dog, a nine-knotted hook, and the -twigs of the "Barsom;" these things are considered efficacious for -keeping off evil spirits and guiding him over the heavenly bridge -(Chinvat). Here a most exquisite form meets him, lovely and smiling, and -when he questions the beautiful maiden, "Who art thou shining so -brightly on the wide shore?" she replies, "I am all thy good works, pure -thoughts, and pure words, O man." She then takes his hand, leads him -smiling and joyous to the archangel Yohoo mano, who rises from his -golden throne and speaks thus to the soul: "How happy it is that you -have come here to us from mortality to immortality!" Then the soul goes -joyfully to Ahura-Mazda, and resides for ever with the immortal saints, -praising the unbegotten, self-created Light. - -Though the Fire-worshippers believe in the resurrection, they do not -hold that it is to be made in the same body; their reverence therefore -follows the soul, and not the body deserted by its spiritual tenant, -while their reverence for the earth, water, and fire is so profound that -they hold burial, cremation, or even casting the ashes into the waters, -a sacrilege against the elements. The original idea in exposing the body -to the weather was Brahmanic--that of absorption by the elements. The -dead body was restored to the sun, air, and sky, to be reunited and -launched on the bosom of that "_vast Illimitable_" whence it had sprung. - -The Parsees also hold all birds sacred, as a sort of spiritual agent of -universal purification, through whose agency all gross, unclean -substances pass into healthy conditions. For these reasons the towers of -silence which receive the dead spoil are open to the sky, and by means -of the bird of prey it re-enters almost immediately into the domain of -life and health and purity. - -From the universal testimony of pagan or Christian travellers we find -that the Fire-worshippers of India are thought to be more honorable in -their dealings with one another, and even with strangers, than the -generality of Asiatics, and even than those peoples professing -Christianity. They rarely resort to written contracts, as their word is -the best bond. Benevolence is said to flow in their veins, so -conspicuous have they become for their love of charity. The Rev. Mr. -Avington, during his stay at Surat so early as 1698, bore testimony to -the fact that the Parsees there were ever more ready to provide for the -comfort and support of the poor and suffering than even the Christians; -and this reputation they bear to this day in India. The Bombay -government voted thanks so far back as 1790 to Sorabjee Muncherjee, who -during the scarcity that prevailed at that time daily fed at his own -expense two thousand people, comprising Jews, Christians, Mohammedans, -and Hindoos. Mrs. Graham, in her journal of a residence in India, -declares that she was enraptured with the simplicity, purity, and -never-ceasing kindliness of the Parsee community; and every one in India -is familiar with the name of that very prince of benevolence and -kindliness, the venerable Parsee baronet Sir Jamsetjee Jeeboy, knighted -by the queen of England for his unbounded charities, which are not only -unsurpassed, but without a parallel, in ancient or modern times. He has -done more in his lifetime for Western India, in feeding the poor, -releasing unhappy prisoners for debt, building causeways, founding -schools and colleges for the education of all castes and conditions of -men and women, erecting hospitals for the relief of the suffering poor, -benevolent institutions for the deformed, spacious resting-places, or -dhurrum-salas, for weary travellers in all parts of India, stupendous -aqueducts, wells, and tanks, than any other single individual, or even -the East India Company, for the benefit of mankind. Connected with the -Grant Medical College of Bombay is the noble hospital, the gift of this -Parsee baronet; and only a few years ago his family erected a hospital -for incurables near it. An ophthalmic hospital has been opened and -endowed by another liberal Parsee, Cowasjee Jehangheer. - -The late Sir Jamsetjee commenced life in Bombay at the early age of -twelve as a street peddler, selling old bottles, and was called -"Bottle-wallah" to the day of his death. - -In the short space of two centuries of undisturbed industry the Parsees -have placed themselves in competition with the foremost of the Europeans -in India. In liberality and enterprise they rank with the -merchant-princes of England, and may be justly compared to the most -famous merchants that America has produced in the last century, and yet -no question has ever been raised as to the commercial integrity of the -Parsees. In the Indian banks and various other stock companies the -Parsees are prime movers. They are almost the exclusive owners of all -the trading-steamers that now navigate the Indian and China seas. They -are great landholders, and many of the finest residences in the island -of Bombay are owned by Parsees. They have shared largely in introducing -railways into India. Jamsetjee Dorabjee is now considered the foremost -railroad contractor in India. The most difficult passes extending from -the Thull Ghauts to the Kustsarah Mountains, covered with wild jungles, -full of trap hills, mountain-torrents at one season of the year, and -devoid of water at another, were laid open and made as easy of travel by -railroad as the most finished roads in England or America. Many English -officers of the engineer department have declared the building of this -railroad across the Thull Ghauts and Kustsarah a more arduous -undertaking than that of the great Pacific Railroad across the American -continent. - -Europe, during the great American War deprived suddenly of one of the -chief products so necessary to her industries, resorted to India for -cotton, and all at once the island of Bombay became not only the great -centre of trade, but soon attracted to herself merchants and traders in -cotton from the four quarters of the globe, each and all eagerly -competing for the same prize, the monopoly of the cotton-market. -Enormous fortunes were amassed in an incredibly short space of time, and -for a brief period the whole commerce of the great East and West seemed -to flow into the port of the small island of Bombay. Misinformed by the -English press, and seemingly unwilling to investigate for themselves the -true nature of the almost superhuman struggle carried on between kinsmen -for the preservation of State rights and the suppression of slavery on -the American continent, this eager crowd only foresaw what seemed the -most natural, the utter destruction of the great republic of the United -States and the magnificent future for themselves springing from the very -ashes of this ruin. Thus assured, and blinded to every other -consideration, even the wise and hitherto prudent merchants of Bombay -became dazzled with the prospects in view, and launched forth into the -most gigantic enterprises and into rash schemes for the utmost -development of one and all the various resources of the country. -Everywhere this feverish, insatiable thirst to profit by a great -nation's approaching destruction displayed itself. Men and women who had -never dreamed of speculating in stocks, the rich with his hundreds of -thousands and the poor with hardly a few rupees to his name, master and -servant, were alike seized with the distemper called by the few who -looked calmly on "Rupea-Dewana," "the rupee-mad." How changed was the -once happy population! What anxious faces, revealing lines of thought -and care, of midnight toil, of mingled fear and hope! Still, the great -drama went on, and for a short period immense fortunes were made in a -day. But no sooner had the whole island gained sufficient encouragement -to set on foot her gigantic schemes and rash enterprises, no sooner had -she at one final throw staked all on the ruin of the Northern States, -than came the appalling intelligence of General Lee's defeat. A fearful -revulsion followed: sudden panic seized the busy world enclosed in the -small compass of the Bombay "Commercial Square." Like a flock of birds, -the business population took wing and vanished out of sight. The banks -were closed, flourishing houses collapsed, firms disappeared, and an -almost universal ruin stared every one in the face. The very atmosphere -was filled with the despair of men who had so rashly staked all and lost -all. - -Painful as the lesson has been, it was a wholesome one, not only for all -classes of merchants in British India, but for Old England herself. The -merchants of Bombay are once more in their counting-rooms and -warehouses, the banks are as firmly established as ever, with a richer -experience and a more profound insight into the laws which govern the -moral as well as the business world; they yet bid fair to render the -beautiful island of Bambâ Dèvi the heart and centre of all the commerce -of the East, even as she is now, owing to her remarkable sanitary -conditions, the healthiest city in India. She is the second city in the -British empire in point of numbers, having a population of six hundred -thousand, and an average to the square mile exceeding that of London; -nevertheless, the average death-rate for the past five years has been -the same as that of London. - -[Illustration: BOMBAY--UNIVERSITY AND ESPLANADE.] - -FOOTNOTES: - -[22] "It cannot be denied," says Max Müller in his _Origin and Growth of -Religion_, "that in the Avesta, as in the Vèda, _Asha_ may often be -translated by purity, and that it is most frequently used in reference -to the proper performance of the sacrifices. Here the Asha consists in -what is called 'good thoughts, good words, good deeds--good meaning -ceremonially good or correct, without a false pronunciation, without a -mistake in the sacrifice. But there are passages which show that -Zoroaster also recognized the existence of a kosmos or _rita_. He also -tells how the mornings go, and the noons, and the nights, and how they -follow that which has been traced for them; he too admires the perfect -friendship between the sun and the moon and the harmonies of living -nature, the miracles of every birth, and how at the right time there is -food for the mother to give her child. - -"As in the Vèda, so in the Avesta, the universe follows the Asha, the -worlds are the creation of Asha. The faithful while on earth pray for -the maintenance of Asha, while after death they will join Ormuzd in the -highest heaven, the abode of Asha. The pious worshipper protects the -Asha; the world grows and prospers by Asha. The highest law of the world -is Asha, and the highest ideal of the believer is to become Ashavan, -possessed of Asha--_i. e._ righteousness." - -[23] It is now very difficult to ascertain at what period the "dual -principle" of good and evil formulated by Zoroaster was first applied to -the sexes. It is clear, however, that in course of time the masculine -energy came to be regarded as good and holy, and the feminine as evil -and unholy; and there is no doubt that from that time the original idea -of the mother as the household priestess or divinity underwent a slow -but radical change; and at length the fall of woman from the lofty place -assigned to her in the early Vèdic and Zoroastrian religions became an -accomplished fact. - -[24] Omar Khyâm, astronomer-poet of Persia. - -[25] The earliest mention of this practice is found in the eighth -chapter and sixteenth verse of Ezekiel, where that prophet complains -that the Jews turn their backs upon the temple to worship the sun. - -[26] The dog is also brought in to be looked at by the dying man when at -his last gasp. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - - Hindoo Treatment of the Sick.--Pundit's House Defiled.--Its - Purification.--Short Sketch of the Different Races and of the - Origin of Castes and Creeds among the Peoples of Hindostan. - - -The Hindoo treatment of the sick is quite peculiar, and I once had an -opportunity to witness some of its curious features during the illness -of my Sanskrit teacher, the pundit Govind. I was fortunate in this, -since only exceptional circumstances permit a European to pollute with -his presence the dwelling of a high-caste Brahman. Every one knows that -caste still holds the Hindoos under an iron rule, but it is difficult -for us of the Western World to realize, without actual experience, the -tenacity with which its mandates are obeyed even in an extremity. - -For several days Govind had not presented himself to give his usual -morning lesson at the "Aviary." I feared he was ill, but did not venture -to visit him, lest my very shadow might pollute his dwelling and place -him in an unpleasant dilemma with the rest of his high-caste friends. I -began to be alarmed, however, on the third morning of Govind's absence, -and was on the point of starting off to his house, when I observed a -native woman coming toward the "Aviary," her scarlet saree fluttering in -the breeze and making quite a pretty picture in the distance. - -I hastened to the doorstep to meet the stranger. She salââmed to me, but -positively declined to enter the house. As she did so she flung back her -scarf or covering, and from the sectarian mark on her forehead I knew -that she was a high-caste Brahmanee. She stood for a few minutes -breathless and silent, and I do not remember ever having seen a more -delicate and sensitive-looking girl. The saree, which was a scarlet -muslin cloth of Indian manufacture, and decorated with a handsome -border, covered her person from head to foot, leaving the left arm and -shoulder bare. I noticed that she had sandals on her feet and a number -of bangles round her arms and ankles. Her shining black hair was tied in -a massive knot behind and fastened by a gold pin, which also served to -secure the end of her saree as a veil and covering for her head. Her -features, form, arms, hands, and feet were of the most exquisite type, -and her complexion of a rich chocolate-brown. - -She at length lifted her dark eyes brimming with tears, and with a -slightly quivering voice said, "Beebee saihib torâ douva daoh kuda ka -wasta; Govind ka jahn jata hai" ("Lady, for God's sake give me a little -medicine; Govind's life is passing away"). - -I inquired the nature of his complaint, but all I could learn from the -young woman was that Govind's stomach and legs had gone away, and that -his head was fast following his heels, which is the Oriental phraseology -for extreme prostration. - -I seized a small bottle of brandy, a physician's mixture at hand for -cholera morbus, and some quinine, and started with the Brahmanee for the -home of Govind the pundit. In less than half an hour we stood before a -mean, wretched-looking bamboo dwelling, the walls of which were -plastered with mud and covered over with an attap[27] roof. It stood in -the middle of a small patch of ground neatly smeared over with -cowordure. In the centre of this yard was a flourishing plant growing -out of a large earthen pot buried in the ground--the Indian -"mehndee"[28] (sacred to the goddess Bhawanee), called _Lawsonia_ by -English botanists. It was in full blossom, with small delicate, fragrant -flowers resembling the clematis. - -The sky was very much overcast, portending soon a shower or -thunderstorm; the air was hot and sultry. I stood for a moment or two -before the half-open door of the little hut, whence proceeded a low, -faint, tremulous sound which I recognized as the voice of Govind, my -teacher, enfeebled by his illness. As I stood there hesitating to enter, -the pretty little Brahmanee dropped on her knees before the door, and, -having saluted the presiding genius of the dwelling three times, -advanced, creeping softly in on her knees. At length I summoned courage -enough to walk in, but I did so in my stockings, leaving my shoes on the -doorsill. Even this was, as I afterward learned, desecration to the -Brahman's household. - -On a low charpie, or native cot, standing apart within an enclosure -formed by a mud wall a few inches in height, lay the pundit, his eyes -closed, his features shrunk and wasted. The little woman, who I divined -was his wife, had already taken her place at his feet, which she kept -rubbing in a listless way, the sad expression deepening on her dark but -beautiful face, the great tears brimming her eyes and coursing one after -another all unheeded down her cheeks. - -The dwelling consisted of two apartments. Through a doorway to which -there was no door I saw an old woman seated by a rude fire on the floor -in the adjoining room cooking some rice in an earthen pot, and before -her on the floor were a board and a rolling-pin, with which she had been -rolling out some wheaten cakes, piled, already baked, in a copper -platter by the fire. The moment I entered the hut she turned her -shrivelled features, and, seeing a white woman, she gave a shrill cry; -then, stretching out her bare, bony arms, implored me in piteous tones -to begone. "But, lady," said I, trying to appease her, "I cannot go -away. Govind is very ill, and I have some medicine here that may cure -him." - -Hearing her still entreating me to begone, Bhawanee begged her to let me -stay and give the medicine to Govind; at which the poor old woman, -shuddering, retreated to the inner apartment, resumed for a time her -cries, uttering them in a loud voice and in a tone at once piercing and -imperious, "You dare not come in here! you dare not! What reason have -you for daring to give my son medicine? I want you hateful Injrage -(English) to know that I would rather have him die, rather have him die, -than be polluted by your vile drinks, made of devils' blood and pig's -flesh; I would rather have him die." Rocking herself to and fro, she -kept her strange glittering, dark eyes fixed upon me, and repeated, -lowering her voice more and more gradually, "I would rather have him -die," till she seemed to be talking to herself. I really thought she was -delirious or perhaps out of her mind; but Bhawanee whispered to me, "She -is very old and very cross, and sometimes possessed of a devil." - -All the noise made by the old woman did not seem to disturb her son, who -was in a deep sleep, his respiration so heavy and labored, and his -pallor so death-like, that I almost feared he was dying. But at the end -of half an hour he stirred and made a vain attempt to turn on his side; -failing, he gave a look toward the foot of the bed, where his -sorrow-stricken wife sat still and mute. Meeting his gaze, she crept to -the head of the bed, and, taking his hand tenderly in hers, sobbed out -in broken accents, "Govind duva piuh, tora duva piuh" ("Govind, drink -some medicine--just a little of the medicine"). - -The pundit opened wide his half-closed eyes, looked full and inquiringly -into his wife's face, and then turned them upon me. If I had been the -very lowest wretch on the face of the earth, he could not have been more -startled and horrified than he seemed at my presence. He almost sprang -up, but in another second fell back on the bed, and, putting his hands -before his face, cried feebly to his wife, "Wife, wife, what have you -done?" - -There was deep sympathy in the voice of the poor young woman as she -exclaimed, "Oh, Govind, I thought you were dying. I did not know what -else to do, and Doorah has been gone since morning, and is not yet -returned. Oh, please take the lady's medicine. Never mind about caste; -we can do 'puja' for it, and be restored;" and the poor woman began to -sob as if her heart would break. - -"What are my sufferings and death, that you should create so much -disturbance about them?" feebly moaned Govind. "Let me die, oh, let me -die quietly!" and again the deadly pallor overspread his face. - -"Govind," said I in a very energetic tone, "drink this." I had already -poured out a little brandy into an earthen lota or cup, which his wife -handed me, and giving it back to her said, "Put it to his lips; he will -be better as soon as he has swallowed a little of it." - -Poor Bhawanee, nervous and trembling from head to foot, tried, and tried -in vain, to persuade her husband to take even a mouthful of the -medicine. Each time that she presented the lota to his lips he would put -it aside, and turn away his face, muttering, "Better to die than pollute -myself with what I am forbidden to touch." - -The old woman, who had never taken her eyes off me, hearing his voice, -began to moan, "Oh, beloved son, die, die, but do not touch their unholy -drinks." - -I did not know what to do, but, inspired by poor Bhawanee's entreating -look, which, though she said not a word, plainly urged me to persevere, -I once more endeavored to get the patient to swallow a little of the -brandy. "Govind," said I, "do get over your scruples, which are well -enough in health, but absurd in your fast-failing condition. Drink a -mouthful of this; it will help to revive you until your doctor comes. No -one need ever know that you have tasted brandy; I promise you to keep it -a profound secret." - -"Do, oh do!" urged his wife--"eke gutta piuh--take only one gulp." - -"Much or little, a drop or a whole bottle, are all the same to me," -groaned the poor pundit. "You may not speak of it, lady, and no one, no -one may know it, but how can I conceal the fact from myself?" - -I felt it was useless to persuade the patient to try the remedies I had -brought with me. - -At this moment we not only heard the sound of approaching feet, but a -sudden clap of thunder, preceded by a flash of lightning, almost blinded -us as we sat in the hut, and down came a deluging rain. Bhawanee rose, -and in a state of great agitation begged me to retire by the back door; -but, casting her eyes on my stocking feet, and apprehending that my -European shoes on the threshold of her dwelling had already betrayed my -presence to her friends, she begged me to keep my place, when in -walked, all dripping, three strange-looking men, accompanied by Doorah, -her sister, who had been despatched in the early morning in search of a -doctor, a priest, and a soothsayer. - -Bhawanee rose and bowed before them, and so did the old woman from her -place in the inner room. It was comforting to see the poor woman's -expression, which till now had been full of despair, replaced by a look -of child-like confidence and trust, though I doubted whether the Hindoo -priest, doctor, or soothsayer could do much toward helping the sick man. - -The doctor, who was a tall, dark, and rather handsome high-caste Hindoo, -placed himself near the bedside of Govind and proceeded to feel his -skin, pulse, and chest and to examine the condition of his tongue, eyes, -and nails. - -Meanwhile, the Brahman priest requested a pitcher of water and an empty -bowl. Furnished with these by Doorah, Bhawanee's sister, he sat himself -down in the middle of the room and began to transfer the water from the -jar into the empty bowl, drop by drop, repeating over each drop the -"Gayatree," the holiest text of the Vèdas, the most sacred and effacious -prayer of the Brahmans, and thought by them to be absolutely necessary -to salvation, while the soothsayer sat apart waiting his turn to perform -certain magical enchantments for the benefit of the poor sick man. The -latter opened his eyes once more and looked at his Guru,[29] or priest, -and said solemnly, "I am dying." - -"Dying? you are not dying," said the doctor. "I will soon make you -well," whereupon he opened a bag and drew out of it some pieces of iron, -which he placed on a charcoal fire. While these were being heated he -took out various roots and dried herbs and began to rub them on a small -stone, occasionally moistening the stone with a little water. Having -compounded several queer, dark-looking doses, he, to my utter -astonishment, deliberately began pinching, thumping, and slapping poor -Govind--now on his back, anon on the soles of his feet. His sides, -palms, shoulders, elbows, knee-joints were all slapped and beaten. This -done, he branded with the hot pieces of iron the poor patient on the pit -of his stomach, the inside of his arms, and the calves of his legs; then -administered his queer-looking doses, which the unhappy-looking Govind -swallowed without a sign of remonstrance; and, finally covering him from -head to foot with a thick quilt, the Hindoo physician beckoned to the -soothsayer to complete the cure. - -The soothsayer robed himself in a dress covered with strange designs of -men exorcising fiends, put on a cap to which was attached two or three -long cords, at the end of which hung little brooms made of kusah-grass -(a grass sacred to the Hindoo gods). He then took up the pan of burning -coals and scattered them over the quilt which covered the patient; these -he brushed off as rapidly as possible with the sacred brooms hanging -from his cap. This was to dispossess the sick man of some extraordinary -but invisible devil, which he then drove out at the door, running after -the spirit and howling terrific invectives on it for having dared to -enter the "divine precincts occupied by the _liver_ of a Brahman." All -this while the Guru, or priest, prayed, chanting in a monotonous tone, -over each drop of water that passed from the pitcher to the bowl, and -each of which was supposed to carry off with it the cholera of the sick -man. - -Strange to say, violent and absurd as were the remedies administered to -poor Govind, he not only bore them patiently, but seemed better; a -profuse perspiration having broken out upon him, it was looked upon as a -most hopeful sign and an especial interposition of Brahm. - -In another hour the rain ceased; Govind had fallen into a peaceful -sleep; Bhawanee's face was irradiated with smiles; the old woman was -setting out their mid-day repast on a mat in the adjoining apartment. I -returned home, promising to call and see Bhawanee on the following day. -The next day, when I started off, I fully expected to hear that Govind -had passed away; but when I reached the outer gate of the yard enclosing -Govind's dwelling I found the pundit, although looking weak and feeble -enough, seated on a small stone holding in his left hand three blades of -kusah-grass. The old woman, who was in the act of tying up the lock of -sacred hair on his head in some mystical form, shouted to me to keep -off. I stood at a distance and looked on. He was evidently undergoing -the purification ceremony. Bhawanee, who smiled sweetly at me, was -holding before her husband a bowl of water, which he first sipped, then -flung a little of it toward the horizon, and washed his hands, ears, -breast, eyes, nose, shoulders, and feet, repeating over each member a -prayer. His wife then brought him a stick of lighted wood from the -household fire; he breathed over it, repeating the mystic word "Aum," "O -divine Spirit, resplendent Fire, purify me from all uncleanliness." He -then placed the sacred grass on his right ear (Gunga, the sacred river, -is supposed to have its source in the right ear of Brahm, the -sacrificial fire (or life) in Brahm's nostrils, so that when the pundit -touched these members of his person with fire and water all the -impurity entailed by my visit to his house on the previous day passed -away). Finally he took some sacred mud out of a pot which was handed to -him by his wife, and made the holy mark, the circle and the cross of his -caste and race, on his brow. - -Meanwhile, Doorah, the sister, had been purifying the hut. First it was -sprinkled all over with holy water, smeared with cow-ordure, and lastly -fumigated with certain gums--a very sensible proceeding in a hot, moist -climate like that of Bombay. - -And at length the poor pundit, restored to his normal condition of -holiness, was once more assisted into his bed by his tender and loving -wife. I smiled at them from a distance, and went my way regretting more -keenly than ever we were _so_ separated from one another that the -simplest act of kind interest on my part should entail on the whole -household a series of purificatory rites to last for seven days. - -As long as there exist in social life certain laws, manners, and customs -by which the civilized man is distinguished from the savage, the -gentleman from the cowherd, the high-born dame from her lowly maid, so -long will caste, which is nothing more or less than social grades, -complicate the lives and destinies not only of the races of the East, -but of the West. The three great problems which yet remain to be solved -by the British in India are to do away with the degradation of man by -caste, the bondage of woman by custom, and the deterioration of -childhood through the influence of the one and the other. - -Caste on Indian soil was not in its beginning an entirely arbitrary -institution; it was at first the natural expression of a high-bred and -highly-sensitive race toward an inferior and savage population among -which they had settled. It took centuries before caste was established -on Indian soil, and nearly a thousand years before it became -incorporated in the sacred books of the Brahmans in its present form. -But the moment that divine authority was claimed for it, that moment it -became to the God-fearing races of the East a law so subtle, so -intricate, and yet so absolute, that the most daring as well as the most -abject could not hope to escape its iron rule. - -From the remotest times there has been a ceaseless march of tribes and -races into the vast peninsula called Hindostan, from which there is no -easy outlet, east or west, north or south; all points are equally -difficult and impassable--mountain-barriers on the north, with ranges of -mountains and circling seas on every other side. Nevertheless, pouring -across the Indus and straggling down the narrow defiles and passes of -the Himalayas, came wave after wave of immigration, pushing the earlier -populations farther and farther into the hills and forest-boundaries of -the occupied land. Each wave, borne down by the later arrival, -disappeared or retreated deeper and deeper into the heart of the country -till the whole of India was over-flooded by the great Aryan invasion. - -In no part of the world are there found so many remains of distinct -tribes and races of men as in Hindostan proper. Everywhere in the -forests, in the most inaccessible mountain-regions of the peninsula, and -all along the sea-coast, are tribes and races who seem to have been -hemmed in where we now find them. The vast plains of the regions of the -Indus and the Ganges afforded no place of refuge to the retreating -barbarians. Hence, with the exception of some few who were absorbed into -the population of Lower Bengal, the Aryans drove all before them, even -the Tamuls, a partly-civilized people, who, having swept the earlier -inhabitants southward, were in their turn forced south. - -From the latitude of the Vindhyan chain down to Cape Comorin, and in -the forests of Ceylon, the aboriginal populations of India are still to -be met with, living in detached communities, distinct in physical -appearance, manners, customs, and religions, not only from the Hindoos, -Tamuls, Moslems, and Parsees, but from one another. - -Nothing annoyed our pundit so much as when he heard me call my bhistee, -or water-man, "a Hindoo:" "Hindoo nay, maim sahib, whoo jungly-wallah -hai" ("Not Hindoo-man, but a savage of the forest"). And, to tell the -truth, one could not fail to notice between the Hindoo pundit and the -coolie-bhistee as marked a difference as one sees between a high-bred -American gentleman of the Anglo-Saxon race and the newly-emancipated -American negro. - -In crossing the Indus one comes upon the relics of ancient races in the -dark-complexioned, diminutive, but powerfully athletic natives of -Guzerat, many of whom are now the coolies or porters of Bombay. Again, -scattered over the Vindhyan and Satpurah mountains and the banks of the -Nerbudda and Tapti are other tribes of a very peculiar race called -Bheels or Bhils, probably from the Sanskrit word "bhil," which signifies -"separate" or "outcasts." The legends of these tribes, one and all, -trace their origin to the union of the god Mahadèo with a beautiful -woman met by him in a forest. From this union sprang a sort of giant -distinguished by his ugliness and vice, who, after having perpetrated a -series of horrible crimes, killed the sacred Brahmanic bull of the god, -and was banished to the wilderness of Jodhpoor. The history of the -Rajpoot princes of Jodhpoor and Odhpoor corroborates this account of the -Bhil emigration. The Bhats,[30] or minstrels, of the Bhils still reside -in Rajpootana, and make yearly visits to the countries of the various -Bhil tribes to celebrate festal seasons with music and song. The -celebrated Nádir Singh, a Bhilahah (that is, one sprung from the -marriage of a Rajpoot with a Bhil woman), was one of the most formidable -freebooters of his time until the establishment of an English settlement -at Mhau,[31] when he was compelled to discharge his foreign adherents -and renounce plundering.[32] - -The Bhils are short in stature, thick-set, almost black, with wiry hair -and beard, but extraordinarily active and capable of enduring great -fatigue, delighting in flesh of all kinds and intoxicating drinks, with -which no Brahman will ever pollute his sacred lips. The chiefs of the -Bhils are called Bhomiyahs, and are generally of the Bhilalah or mixed -race. They exercise the most absolute power over their subjects; each -chief is styled a "dhani," or lord, and the most atrocious crimes are -often committed at his bidding. In order to limit this absolute power, -however, there are certain religious officers called "tarwis," or heads -of tribes, whose counsel must be attended to by the chiefs. The worship -of the Bhils is paid to Mahadèo, the high god, and Dèvi his consort, the -goddess of small-pox. A great number of infernal deities are also -propitiated by yearly offerings and pilgrimages to their respective -shrines. - -While the Bhil men are brutal, cruel, and drunken, it is a remarkable -fact that the Bhil women are chaste, gentle, and almost always very -good-looking.[33] - -Driven southward by the conquering Rajpoots, numbers of the Bhils -adopted the savage life of freebooters and robbers, which they still -retain, and the more wealthy settled in Guzerat and Candeish, where most -richly-ornamented temples and rock-shrines are to be found to-day, and -such as remained with the Rajpoots became hardy cultivators of the soil -or the bravest of watchmen when employed as guards. - -In character they are sensitive on points of honor among themselves, but -desperate foes, revenging themselves, sometimes years after, for any -grievance perpetrated against one of their tribe. I remember an incident -related to me by my mother which is characteristic of the Bhil -freebooters and robbers. My stepfather was appointed to survey the -public road newly opened from Cambay to the confines of the great and -then almost unknown province of Guzerat. She had decided to accompany -him on his long and hazardous journey. Having acquired a fair knowledge -of the Guzerati language, she proved, as he had hoped, an invaluable aid -in settling disputes about payments of money for work done, and in -directing and instructing such of the Bhils, Khands, and other tribes as -were employed on the roads. Furnished with a sepoy guard and a large -amount of government money to defray the expenses of the road repairs, -they travelled for some time unmolested through the strange country. On -one occasion, however, they had pitched their tents in the village of -Balmere, and had retired for the night. My stepfather, fatigued with a -hard day's ride over the roads, slept soundly. The guards patrolled the -little encampment, which consisted of three tents, two for the servants -and sepoys on duty, and the other, a double-poled tent, consisting of -two rooms with a double wall of canvas around it, for the family. The -tumbril which conveyed the government money from place to place stood in -the corner of the room, near the cot on which my mother slept. My -stepfather occupied the adjoining room. A small lamp stood burning on -the tumbril, and the key had been carelessly left in the treasure-box. - -About midnight my mother was suddenly aroused by a slight shuffling -noise. She raised her head, and, looking toward the spot whence the -sound proceeded, was horrified at seeing the shadows of the nude figures -of several men passing between the outer and inner walls of the tent. -Presently a gang of Bhil robbers opened the tent-door and stood before -her, confronting her, armed with bows and poisoned arrows. There were -six men in all, with nothing on their persons but _langoutis_[34] of -straw round their loins, and their bodies highly greased, so as to slip -away from the grasp of any person who attempted to seize and hold them. - -Divining that their object was to rob the tumbril, the brave lady, -without uttering a single cry, sprang to her feet, standing erect and -seemingly fearless, and gazed defiantly at them. For a moment or two the -foremost robbers seemed to hesitate. Then the one of the gang nearest -her addressed her in Guzerati, and said, "Woman, we do not desire to -hurt you; we only mean to possess ourselves of what we need, the money -in that cart there;" saying which, he attempted to advance toward the -tumbril. To scream for help would imperil her own and her husband's -life, for these freebooters would at once use their poisoned arrows; but -to permit them quietly to rob the government treasury would be almost as -fatal, entailing on them endless delay, trouble, and perhaps even unjust -suspicion at head-quarters. The intrepid wife suddenly remembered that -the Bhils had a superstitious reverence for the person of woman, and -before they had time to reach the tumbril she flung herself on her face -and hands across their path, and said solemnly in Guzerati, "Only by -stepping over a woman's body can you obtain possession of what is -entrusted to the care of her husband." There she lay, not daring to -utter another word, trembling from head to foot, and anticipating -momentary death from their cruel arrows. - -Minute after minute passed away, but she still did not dare to open her -eyes or even turn her head toward them. After lying there for nearly -half an hour, which seemed almost an eternity of agonizing suspense, and -unable to endure it any longer, she ventured timidly to glance in the -direction of the robbers, and, lo! their places were empty; the -tent-door was closed. The Bhil freebooters, hearing this strange being -address them in their own language, hurling at them one of their most -formidable threats, had vanished as softly as they had entered the tent, -vanquished by the presence of mind shown by a delicate woman. - -On another occasion the military chaplain at Desa, a British station in -Guzerat, was on his way to seek change of air at Mount Aboo. At dusk one -evening he found himself surrounded by a gang of Bhil robbers; his -travelling-wagon was stopped, his driver took to his heels and fled; his -servants too had gone on ahead. Not knowing what to do, he addressed -them in Guzerati, and said, "I am not a rich man; I am a poor servant of -God, a Christian priest in search of health." Immediately the chief of -the gang gave orders that he should not be hurt. They stripped him, -however, and divided among themselves whatever they could find. Two of -the gang, presenting their short daggers to the poor clergyman, made him -march before them in his shirt for some distance. Every time that he -turned to remonstrate with the robbers they pricked him slightly with -their pointed daggers, till at length he resolved to take no further -notice of them. On and on he went. A great darkness had overtaken him; -almost fainting from fatigue, he sank to the ground unable to take -another step, when, to his surprise, he found that the robbers had -departed, leaving him to pursue his way through a wild jungle. He spent -an anxious night in the forest, retraced his steps to the village, and -by complaining to the headman was at once furnished with a guard and -every facility to pursue his journey, the law here being that if robbery -or murder is perpetrated in the vicinity of a village, the headman is -obliged to make ample restitution; and he has the power to levy a fine -on the community to indemnify himself for all the expenses that such -acts entail on him as patèl, or governor, of the village. The reverend -clergyman always maintained that his escape from death on this occasion -was owing to the fact of his being able to address the robbers in their -own tongue. - -South of the Nerbudda, and in the very heart of the Vindhyan chain, are -the Gonds,[35] so called from their habitual nudity--a race of the -lowest type, jet-black skin, stunted, thick-lipped, and with small, -deep-set eyes. This race is often called by the Hindoos Angorees--_i. -e._ cannibals. They live in miserable huts, surrounded by swine, -poultry, buffaloes, and dogs, without any industries, literature, or -priesthood, and with few ceremonials of any kind whatever--worshippers -of serpents, demons, or anything, in fact, that inspires them with -dread, to whom they sometimes sacrifice their children or captives taken -in war. Such religious rites as prevail among them are conducted by the -aged and honored members of their tribe, both male and female. - -Verging on the Gondwana[36] are the hilly provinces of Orissa, inhabited -by the Khands, no doubt a tribe slightly in advance in physical type and -civilization of their neighbors, the Gonds, the Thugs, and Sourahs. They -regard the earth-spirit as in rebellion against the Supreme Deity. To -the earth-spirit they direct their prayers, and seek to propitiate her -by human sacrifices. Their victims are called "Meriah"[37] by the -Oriyahs, and Kudatee by the Khands. These victims must not belong to -their tribes nor to the Brahman caste. They are purchased, or more -generally kidnapped, from the surrounding districts by persons called -Panwhas, who are attached to their villages for these and other peculiar -offices. They may be either male or female, and as consecrated persons -are treated with great kindness. To the "Meriah" youth or maiden a -portion of land is assigned, with farming stock. He or she is also -permitted to marry and bear children, who in turn become victims. If a -"Meriah" youth form an attachment to the daughter or even wife of a -Khand, the relatives indulge him in his wishes, regarding it as an -especial favor. These sacrifices take place annually, when the sun is in -his highest point in the heavens. The victim is selected by casting of -lots. The ceremony lasts three days, and is always attended by a large -concourse of people of both sexes. The first day of the approaching -sacrifice is spent in feasting, merriment, and prayers, which go hand in -hand with wild revelry of all kinds. On the second morning the victim -who is to propitiate the earth-goddess is washed, attired in a flowing -white robe, and conducted, with music, beating of drums, blowing of -horns and rude reed instruments, to the sacred groves preserved for -these rites. Here the assembled community implore the earth-goddess Tari -(called Pennu by the Shanars and Davee by the Rajpoots, who have in -great measure been tainted by their contact with these hill-tribes) to -accept the sacrifice about to be offered, and to bless their land with -increase of corn, wine, cattle, and so forth. After the offering up of -prayer the victim, whether male or female, stands up before the -assembly, draws forth his glittering knife, and passes his hand three -times over its sharp edge. He then deliberately steps up to the rude -altar of Tari, lays down his knife upon it, and, bowing his head, -worships the insatiable earth-goddess; then snatching up the knife, he -cries, "Drink of my blood and be appeased, O Tari," etc., etc. He waves -it aloft three times and plunges it into his side. Leaning toward the -earth, which he desires to propitiate in behalf of his fellow-men, he -slowly draws out the knife, pours his life-blood out upon her parched -and thirsty soil, and expires at the foot of the dreaded altar raised to -her name. Honored as no other creature in the land, reared for death, -the "Meriah," or doomed one, exults in the performance of this -self-sacrifice with a consciousness of being a savior of the country, -and has never been known to evade or escape the doom in store for him. - -After this horrible sacrifice the human victim is cut into small pieces, -and each head of a Khand or Gond family obtains a shred or infinitesimal -portion of the body, which he buries in his field to please the spirit -of the earth. This is believed to aid not a little in rendering the soil -rich and fertile. - -The Thugs, or "stranglers," are not unlike the Gonds in physical -appearance and natural characteristics. They live by robbery and murder, -and are banded together by certain vows which they religiously follow. -One sect of Thugs are called Phansigars, or "throttlers." It is their -practice to strangle wayfarers, whence their name, and appropriate such -spoils as may fall to their lot in these onslaughts. Efforts have been -made, through the British government, to put a stop to both these -religious atrocities of the Meriah and the Thugs, and in some parts of -the country with great success. - -The Jadejas are a branch of the great Samma tribe once so powerful in -Sindh; they assumed this title from a celebrated chief named Jada. Their -arrival in Guzerat dates from 800 A. D. The remarkable characteristic of -this tribe is their systematic murder of all their female children. -Another branch of the Jadejas settled in Kach, or Cutch. These differ -materially from their brethren in Guzerat. They are half Musulmans and -half Hindoos, believe in the Kuran, worship Mohammedan saints, swear by -Allah, eat, drink, and smoke with the followers of the Prophet. But, on -the other hand, they do not undergo circumcision, and adore all kinds of -images of wood and stone. In appearance they are fine, tall men, -light-complexioned, handsome-featured, and have singularly long -whiskers, which are often allowed to come down to the breast. They owe -their good looks to their mothers, who are either bought or kidnapped -from other tribes; no females of their own are ever reared. - -The Kalhis (another curious tribe) are evidently a northern race; they -are tall, well-formed, with regular features, aquiline nose, blue or -gray eyes, and soft dark-brown hair. The sun is their chief deity. On -the Mandevan Hills, near Thau, is a temple to the sun, said to have been -erected by the Kalhis on their first arrival in Guzerat. In this temple -there is a huge image of the Sun-god with a halo round its head. The -symbol of the sun with the words, "Sri suryagni shakh" ("the witness of -the holy sun") is affixed to all official documents and deeds of -property. - -A number of tribes may be found in the district of Bilaspoor, which -forms the upper half of the basin of the river Maha-Nadi--the Gonds, -already mentioned, the Kanwars, Bhumias, Bingwars, and Dhanwars--all -differing among themselves in physical characteristics, customs, -manners, and certain religious observances. Among the Hindoos here are -two tribes which deserve particular mention--the Chamars, or -Chamar-wallahs, and the Pankhas. The former take their name from their -dealing in "chamar," or "leather." They are the shoemaker and -leather-trading castes of the Hindoo communities, and have always been -held in great contempt by the high-class Brahmans and Hindoos. About -sixty years ago a religious movement was inaugurated by one of the -Chamars named Ghasi-Dhas. He represented himself as a messenger from God -sent to teach men the unity of God and the equality of men. He was the -means of liberating his tribe from the trammels of caste; he prohibited -the worship of idols or images, and enjoined that prayers should be -offered up to the Supreme Being, whose spirit should be ever present to -their minds without any visible sign or representation. The followers of -the new faith call themselves "Satmanes" or the "worshippers of Satyan, -the truth." Ghasi-Dhas was their first high priest; he died 1850. His -son succeeded him, but was assassinated by some Hindoo fanatic, but his -grandson is the present high priest of the Chamars. - -The "Pankhas," or weavers, are also deists of a very high order; they -are the followers of a religious reformer named Kahbir, who flourished -about the fifteenth century. There is very little difference between the -Kahbir-Pankhas and the Satmanes-Chamars in their worship and religion. -The province of Sindh derives its name from the Sanskrit word "Sindhu," -"ocean or flood," which name the Aryans of the Vèdic period who were -settled about the sixth century B. C. in the Panjaub and along the Indus -gave to that river. In the third "Ashtaka" and the sixth "Adhyáya" there -appears to be a distinct mention of the Indus River in the twelfth -verse, which runs as follows: "Thou hast spread abroad upon the earth by -thy power the swollen Sindhu when arrested (on its course)."[38] The -Indus is still called Sindhu throughout its course from Kalabágh to -Atâk; it is sometimes locally termed Atâk. From Kalabágh to Bâhkhar is -the upper Indus, and from Bâhkhar to the sea the lower Indus. It begins -to rise in March and falls in September, but, unlike the Ganges and the -Mississippi, it does not submerge its delta or inundate the valley -through which it passes to any great extent. Its floods are irregular -and partial, pouring sometimes for years on the right bank, and then on -the left, so that even at the height of the freshets the Persian wheel -may be seen at work watering the fields on either bank. - -The principal tribes of Sindh are the Beluchis and the Jâts, or Sindhis, -once Hindoos, but converted to Islam under the Khalifs[39] of the house -Ommayyah. The Sindhis are taller, stronger, more robust, and muscular -than the natives of India; they belong chiefly to the Hanifah sect of -Mohammedans. Their language is a strange mixture of Arabic and Sanskrit -words, the noun being borrowed from the Sanskrit, and the verb from the -Persian or Arabic grammar. The Beluchis are a mountain-tribe; they are -superior to the Jâts or Sindhs, fairer, more powerfully formed, very -hardy, not deficient in courage under brave leaders, and extremely -temperate. The Beluchi women are remarkably faithful and devoted as -wives, and those of the Mari tribe often follow their husbands to -battle. - -One of the peculiarities of the Hindoos of Sindh is that they have no -outcast tribes among them, like the Parwaris, or Pariahs, Pasis, and -Khandalas of Hindostan; and many of the Musulmans of Sindh are -followers of Nanak[40] and Govind his disciple. - -Farther north, in the Afghan districts, numerous warlike tribes are -found. Afghans, properly so called, distinguish themselves from the -aboriginal populations. The chief clans or tribes of the Afghans are the -Duranis, south-west of the Afghan plateau; the Ghilzais, the strongest -and most warlike of the Afghans, occupying the highlands north of -Kandhar (this tribe is noted for its deep-rooted hostility to -foreigners, and especially to the British); the Yusufzais, north of -Peshwar; and the Khakars, who are chiefly the highlanders of this -region. Of the non-Afghan tribes very little is known; those that have -come under the notice of the British officers are no doubt mostly a -mixed race, descendants of the Aryans and Turanians. The purest of these -are the Parsivans, the Kizibashes, the Hindikis, and the Jâts, all more -or less closely allied to the Persians and Hindoos in language, manners, -and customs. The Eimâk, the Hazaras, Tajiks, and the Khohistans are -semi-nomadic tribes--Mohammedans; some are of the Shiah[41] and others -of the Sunni sect. - -As a race, the Afghans are a very handsome, athletic people, with fair -complexion, aquiline nose, and flowing black, brown, and sometimes even -red, hair, which the men wear long, falling in soft curls over the -shoulders. The women are beautiful, and often of fair rosy complexion, -dark eyes and hair, which they wear under a skull-cap, with two long -braids falling to the waist behind, finished off with silk tassels. -Since the Mohammedan conquest the custom of excluding women from the -society of the male members of the family has been introduced into -Afghanistan, and is now rigidly enforced. - -In the very apex of India, the hilly districts of Southern Madras, are -numerous early races and tribes, distinct and peculiar to themselves, of -whom the Tudas and Cholas are most worthy of notice. The former is as -superior in type to the latter as the Caucasian is to the Mongolian. The -Tudas are chiefly found in the Nilgherry Hills; they are tall, athletic, -and well-formed. Their women, though dark, are singularly pleasing when -young. The comparatively treeless character of these hills indicates -that in former times large spaces were cleared and cultivated, though at -present the Tudas seem to prefer roaming about the hills and leading a -nomadic life. - -In the Dhendigal and neighboring Wynadd Hills appear other tribes, -apparently the oldest of all the primitive races of India, and of the -lowest type of humanity. They are called Shanars, and are clothed, if at -all, with the bark of trees, using bows and arrows, and subsisting -chiefly on roots, wild honey, and reptiles. Short in stature and agile -as monkeys, living without habitations among trees, they penetrate the -jungle with marvellous speed, and seem only a step removed from the -orang-outang of Borneo and Sumatra. There is no doubt that these wild -people, if not indigenous to the soil, occupied at one time a large -portion of this country, and are the remains of that "monkey race" whom -the first Aryan invaders met with, and who, with their leader Hanuman, -figure so largely in the old poems as the allies of Rama in his conquest -of Ceylon. - -Among these numerous but isolated relics of aboriginal populations there -is another and superior race, divided into several distinct -nationalities, such as the Tamuls, Telingus, and Canarese, who people -the greater part of Southern India. Nevertheless, between them and those -still later Aryans the difference, both mental and physical, is plainly -seen. - -There are still current in Southern India a number of languages and -dialects, which, though largely intermixed with Sanskrit terms in -consequence of Aryan conquest and civilization, belong to distinct -families of languages. The most comprehensive of these are the Tamul, -Telingu, and Carnatic, showing the existence of separate nations at the -time of the Aryan conquest. The Tamul language has no inconsiderable -literature of its own. - -The Mahrattas, whose chief seat is in the Deccan, belong to still -another race, although there is now among them a larger infusion of -Aryan blood than is to be found farther south in India. - -In the van of Aryan immigration settling along the plains of the Ganges -from Hurdwar down to the eastern frontier of Oude and the Raj-Mahal -Hills were the Brahmans, founders of the great cities Hastinapoora -("abode of elephants"), Indraspatha, Delhi, Canouge on the Doab, Ayodhya -(Oude), Benares, and Palibothra (Patna). They concentrated themselves in -the upper part of the Ganges valley, but did not attempt to pass into -Lower Bengal, as may be seen to-day by the physical and mental -inferiority of the Bengalees to the populations of Northern Hindostan. - -All travellers and historians agree in stating that the early Aryan -settlers in the valley of the Ganges closely resembled the Hellenic race -in Greece in almost every feature of their military, domestic, and -social life. They were split up into a number of small states or -communities. The Kshatryas, though originating in their military -profession, and not in a single family, were not unlike the Heraclidæ, -who became the royal race of the Peloponnesus. But in process of time -these Kshatryas were absorbed into the Rajpoots, who are supposed to -have arrived in India about the time of Alexander's invasion of the -Panjaub. They settled where we find them to-day, in the neighborhood of -Rohilcund and Bundelcund, and shortly after them came the Jâts, another -branch of the Indo-European or Aryan family, thus completing the four -great waves of the so-named Pandya, or white-faced, immigration--the -Brahmans, Kshatryas, the Rajpoots, and the Jâts. It was the Brahmans who -founded the celebrated Pandhya kingdom, so called from their white -skins, and established the "Meerassee" system--_i. e._ an aristocracy of -equality among the four conquering races. They shared the land equally -among themselves, and regarded all others as servants or subjects. - -In this primitive village-system the Brahman, or priest and poet, the -Pundit, or schoolmaster, the Vakeel, or pleader, were as essential as -food and drink to the community. Priest, teacher, and pleader by virtue -of their high functions enjoyed peculiar and unquestioned privileges: -land free of all tax was religiously assigned to them, and servants to -cultivate it for their use were attached to the grant. - -In each and every Hindoo village or town which has retained its old form -the children even to-day are able to read, write, and cipher. But -wherever the village-system has been swept away by foreign and other -influences there the village school has also disappeared with it. A -trial by jury, called "punchayet," was also a part of the primitive -system of self-government instituted by the early Brahmans: each party -named two or more arbitrators, and the judge one; the jury could not in -any case be composed of less than five persons, whence the name -"punchayet"--five just ones. In difficult cases the influence of the -heads and elders of the village was brought to bear upon the contending -parties, and the administration of justice was so pure in those days -that the saying "In the punchayet is God" became proverbial. - -Out of these marked mental and physical differences grew up the -monstrous and extraordinary system of caste in India. Not that caste -does not exist in some degree everywhere throughout the world. In the -British Isles it is as fixed and absolute as a Medo-Persic law, and even -among Americans a marked social inequality exists. Caste naturally -sprang up with the first mingling of the conquering and conquered races -on Indian soil. At first the distinctions of class and rank were no more -marked than that of an English peasant and the lord of a domain, or that -of the negro girl and her mistress in the United States to-day. But the -proud, white-skinned Brahmans, in order to guard the purity of their own -"blue blood," and to rivet their own ascendency, invented at length a -distinct and most binding code of laws, and then claimed for them the -divine authority of the Vèdas. - -Of the four great castes that we read so much about, three only were -fixed--Brahmans, Kshatryas, and the Vaisyas. This last was the common -Aryan people, and they were not separated from their superiors by any -harsh distinctions. But the Sudras, "the threefold black men," among -whom the Aryan population established themselves, all the non-Aryan -races and tribes of the peninsula of Hindostan, were kept off by a wide -gulf and the most galling marks of inferiority. The Sudra could not read -the Vèdas nor join in their religious meetings. He could not cook their -food, or even serve in their houses; he was unclean, gross, sensual, -irreligious, and therefore an abomination to the noble white-faced -Aryan. - -The code of Manu, with all its "unparalleled arrogance" toward the -Sudra, was founded rather upon what a high-bred Brahman ought to be than -with any deliberate intent to degrade the Sudra. But with its practice -came that inevitable deterioration to the moral character of the -Brahmans themselves, who forgot that the humblest man has a right to the -same sanctity of life and character as the highest. The lower the -Brahman sank in his spiritual and moral nature, the more he tried to -hedge himself about with artificial claims to the reverence of the -peoples around him, until finally the code of Manu swelled into minute -details. Reaching the unborn child of Aryan parents, it directed its -nursing in the cradle, it shaped the training of the youth, and -regulated the actions of his perfect manhood as son, husband, and -father. Food, raiment, exercise, religious and social duties, must be -brought into subjection to its sovereign voice, and in the course of -time it was inseparably interwoven with every domestic usage, every -personal and social habit. From the cradle to the grave it undertakes to -regulate and control every desire, every inclination, every movement, of -the inner and outer man. Such is the code of Manu. - -In spite of these laws, however, there flourished Sudra kings and Sudra -communities, influenced though not absorbed by the Aryan population. -Sudra kings were invited to the court of the great _Yudishthira_[42] and -treated with marked respect and courtesy; indeed, this word "Kiriya" or -"Kritya" (courtesy) was held to be the distinguishing mark of a -high-bred Brahman. The Sudras in their turn soon caught the infection of -caste feeling, and were not slow in adopting the same distinctions among -themselves. - -From being at first a sign of superiority of race, it gradually took -form and extended to every branch and profession. Priest, teacher, -soldier, sailor, tinker, tailor, robber, murderer, and beggar, was each -one fixed immovably and for ever in his place and grade, and no earthly -power could draw him into any other. Every one piqued himself on his -particular caste; each man confined himself sternly to his own perfect -circle. There was hope for every man who belonged to a caste, so that -even those fallen from caste bound themselves together in a brotherhood -and called themselves Pariahs, "outcasts," which in time became a large -and distinct caste. "Even in the lowest depths they found a lower -still." - -So monstrous and deteriorating was this system that in the course of -time, losing sight of its original purpose, it separated the Aryans -themselves, for whose especial preservation and union it was designed, -by distinctions and restrictions almost as galling as those it had -formerly imposed only on the Sudras. - -Nevertheless, it had its noble features, and did good work for a time. -The high advancement to which the Indo-European art, literature, -painting, music, and architecture attained was due to the leadership of -the Brahman civilization. It was an aristocracy to rule and educate the -masses, which everywhere exhibited a uniform inferiority. But even with -all the help of caste and the inflexible code of Manu to preserve them -on every side, the proud white-faced Aryans did not long escape the -deteriorating influences both of the climate in which they had settled -and the debasing usages of the non-Aryan populations around them. - -The most degrading practice that sprang up in time on Indian soil was -asceticism. The amount and the terrible nature of this self-imposed -penance practised by the Hindoos exceed anything known in the world, and -are almost inconceivable to any ordinary European, whose first instinct -is self-preservation. Ablutions and commands of personal cleanliness, -which formed a part of the code of Manu, have increased in number, and -also the penalties attached to their violation to such a degree that -now-a-days a Brahman or Hindoo is defiled by the most trifling accident -of place or touch. To eat with the left hand, to sneeze when he is -praying, to gape in the presence of the sacrificial fire, to touch one -of a low caste, are all pollutions. In fact, the very shadow of an -Englishman or a Sudra falling on his cooking-pot renders it obligatory -on him to bury his meal in the earth and to throw away his pot if -earthen; if not, it must undergo seven purifications before it is in a -sufficiently holy condition to boil the rice sacred to the Brahman. The -simple contact with pig's fat in the cartridges made the sepoys, who -believed they were thus lost to caste and to heaven, willing and -terrible tools in the hands of the arch-enemy of British power in the -East. Nana Sahib, or, more properly speaking, Dundoo Punt, who, in order -to revenge a private wrong--the lapse to the East Indian Company, on the -death of his uncle and royal father by adoption, of a large territory -bequeathed to him--worked upon the caste-prejudices of the sepoys until -he maddened them into committing the most fiendish acts ever recorded in -Indian history. But the original code does not so regard the eating of -pork. If a Brahman purposely eat pork he shall be degraded, but if he -has partaken of it involuntarily or through another's connivance, a -penance and purification are sufficient for full atonement. - -Thus, injunctions originally designed as rules of pure living and -high-breeding, cleanliness, abstinence, kindliness, charity, and -courtesy, have been so multiplied and distorted that it is now difficult -even for the most precise and devout Brahman to carry them all -faithfully into practice. And if Christian teachers and reformers were -seriously minded to overthrow this vast system of caste in India, they -could successfully do so by quoting the Vèdas and the code of Manu, -which prescribe no such arbitrary rules of life as now exist in India. -It is our want of knowledge, and that of most of the modern Brahmans, -which still holds them in their old fetters, rendering the efforts to -free them of little avail, for we know not how nor where to begin the -attack on such a strong fortress as caste and custom are to these blind -followers of law and order. - -Centuries after the consolidation of the Brahman power and system of -caste there arose a strong-souled Aryan, a prince By birth, a republican -at heart, and a reformer by nature, called Sakya Suddarthà, who no -sooner became of age than he suddenly began to deny the inspiration of -the Vèdas, the divine right of Brahmans to the priesthood, and the -obligations of caste. He offered equality of birthright and of spiritual -office alike to all men and women. Sudra, Pariah, Khandala, bond or -free, were of one and the same great family. He went about declaring all -men brothers. This was the strong point of Buddhism. The new religion -spread at once. It ravished the hearts and kindled the imaginations of -many Aryans, but chiefly the non-Aryan nations. Everywhere it was -received with enthusiasm. Brahmanism and caste received their first -great shock, from which they have never wholly recovered. - -[Illustration: BUDDHIST PRIEST PREACHING AT THE DOOR OF A TEMPLE.] - -Monastic orders first arose among the Buddhists, and as caste was -abolished the monasteries were open to all men, and even to women, who -were bound over to celibacy and self-renunciation. These Buddhist -priests went about preaching their new religion to the common people, -and found ready acceptance with them. Barefooted, with shaven heads, -eyebrows, and chins, wearing a yellow dress instead of the pure white -robes of the Brahmans, they seemed indeed lower than the lowest Pariahs. -They built lowly chapels, and had regular services in them, chanting a -prescribed liturgy, offering harmless sacrifices of incense, lighted -tapers, rice, wine, oil, and flowers, and taking the lily instead of the -Brahmanic lotos as the emblem of the purity of their faith. - -Buddhism spread with amazing rapidity, and flourished for some time on -Indian soil. During the reign of the celebrated Indian king Asoka, three -centuries more or less before Christ, it was the dominant religion of -India, about which time it was also introduced by Buddhist missionaries -into Ceylon, China, and the Japanese Archipelago. At length, the -Brahmans, recovering from the lethargy that seemed to have overtaken -them, joined all their forces, and, rising _en masse_ everywhere against -these dissenters from the Vèdas and from the old code of Manu, drove out -of Hindostan proper those whom they could not put to death. The -Buddhists finally found refuge in Guzerat and ready acceptance among the -early primitive races; and here the new religion reached its highest -prosperity, but began to decline in the eighth or ninth century after -Christ. At this juncture a new sect arose under the leadership of one -Jaina, or saint, a man of great purity of character, who undertook to -correct the many errors which had crept into Buddhism. Veneration and -worship of deified men, confined by the Buddhists some to five and -others to seven saints, were extended by the Jains to twenty-four, of -whom colossal statues in black or white marble were set up in their -temples. Tenderness and respect for animal life they carried to an -extreme point, which has led to the establishment of the hospitals for -infirm aged animals in different parts of India. In its essence Jainism -agrees with Buddhism. It rejects the inspiration of the Vèdas, has no -animal sacrifices, pays no respect to fire. But in order to escape the -unremitting persecution of the Brahman priesthood it admits _caste_, and -even the worship of the chief Hindoo gods. Thus Jainism secured that -toleration on Indian soil which was never extended to Buddhism, the very -birthplace of Buddha having been rendered a wilderness and untenanted by -man through the rage and fury of Brahmanic persecution. - -Brahmanism, finding itself once more in the ascendency, proceeded with -great tact to incorporate into its ritual all the divinities, the rites, -and the ceremonies peculiar to the non-Aryan populations. In Southern -India Vishnoo is worshipped under the name and character of Jaggernath -(or Juggernaut), "Lord of the universe;" but in Northern Hindostan this -worship is mingled with that of Rama and Krishna, two Aryan heroes, whom -the Brahmans with great political adroitness represent as later -incarnations of both Vishnoo and Jaggernath. The pre-Aryan Mahrattas and -Marwhars were brought to believe their supreme deities, Cando-ba, and -Virabudra, as incarnations of Siva, and so on, until at length every -god, hero, or saint belonging to the pre-historic inhabitants of Asia -found a place in the Brahmanic calendar of incarnations of gods and -goddesses. - -Monotheism and polytheism exist side by side; purity and vice are only -different expressions of a system as complex as life itself. Through -all manners, acts, and usages, the most trivial or the most momentous, -the Brahman religion flows in perpetual symbolism and stamps everything -with its seal and mark. The pure Hindoos live in a network of -observances, the smallest infraction of which involves the most terrible -social degradation and loss of caste. They are bound by observances for -rising, for sitting, for eating, drinking, sleeping, bathing; for birth, -marriage, and death; for the sites of their homes and even the positions -of their doors and windows. - -The dwellings of Hindoos vary according to their means. The poorer have -only one apartment, which must be smeared over once a week with a -solution of the ordure of the cow. The better classes always have a -courtyard and a verandah, where strangers, and even Europeans, may be -received without risk of contamination. Very often the walls of the -dwellings are covered with frescoes and paintings. The entrance to the -dwelling is always placed, out of respect to the sun, facing the east, -but a little to one side. Every morning at an early hour the Hindoo wife -or mother of the home may be seen cleansing her house and her utensils -for cooking, eating, and drinking. This done, she will wash or smear -with cow-ordure the space about her dwelling. After this purification -the wife will proceed to ornament the front of the door, which in itself -is held sacred to the Brahman, with the form of a lotos-flower. This she -makes out of a solution of lime or chalk, and imprints it on the door -and on the space in front of it. This flower is emblematic of the name -of God, too pure to be uttered, but supposed to bestow a magical charm -on the dwelling on which it is inscribed.[43] - -No one is so scrupulous with regard to personal neatness, purity, and -cleanliness as the true Hindoo woman. The Hindoo sacraments are ten in -number, with five daily duties that are as obligatory on the Brahman as -are the sacraments in the Roman Catholic Church. The first sacrament -begins with the unborn babe; it is the conceptional sacrament. Attended -by the mother of a large family, the young wife repairs to a temple with -a peculiar cake made of rice, sugar, and ghee (clarified butter), and -with a fresh cocoanut. The goddess invoked on such occasions is -Lakshina, the consort of Indra. They first offer up a prayer before her -shrine, meditate on her glorious progeny of gods and heroes, then -implore her kindly interposition in behalf of the young woman who is to -become a mother; after which the elder matron breaks the cocoanut and -pours the liquid out as an offering to the goddess, and part of the cake -and cocoanut is brought home and distributed among the members of the -family. - -The next ceremony is a very profound one, and has an especial reference -to the quickening of life in the babe. The mother, shrouded in pure -white from head to foot, accompanied by an elder female and mother of a -large family, with her husband and father repair to the temple. One or -more Brahman priests are invited to preside on this occasion. Oil, -flowers, and lighted tapers are offered to Mahadèo the Great God. The -priest pours the oil presented on a lighted lamp, then performs a -wave-offering over the head of the expectant mother, praying, "O thou -who art light, thou art also life and seed. Accept our sacrifice and -make the new life thou hast created in secret visible in beauty and -strength and power of intellect." After which offerings according to the -wealth of the parties are made to the priests. There is one more -important ceremony, similar in character to the others. All these -sacraments are performed only in the case of the first child. - -The birth ceremony takes place on the birth of every child. On this -occasion a Brahman priest and an astrologer are invited. The mother of a -large family and the grandmother are generally present. Before dividing -the umbilical cord fire is waved over the child, a drop of honey and -butter out of a golden spoon is put on his lips, after which the cord is -severed. This is a very sacred ceremony, called "Jahu Karan" -("introduction to life"), and is performed with prayer, indicating that -as the child's life is now severed from the parent life, so is all life -at some time or other parted from the Central Life, but yet dependent on -that as the infant is on the tender care of a mother. The father then -draws near and looks upon the face of his son or daughter for the first -time, at which he must take a piece of gold in his hand, offer a -sacrifice to Brahma, and anoint the forehead of the child with ghee -which has first been presented to Brahma. A string of nine threads of -cotton, with five blades of durba-grass, must be bound by the father -round the wrist of the child, indicating that the life matured by nine -months is to be made perfect by the five daily sacraments or duties. -This done, the astrologer casts the horoscope of the child, which is -carefully written down, whether good or evil, and is confided to the -father. This paper is generally burned with the person at death. - -When the infant is a month old, and the new moon is first seen, he is -presented to it as his progenitor with a solemn prayer. After which the -naming takes place. The child's nearest relatives are invited. A Brahman -priest waves over it a lamp, then sprinkles holy water, and calls aloud -its name as he anoints the ears, eyes, nose, and breast of the child -with clarified butter. This done, a little dress prepared for the child -is put on for the first time. - -When the teeth begin to appear a grand religious service takes place, -and its first food of milk and rice is given to it after it has been -consecrated by the priest. At three years of age the prescribed -religious ceremony connected with the shaving off of the boy's hair -takes place, and the consecration of the single lock left on the top of -the head. Next comes the investiture of the sacred thread, performed -only in the case of the male child. - -Between the ages of fourteen and sixteen the youth formally presents -himself before the temple to be admitted to the order to which he -belongs. He is placed on a stone near a sacred tank in the precincts of -a Hindoo temple; he is then washed in pure water by the priests robed in -spotless white garments; the holy "Gayatri" is repeated in his right ear -by one priest, while the other breathes over him the mystic trisyllable -of "Aum, Aum, Aum," after which he is invested with a new sacred thread. - -Marriage is also a sacrament. The male may be married at any time after -the "mung," or investiture of the sacred thread; the time for this -ceremony varies among the different castes. The female, however, must -not be under ten years of age, and as she is obliged to be several years -younger than the male, he is generally from sixteen to eighteen at the -time of marriage. - -Particular rules are laid down to be observed in the choice of a wife. -She must not have any physical or moral defects; she must have an -agreeable voice, sweet-sounding name, graceful proportions, elegant -movements, fine teeth, hair, and eyes. Deformity inherited or -constitutional delicacy, or disease of any kind, weak eyes, imperfect -digestion, an inauspicious name, or lack of respectable lineage, always -operate as strong impediments to marriage. Once the choice is made by -the parents, then the particular months and junctions of the planets are -consulted by the joshis or Hindoo astrologers: the birth-papers of both -parties are first examined, followed by a profound study of the stars, -which sometimes takes a year to be completed, after which a writing -called the Lagan-patrika is prepared, in which the day, the hour, the -names of the parties, and the position of the planets are put down, and -one of the eight different kinds of marriages mentioned in the Shastras -prescribed as the most fitting in view of the astral relations of -husband and wife. These eight different kinds of marriages, however, are -more or less similar, and vary only when the different castes intermarry -one with the other. This intermarriage is always attended with loss of -caste. The ceremony observed by the Brahmanic caste is the most -interesting, and is called "_Brahma_," from the sacredness attached to -the rite. The bridegroom is obliged to prepare himself by certain -prayers and ablutions before he can be presented to his future wife, -whom he often sees for the first time, but of whose charms, graces of -person, and character he is fully informed beforehand. Robed in pure -white, anointed with holy oil, and wearing garlands of fresh flowers -around his neck, he goes in procession, accompanied by his friends and -relatives, to the bride's house, where he and his friends are welcomed -as guests by the bride's father. The future wife is allowed to appear, -and is generally veiled, so that even then the young couple do not see -very much of each other. - -On the afternoon of the day appointed for the wedding company to -assemble at the house of the bride's father a raised platform is placed -at one end of the hall; here the bridegroom takes his place, surrounded -by the priests. Presently the bride enters the room accompanied by her -father, who does homage to his future son and places his daughter at his -right hand. After this a young priest enters bearing a large censer -containing a charcoal fire, which is placed at their feet, and is -emblematic of their warm affection. Two priests stand before them -holding each a lighted torch in his hands, reciting some very beautiful -prayers; meanwhile the bride rises and treads three times on a stone and -_muller_[44] placed beside her, and which is meant to indicate that the -cares and duties she is now about to assume as a married woman will be -carefully observed. The bridegroom then makes an oblation of oil and -frankincense to the fire, as typical of his gratitude to the gods for -the blessing which is now about to crown his life; this done, the priest -hands him a torch, which he takes and waves three times around the -person of his bride, signifying that his love will always surround and -brighten her existence; he then drops it into the pan or censer at their -feet. The bride now scatters a handful of rice and a little oil as an -oblation to the gods. The chant having ceased, the father steps up, and, -taking a new upper and a lower garment, clothes the person of his -daughter; he then fastens the end of her dress to the skirts of her -lover's robe, and, taking the bride's hand, he places it in that of the -bridegroom, binding them together with a mystic cord which is made of -their sacred grass, typifying the delicacy of the marriage-tie, the -strength and solidity of which depends not so much on the fragile cord -which binds them, as on the individual will and resolution not to break -it asunder. Then, conducted by the bridegroom, the young bride steps -seven times around the sacred fire, repeating the marriage vows, the -priests chant the nuptial hymn, and the marriage is consummated. - -Every act of the Brahmanic ritual is symbolic. Thus in the evening of -the same day, after sunset, the bridegroom sees his blushing little -bride alone for the first time; he takes her by the hand, seats her on a -bull's hide, which in its turn is symbolic of several spiritual and -physical facts, one of which points to his power to support and protect -her. Seated side by side, they quietly watch the rising of the polar -star; pointing it out to her, he repeats, "Let us be steady, stable, -serene, for ever abiding in each other's love, as that immovable and -deathless star." Having sat in silent contemplation, they partake of -their first meal together. The bridegroom remains three days at the -house of the bride's father; on the fourth day he conducts his wife to -his own, or, as it sometimes happens, to his father's house, in solemn -procession. The Hindoo women are remarkably devoted as wives and -mothers: instances of conjugal infidelity among the high caste are -unknown, and extremely rare even among the lower castes of the Hindoo -women. - -The ceremonies attending the dead are worthy of brief notice here. The -last moments of a Brahman are generally made very impressive by the -prayers and recitations that take place around his dying pillow, the -chief aim of which is to concentrate the thoughts of the departing soul -on the fact that life is the _master_ of death. "The sun rises out of -life and sets into life; so does the soul of a pure Brahman. Life sways -to-day, and it will sway tomorrow, O Brahman! Life is immortal; death -but conceals the fact as the garment covers the body. Hasten, O soul, to -the Unseen, for unseen he sees, unheard he hears, unknown he knows. As -by footprints one finds cattle, so may thy soul, O Sadhwan (pure one), -find the indestructible Soul," etc., etc. - -The moment life is fled the high priest bends over the corpse with his -hands folded on his breast and repeats a prayer. After which the near -female relatives indulge in the most dismal howls and shrieks as -expressions of their grief and lamentation. The body is then bathed by -the priests, perfumed, decked with flowers, and placed on a temporary -bier or litter. This is borne along through the chief thoroughfares, -preceded by men who carpet with certain pieces of cloth the entire way; -women follow, howling and weeping and casting dust on their heads. The -funeral pyre, formed of dried wood, is three or four feet high and over -six feet long; the corpse is laid on it, and over it is poured oil, -clarified butter, and flowers made of fragrant woods. The priests stand -around, sprinkle the body with holy water, and repeat a number of -prayers which very clearly point to the mystery which enfolds all -animate and inanimate life, within and without, and express earnest -hopes that the body now about to be consumed may not draw down the soul -to enter another body again. The nearest relative then applies the fire -and the body is consumed. They who watch the fire repeat to themselves -long passages from the Shastras and the Puranas on the vanity of human -life and the deathless nature of the soul, after which they purify -themselves before returning home. Eleven days after death the Shrada, or -purificatory ceremonies, are performed by the heir, and in his absence -the next nearest relative; then every month for a year, and lastly on -the anniversary of his death. - -Brahmans are held unclean for ten days after the death of a relative, -the military caste for twelve, the mercantile for fifteen, and the Sudra -for thirty. Among the Hindoos the body is burnt, except only in case of -infants under two years, when it is buried. The "Shrada" is a ceremony -very much like mass performed in the Roman Catholic Church for the souls -of the dead who are in purgatory. Prayers are offered by the high priest -and the nearest relatives, accompanied with gifts and offerings of rice, -flowers, oil, and water, in order to free the deceased soul from a -purificatory abode in which it is held, and to enable it to ascend to -the heaven where its progenitors are thought to be united to the -universal Soul. - -The worship of the Brahmans and the high-caste Hindoos, though -complicated by trivialities, is in its essence very simple and pure. The -Brahmans do not themselves worship the idols in the temples, although -they encourage the inferior castes and races to do so. Every act of a -Brahman's life is stamped with a religious character, even as every -breath that he draws is held to be a part of that "Divine Soul" that -exists in the heart of all beings. - -As the Brahman priests accommodated their religious beliefs to suit the -popular mind, so have the Roman Catholic missionaries and priests -effected a compromise between Hindooism and Christianity in India, and -Eastern Christianity has assumed features as foreign to the sublime -teachings of Christ as demon- and serpent-worship are foreign to the -pure and natural religion of the Vèdas. - -It is only by examining the existences of all the different races and -layers of populations, and the mingling of so many and such conflicting -religions, that we can rightly understand the India of to-day with her -hydra-headed creeds, dogmas, and castes. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[27] A species of palm-leaf dried and stitched together, much used all -over Hindostan in roofing houses and sheds. - -[28] Most of the high-caste Hindoo women cultivate this plant for the -purpose of dyeing their nails and finger-tips. The dye is prepared by -bruising the leaves and moistening them with a little lime-water. This -mixture is then applied to the nails, tips of the fingers, palms of the -hands, and sometimes even to the soles of the feet, which in a short -time become dyed of a reddish-orange color. The stain remains on the -skin until it wears off. - -[29] A "Guru" is a spiritual guide, a Brahman ecclesiastic, invested -with the power of attending births, deathbeds, marriages, and settling -all such questions as effect Hindoo caste and all its duties and -obligations. A Guru is generally an ascetic of peculiar sanctity, and is -often worshipped as an incarnate deity. This office descends from father -to son. The Gurus comprise a very large and influential body of men, -occupying the chief cities of India, wielding a despotic power over the -people, as their curse is dreaded by all ranks and conditions of people. - -[30] The Bhats and Charans, the bards and genealogists of these tribes, -are remarkable for their power of reciting from memory whole epics -describing the birth, exploits, and death of the various Bhil chiefs. -They will also devote themselves to death or to receive the most cruel -mutilations in order to keep a promise, accomplish a vow, recover a -debt, or to obtain any end which might be secured by inspiring others -with superstitious reverence and dread. A Bhat of Viramghaw in 1806 put -his little daughter, a beautiful girl of seven years old, to death by -decapitation, and with her blood, which he carried in an earthen vessel, -he sprinkled the gate of the Malliah Rajah's castle, and thus compelled -him to pay a debt to the Gaikwar for which he had become security. - -[31] The British established in 1825 a Bhil agency in Central India, and -organized a Bhil corps in order to utilize the warlike instincts of the -various Bhil tribes. This brave body of men, who have distinguished -themselves in war, have recently done good service in aiding to put down -the predatory habits of their countrymen. They are slowly becoming -cultivators of the soil, though still unwilling to rent land and thus -bind themselves to fixed habits for any length of time. - -[32] A remarkable account of a residence with Nádir, and of some of his -murderous exploits, will be found in the _Autobiography of Lutfullah_. - -[33] The great reforms which have been effected in many of these tribes -have been very materially assisted by the influence of the Bhil women. - -[34] A strip of cloth worn by the lower population of India around the -loins. - -[35] The Gonds are supposed to be the aborigines of the Sagar and -Nagpoor provinces, and have much in common with the Khandsor Khands, -another tribe of North Sarkar. They have dialects peculiar to -themselves, and which have no affinity whatever with the Sanskrit, but -probably are akin to that of the Dravidian stock. They kept up their old -religious custom of human sacrifice until 1835-45, when the strong arm -of the English interfered and has almost put a stop to it. - -[36] Gondwana has been thought by some Oriental scholars to be the -ancient Chèdi, which was ruled by the great Sisupal, who is said to have -governed India about the time of the appearance of Krishna (the last of -the incarnations of Brahm) on earth. They identify Chanderi, his ancient -capital, with the modern Chanda, a city in British India in the Nagpoor -division of the Central Provinces, and abounding in fine remains of huge -reservoirs for water, cave-temples, and the curious tombs of the -aboriginal Gond kings. - -[37] Meriah means "death-doomed," and Kudatee, "dedicated to the god." - -[38] See _Introduction to the Second Book of the Rig-Veda_, by H. H. -Wilson, p. xvii. - -[39] Khalif, or Caliph, successor or vicar of Mohammed, from Khalifah, -an Arabic title given to the acknowledged successors of Mohammed, who -were regarded as invested with supreme dignity and power in all matters -relating to religion and civil polity. - -[40] A Mohammedan reformer and founder of the Sikh religion. He preached -about the fourteenth century against the abuses of the Mohammedan -religion, and inaugurated the spiritual worship of God alone. One day, -when Nanak lay on the ground absorbed in devotion, with his feet toward -Mecca, a Moslem priest, seeing him, cried, "Base infidel! how darest -thou turn thy feet toward the house of Allah?" Nanak answered, "And -thou, turn them if thou canst toward any spot where the awful house of -God is not." - -[41] The Shiahs and Sunnis are the two most important Mohammedan sects. -The Sunnis hold the "Sunnat," or traditions of Mohammed, as of nearly -equal authority to the Kuran, and they revere equally the four -successors of the Prophet, Abu-Bahkr, Omar, Usman, and Ali. The Shiahs, -on the other hand, reject the traditions, and do not acknowledge the -successors of the Prophet as Khalifahs. - -[42] One of the greatest of Aryan kings mentioned in the Mahabharata. - -[43] The sectarian marks of the Hindoos vary with their caste and the -deity to whom they attach themselves. The high-caste Brahman makes only -a circular mark with a little sacred mud of the Ganges, and mixed with -water, on his forehead. This is symbolic of the mystic word "Aum." The -followers of Vishnoo, a second grade of Brahmans, use a species of clay -brought from a pool, Dhwaiaka, in which the seven shepherdesses, who are -always represented with Krishna, are supposed to have drowned themselves -on hearing of the death of their favorite hero. This mark is a circle -with a straight line passing through, symbolizing the regenerative -powers of nature. The Mahadèo sect wear two straight lines on the brow; -the one on the right stands for God, the one on the left for man, a -transverse streak of red lime: a preparation of turmeric and lime is -used; it means God and man united. A great many wear the mark of -Vishnoo's weapon with which he is supposed to have killed the -sea-monster to rescue from destruction the three Vèdas. The followers of -Siva, one of the four great sects of Hindoos, wear a complex mark of -circle and cross combined, made with the ashes of burnt cow-ordure, -symbolizing the destruction of all sin and the beatitude in store for -the pure and holy. - -[44] A mill or grinder, used for grinding rice and wheat. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - - A Visit to the House of Baboo Ram Chunder.--His Wife.--Rajpoot - Wrestlers.--Nautchnees, or Hindoo Ballet-Girls.--A Hindoo - Drama.--Visit to a Nautchnees' School.--Bayahdiers, or - Dancing-Girls, attached to the Hindoo Temples.--Profession, - Education, Dress, Character, Fate in Old Age and after - Death.--Cusbans, or Common Women.--Marked Differences between these - three Classes of Public Women. - - -Among the most interesting of the rich Hindoos whose acquaintance we -made during our long residence in Bombay was one Baboo Ram Chunder. A -wealthy gentleman, educated in all the learning of the East as well as -in English, possessing quite an appreciative intelligence on most -English topics, but nevertheless a pure Hindoo in mind and character, -clinging with peculiar affection to the manners, customs, and religion -of his forefathers, and struggling to the last degree to counteract the -vulgar and popular superstitions of modern Brahmanism, though not a -member of the Brahmo-Somaj,[45] he left nothing undone to revive the -pure and simple teachings of the Vèdas. It was his custom to give every -year a grand entertainment at his residence, to which he occasionally -invited his European friends. - -One morning Ram Chunder called in person at the "Aviary" to invite us to -one of these to take place on the following evening, and promised me if -I would be present not only a rare treat in the performance of a -newly-arranged Hindoo drama from the poem of "Nalopakyanama," but also -an introduction to his wife and child. - -Ram Chunder's house, though not far from the vicinity of the Bhendee -Bazaar, stood apart, surrounded by a well-built wall. The building was a -large white-stuccoed dwelling decorated with rich carvings. There were -two courts--an inner and outer court. We were received by a number of -richly-attired attendants, and conducted through several dimly-lighted -passages into a spacious apartment. It was a circular hall or pavilion -with a fountain, and a garden with gravel-walks and a large area in the -centre. The pavilion itself was decorated in the Oriental style, hung -with kinkaub (or gold-wrought) curtains and peacocks' feathers; the -floors were inlaid with mosaics of brilliant colors; the roof and -pillars were decorated with rich gold mouldings; and the whole would -have been very effective but for the mélange of European ornaments that -were disposed around on the walls, tables, and shelves--clocks, antique -pictures, statues, celestial and terrestrial globes, and a profusion of -common glassware of the most brilliant colors. - -Ram Chunder, a young man not over thirty, with remarkably courteous -manners, with that refinement and delicacy which are the distinguishing -characteristics of a high-bred Hindoo, rose and bowed before us, -touching his forehead with his folded hands, and then placed us on his -right hand. In person he was rather stout, with peculiarly fine eyes and -a benevolent expression of countenance, though he was darker in -complexion than most of the Brahmans. His dress on this occasion was -unusually rich and strikingly picturesque. He wore trousers of a deep -crimson satin; over this a long white muslin "angraka," or tunic, -reaching almost to the knees; over this again he wore a short vest of -purple velvet embroidered with gold braid. A scarf of finest cashmere -was bound around his waist, in the folds of which there shone the -jewelled hilt of a dagger. On his head was a white turban of stupendous -size encircled with a string of large pearls; on his feet were European -stockings and a pair of antique Indian slippers embroidered with -many-colored silks and fine seed-pearls. - -Thus attired, he was a gorgeous figure, and, like a true high-born -Hindoo, he sat quietly in his place, except that every now and then he -rose and bowed with folded hands to each guest as he entered and pointed -out their places, reseating himself quietly and simply. There was no -sign of bustle or expectation, nor any conversation to speak of. In -course of the evening about twenty native and two or three European -gentlemen were assembled in the pavilion. The Europeans were on the -right, the native gentlemen on the left, and Ram Chunder in the middle. -No native ladies were visible, but from the sounds of female voices -behind the curtain it was evident they were not far off. - -Richly-dressed native pages, stationed at the back of each guest, waved -to and fro perfumed punkahs of peacock and ostrich feathers. After the -usual ceremony of passing around to the guests sherbet in golden cups -and "paun suparee," or betel-leaf and the areca-nut done up in -gold-leaf, the performance began. - -A herald dressed like a Hindoo angel, with wings, tail, and beak of a -bird and the body of a young boy, announced with a peculiar cry, half -natural and half bird-like, the presence of the Rajpoot athletes; and in -stepped some ten men, their daggers gleaming in the dim light of the -pavilion, which flickered on the gravelled space in front and barely -lighted the surrounding garden, in the centre of which stood a fountain. -The Rajpoots were in the prime of life, displaying great symmetry of -form and development of muscular power. Their heads were closely shaven, -with the exception of a long lock of hair bound in a knot at the top of -their heads; their dress consisted of a pair of red silk drawers -descending halfway to the knee and bound tightly around the waist with a -scarf of many colors. - -The wrestlers advanced, performing a sort of war-dance; they disposed of -their daggers by putting them in their topknots; they then salââmed -before the audience and began the contest. Each slapped violently the -inside of his arms and thighs; then, at a given signal, each seized his -opponent by the waist. One placed his forehead against the other's -breast; they then struggled, twisted, and tossed each other about, -showing great skill and adroitness in keeping their feet and warding off -blows. Suddenly, with a peculiar jerk, one of the wrestlers almost at -the same moment dashed his opponent to the ground, and drawing forth his -dagger stood flourishing it over the fallen victim. At this juncture a -strain of music wild but tender swept from the farther end of the -pavilion, seemingly given forth to arrest the premeditated thrust of -the exultant victor. - -They listen with heads slightly turned to one side; presently their -grim, bloodthirsty expressions give place to looks of delight and -wonder. All at once their faces break into smiles; simultaneously they -drop their uplifted daggers, release their knees from the breasts of -their prostrate foes, stoop, and, taking a little earth from the -gravelled walk, scatter it over their heads as a sign that the victor -himself is vanquished, salââam to the spectators, and retire amid -deafening shouts of applause. - -After this the musicians struck up some lively Hindoo airs, and at -length the heavy curtains from one side of the pavilion curled up like a -lotus-flower at sunset, and there appeared a long line of girls -advancing in a measured step and keeping time to the music. They stood -on a platform almost facing us. Some of them were extraordinarily -beautiful, one girl in particular. The face was of the purest oval, the -features regular, the eyes large, dark, and almond-shaped, the -complexion pale olive, with a slight blush of the most delicate pink on -the cheeks, and the mouth was half pouting and almost infantile in its -round curves, but with an expression of dejection and sorrow lingering -about the corners which told better than words of weariness of the life -to which she was doomed. For my part, it was difficult for me to remove -my eyes from that pensive and beautiful face. Every now and then I found -myself trying to picture her strange life, wondering who she was and how -her parents could ever have had the heart to doom her to such a -profession. - -The Nautchnees, or dancing-girls, of whom there were no less than -eighteen, were all dressed in that exquisite Oriental costume peculiar -to them, each one in a different shade or in distinct colors, but so -carefully chosen that this mass of color harmonized with wonderful -effect. First, they wore bright-colored silk vests and drawers that -fitted tightly to the body and revealed a part of the neck, arms, and -legs; a full, transparent petticoat attached low down almost on the -hips, leaving an uncovered margin all around the form from the waist of -the bodice to where the skirt was secured on the hips; over this a saree -of some gauze-like texture bound lightly over the whole person, the -whole so draped as to encircle the figure like a halo at every point, -and, finally, thrown over the head and drooping over the face in a most -bewitching veil. The hair was combed smoothly back and tied in a knot -behind, while on the forehead, ears, neck, arms, wrists, ankles, and -toes were a profusion of dazzling ornaments. - -With head modestly inclined, downcast eyes, and clasped hands they stood -silent for some little time, in strong relief against a wall fretted -with fantastic Oriental carvings. The herald again gave the signal for -the music to strike up. A burst of wild Oriental melody flooded the -pavilion, and all at once the Nautchnees started to their feet. Poised -on tiptoe, with arms raised aloft over their heads, they began to whirl -and float and glide about in a maze of rhythmic movement, fluttering and -quivering and waving before us like aspen-leaves moved by a strong -breeze. It must have cost them years of labor to have arrived at such -ease and precision of movement. The dance was a miracle of art, and all -the more fascinating because of the rare beauty of the performers. - -Then came the cup-dance, which was performed by the lovely girl who had -so captivated my fancy. She advanced with slow and solemn step to the -centre of the platform, and, taking up a tier of four or five cups -fitting close into one another, she placed this tier on her head and -immediately began to move her arms, head, and feet in such gently -undulating waves that one imagined the cups, which were all the time -balanced on her head, were floating about her person, and seemingly -everywhere except where she so dextrously poised and maintained them. -This dance was concluded by a cup being filled with sherbet and placed -in the middle of the platform. Removing the cups from her head, the -dancer, her eyes glowing, her breast heaving, swept toward the filled -cup as if drawn to it by some spell, round and round, now approaching, -now retreating, till finally, as if unable to resist the enchantment, -she gave one long sweep around it, and, clasping her arms tightly behind -her, lay full length on the pavement, and taking up with her lips the -brimming cup drained its contents without spilling a drop. Then, putting -it down empty, she rose with the utmost grace and bowed her head before -us, her arms still firmly clasped behind her. The grace, beauty, and -elegance of her movements were incomparable; the spectators were too -deeply interested even to applaud her. She retired amid a profound and -significant silence to her place. - -Presently a tall, slim, graceful girl took her place on the platform -with a gay smile on her face. An attendant fastened on her head a wicker -wheel about three feet in diameter; it was bound firmly to the crown of -her head, and all around it were cords placed at equal distances, each -having a slipknot secured by means of a glass bead. In her left hand she -held a basket of eggs. When the music struck up once more she took an -egg, inserted it into a knot, and gave it a peculiarly energetic little -jerk, which somehow fastened it firmly in its place. As soon as all the -eggs were thus firmly bound in the slipknots round the wheel on her -head, she gave a rapid whirl, sent them flying around, while she -preserved the movement with her feet, keeping time to the music. Away -she whirled, the eggs revolving round her. The slightest false movement -would bring them together in a general crash. After continuing this -about a quarter of an hour, she seized a cord with a swift but sure -grasp, detached from it the inserted egg, managing the slipknot with -marvellous dexterity, dancing all the while, till every egg was detached -and placed in her basket; after which she advanced, and, kneeling before -us, begged us to examine the eggs whether real or fictitious. Of course -the eggs were real, and she was almost overwhelmed with shouts of -"Khoup! khoup! Matjaka! matjaka!"--"Fine! fine! beautiful!" And then the -Nautchnees vanished from the pavilion. - -During the interval that followed the pages went round with -goulab-dhanees, or bottles with rose-water, to sprinkle the guests. - -Suddenly the cry of the herald announced a new scene. The heavy curtain -slowly folded up and a long line of male actors, superbly attired as -Oriental kings and princes from different parts of the East, entered and -took their places on the divans ranged along the farther end of the -pavilion. Ram Chunder approached us and informed me that the piece about -to be represented was a pure Hindoo drama, a beautiful episode from the -Sanskrit epic _Mahâbhârata_, called "Nalopakyanama, or, The Story of -Nala." - -After the kings and princes had seated themselves, in came a string of -attendants arrayed in gold and gleaming armor, who took their places -behind the royal personages on the divans. Then came twelve maidens -attired in cloth of gold and fantastic head-gear, belonging to the -ancient Vèdic period. Each of these girls had a cithara in her hands; -they disposed themselves on seats to the left of the pavilion. After -these a shrill cry of many voices announced the gods Indra, Agni, -Varuna, and Yama, and in stalked four men splendidly robed, bearing -gold wands, with serpents coiling around them, in their hands, and -lotos-shaped crowns richly jewelled on their heads. Their raiment was -one blaze of tinsel and glass jewels, made to shine with all the -brilliancy of real gems. - -Then came the hero Nala, with faded flowers on his tiara, dust on his -garments, and looking picturesque enough with his bright scarf thrown -across his shoulders, but travel-stained and very commonplace in the -presence of so much gold and finery. - -Nala was the hero to whom the matchless Damayanti, "whose beauty -disturbed the souls of gods and men," had pledged her love, in spite of -the proposition he brought her from the four gods to choose one of them -and reign the unrivalled queen of the highest heaven. Damayanti, -desirous of averting from her well-beloved Nala the vengeance of the -gods, invites all her suitors to the "Swayamvara;" that is, a public -choice of a husband by the lady, according to the custom of that age, -assuring Nala that then there will be no cause of blame to him, as she -will choose him in the presence of the gods themselves. Hence the -presence of the four gods among the assembled princes suitors for the -hand of the lovely Damayanti. - -The herald once more gave the signal for the performance to begin. The -musicians struck their citharas and recited in musical intonations the -chief parts of the drama of Nala. At a certain part of the recitation -the curtain descended, and in a few moments went up again. During this -interval the gods were transformed into the likeness of Nala, presenting -five Nalas instead of one; which the singers explained was a trick of -the gods by which they hoped to bewilder poor Damayanti and perhaps -induce her, in her ignorance of which were the gods and which Nala, to -select one of their divine number as her future husband. The interest of -the drama was centred among these four suitors of Damayanti, each the -counterpart of the favored Nala. - -The music at this point rose and fell, now vibrating in low tender -accents, and anon rising in wild, startling emphasis of expression. At -this moment the curtain parted and there stood the cup-dancer with her -quiet yet entrancing beauty. Calmly she entered, looking down and -meditating, as we were told, on the object of her affections. Her dress -was exquisite of its kind and character; I never saw its counterpart on -a Nautchnee before or after. It was a long gown without sleeves, falling -from her shoulders to her feet, open at the throat, exposing a part of -the neck and breast and the whole arm from the shoulder. It was very -full, but of the most delicate texture, revealing the whole outline of a -very lovely form. A bright border of variegated silk ran down the front -and round the hem of this ancient Vèdic garment, and it was fastened at -the waist by a rich silk scarf. Her hair fell back, flowing down to her -feet; on her head was a curious crown of an antique pattern, and over it -all was thrown a long veil that streamed on the floor, and was of such -transparent texture that it looked like woven sunbeams. - -Such was the impersonation of the Vèdic beauty Damayanti. When she -reached the centre of the circular pavilion she lifted her eyes, and, -seeing five Nalas instead of one, started backward, clasped her lovely -arms on her bosom, and, rocking herself gently to and fro, moaned, -"Alas! alas! there are five Nalas, all so like my own true sinless -chief. How shall I discover the one to whom alone I have pledged my -undying love?" - -At this juncture the music ceased and a deep silence fell upon the -audience. Every eye was riveted on that lovely creature seemingly -overcome with the tide of sorrow and uncertainty that swept over her. -Suddenly pausing in her moans, she turned up her fine eyes to the sky, -and with some new inward light dawning as it were upon her troubled soul -said audibly, "To the gods alone I will trust. If they are indeed gods, -they will not deceive a poor mortal woman like me." - -Then, quivering and trembling, with flushed cheeks and lustrous eyes, -she folded her hands and knelt in reverence before the gods and prayed -aloud, and said, "O ye gods, as in word or thought I swerve not from my -love and faith to Nala, so I here adjure you to resume your immortal -forms and reveal to me my Nala, that I may in your holy presence choose -him for my pure and sinless husband." - -Kneeling there with her face turned up, her hands folded, the outlines -of her beautiful form made even more lovely by the half-softened halo of -light shed over her from above, she seemed like some beautiful vision, -and not a thing of flesh and blood. I never witnessed anything more -truly exquisite and tender in its simple womanhood than this rendering -of the beautiful Vèdic character of Damayanti. - -Again the voices of the musicians were heard interpreting for us the -thoughts and feelings of the gods: "We are filled with wonder at her -steadfast love and peerless beauty," etc., etc. Once more the curtain is -dropped, and presently it folds up again, revealing the forms of the -four bright gods as at first in all the splendor of their robes, crowned -and flashing with jewels, and fragrant with the garlands of fresh -flowers that hang around their necks. - -Damayanti rose from her bended knees. With pleased and childlike wonder -she gazed at the gods one moment, then turned to her own true Nala, who -stood before her in striking contrast to the gods, with moisture on his -brow, dust on his garments, soiled head-dress and faded garland. But on -recognizing him as the true Nala she folded her hands in sudden rapture -and gave a cry of joy; then, removing from her own neck her garland of -mohgree-flowers, moved with quiet grace toward her lover, knelt and -kissed the hem of his dusty robe, arose and threw around his neck her -own fresh, radiant wreath of flowers, saying, "So I choose for my lord -and husband Nishádah's noble king." At this speech a sound of wild -sorrow burst from the rejected suitors, but the gods shouted, "Well -done! well done!" Then the happy Nala, turning to the blushing -Damayanti, said, "Since, O maiden, you have chosen me for your husband -in the presence of the gods, know this, that I will ever be your -faithful lover, delight in your words, your looks, your thoughts, and so -long as this soul inhabits this body, so long as the moon turns to the -sun till the sun grows cold and ceases to shine, so long shall I be -thine, and thine only." - -One more loud shout from the herald, the curtain dropped, the play and -the day were over, for it was just twelve o'clock. - -The Oriental and European guests took their leave of their amiable host -with much salââming and many expressions of delight, for the play had -been arranged by Ram Chunder himself. - -After a few minutes our host kindly conducted me to an inner apartment -of his dwelling to introduce me, as he had promised, to his wife, who -had already quitted her place behind the curtains, whence she and her -maids had witnessed the performance, and had retired to her own rooms, -which were (as in the case of all rich Hindoos or even Mohammedans) -separate from those occupied by her husband. Traversing a long and -narrow passage, we came to an arched doorway, with a dark silk curtain -hanging before it, guarded by two women seated on either side. They rose -and salââmed to us, and Ram Chunder, instead of walking in as any -ordinary European husband would have done, inquired of them if the lady -Kesinèh had retired. - -"No, your lordship," replied the ceremonious Hindoo maid-servant; "she -waits yours and the English lady's presence." - -On which Ram Chunder drew aside the heavy drapery and bade me enter, -saying, "I will return for you in a quarter of an hour or so." - -Left alone, I stepped into a dimly-lighted but spacious room, at the -farther end of which I saw seated a Hindoo lady surrounded by several -female attendants. - -As far as I could observe in the dim light, she was dark, but handsome -and dressed like the generality of Hindoo women, only that her veil, -instead of being drawn over her head, was thrown back, and trailed on -the floor beside her. She did not rise to greet me, but salââmed to me -from her place, and patted a cushion close by her as an invitation for -me to be seated. This was, as I soon found, owing to the fact that her -little daughter, lying half asleep in a little Hindoo cradle close by, -was holding her hand, and she feared to disturb her. I sat down and -looked over into the cradle; there lay a soft plump, brown child, a -little girl of about two years of age, perfectly nude, with a string of -gold coins around her neck and each of her arms. In the presence of such -perfect innocence and trust the narrow distinctions of races and creeds -seemed to fade away: I only felt here was another woman like myself, and -she a mother; and, in truth, I could not have long felt otherwise, in -spite of any prejudices I may have had; Kesinèh was too natural and -simple a creature for one to feel anything but at home with her. - -The first words that she said to me, after satisfying herself that -little "Brownee" (as I always called her) was asleep, were, "How long -have you been married?" Then, "What does your husband look like? How old -are you? Where do you live?" etc., etc. My answers seemed to please her -very much, for she patted my knee and laughed softly, and said, "Oh, -heart! oh, heart! how happy you must be!" - -We then talked about her own life. She told me that she had been married -four years, that she had hoped "Brownee" was going to be a son, "but she -turned out a daughter after all," said poor Kesinèh with a sigh. "Do you -love her less for that?" I inquired. "Oh no, indeed," said Kesinèh -quickly; "I think I love her more, but my lord would have been better -pleased with me if she had been a son instead of a daughter." "But," -said I, trying to comfort her for her disappointment, "it was not your -fault that your child happened to be a daughter." "Oh yes," said the -lady with great energy, "it was my own fault. I committed the sin of -marrying my own brother in a former state of existence; thus I am now -doomed to have a daughter for my first-born child in this." I did not -know what to say to this odd explanation, and there was a pause, but at -length I ventured to suggest that whether it was so or not she must -admit that little "Brownee" was a treasure. "Oh yes," said Kesinèh with -joyful emphasis--"a lovely, bewildering little thing;" and she leaned -lovingly over the little sleeper. - -I noticed that in everything this Hindoo lady said or did there was no -affectation of voice or manner, no effort to please or entertain me, but -a simple and natural expression of herself. - -When it was time for me to go I put her one question which I longed most -to have answered: "Who is that very beautiful Nautchnee who danced the -cup-dance and performed the part of Damayanti this evening?" - -"I do not know," said the lady Kesinèh with great interest in her -manner. "Is she not beautiful? The Nautchnees were hired for this -evening. I would like to know who she is too." - -Then, turning to one of her attendants, who was listening to every word -we said with a smile on her face, she inquired, "Ummah, do you know the -owner of the Nautchnees who were here to-night?" - -"Yes, my lady," replied the woman. - -"If you hear anything about her you will let me know, for I have fallen -in love with her," said I, half in jest and half in earnest. "Mah mi! -mah mi!" laughed Kesinèh--"so have I. She is a heart-distracting -creature. Every one who saw her dance and act will dream of her -to-night. Mah mi! mah mi! how proud she must feel!" - -I wished her good-night in the strictest Hindoo fashion, taught me by -the pundit. - -"Ram, Ram," said I, "devâ Ram!"[46] Putting my folded hands to my brow -and stooping, I lightly kissed the little sleeper in the cradle. - -The very next moment Kesinèh had sprung up, and, putting her arms around -my neck, she laid her brow against mine and repeated that tender Hindoo -farewell than which there is nothing more exquisite in human language: -"The gods send that neither sun nor wind, neither rain nor any earthly -sorrow, brush by thee too roughly, my friend." - -Content and pleased with my new acquaintance, we parted, but not without -my promise to visit her again. - -The dancing-girls of India may be divided into three classes: the -Nautchnees, who are actresses, or ballet-girls, or both; the -Bayahdiers, or Bhayadhyas, dedicated by their parents in childhood as -votive offerings to certain temples, and consecrated to them at the age -of womanhood; and the common "Cusban," a grade even lower than either of -these, whose ranks are chiefly supplied from the abandoned Mohammedan -women, the Purwarees, the lowest of all castes in Central India, as well -as from the disaffected runaways of either of the two former and more -reputable professions. The Cusban, therefore, is the scum and refuse of -the lowest-caste females in India. - -One day, accompanied by Kesinèh, I visited a Nautchnee establishment of -which the beautiful dancing-girl who so much attracted me was an inmate. -It was kept by a native man and his wife, named respectively Dhanut and -Saineh Bebee. We drove to it in a Hindoo carriage, a round seat for two -or more persons placed on wheels, drawn by a pair of milk-white -bullocks, and covered with a curious conical structure of wickerwork -hung with crimson silk curtains. We took our places on two cushions -cross-legged; the driver sat in front, and with a sharp crack of the -whip started the bullocks at a brisk trot and sent us bumping up and -down. On our way we caught glimpses of a population even more strange -than those to be met daily in the parts of the island more frequented by -Europeans. The dirtiness of a low-caste, poverty-stricken Oriental -street is inconceivable. Filth reigned supreme in some of the lanes and -alleys through which we passed. A rank vegetation clothed everything; -trees hung with many-colored festoons of leaves and flowers formed thick -tapestries of foliage on the right and on the left. - -There is no country in the world (save the beautiful island of Ceylon) -that is kinder to the sluggard. The poorest soil will grow certain -qualities of fruit and cocoanut palms. The native population in some -parts here seemed almost too indolent to move out of the way of our -carriage-wheels, but they were peaceful enough. Stones, old broken bits -of earthenware, wheels, broken litters, impeded the way, and cows, dogs, -hens, chickens, pigs, ducks, and children less clad than any of these, -roamed idly about in the streets and gutters or narrow lanes. As a rule, -no refuse or rubbish of any kind whatever is removed, but is left to -accident and the action of natural chemistry. Burnt-down huts covered -over with the ever-ready parasitic plants, old wells and tanks filled -with stagnant water abounding in frogs, water-snakes, and all kinds of -reptiles, add to the sluggish appearance of the place. Gayly-dressed -native women, idle men--among whom may be seen some poor depraved -British tars--and male and female hucksters of fruit and sweetmeats, -complete the picture. - -The Nautchnees' establishment was a curious building surrounded by a -high wall. We entered through a gate, and were at once conducted by a -couple of old women across a paved courtyard planted all around with the -mohgree, oleander, and tall red and white rose trees. Passing this, we -were introduced into a great bare hall, with low seats ranged around the -walls, curtained all along the farther end of the room, into which inner -chambers seemed to open. Here we took our places. One of the old women -stayed by us, while the other went off to announce our visit to the head -lady of the establishment. - -The great slave-markets which we have all read so much about, where -tender young girls are bought and sold as if they were cattle, no longer -exist in British India, but the amount of traffic of the kind that is -still carried on everywhere is incredible, although the fact is -vigorously denied by both the buyer and the seller. In many cases these -Nautchnees are not bought, but hired for a term of years, for money paid -not to the girls themselves, but to parents or friends. In the course of -time the parents die or move away, and the girl, after having given her -best days to her employers, finds herself without money, friends, or -social ties, and is glad enough to spend the remainder of her life in -instructing the younger members of the establishment of which, with the -fidelity so natural to Oriental women, she considers herself a member, -and therefore bound for life to promote its interests. - -After a few moments Sainah Bebee came in to greet the lady Kesinèh. She -salââmed most deferentially to us, and took her place on the floor. She -was a woman about fifty and a native of Afghanistan, tall and finely -formed. She spoke of difficulty in procuring respectable young girls to -fill the places of those who ran away, were sold to certain rich -admirers for wives or concubines, or died. It would appear that the -lowest, or Cusban, class was largely increasing, whereas that of the -Nautchnees was fast diminishing. On my questioning the old lady about -the average life of the Nautchnees, she could give me no clear estimate, -but intimated very decidedly that they generally died young. - -At my especial request we were shown into the exercising-room and almost -over the entire establishment. There were over a hundred girls, of all -ages, and all shades of complexion from dark-brown to a pale delicate -olive, going through their exercises at the time. The hall was composed -of bamboo trellis-work, and was light, spacious, and airy enough. From -the roof hung all sorts of gymnastic apparatus, rude but curious--ropes -to which the girls clung as they whirled round on tiptoe; wheels on -which they were made to walk in order to learn a peculiar circular -dance called "chakranee" (from "chak," a wheel); slipknots into which -they fastened one arm or one leg, thus holding it motionless while they -exercised the other; cups, revolving balls, which they sprang up to -catch; and heaps of fragile cords, with which they spin round and round, -and if any one of these snap under too great a pressure, they are -punished, though never very severely. - -Altogether, it was a strange sight. Most of the girls from ten to -fourteen had nothing on but a short tight pair of drawers; the older -ones had tight short-sleeved bodices in addition to the drawers; and -those under ten were naked. They were all good-looking; a few here and -there were beautiful. The delicate and refined outline of their -features, the soft tint of their rich complexions, the dreamy expression -of their large, dark, quiet eyes, added to great symmetry of form, made -them strangely fascinating. - -The teachers were all middle-aged women, some of whom looked prematurely -old. The girls are taught to repeat poems and plays, but no books are -used. - -The dormitories in this establishment were bare rooms; the girls all -slept on mats or cushions on the floor. Each had a _lota_, or -drinking-cup, a little mirror, and a native box in which to keep her -clothes. The more finished and accomplished Nautchnees had rooms to -themselves. I went into one of these. It was matted, and was very simply -furnished. A tier of boxes in which her jewels and robes were kept, a -cot, a few brass lotas, fans, cojas, or water-holders, with some tiny -looking-glasses ranged along the wall,--and this was all. - -I inquired for the beautiful Nautchnee who had interested me. Her name -was Khangee; she was a Soodahnee by birth. The Soodahs are a military -race or tribe inhabiting parts of the province of Cutch; they find -their chief wealth in the beauty of their daughters, and for one of the -Soodahnees a rich Mohammedan will pay from a thousand to ten thousand -rupees.[47] Rajahs, wealthy Mohammedan merchants, and proprietors of -dancing-girls often despatch their emissaries to Cutch, Cabool, -Cashmere, and Rajpootana in search of beautiful women. The fame of the -Cashmerian and Soodah women has spread far and wide, and often some -beautiful creature is picked up out of the hovels of Thur, Booly, or -Cashmere and transplanted to the gorgeous pomp of a royal harem. The -Rajpoots intermarry with the Soodah and Cashmerian women, and, being -naturally a handsome race, they have preserved by this means that -physical beauty of which they are so justly proud. - -Very little was known of Khangee's history beyond the fact that she was -a Soodahnee by birth. She was bought at an early age from her parents, -who were poor and occupied a hovel in the village of Thur in Cutch, and -sold to this establishment when in her seventh year, and was almost as -ignorant of her parentage as a newly-born babe. At the time of our visit -she had been hired with a party of Nautchnees to assist in the -marriage-celebration which was to take place at the house of a rich -Bunyâh, or Hindoo grain-merchant. - -These Nautchnees often marry well, and become chaste wives and mothers -of large families. The four requisites for a Nautchnee are bright eyes, -fine teeth, long hair, and a perfect symmetry of form and feature. A -small black mole between the eyebrows or on either cheek will enhance -her value to an extraordinary degree. - -The utter friendlessness, the quiet submission, expressed in the actions -and faces of the young girls, and even of the little children, we had -seen exercising and acquiring their different parts that morning, were -very pathetic. There was none of the impetuosity of youth nor of the -joyousness of childhood. It is a sad and dreary picture, these -parentless children of the East living for some rich man's pleasure, and -dying as they live, often unloved and uncared for by any relative or -friend. - -"Bayahdier" is the name generally applied by the French and Portuguese -to the dancing-girls attached to temples.[48] They are distinct from the -Nautchnees, and are held sacred as priestesses. In case of sickness, -famine, or other individual or social calamity Hindoo parents will -repair to the temple and there vow to dedicate a daughter, sometimes yet -unborn, to the service of Siva, provided the gods avert the threatened -danger. Such vows are also made by barren women, who promise, if the -curse of barrenness be removed, to dedicate to Siva their first-born -daughter; and all such vows are religiously performed. When the child -thus consecrated is born, the first thing that is necessary is for the -father to repair to the temple and register her name as a devotee of the -temple, break a cocoanut at the shrine of Siva, and take from the hand -of the Brahman priest a little holy oil, shaindoor, a sort of red paint, -and mud obtained from the Ganges; with which he returns to mark the -newly-born child. From this moment she is looked upon as a priestess, -and is exempt from all household or any other employment. At the age of -five she attends the temple daily, where she is taught by the priests to -read, chant, sing, and dance in the schools attached to it. When the -girl has reached womanhood she undergoes certain purifications. Holy -oil and grated sandal-wood are rubbed over her person; she is then -bathed, perfumed, fumigated, dressed in a robe peculiar to these -priestesses--a full petticoat with a handsome border, short enough to -show her feet and ankles, which are covered with jewels; a very short -boddice, and over this is thrown a spotted muslin veil; the hair is -ornamented with jewels of gold and silver, as are the neck, arms, and -throat. She then enters the temple, takes her place near the stone image -of Siva; generally her right hand is bound to that of the holy image, -her forehead is marked with his sign, and she confirms the vow made by -her parents to dedicate her body to the service and maintenance of the -temple. With some few advantages of education, this temple-service may -be regarded as one of the most corrupt and depraving institutions of the -Hindoos--injurious alike to the moral and physical welfare of the -community at large, and moreover debasing to the character of the -Brahman priests themselves in their open recognition and encouragement -of vice. These poor devotees often accept their fate with that stolid -indifference peculiar to the Orientals, and are taught to believe that -their immoralities are sacred to the god to whom they are dedicated. - -The services on the death of one of these priestesses are peculiar. When -at the point of death a mud idol of Siva is placed in her arms. Her -mouth, eyes, nose, and ears are rubbed with holy oil, and then touched -with flame obtained from a sacrificial fire, to purify from the taint of -her impure life; in her hands are placed the _toolsi_[49] flowers, and -her body is robed in pure white; after which she is made to repeat a -hymn praying that as she has consecrated her body to the service of the -gods, so may her soul be freed from rebirth and reunited to the Infinite -Soul. If she is too feeble to repeat this prayer, the priests chant it -in her dying ear. When life becomes extinct she is carried to a quiet -spot in the vicinity of the temple, burned, and her ashes buried then -and there. Sometimes a fellow-sister will plant a toolsi or moghree tree -on the site, but no monument ever marks the spot where these poor -priestesses of passion are cremated. - -These devotees are never taken in marriage; they are looked upon as the -brides of their various deities; they are generally childless. If a -woman happens to have a child, however, she is sole arbitress of its -fate, and in no instance has she ever been known to dedicate it to the -life to which she has been doomed. She generally hands it over to her -parents or nearest relatives as a substitute for herself. - -There are hospitals and asylums for the sick, infirm, and aged of this -class of women, though from all I could learn very few arrive at old -age. - -The Cusban, or lowest class of dancing-women, is very largely recruited -from runaways from these Hindoo temples, and it is said that in course -of time they become the most abandoned and desperate of the native -community. - -Even the most intelligent people, unless they have made a special study -of India, can have no idea of the marked differences that exist between -the Brahmans and these different classes of women. The pure Brahman, -with the three other Aryan castes in so far as they have not -intermarried with the aborigines, are of Caucasian type. In the northern -provinces they are not brown, but of a complexion almost as fair as that -of many dark Europeans. Both the men and women are distinguished by -symmetry of form, fine soft hair, and beautiful eyes. Their ideal of -beauty is similar to ours, with this exception: that they have adhered -more closely in matters of dress to the original simplicity of form than -Europeans have done. - -Theatrical representations, such as that of Ram Chunder, are much in -vogue. The dramatic art in Hindostan about the period of the Christian -era was of a high and lofty character. It was the great school wherein -kings, warriors, and soldiers were taught the purest ideals of chivalry -and manly and womanly purity of character; but at the present time it -has greatly degenerated, although in many parts of India the more -enlightened Hindoos are trying to restore it once more to its true and -original place among the high arts. Everywhere theatrical exhibitions -are held, often in the open air or under temporary sheds. The actresses -are the Nautchnees, and a respectable Hindoo woman will rarely attend -these public places. The native Roman Catholics in Southern India and -Ceylon have also religious dramas, in no way superior to those of the -Hindoos; the overshadowing of the Virgin, the birth of Christ, the -crucifixion, and so forth, are very similar to the scenes represented of -Krishna and the Hindoo incarnation. - -Social dancing does not exist among the nations of the East, and it is -considered highly indecorous for a Hindoo woman of pure character to -dance. Even the Nautchnees, if they become wives or even concubines to -rich men, as often happens, abandon all such practices; and their -children are never allowed to know their mother's early profession, so -deep is the national sentiment with regard to the domestic relations of -a wife and mother. - -Public reading of popular poems, histories, and dramas as a source of -amusement is very common all through Northern and Southern Hindostan. -The reading is always performed in parts. A wealthy Hindoo will engage a -number of professional readers to perform the task, and every one who -wishes to hear may do so. The readers always take their places in an -open verandah, and the people in large numbers seat themselves around -within hearing distance. The recitation is given; each person performs -his or her part in the prescribed order with a musical cadence. The -expositor gives a free translation for the benefit of the people, who -are thus made acquainted with the most celebrated Hindoo works. - -Chess is a favorite game among the Hindoos, and it is one of the most -ancient, alluded to even in their earliest productions, and quite common -among all classes and grades of society. This game is peculiarly adapted -to the Hindoo mind, in which quiet thought, perspicacity, and shrewdness -are so strongly marked. Cards with the figures of their gods and -goddesses are a source of great amusement; the women are much given to -this indoor recreation. The Ashta-Kasti is a game played on a board of -twenty-five squares with sixteen cowries or small shells. It is played -by four persons, and is finished when one of the pieces, traversing the -length and breadth of the board, enters first into the central square. -Mohgali[50] Patan is a favorite game among the superior classes of -Hindoo women. It is a representation of a battle between the _Mohgals_ -and Patans. The battle-field is accurately drawn; on one side is the -_Mohgal_ army, and on the other the Patan. Hindoo ladies play it with -great skill. Another military game, the Pàshà, played on ninety-six -squares and with sixteen pieces, is played with great vigor and amid -peals of laughter. The moves are regulated by the throws of dice. Among -the outdoor sports are kite-flying, throwing the sling, bat-and-ball, -croquet on horseback, wrestling, running, boating, boxing, and hunting. -Itinerant jugglers are everywhere patronized. - -Musical recreations are most popular of all, and not only from the -temples and palaces, but from the humblest hut of the poorest peasant, -sweet sounds everywhere greet the ear. When an instrument cannot be had -the voice is substituted; men seated in clusters under trees by the -wayside beguile the evening hours with song after song. The common -bhistee at the water's edge, the farmer at the plough, the cart-driver, -the boatman, the shepherd, the warrior, the spinner at her wheel, and -the mother beside the cradle, all delight in song, giving great effect -to tender or spiritual sentiments by the measured or animated tones of -chant, psalm, or song as it may happen to be. - -Instrumental, and even vocal music, though held among the fine arts, has -not attained great eminence, yet no people are more susceptible to its -peculiar charms than the Hindoos. The word "sang-gheeta," or symphony, -implies not only the union of voices and instruments, but suitable -action. - -Musical treatises always combine "gána," the measure of poetry, "vadya," -instrumental sound, and "uritya," dancing. The most remarkable of their -musical compositions are The Ragar Navah, "The Sea of Passion;" -Sabha-Vinodah, "The Delight of the Assemblies;" Sang-gheeta-Derpana, -"The Mirror of Song;" Raga Nibhoda, "The Doctrine of Musical Modes." All -these works explain more or less the laws of harmony, the division of -musical sounds into scales, etc., enunciation, cadence, rising and -falling variations, long and short accentuations, and rules for playing -the vina and other musical instruments. The vina is the most common; it -is not unlike a guitar, five or six feet long, with seven or more -strings, and a large gourd at each end of the finger-board. - -Music, like almost everything else in India, is thought to be of divine -origin. The gamut is called swaragrama, and is uttered as _Sa_, _ri_, -_ga_, _ma_, _pa_, _dha_, _ne_. Little circles, ellipses, crescents, -chains, curves, lines, straight, horizontal, or perpendicular, are -employed as notes. The close of each strain is always marked by a -flower, especially the rose and lotus. - -The mode of dress of the Hindoo is both simple and suitable to the -climate. The men wear a cloth called dhotee bound round the loins, with -an upper vest, of cotton or silk according to the wealth of the wearer, -over it. This angraka, or coat, is very graceful, generally of pure -white, and descending to the ankles; it is bound around the waist by a -colored shawl or scarf called cumberbund. A white muslin turban -artistically wound around the head and sandals complete the attire. On -festive occasions a gay handkerchief is thrown over the right shoulder, -which adds very much to the picturesqueness of the dress. - -The women wear a cloth, or saree, some yards in length, often edged with -a rich and delicate embroidery of gold or silver, descending to the -feet. They gather this into a point in front, and fasten it around their -waists with or without belts, as the case may be. They then twist the -rest most gracefully around the entire person, after which it is thrown -over the head and made to serve both as a bonnet and a veil. It is very -becoming, and, wrought over with delicate Oriental devices of fine -texture, lends a peculiar charm to the most ordinary features. A bright -silk boddice is worn under the saree, and the whole dress accords well -with the sweet, modest grace and beauty which characterize the pure -Hindoo woman. - -They also wear a profusion of jewels, and ears, nose, arms, wrists, -ankles, toes, and fingers are often bedecked with them. In some -instances all their wealth is thus preserved. The hair, which is often -very luxuriant, is combed back in the ordinary European style, and is -tied in a knot behind. Rich women often fasten it with a band of gold -bound around the entire head and very expensive ornamental gold pins. -The Hindoo women possess in a far greater degree than Europeans an eye -for color. The most ignorant of them have the peculiar art of selecting -strong and brilliant contrasts in color, and so disposing them on their -persons as to make a perfect harmony. - -There is a marked difference between the moral and social character of -the Hindoo and the Mohammedan women of India. The Hindoo woman does not -occupy that position in society which she is so eminently fitted to -grace, and which is accorded to women in Europe and America; but she is -by no means as degraded as is so frequently represented by travellers, -who are apt to mistake the common street-women with whom they are -brought into contact for the wife and mother of an ordinary Hindoo home. -It is difficult for a stranger to find out what an Indian woman is at -home, though he may have encountered many a bedizened female in the -streets which he takes for her. - -The influence of the Hindoo woman is seen and felt all through the -history of India, and is very marked in the annals of British rule. -Though the political changes, the invasion, and despotism of Mohammedan -rule may have forced upon them the seclusion now so general, it is -evident that they once occupied a very different position in society, -from the testimony of their earliest writers and the dramatic -representations of domestic life and manners still extant. - -One of the most startling facts is, that among the Asiatic rulers of -India who have heroically resisted foreign invasion the women of -Hindostan have distinguished themselves almost as much as the men. -Lakshmi Baiee, the queen of Jahnsee, held the entire British army in -check for the space of twenty-four hours by her wonderful generalship, -and she would probably have come off victorious if she had not been shot -down by the enemy. After the battle Sir Hugh Rose, the English -commander, declared that the best _man_ on the enemy's side was the -brave queen Lakshmi Baiee. Another courageous and noble woman, Aus -Khoor, was placed by the British government on the throne of Pattiala, -an utterly disorganized and revolted state in the Panjaub. In less than -one year she had by her wise and effective administration changed the -whole condition of the country, subjugated the rebellious cities and -villages, increased the revenues, and established order, security, and -peace everywhere. Alleah Baiee, the Mahratta queen of Malwah, devoted -herself for the space of twenty years with unremitting assiduity to the -happiness and welfare of her people, so that Hindoos, Buddhists, Jains, -Parsees, and Mohammedans united in blessing her beneficent rule; and of -so rare a modesty was this woman that she ordered a book which extolled -her virtues to be destroyed, saying, "Could I have been so infamous as -to neglect the welfare and happiness of my subjects?" - -In the historical notices of the rule of Hindóstanee women nothing is -more conspicuous than their fine, intuitive sense of honor and justice. -Clive, Hastings, Wellesley, and other governors-general of India, have -all acknowledged their high appreciation of the character of the Hindoo -women they have known, declaring that in many instances, under the -administration of Ranees and Begums, India has been more prosperous and -better governed than under the rule of the native rajahs. - -The present ruler of Bhopal is a lady of high moral and intellectual -attainments; both she and her mother, who preceded her as head of the -state, have displayed the highest capacity for administration. Both have -been appointed knights of the Star of India by the empress of India, -Queen Victoria, and their territory is the best governed native state in -India. - -Very recently the queen of England created her Asiatic sisters, the -queens of Oude and Pattiala, knights of the Star of India in -appreciation of their wise and beneficent rule over their respective -kingdoms. - -During the dreadful ravages of the French and English, or the Carnatic -War, the Hindoo women administered to the wounded and suffering European -soldiers of both nations with equal tenderness and impartiality, causing -one of the English generals to report to head-quarters, "But for the -Indian women, who better understand the qualities of love and tenderness -than we Europeans, I should have left half of my wounded soldiers to die -on the battle-field. They washed the toiling feet of the poor tired -soldiers, stanched their flowing wounds, and bore them in their united -arms from the strife of the battle-field to the quiet and shelter of -their own little huts." - -In that interesting narrative of occurrences at Benares during the -latter days of the month of June, 1857, furnished by a soldier of the -Seventy-eighth Highlanders, are several incidents characteristic of the -devotion and self-abnegation of the Hindoo women. This regiment or -company of soldiers, in its work of retaliation upon the Indian -mutineers, often set fire to whole villages in order to punish the rebel -sepoys sheltered by them. On one of these occasions a humane Highlander, -after having rescued several persons from the fire, rushed into the -flames to save a young woman seated calmly by a dying man, whose lips -she was wetting with some siste[51] while the fire was raging around -her. No inducement of self-preservation could prevail with her to quit -his side till they were both carried out. - -Tenderness and self-devotion, as I said before, are the chief -characteristics of the pure Hindoo woman. Her love for her offspring -amounts to a passion, and she is rarely known to speak hastily, much -less to strike or ill use her child. Her devotion as a wife has no -parallel in the history of the world. Marriage is a sacred, indissoluble -bond, which even death itself cannot destroy, and the patient, -much-enduring women of India took the terrible yoke of sutteeism upon -them in becoming wives as calmly as the young English or American girl -puts on her bridal veil, and have gone to the funeral pile for centuries -without a murmur. - -In the purer and more ancient period of Indian civilization it was not -customary to force a widow upon the funeral pyre of her husband. But the -fearful prospects of Hindoo widowhood, which made her future existence -appear to her a long, wearisome, and distasteful series of sad duties, -made her gladly choose death rather than life. Besides which, she died -honored and happy, having by her death redeemed her husband from a -thousand years of penance. By degrees, this fearful practice, fostered -by the priests and poets of India, became a sacred tradition carefully -handed down from mother to daughter, and at last came to be regarded as -a sublime sacrifice on the marriage altar. The practice of sutteeism has -been virtually abolished by the British government on British-Indian -soil, but to this day women will perform painful journeys to places -still governed by native princes in order to burn themselves alive. - -In 1834, while Dr. Burnes was residing at Cutch, a very remarkable case -of sutteeism took place in that province. The only wife of Bhooj-Rhai, a -wealthy and intimate friend of the rao or king, had, during her -husband's illness, declared her intention of performing suttee at his -death. When the time arrived the rao, at the instance of the British -resident, expostulated with her, but all in vain. Protection was also -offered her in the name of the British government, but her determination -remained firm and unshaken. On the morning appointed for the burning of -Bhooj-Rhai's body a funeral pyre was erected immediately in front of Rao -Lakka's tomb. A spot was enclosed with a circle of bamboos, the tops of -which were bound together in the form of a beehive, covered with dried -grass and thorns; the entrance was a small aperture on the left side. -Crowds of gayly-dressed people flocked to the spot. The moment the -victim, a remarkably handsome woman about thirty, and most superbly -dressed, appeared, accompanied by the Brahman priests, her relatives, -and the dead body of her husband, the people greeted her with loud -exclamations of praise and delight, poured forth benedictions on her -head for her constancy and virtue, and showered flowers on her path as -she was borne along; women pressed to touch the hem of her garments, -hoping thereby to be absolved from all sin and preserved from all evil -influences. - -Dr. Burnes addressed the woman, desiring to know whether the act she was -about to perform was voluntary or enforced by the priests, and offered -her again, on the part of the British government, a guarantee for the -protection of her life and property. Her answer was calmly heroic, and -she could not be dissuaded from her purpose: "I die of my own free -will," said she; "give me back my husband and I will consent to live." -Seeing that nothing could move her from her resolution, Dr. Burnes -despatched a message to the rao requesting his interference. He returned -answer that it was beyond his power to arrest the ceremony. Everything -was done, but in vain, to save the life of this infatuated woman, and at -length the ceremony began. Accompanied by the officiating Brahmans, the -widow walked seven times round the pyre, repeating the usual mantras or -prayers, strewing rice and cowries (small shells) on the ground, -sprinkling holy water over her friends and relatives and on the -bystanders. She then removed her jewels and presented them to her -nearest relations with a glad smile. The Brahman priest then presented -her with a lighted torch; taking it from his hand, she stepped through -the fatal entrance and calmly seated herself within the pile. The body -of her husband, wrapped in rich _kinkaub_ (gold cloth), was then carried -seven times round the pile, and finally laid across her knees. The door -was left unclosed, in the hope that the deluded woman might yet repent -and escape. Not a sigh, not a whisper, broke the death-like silence of -the crowd. The intrepid woman held up her torch and ignited the pile. -Presently a slight smoke, curling from the summit of the pyre, gave -notice that the fiery ordeal had begun; then came a tongue of flame -darting with lightning rapidity toward the clear blue sky, announcing -that the sacrifice was completed, though not a sound betrayed that a -living victim was within holding a dead corpse in her arms. So far as -courage and silent, resolute determination went, she was more immovable -than the dead clay she held in her last fiery embrace. At the sight of -the ascending crackling flames wild shouts of exultation rent the air, -the drums beat, the people clapped their hands in delighted applause, -while the English spectators of the scene withdrew, bearing deep -compassion in their hearts. - -After the fiery consummation had taken place, on the ground where the -sadhwee, or "pure one," had expired three chatties, or earthen vessels, -full of consecrated balls of rice, were placed as offerings to the gods. - -The Bombay government notified the rao at once that the repetition of -such inhuman atrocities would not again be overlooked.[52] This had no -doubt some effect on His Highness, but nevertheless some time after this -sacrifice the beautiful mother of the rao suddenly fell ill and died, -and one of her female attendants voluntarily buried herself alive near -her mistress, in order that she should be in readiness to attend her in -a future state. - -It is very difficult for the Western mind to comprehend this utter -self-abnegation on the part of Hindoos, and it can only be accounted for -by their deep faith in the universal metamorphosis of life and the -unreality of form. _Maya_[53] is illusion, the evanescent dream of life, -which is only a "sleep between a sleep," the constant flow of form into -form, of thought into thought, of life into other life. Even Brahm does -not recognize himself in the second person: "I know when I am I, but who -am I when I am thou?" It renders individuality illusive, intangible, and -uncertain, so that to the Hindoos life and possession assume a meaning -entirely different from that with which we are disposed to regard them. -It is true that life loses half its charms, but death is robbed of its -terrors. Life is valued only in so far as they are prepared to lay it -aside, or rather to change it for some other form; for life and death -are but the perpetual ebb and flow, the advance or retrograde, of soul -toward "the Soul." Under this ardent faith, that everything above, -below, beyond, God himself, is illusion, change, metamorphosis, is -hidden the secret that helps them to endure suffering not only without a -murmur, but with joy, and to count death itself a positive gain in the -presence of the eternal, immutable, and solid fact of life to be found -at last in the final reunion of the human with the divine life. This -faith so potent, so absorbing, so far reaching, has stamped a character -hereditary and almost ineffaceable on the Hindoo mind. - -To-day Brahmanism is so expansive in character that it takes in every -form and peculiarity of religious sentiment. The more earnest and -spiritual have grand and magnificent theories of God that supply ample -food for the imagination; the tender have laws that reach down almost to -vegetable life; the ignorant and vulgar have attractive festivals and -endless ceremonials suited to engage their attention; the vicious and -degraded have the loves and frivolities of the gods and heroes, whose -lives encourage pursuit of sensual gratifications; the devotee who -abandons all that is sensual for spiritual insight has text upon text -and example upon example, taken from the Puranas[54] and from the actual -lives of saints, to support him in the effort of finding God at last. -The self-sacrificing only quits an illusion for a reality, and the -idolater who bows down before wood and stone believes that he sees -before him only the form of a divine life hidden everywhere in matter. -Thus highest religious thought and life and lowest sensual indulgence -meet together in the theology of the Brahmans. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[45] A new school of the Brahmanic order--"Brahmo-Somaj," meaning an -assembly in the name of God. This Church has connected itself with every -progressive movement in India. The originator of this social and -religious movement was Rajah Rammahun Roy, a very learned man. In 1818 -he published, for the benefit of his own countrymen, selections from the -teachings of Jesus, taken from the Gospels, in Sanskrit and Bengali, -calling the book "The Precepts of Jesus, the Guide to Peace and -Happiness." He died and was buried in England in 1833. Rammahun Roy -built a church in Calcutta, where the Brahmo-Somaj still hold their -worship. The members belonging to this new school of religious thought -are estimated at ten thousand. The women have a separate prayer-meeting -from the men. Their form of worship is very simple--singing of hymns -adapted from the Vèdas or from the Brahmanasu, or Brahman Aspirations, -the Christian Bible, and extempore prayer, followed by an exhortation on -morality and purity of thought and character. The late Mr. Keshub -Chunder Sen was everywhere recognized as their chief leader. - -[46] "Rama, Rama, the god Rama, bless you!" - -[47] The value of a rupee is about forty-five American cents. - -[48] Their names vary with the language. I have heard them called "Khoo -mattees" in parts of Guzerat; also "Dhayahtees" in the Deccan, and -Bhaladhya in parts of Western India, from Sanskrit "bala," youth, and -"dhya," tenderness. - -[49] Ocymum or sweet basil. This plant has a very dark-blue flower, and -hence, like the large bluish-black bees of India, is held sacred to -Krishna and his amours. A fable, however, is told in the Purânas -concerning the metamorphosis of the nymph Toolasi (by Krishna) into the -shrub which has since borne her name, because he could not return her -love. - -[50] This word is generally pronounced _Mohgul_ by the natives of India. - -[51] A peculiar little seed from which a cooling drink is prepared. A -preparation of rice and water, when cooled, is often called "siste." - -[52] See _Cutch_, chapter vi., by Mr. Postans, 1839. - -[53] The illusion or unreality of all created things, according to -Brahman mystics. - -[54] The "Puranas," or Hindoo Antiquities, are by no means as ancient as -they are named. They are eighteen volumes in all, but consisting of no -less than one million six hundred thousand sacred lines treating of -creation, mythology, tradition, and legend. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - - From Bombay to Poonah, the capital of the Maha Rashtra, or the - great Indian kings.--Campooly.--The Ascent of the Bhor - Ghauts.[55]--Khandala.--Caves of Carlee or Karli.--"Puja Chakra," - or the famous Wheel-worship of the Brahmans.--Poonah.--Kirki.--A - Visit to the Peishwa's Palace.--Temple of Parvati.--The Pundit and - the Brahman Priest at Prayer.--Sanskrit and English Colleges at - Poonah.--Suttee Monuments at Sangam.--Hindoo Bankers, etc. - - -From the island of the ancient goddess Bamba Dèvi to Poonah, the capital -of the great Indian kings, one passes through the most extravagant -contrasts of sights and scenes to be found anywhere in the wide -world--gorgeous temples of gods and squallid dwellings of men; fertile -plains and arid wastes; towering hills crowned with ancient forts and -temples, now lonely or deserted; deep cave-structures in the hearts of -isolated mountains, where still lie written in stone the romantic -culture of a long-past age. - -Our dâhk, which was simply a native carriage furnished with horses -instead of bullocks, trotted briskly along the magnificent "Lion -Causeway." Passing rapidly the eastern side of the island of Salsette to -Thannah, and crossing the great viaduct and round the promontory of -Parsek, we turned to the south, and emerged on a striking plain whose -attractiveness increased at every mile of the road until we began the -descent of the Bhor Ghauts on the other side. - -[Illustration: BULLOCK CART.] - -In some parts our road lay over a great green floor soft as velvet, -intersected with innumerable river-like channels, made in the lowlands -by the ever-encroaching sea. Palm trees fringed these salt-water -streams, dotted with hundreds of the fanciful sails of fishing-smacks, -bunder-boats, and brightly painted canoes, all moving to and fro swiftly -and silently under the shadows of the hills, which rise in fantastic -broken forms on one side. There is no sound far or near to break the -spell; the silent, forest-clad Ghauts and the whole sea-begirt valley -lie asleep in that enchanted atmosphere. - -At sunset we reached the village of Campooly, at the foot of the -Ghauts--a mean, dirty, and terribly unhealthy spot, situated immediately -under the lofty barrier-wall of rock called the Bhor Ghauts, which props -up the great table-land of the Deccan[56]--an immense plateau, with -large rivers, innumerable hills covered with forts, magnificent towns, -cities, villages, and many millions of inhabitants. - -This enormous mountain-chain of the Deccan, the first of the steps that -rise one above the other till they terminate in the great plateau of -Thibet, the highest land of the Himâlayas, starts up almost -perpendicularly from the Konkan, or lowlands, and is securely fastened -together by huge buttresses of primeval granite, naked and frightful to -look upon in some places, and again singularly beautiful in others. A -railroad and a tunnel have since been built across this once almost -inaccessible barrier, and is said to be "a noble piece of engineering," -for the Ghauts extend over thirteen degrees of latitude and rise in some -parts to a height of five thousand five hundred feet above the level of -the sea. - -There was a fine bungalow, built by Bala Roa Angria for the -accommodation of European travellers, at Campooly, where we passed the -first hours of the night to await some palanquins with their bearers -that had already started up the Ghauts. This bungalow is only occupied -by chance wayfarers. Here we took up our abode, and only a tribe of -monkeys showed the least inclination to prevent our doing so. There were -sixteen in all; they were evidently enjoying themselves running in and -out of the half-deserted building. A number on the roof were throwing -down into the verandah the peculiar nutlike fruit of the large and -graceful peepul trees that overshadowed the house. Some were peeping in -at the doors and windows, and some were swinging themselves from the -rafters. The moment we appeared they showed regular fight, screamed, -chattered, and no doubt swore at us hard and fast in monkey fashion; -but, what seemed to me most curious, there was not a man in our service -who would perform the unkind office of dispersing them from the -bungalow. We had to send for our driver, who, being a Musulman, had no -scruples of early ancestry or primitive divinities. He took off his -cumberbund, or scarf, twisted it into a whip with a knot at the end, and -despatched the bulk of the tribe back into the forest whence they had -come. Only one great black-bearded male monkey remained on the roof in -spite of the brandished rag; when we were at supper this huge creature -suddenly suspended himself downward by the tail, looked in upon us, and, -opening his hideous jaws, uttered some fierce imprecations, which, as -our pundit would say, "were perfectly intelligible, but not -translatable," and, having done this, he vanished, and we saw nothing -more of him for that evening. - -There is here a Hindoo temple, and a fine reservoir which occupies a -quarter of a mile of ground. This reservoir and the adjoining temple, -dedicated to Maha Dèo, were built by that most subtle of Mahratta -ministers, the famous Nana Furnaveez, whose real name was Balaji -Jahnardhan. It is exceedingly well built; the sides are lined and the -banks paved with fine stone; steps lead everywhere to the edge of the -water; a magnificent banyan tree overshadows the artificial lake, and -near it flourishes a fine grove of mango trees. - -On the opposite side of us men, women, and children were bathing, -swimming and disporting themselves in the water. Some of the young women -were symmetry itself, with exquisitely-proportioned, slender forms, -delicate hands and feet, finely-poised heads and necks. Their long hair -streamed behind them in the water as they swam merrily about. Others -were just stepping out of the tank arrayed in their graceful but -dripping sarees, which they allow to dry on their persons while they -proceed to fill their water-jars, and, piling them one above the other -on their heads, depart to their respective homes. These women seemed -very innocent and child-like, and a closer acquaintance with several -high-bred and true Hindoos proved that these were their distinguishing -characteristics. - -At three o'clock next morning we began the ascent of the Ghauts in -palanquins, or, as they are commonly called, palkees, with coolies to -transport our baggage and provisions. About sunrise we reached a very -remarkable point in these mountains, a deep and frightful-looking chasm. -We alighted from our palkees and went over this part of the Ghauts on -foot. At length we were directed as near as we dared to approach the -spot where the mountain was split in two.[57] Not a sound was heard -anywhere. As we stood there the shadows of the crags brightened every -moment, now shimmered along the sides, and shed flickering shafts of -light far down upon the midnight darkness below. It was a glorious -picture--the depth below and the height above, on whose summits the -plumes of the palm trees waved their branches to the rising sun. - -The atmosphere was remarkably clear, and this helped us to see a great -distance with the naked eye. On one side gently-falling slopes gave -place to abrupt precipices and innumerable peaks, and on the other far -below were smiling plains, each more beautiful than the other in form -and color, affording now and then most magical glimpses of green fields -dotted with great reservoirs that looked like silvery spots, and cozy -little Hindoo villages nestling amid charming groves and -palm-plantations. - -As the story goes, the duke of Wellington, then a simple colonel, cast -all his guns into one of these reservoirs when he found no means of -conveying them any farther, lest they should fall into the hands of the -enemy, as he marched over the same road to Poonah and there quelled the -famous Mahratta rebellion of 1802. - -Now on foot and now in palkees we at length ascended these Ghauts, -sweeping round and round, now ascending, now descending, passing by -dreadful precipices, drawing breath under quaint natural bowers, -following winding paths, and coming suddenly upon foaming cascades -leaping from rock to rock. So we went from beauty to ever-increasing -beauty, till we reached the village of Khandala, on the very top of the -mountain, near which a travellers' bungalow stands with open arms--or -verandahs--to receive us. And here was opened to us the full -enchantments of the fairyland through which we had been passing upward. -All of a sudden from this high peak we beheld a most beautiful and -varied picture--sharp peaks of every form and shape and size, -tremendous ravines, towering mountains, leaping waterfalls, sloping -hillsides, and waving palms and mountain-forests, clearly outlined -against a deep-blue sky, and over all these varied forms of nature the -sunlight floats and melts, a sea of gold. No artist, however gifted, no -pencil, however matchless, can catch and transfer to canvas the -entrancing beauties of the views as seen from the top of the Bohr Ghauts -and at such a moment. - -This lovely spot has for more than twenty years been the favorite -retreat of the wealthy and change-seeking inhabitants of Bombay, and now -that the railway is opened it is much more easily reached. - -The ravines in this neighborhood harbor many wild beasts, and it is said -that at night tigers, leopards, and bears are often seen prowling about -in search of prey. The natives raise wild shouts when they think they -hear or see them, and thus frighten them away. - -The travellers' bungalow at Khandala is most picturesquely situated on -the edge of a deep ravine. On the right is a small lake or reservoir -adjoining the residence of the late Parsee knight, Sir Jamsetjee Jeeboy. -To the east is a magnificent hill, called the Duke's Nose, from its -supposed likeness to that of Wellington. From this point there are -splendid views. The pretty little mountain-village of Khandala is close -by, and as we pass on to Karli we skirt the beautiful woods of -Lanauli,[58] so often quoted in Mahratta song, once the hunting-grounds -of the rulers of the Deccan, and still abounding in wild boars and other -game. - -We spent four days at the bungalow here, and, what was more, saw every -sun that rose and set on these mountains. Each day was a counterpart of -the preceding one, clear and bright. We traversed some miles of the -surrounding country to visit hill-forts, caves, and viharas, which -abound in this neighborhood. - -Our next halting-place was at the village of Karli, a cluster of Hindoo -houses hid amidst a fine grove of trees. There was a nice bungalow here, -and even barracks to hold about two hundred men. - -The most famous cave is that of Karli. It far surpassed those we had -visited on the islands of Salsette and Elephanta, and took us very much -by surprise. The caves are on a hill about two miles or more from the -travellers' bungalow. We entered seemingly into the heart of the -mountain, and found ourselves in the body of the temple or cave, which -is separated from the side-aisles by fifteen columns of magnificent -design and workmanship; on each side, on the upper part of each of these -columns, are two kneeling elephants, and on each elephant are two seated -human figures, sometimes a male and female, with their arms around each -other's shoulders sometimes the figures are both female. The effect is -remarkably striking. The _chaitya_[59] is plain and very solid, and -behind it are seven plain octagonal pillars without any ornamentation. -The interior of the temple seems to have been lined with woodwork. Right -in front of the arched roof or hall is a second screen, as at the great -cave at Salsette. It is composed of plain octagonal columns with -pilasters. Over these is a mass of wall crowned with a superstructure of -four dwarf pillars; the whole of this appears to have been covered with -wooden ornaments.[60] These are thought to have been a broad balcony in -front of the plain wall, supported by two bold wooden brackets from the -two piers. This balcony is thought to have served the purpose of a -music-gallery or nagara khánah, as are still found in the Jain temples -to-day. Everything here is executed in the finest style; the -bas-reliefs, the windows, the doors, the halls, roofs, vestibules, and -figures are each, one and all, beautifully executed. The colossal figure -of the Buddha perched on a lotos throne, with angels hovering around -him, his hands folded in everlasting repose resting on his knees, is -grand and imposing. On the walls are carved many a beautiful flower, -some not unlike those we passed in our morning's ride, with strange -characters and symbol after symbol replete with the wisdom of the -Buddhists. Rows of half-nude gigantic women, elephants, lions, birds, -and beasts relate in solid stone the triumphs of Buddhism over -Brahmanism. Dr. Stevenson dates the building of this temple at seventy -years before Christ; executed, according to him, by the emperor -Devabhute, under the care of Xenocrates or Dhennuka-Kati. There has -been, however, much doubt thrown by recent explorers on the dates given -by Dr. Stevenson. The inscriptions under the gateway are thought to -place beyond dispute the dates of these scattered excavations, so -similar in point of architecture, at the second century before Christ -and not long after the great Buddhist dispersion from North-western -Hindostan by the Brahmans. - -A number of queer-looking Brahman priests of the Sivite[61] sect, who -take care of these caves and encourage pilgrims to them, came out to see -us, and, finding our pundit to be a countryman, though he was not of -their sect, invited us to witness their worship in a vihara adjoining. - -It was difficult to believe that the quiet, dark, handsome men who spoke -to us could be such dupes as they seemed while at worship. In the -largest of the caves was a huge, rude machine very like a common wheel, -in the centre of which was a round place for a fire, and another and -smaller fireplace on each of the seven spokes of the wheel. To the wheel -was attached a long pole, and to this pole was tied a large-eyed, -patient-looking Brahmanee cow with bells around her neck. To the cord -which fastened these bells was tied a long rope, and this rope was held -by a Yoghee, a sort of mystic Brahman priest, who had nothing on but a -wisp of straw around his loins, and a half-starved-looking dog at his -heels. - -The moment the sun sank behind the mountains a white-robed priest issued -from one of the smaller caves and placed a little earthen lamp, -containing a long wick and some cocoanut oil, in each one of the -receptacles for the fires. This done, the deafening sounds of -multitudinous drums were heard from the secret recesses of the -intermediate caves. At this, away went the Yoghee, the dog, the cow, and -the wheel, with the seven tiny lamps revolving around the larger one in -the centre. This furious dance continued, the dog barking, the cow -lowing, and the drums beating, for an hour, and then another Yoghee -stepped forward and relieved the first one. There were twelve priests, -or rather ascetics, for the twelve hours of the night, and this was the -celebrated "puja chakra," or wheel-worship, of the ancient Brahmans. - -We could not wait, of course, to see the end of this strange, wild, -deafening performance. I nearly fainted from the oppressive heat and -disagreeable odors of the cave, and was obliged to seek relief in the -open air. Here we found the Yoghee who had begun the dance seated on a -stone clothed in a long dusky mantle and evidently enjoying the evening -breeze. He answered me in pure Hindostanee, and told me that the central -fire or lamp represented the Surya, or the Sun, the smaller ones the -seven planets, naming each one--Soma, the Moon; Mangala, Mars; Buddh, -Mercury; Virhaspati, Jupiter; Sukra, Venus; Sani, Saturn; Deva Bheemi, -the Earth. The cow stood for Providence, or, as he termed it, the -All-giver; he himself for mankind; while the dog was the emblem of the -human family; his dance was in honor of the solar system. - -A look of supreme satisfaction overspread his face as he informed me -that the deep spiritual meaning which was conveyed to his heart was not -in the wheel or in the fires, but in himself as he thought of the -efficacy of the daily sacrifice which he offered to the gods, which -convinced me that he at least firmly believed that the return of the -sun-god to his place in the heavens every morning was due to his efforts -and that of his brethren in performing from one end of the year to the -other this self-imposed mystic night-dance in honor of the solar system. - -The moon had risen as we put our little tattoos'[62] faces Khandala-ward -and trotted away from the Karli village and the Hindoo ascetics. We had -a very amusing half-broken and half-rattling talk with our pundit, who -insisted that there was nothing more holy in the way of worship than the -"puja chakra," which we had just seen. When my husband irreverently -inquired, "If the wheel-worship was not a gentle hint to the sun to be -up and about his business every morning," our good guide and teacher -became suddenly grave and silent, and not another word would he say to -us on the subject of this curious worship. - -Next day we climbed a hill to see the old fort of Lok-garha, which was -twice captured from the Mahrattas by the East India Company's generals. -It occupies a commanding position, and we enjoyed the view from it. -This grand old Mahratta fortress is full of historical interest. It was -here that the beautiful and astute widow of Nana Furnaveez, the most -famous of the Mahratta ministers, took refuge, and the killadhar, or -commander of the fort, obtained for her from General Wellesley not only -a guarantee of safety, but an annual pension of twelve thousand rupees. -On our return ride we passed through a wild but beautiful part of the -hills. We saw and heard the stately pea-fowl that are found in this -neighborhood; they added very much to the wild, luxuriant beauty of the -woods. - -On the following morning we bade adieu to the beautiful Bohr Ghauts. -There was a great deal more of loveliness to be seen for many a mile -until we reached the slope of the mountains, which is gradual rather -than abrupt, as it is on the opposite side, and after that it was of no -consequence at all where we looked. We were riding down a bleak, rugged, -desolate country, slightly inclined; this was that immense triangular -plateau between the Ghaut districts on the east and west and the great -Vindhiya chain on the north. As we approached Poonah we found the views -more interesting--fields of wheat, maize, orchards of fruit trees, -plantain-groves, and the peepul, tamarind, and palm waving above them -all. When we reached the bridge that spans the Moota River, it was near -sunset. A flood of light poured from the sky over hill and dale and -valley, gilding with unusual brilliancy the venerable roofs of Parbuttee -and the half-ruined turretted walls of the Peishwa's palace. - -Poonah, with the adjoining military station at Kirkee, where the -scenery, owing to the junction of the Moota and Moola Rivers, is very -picturesque, has a very respectable English population. But the majority -of the natives are almost exclusively Brahmans of the Deccan and -Hindoos from various parts of Hindostan. - -This spot is famous in Mahratta annals. In 1599 Poonah and Supah were -made over to Mahlaji Bhonsli, grandfather of the renowned Sivaji, by the -government of the Nizam. In 1750 it was made the capital of the -Maharashtra empire under Balaji Baji Rao. It was once more seized and -destroyed by the Nizam's forces, by Alih Shah, who had established the -Mohgul empire at Haiderabâd in the Deccan. And here again another battle -took place in 1802, when Jeshwant Rao Holkar defeated the combined -armies of the Peishwa and Scindhia. - -With our usual good-fortune we procured a house at Kirkee to stay in -during our visit to this neighborhood. It was the residence of a moolah, -a Mohammedan bishop, and must have been built many years ago. It is a -beautiful spot. A British cavalry regiment is stationed here, and here -was fought the battle in which the English gained one of their most -remarkable Indian victories over the last Peishwa. - -The native city is divided into seven quarters and dedicated to the -seven high angels or planets after whom the days of the week are named. - -The streets of the city of Poonah are more picturesque and far more -Oriental than even those of Bombay. The principal street is long, wide, -and furnished with sidewalks, with shops of all sizes and all kinds of -merchandise, having open fronts, and the goods are exposed on inclined -platforms. The lanes and thoroughfares are thronged with people of all -nationalities--the sedate and white-robed Brahman; the handsome Hindoo; -the refined and delicate-looking Hindoo woman in her flowing graceful -saree and pretty red sandals (for in this city Mohammedan influence has -not yet reached the point which it has in other parts of India, and the -women are not cooped up in harems, but are met everywhere in the -streets, temples, and bazaars); the pompously-dressed Musulman, Arab, -and Mahratta horsemen completely armed, prancing along on their splendid -chargers; Mahratta foot-soldiers with their lordly swagger, equipped -with sword and shield and buckler; emaciated devotees, fakeers, and -mendicants of all denominations, some wholly nude, others clothed in the -skins of wild beasts, and yet others covered with dust and paint and -ashes of cow-ordure; fat, lazy-looking Brahmanee bulls; Jews, Parsees, -native Portuguese Christians, and occasionally a British Mahratta sepoy -in his neat undress uniform. This moving picture, so strange and -incongruous, had the additional fascination of state elephants; splendid -cavalcades of the Peishwa's troops decked out in brilliant colors and -accompanied by richly-caparisoned led horses; camels trotting along at a -quick pace to the sound of merry little tinkling bells suspended from -their necks; fighting rams, kept for combats, one of the favorite -Mahratta pastimes, parading the streets in long rows, now leaping and -butting at dreamy Brahmanee cows. Add to all this that almost every day -in the week there are crowded markets, religious processions, passing -funerals with gayly-dressed corpses seated on the biers, looking ghastly -enough on this dancing bubbling current of human life, and some idea may -be formed of the sights and scenes to be met with in the capital of the -Mahratta empire. - -At my first arrival at Poonah I remember seeing some Hindoo children at -play in the square. They were playing at marbles in all respects like -the English game, save that the boys had nothing in the world on but a -sacred cord round their shoulders and some gold and silver ornaments. -New-born infants could not have been more unconscious than they were. -The boy who won, a lad about eight or nine, seemed the least elated of -the party. The one who lost had a better time; he clapped the winner on -the back and cheered him all the way across the square, crying, "Khoop! -khoop!" ("Fine! fine!"). There were thirty or more nude little fellows -watching the play with intense interest, and evidently having the most -enjoyment out of it, to judge from the wild shouts of applause with -which they hailed the victor, screaming at the very top of their lungs, -"Marliah! marliah!" ("Beaten! beaten!"). How many English or American -boys would behave so well? - -It would be simply impossible to enumerate all the places of historical -interest to be found here. The hillsides are everywhere crowned with -forts and religious and military strongholds, where many a battle has -been fought and won, and many a treaty formed only to be broken, both by -the servants of the East India Company and the contending Mahratta and -Mohgul forces, on this debatable land of the Hindoos, Mohguls, and -English conquerors. - -There are Bambura, or Bampoora, whence in former times an enormous gun, -the Mahratta curfew, boomed sunset warnings to honest men to betake -themselves home; and Dapooree, where Colonel Ford, C. B., built a -palatial residence, and raised and commanded a brigade of magnificent -Mahratta troops after the European fashion for the service of the -Peishwa Baji Rao. - -At Chinchore, near by, a boy is still worshipped as God by the credulous -natives. The originator of this curious deception was one Marâbo, who is -said to have restored sight to a blind girl, and who effected a like -miraculous cure for the great Sivaji.[63] In order to prove his -divinity, this Marâbo caused himself to be buried alive in a sitting -posture with a holy book in his hands. His son succeeded him as God. For -several miracles performed by the latter, especially the feat of -transforming a piece of cow's flesh into roses, the emperor of Delhi, -Alamghir, presented to this man-god Narayana eight villages in -perpetuity. - -Then there is another curious old fort, Chakhan,[64] with its ramparts -and parapets constructed, according to Hindoo story, by an Abyssian -chief named Palighar, A. D. 1295. In 1818 it was captured by the troops -of the East India Company. And last, but not least, there is the famous -Sing-garh, "the lion's den," a vast triangular-shaped fortress, where -the brave Mahwalee soldiers, headed by the braver Tanaji Mahisreh, -Sivaji's general, fought against the Rajpoots. The latter lost his life -after he had captured from the Rajpoots this stronghold of the -Mahrattas, causing Sivaji to exclaim, "The den is taken, but the lion, -alas! is slain." - -This fortress was finally captured by the English during the Mahratta -and English war. The ascent is made by palanquins. Splendid trees and -many a wild flower crown the hillsides, creeping over gate and tower and -moat, spreading beauty and gladness where once was heard the perpetual -war-cry of deadly combatants. - -We visited the Peishwa's palace. Our syce, or groom, looked like a -bedizened prince as he led the way with his gay turban and brilliant -sash. We kept close to his horse's heels, and the pundit, whose long -white robe gave him the appearance of a lady on horseback, brought up -the rear. - -The palace, temples, and pavilions of the late Peishwa all cluster -about a most beautiful hill called Parbuttee, a corruption of the -Sanskrit word Pharvati, "Sacred Mountain." A magnificent garden called -"Hira Bâgh" ("the gem or diamond garden"), and a fine reservoir with an -old pavilion on its bank, are some of the features of this sacred spot. -The palace is in no way worthy of notice, and is fast crumbling away, -but it is approached by a magnificent staircase of stone steps cut out -of the mountain, and so gradual that we rode up it on horseback. The -hill is covered with temples. The view is very fine; seen over the lake -with its pretty little tree-covered islands and wide fields studded with -palm- and mango-plantations, it was one vast beautiful picture. - -Our syce pointed out to us the spot where a young Mahratta prince dashed -himself headlong from his pavilion because he was publicly reprimanded -for some breach of etiquette by his prime minister, Nana Furnaveez. - -There was much to interest us, however, in the temples, that are still -kept in good repair, filled with the monstrous idols of the Hindoos; and -here are held great annual festivals in their honor. Over two hundred -Brahman priests worship here, and are supported by the voluntary -contributions made to their shrines. - -We went into the temple of Parvati. Our pundit led the way, accompanied -by a singularly interesting Mahratta Brahman priest, but I noticed that -the sectarian marks on his forehead and those on the pundit's were very -different. The former wore the marks of Siva, two straight lines -crossed, and the pundit those of Maha Dèo, two concentric circles with a -straight line. Before our eyes had become accustomed to "the dim -religious light" of this temple, the power of which the Hindoos so well -understand, I looked and saw right in front of me, and immediately at -the foot of the altar, the prostrate figure of the pundit, and the -Brahman priest beside him, their arms and hands stretched out, their -faces hidden on the pavement, their limbs stiff and rigid, and their -long white robes clinging to their persons. - -Within full sight and hearing of the beauty of Christianity, with all -the wonders and marvels of scientific discoveries taught hard by in the -public native school and in the Sanskrit college, here were these men, -neither of whom lacked intellectual training, bowing down to idols of -wood and stone. Surely, the more earnest and spiritual of these lowly -worshippers see something of the truth, beauty, and goodness of God, -denied to less ardent natures, and only discernible with closed eyes and -in moments of deep, silent emotion. - -There is a massive silver statue of Siva seated on the altar, holding on -his knees his wife Parvati and their son Ganesa. These smaller idols, it -is said, are of pure gold; a princely fortune in precious gems adorns -their headdresses, their necks, and gleams out of their eyes. There were -dusky arches and dingy, time-stained columns and all kinds of figures on -the walls, and over them all a smoky atmosphere and an odor of incense -mingled with that of burnt-offerings. - -We went out almost faster than we had gone in. Pundit and his guru, or -spiritual guide, were still going through some genuflexions. A Brahman -is a Brahman indeed, but are Christians always the followers of Jesus? -We sat down on the steps of the temple, and by and by the pundit came -out with his spiritual guide, looking calm and serene. - -We visited the English school for the natives in the Budhwar[65] portion -of the city, also the Sanskrit college, and saw there hundreds of -handsome, eager-looking students, and we were assured that it produced -men of very great learning, who could hold their own in Sanskrit, -Mahratta, Hindostanee, and English even, with some of the greatest -scholars in England, France, or Germany. - -A spot is shown at Sangam, not far from where we took up our abode, -where the devoted Hindoo widows formerly underwent cremation with the -dead bodies of their husbands. These monuments can only be seen when the -water at Sangam (the spot where the Moola and Moota Rivers meet) is at -its lowest ebb. They consist of flat stones or slabs laid in the -river-bed, with two female feet engraved on each of them. Even in this, -the most hideous and barbaric of Hindoo customs, is found lingering a -beautiful and tender sentiment. The feet engraved on the slabs prove the -willingness with which these unknown women followed their loved ones -through the ordeal of a fiery death into the world beyond, and the -meeting of the two rivers typifies the final reunion of their souls. - -We visited a banker's office in the native city of Poonah. This bank, in -which large sums are deposited and extensive business transacted, was -nothing but a mud house plastered over within and without. The counter -was an inclined platform reaching from the front to nearly the whole -length of the building; on it squatted, cross-legged, surrounded with -bags of all kinds of money, a Mahratta banker with his handsome -countenance and keen piercing black eyes, talking to his customers, -discounting bills, and counting money with astonishing rapidity and -ease. - -The bank where our pundit obtained his "hoondee," or money-order, was -managed, in the absence of his father, by a young Hindoo boy who could -not have been over twelve years of age. This youthful cashier astonished -us with his accuracy and quickness in counting and discounting money. -His only account-book, as far as I could see, was a flat board covered -with fine white sand. On this primitive slate he made all his -calculations, writing them down with his forefinger. When he had -finished he blew away the sand and handed over the amount due to pundit, -with interest for odd days, etc., all calculated with the nicest -accuracy down to the smallest fraction. We wondered very much to see -these banking establishments left in the charge of such young lads, who -sit there demurely--and, what is more strange, securely--until late at -night, often amid heaps of gold, silver, and other coin left temptingly -in full view; but one rarely hears of any attempt to rob them. - -The bankers' checks are written on a thick country-made paper; every -check has a secret mark or sign that renders forgery difficult. It is -rolled up and fastened with gum-water, and thus laks[66] upon laks of -rupees are circulated with ease and safety throughout the country. - -The European portion of the city of Poonah stands on a fine open plain. -There are here wide fields, handsome barracks for the European soldiers, -bungalows for their commanding officers, a hospital, a lunatic asylum, a -pretty little church with reading-room and library adjoining. In fact, -there is everything here to render the European comfortable and happy, -except the temper of the people, who still cling to the recollections of -old times, when Poonah was the capital of their own great kings and -warriors, filled with all the pomp and parade of Oriental splendor. - -The late Sir Jamsetjee Jeeboy has erected a fine residence here; near -it is a simple and unpretending Fire-temple for the benefit of the -Parsees in this vicinity. - -The last of the many bright hours spent here we drove about the native -town and enjoyed Poonah at night. Every house, fort, temple, palace, and -hut was illuminated, those of the poor by a dim light, those of the -temples and palaces by innumerable tiny flames that flickered and -gleamed in thousands of colors on the marbles and frescoes of the walls, -floors, and verandahs. It seemed like passing through some fairy scene -filled with the thousand and one pictures of the Arabian Nights. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[55] _Bhor_, a Mahratta word for the jujube tree, _Zizyphus jujuba_, -which is found among these mountains. The _Ghauts_, or "Landing-Stairs," -are the two ranges of mountains extending along the eastern and western -shores of the peninsula of Hindostan. The highest peaks in the -north-western part are found in the Mahablashwar Mountains, the summer -retreat of the Europeans of Bombay. - -[56] From _Dakshina_ (Sanskrit), "South Country." - -[57] This chain is now bridged over by a viaduct which once crumbled -down and disappeared into the depths below in the presence of a brave -English engine-driver, who had the good fortune to arrest the train, -that was speeding on its way toward it, just in time to save many -valuable lives. - -[58] A small village on the Khandala Hills. - -[59] An immense hemispherical altar of stone with a kind of wooden -umbrella spreading above, beneath which lies interred some relic of the -god to whom the temple is dedicated. - -[60] See Fergusson's _Rock-cut Temples of India_, p. 27. - -[61] Followers of the god Siva or Shiva. - -[62] The Mahratta horses. - -[63] Founder of the Mahratta empire, born at Junir, about fifty miles -from Poonah, in the year 1627. - -[64] This fort is reputed to be of great antiquity, and was constructed -by Palighar, but as to who he was, or how he got there, they do not -pretend to know. - -[65] The city of Poonah is divided into seven quarters, corresponding to -the days of the week. Budhwar, therefore, is the Wednesday quarter of -the city. - -[66] A _lak_ is one hundred thousand rupees. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - - The beautiful Hindoo village of Wye.--The Mahabaleshwar Hills.--The - Temple of the Gods.--The Couch of Krishna.--The Stone Image of the - Cow from whose mouth the Five Rivers of this Region are said to - Spring.--The Holy Tank.--Satarah, the Star City of the Mahratta - Empire.--The Fort.--The Palace of Sivaji.--Jejureh, the famous - Hill-temples where the Dancing-girls of the Country are - recruited.--The Mad Gossain, and the Story of his Ill-fated - Love.--The Dancing-girl Krayâhnee. - - -We made a journey from Poonah to the Mahabaleshwar Hills in a common -bullock-cart, but through a country of unrivalled beauty. We spent a -night and a day at the rural village of Wye. I have never seen any place -where the charm of Oriental grace working through the pure Hindoo -imagination has more forcibly stamped itself. The soil, the climate, the -temples, the river, the wide-spreading trees, the sportive figures of -the gods and goddesses, are all calculated to bring out in strong relief -the characteristics of the adjoining mountains, which here assume a -multitude of beautiful shapes, rising heavenward like innumerable -battlemented towers, pinnacles, or spires, each loftier than the last -and endowed with a certain air of individuality peculiar to these hills. -One isolated rock near the village rears its flat-topped brow, crowned -with an old Mahratta fort, more than a hundred feet high, sharp and -abrupt, lending a singular picturesqueness to the smallest object under -it. - -Wye stands on the left bank of the river Krishna, which is shaded by -fine peepul and mango trees; handsome stone steps lead down to the edge -of the swift-flowing waters, and are crowded all day long with figures -of graceful men, women, and children sporting, bathing, drawing water, -or lounging idly around. There was an irresistible freshness and quiet -beauty about the gay, careless life of the people, which was passed -absolutely on the banks of the river. - -We had no sooner taken up our abode in the travellers' bungalow, which -here commands a fine view, than the patel, or chief of the city, -accompanied by several Brahmans, paid us a visit, bringing us presents -of fruit and flowers. I was much struck with the genial kindliness and -courtesy of these men. - -We rose at dawn next morning to see this Hindoo community perform in one -body, on the banks of the Krishna, the peculiar ceremony of worshipping -the sun. The people literally lined the banks of the river; their faces -were turned up to the sky, and as they stood in rows on the steps -leading to the water's edge the effect was very impressive. They then -simultaneously filled their palms with water, snuffed it up through -their nostrils, and flung it toward the north-east, repeating certain -prayers. After this they all proceeded to stand on one foot, then on the -other, each holding in his hand an earthen bowl filled with clarified -butter, with a lighted wick in the centre. Then they all together -saluted the mighty luminary with folded hands raised to their foreheads, -and then marched toward the west in imitation of his path through the -heavens; which terminated their sun-worship[67] for the day. - -We also visited the garden and palace of the Rastias. Mohti Bagh, or -"pearl garden," as the entire palace and grounds are called, is only a -little distance from the village of Wye. The approach to the palace is -through an enchanting road formed of tall bamboos, mangoes, and tamarind -trees. Wye is a spot famed in Hindoo literature. Here the heroes of the -Mahâbharata spent their years of exile and expiation, and here they are -said to have built many wonderful temples. The river is almost gemmed -with beautiful temples in the finest style of Hindoo architecture, owing -to this historic fact or fiction, whichever it may be. The temples are -filled with idols of heroes and heroines, and the city with Hindoo men -and women of the finest type and utmost purity of character. - -We visited an old Brahman college here, which was once famous for the -clever pundits it furnished to the country around. There were some -students in one of the rooms; they were all young and good-looking, but -had about them an air of decorous restraint and an expression of old age -that were depressing to one's spirits. - -Passing through a luxuriant country full of venerable trees, groves, -gardens, and wide fields, we stopped at the little village of Dhoom to -see a famous temple. It was of fine stone, artistically built, but full -of strange gods. An arched door led to one of the shrines, where there -was an image of Siva. Vessels containing rice and flowers were before -him, and the basin in front of the temple is something peculiarly -beautiful. It is unique in form--like a huge tulip-shaped cup, of pure -white marble, with its rim most delicately carved into the petals of the -lotos-flower. It is impossible to give any adequate idea of this -exquisite bit of Hindoo sculpture. A pillar of white marble with five -heads of Siva, and the cobra de capello twisted round them, adds another -charming attraction to this insignificant Brahman village. - -The ride up the Tai Ghauts was one of great beauty. Here and there in -the dells and hollows were little patches of grass which looked at a -distance very like a green velvet carpet. Low-growing wild plants, tall -trees, and creepers were matted together in one network of green, -yellow, red, blue, and purple. The views looking back were lovely. The -noise of mountain-torrent and trickling waters in the midday heat was -most refreshing. - -The ancient village of Mahabaleshwar is perched on a high table-land, -and is said to be the most elevated portion of that interminable western -range of Ghauts forming some of the highest ground between the Southern -Ghauts and the Himâlayas. The temple of Maha Dèo stands close under a -projecting rock on the very spot where, according to Brahmans here, the -five sacred rivers of this region take their rise--the Krishna, the -Koina, and the Yena, which flow toward the Deccan, and the beautiful -Savitri and Gaiutri, which, after leaping down the mountain-sides in -many picturesque cascades and waterfalls, unite with other small streams -to form quite a large river, at whose mouth stands Fort Victoria. There -are no lovelier scenes than some of those formed by these two rivers, -and especially remarkable is the spot where they unite, flowing between -deep and wooded banks till they lose themselves in a broad, quiet, -placid stream. - -A large reservoir is excavated in front of the temple to receive the -waters of the Krishna and Koina, and in front is a huge stone cow, -through whose mouth the waters flow into it. All around this reservoir -is a fine stone walk, and farther on are several cells where saints who -have long abandoned the world still reside unseen, but not unheard, for -night after night their voices, like the feeble wail of infants, are -borne on the night air, imploring the gods in behalf of the lost, erring -human race. Fiends, angels, heroes, demons, and gods are all worshipped -here. - -The Brahman ascetics who have charge of these temples ring a bell to -give notice that the deified beings have taken up their abode in their -respective cells. Krishna, the last incarnation of the Hindoos, has also -a couch prepared for him here. When the sound of this bell is heard all -the inhabitants of this mountain-village betake themselves to a few -moments' meditation. We saw some remarkably pretty women who were -attached to this temple filling the lamps with oil and gathering flowers -and fruit to lay before the shrines; but they seemed to be shy of -Europeans, and would not notice us. - -The discoverer of this spot, so far as the English are concerned, for it -has long been inhabited by the Brahmans, was Colonel P. Lodwick, who, -when stationed with his regiment at Satarah, undertook the exploration -of these hills, and, pushing through forest, brushwood, and jungle, -found himself at the edge of a high projecting rock, when a sudden turn -brought him to the brink of a grand promontory formerly called "Sidney -Point," but now after the true discoverer. No sooner was the discovery -of this delightful and most accessible mountain-region made known than -Sir James Malcolm, then governor of Bombay, hastened to establish here a -convalescent hospital for European soldiers. In course of time good -roads were constructed, partly by the British government and partly by -the rajah of Satarah. Parsee shopkeepers soon made their appearance, and -in a few years a little British colony was transplanted here. There are -now a little Protestant church, reading-room, library, hotel, barracks, -handsome European villas and bungalows, with bridle-paths all along the -most picturesque points. There is no more beautiful and healthful -sanitarium to be found anywhere in the East. We spent two delightful -months, November and December, at the travellers' bungalow. The weather -was perfect--clear, cold, and without any rain. With all the beauty -with which a tropical climate surrounds the hillsides the temperature -varied from 62° to 45° in the open air. The elevation, four thousand -seven hundred feet above the level of the sea, places it beyond the -influence of cholera and malaria, which are so deadly in many parts of -India. The soil is scanty in some parts, but in many portions a rich -mould of great depth is found, admirably adapted to agricultural -purposes. The finest strawberries I ever saw in India were brought me -one morning by the pundit, cultivated by the Brahmans on these hills as -offerings to their gods. The hills are also covered with fine trees--the -willow, the jambul with its dazzling green foliage, the iron-wood, and -the arrowroot plant. There are here several kinds of jessamines--one, -the night-blooming jessamine, a large and beautiful flower and -peculiarly fragrant after sunset. Ferns abound: one called by the -natives pryha khud, or "the lover's leap," is extraordinarily beautiful, -but not very abundant. A plant resembling the yellow broom is also found -here, but it far surpasses the latter in size and beauty of flowers. -Bulbous and parasitical plants abound, and their flowers are much larger -and far more beautiful than those found on the plains, and each plant -has its season. - -To the sportsman the Mahabaleshwar Hills are a treasure-trove. The -shikarees, or native hunters, are always at hand to lead the adventurous -into the very lairs of tigers, panthers, bears, wolves, and to the -resorts of all kinds of jungle-fowl. The monkeys in this neighborhood -are generally the first to give notice of the vicinity of a tiger by -their loud and reiterated cries resounding from tree to tree. The wild -bison, for which this region was once famous, is now found only -occasionally. A spot is shown where Lieutenant Hinds, a fine, athletic, -noble-looking young English officer, over six feet in stature, was -killed by one of these beasts. He and his shikaree had pursued the bison -for some distance. Lieutenant Hinds had just taken his aim, when, in the -twinkling of an eye, the infuriated beast suddenly turned upon him, with -one bound caught him upon his horns, and bore him thus wildly along -through the forest, and finally dashed him headlong over some rocks. His -mutilated body was found, and lies in the little Christian burial-ground -here. - -In returning from the Mahabaleshwar Hills we took the Satarah road, the -most picturesque of the three roads which lead up to the hills. It -commands extensive and diversified views of all the country around--the -wild tangle of the forests, the towering peaks of the mountains, the -bristling forts of the rock-bound city of the "Northern Star," the ample -fields dotting the landscape like huge green emeralds, and the Savitri -and the Gaintri struggling through brake and forest dingle and many a -deep shade to find each the other, till they meet at last just over the -wide brow of a sharp cliff, and leap together in gladness and beauty -down five hundred feet, dashing and tumbling over masses of rock, till -they gain the low-lying lands, then move on in quiet, dreamy -irregularity to lose each the other once more--one amid the waters of -the famous Krishna, and the other at Karar afar off. - -We turned off the road to visit a formidable towering rock on which -stands the old Mahratta fort of Pratapgarh. In the centre of it are -found two lovely Hindoo temples--one to Maha Dèo, the high god, and the -other to Bhawanee, who is at once the goddess of love and hatred--with -the attending Brahman priests officiating there. Somewhere under this -fortress lies the head of the simple-hearted Afzal Khan, the renowned -Bijapoor general. Here was enacted by the hand of Sivaji, the founder -of the great Mahratta empire, one of the darkest of the many tragedies -with which the history of India abounds. Having induced, through false -pretences, Afzal Khan to visit him unarmed and attended by one sole -follower, Sivaji met the trusting foe with open arms and slew him when -in the act of embracing him. Sayid Bunder, the faithful follower of the -general, refused to surrender even on condition of having his life -granted to him, and suffered the same fate as his master. There and then -the signals agreed upon boomed forth from this old fort. The Mhawalis -rushed from their places of concealment all along the hillside on the -khan's retinue, stationed at the foot of the hill, and slaughtered and -dispersed them. Thus Sivaji defeated the enemy and acquired at the same -time great amount of treasure as well as reputation as a warrior. - -Satarah, or "the Star City," is full of antiquities and historical -associations; every rock and hill and fortress has its own deadly -secret--sometimes more than one--of murder, bloodshed, treachery, and -triumph on the part of the Mohguls, Mahrattas, or British, besides other -local interests. The town lies on a high slope or plain between two -ranges of hills, one on the east and one on the west. The western hills -have been occupied for many hundred years by the descendants of the -early Mahratta Brahmans. They are covered with temples, huge, ancient, -and solemn; gods and goddesses in ivory and stone, admirably wrought, -sit enshrined in each of these. The priests worship them merely for the -sake of their age and number. Tall, gray-bearded monkeys abound on these -hills, and while we stood gazing at one of the temples a troop of these -creatures assembled on the roof and showed signs and symptoms of great -excitement or displeasure. - -The Satarah bazaar is peculiar and well worth visiting. The Mahratta -women are as free and as unconfined in their movements almost as the -English. They are darker and less good-looking than those at Wye and on -the hills. - -The flat-topped hills around absolutely bristle with forts that the -"Mountain Rats," as Aurungzebe called the Mahratta warriors, loved to -build everywhere. A zigzag pathway leads from the city up to the western -gate of "Azim Tarah," the most renowned of these strongholds. If -individual energy and vehement self-assertion indicate character, the -Mahratta soldiers possess it to an extraordinary degree, over and over -again proving themselves grandly capable of confronting the very dangers -they had brought down upon themselves. This fort is full of stories of -Mahratta exploits against their threefold enemies. It has been captured, -lost, and recaptured over and over again. It was built by a King Panalah -in 1192, and was once the state-prison of the great Sivaji. It was -defended against the emperor Aurungzebe by Phryaji Phrabu, a brave -_hawaldar_,[68] who had learned the art of war under Sivaji. When the -Mohguls attempted to enter the "Star City" huge stones were rolled down -the mountain-sides, and were as destructive as the discharge of -artillery. Tarbhyat Khan, a Mohgul in the service of Aurungzebe, -undertook to destroy it by mining the north-east angle, one of its -strongest points. The mine was completed after months of severe labor; a -storming-party was formed on the brow of the hill. Aurungzebe, confident -of success, marshalled his men in brilliant array to see the attack. The -first explosion crushed many of the Mahratta garrison to death, and was -followed by another that rolled down great rocks upon the Mohguls, -destroying, it is said, two thousand men at once. Animated by this -disaster to the enemy, the garrison would have continued to hold out, -but their supplies failed and they were obliged to capitulate. - -After the well-known rupture with Baji Row, the English troops marched -into Satarah, took possession of the fort, and installed as king Pra -Thap Singh, the eldest son of Shah Hoo the Second. He was deposed, -however, on account of a series of intrigues against the East India -government, and was imprisoned at Benares. Apa Saihib, the last of the -descendants in a direct line of the great Sivaji, was then placed on the -throne, but on his death the province, much to the indignation of the -princes and people of Western India, was annexed to the possessions of -the East India Company. It is but just to say that there were men among -the court of directors who remembered, with Sir George Clark, then -governor of Bombay, the treaty of 1819, and knew that the East India -Company had agreed to cede in perpetual sovereignty, to the rajah of -Satarah and his heirs and successors, the territories which he held, and -they protested, but all in vain, against the annexation of Satarah, -calling it "an act of unrighteous usurpation." Here, alas! was laid the -first seed of the "Sepoy mutiny," that terrible retribution which ten -years after overtook not the guilty, but the innocent and faithful -servants of the Company. - -On the west of the fort are a number of Hindoo temples dedicated chiefly -to Siva and to Bhawanee, the Indian Venus, who seems ever to have been a -favorite with these hardy mountaineers. The view from the fort is one of -the most charming in the world. The forms of the different hills are -quaint, and crowned with barbaric fortresses and temples that are fast -crumbling away to give place to a rich and tropical vegetation; the -great plain below, dotted with the houses and gardens of the European -and native residents; the lakes, the bazaars, the busy thoroughfares, -and, far away for many a mile, a road, leaf-canopied and cool in the -hottest midday sun, lined on each side with thousands of magnificent -mango trees. These mango trees were planted by one of the native rulers -in expiation of the murder of a noble Hindoo statesman, an envoy from -Barodah. - -On the south-western side of the old town stands the antiquated palace -of Sivaji. We were shown into an attractive chamber called the Jallah -Mandir, the "water pavilion." Surrounded by a variety of beautiful -creeping plants and almost encircled with water, it is cooled by quaint -little Oriental fountains that splash and spirt upward all day long. -This peculiar water-bound chamber is almost fairy-like. But the deity of -this place is the huge sword with which the treacherous Sivaji slew his -trusting foe, Afzah Khan, the general of Bijapoor. By a strange -contradiction, this sword is called Bhawanee, the goddess of love, and -the people believe that the sweet goddess has imparted to the old sword -a charm which is deadly to the enemies of the Mahrattas. - -As we went back through the town we peeped into one or two of the -temples. There were in them some curious old idols of heroes rather than -gods, but they were as hideous as possible. A little farther on the -ground was made lovely with immense numbers of wild flowers, red, -yellow, and blue. - -From the Star City of the Deccan we went back a few days' journey and -crossed the "Nira bridge," one of the fine old Mahratta works, to visit -the village and hill-temples of Jijuhre. The village was insignificant -enough, but the hill on which stands the temple of Khandoba, the -warrior-god of the early Mahrattas, was very striking. It is flat-topped -and rises abruptly from the surrounding plain, its entire surface -covered with temples, gates, pillars, stone monuments of every -conceivable object, and has the appearance of a huge cemetery. If it had -not been for the presence of our pundit I doubt if we should have been -allowed to visit this once-famous temple. - -We went up on foot through an odd mixture of gateways and pillars, all -curiously carved, and here and there were stone figures of mythological -birds and beasts, abundantly provided with shaindoor, a kind of red -paint, and offerings of flowers. The largest temple had an image of -Khandoba, a terrific-looking monster. In one of the upper chambers there -was a colossal drum that gave sunset warnings and served to call the -priests, priestesses, and other attendants to prayers, midnight -devotions, or revelries; which latter are held on certain days, or -rather nights, of the waxing moon. About two hundred women, all young, -many of them mere children, are attached to this temple, which is in -every sense one of the relics of the ancient Mahratta usages before the -introduction of Brahmanism. Many of these girls were scattered about in -groups or were seen reclining at their ease in a semi-nude costume about -the aisles of the temples, producing a charming Oriental effect, though -one could not help shuddering at the thought of their lives. And, in -spite of the doom laid upon them even before they were born, many of -them had singularly interesting, pensive faces. One girl who was pouring -water into the vessels around the shrine of Khandoba was a picture of -grace and adorned with glittering jewels. These strange priestesses of -passion live in cells attached to the temples or are scattered in the -service of their peculiar divinity around the temples in the -neighborhood, but here they are yearly recruited, and here they are -formally married as virgins to the idol of Siva or Khandoba, as the case -may be. There are here long corridors and intricate arrangement of -passages, with little stairs leading up and down and around, where the -girls are kept under the surveillance of old women who once were doomed -to the same service. How inexplicable is such a life, looking at it from -a Christian's point of view! But with these poor devotees the more -revenue they bring in for the temple the better their future life, in -which they dream of becoming loved wives and mothers of divine sons and -daughters in a heaven prepared for them. - -We noticed in our ramblings over this curious spot a strange-looking -man, naked as the day on which he was born, his hair, long and streaked -with gray, falling in masses around his naked shoulders, his hands and -feet emaciated, the nails on his fingers and toes looking like huge -claws, begrimed with dirt and masses of red paint, sitting alone, -muttering all to himself and twirling in his hands an old -battered-looking lota, or drinking-vessel, made of some dark metal. This -was the mad _gossain_, or devotee, of Jijuhre. When we approached him he -started up and took his place on the edge of a crumbling rock. - -This poor mad creature was an object of profound veneration and worship, -and his story was as pathetic as it was singular. The spot on which he -had seated himself had a peculiar interest to him, and he haunted it -even in his maddest moments. It was called Dewanee-garh, "the maddening -rock," because one of the priestesses of the temple leaped from it and -was killed instantly. This girl's name was Krayâhnee. It was said that -on her marriage with the god Siva and her installation in the peculiar -life of the temple it was found that she had conceived a strong passion -for the mad gossain, then a young Mahratta noble named Hotah Bhow. He -visited her frequently, and they were always seen together, and, as the -noble was rich, the priests humored the girl in her singleness of -devotion, for she brought large sums of money to the temple. But after -a while Hotah Bhow ceased his visits to the temple, and Krayâhnee was -urged to take another lover. She pleaded a respite for one month, which -was granted. In the mean time, through a Sudra, a male attendant on the -temple, she sent Hotah Bhow a message, assuring him of her undying love -and entreating him to aid her in her escape from the temple, saying that -if he would do this for her she would willingly serve as a slave in his -household. - -The Sudra, who was himself enamored of the beautiful priestess, took no -pains to deliver the message, but brought back to the poor girl a -fabricated answer from Hotah Bhow, advising her to make herself happy -where the gods had placed her. - -Next morning Krayâhnee was missed, and on the following day her body was -found crushed and mangled at the foot of Dewanee-garh. Tying her lota, -or sacred vessel for ablutions, to her neck, she had leaped from the -rock at dead of night. Months after, Hotah Bhow returned from a -pilgrimage to Benares, and on hearing of the sad fate of Krayâhnee -became so melancholy that he betook himself to the severest course of -asceticism known among the Hindoos, called "Gala Naik." Standing for -hours on the spot whence the dancing-girl flung herself headlong, he -threw back his head and gazed at the sun, holding in his hand the sole -relic of his unhappy love, the battered lota. The priestesses of the -temple, pitying his sorrows, took him food and fed him at stated -intervals. But at length reason gave way under the severity of his -expiation; he forgot his vow to practise "Gala Naik" to the day of his -death, and is now found wandering over the hillside or perched on the -edge of Dewanee-garh, bereft of even the memory of his sorrows, but -still clinging to the battered lota of Krayâhnee, into which the -priestesses of the temple pour his daily food and drink. - -Weary of our climb and saddened by the recital of this story, we -retraced our steps to the "dharrum-sala" of the village, and on the -following morning started across the country of the Deccan from the Star -City of the ancient Mahrattas for Aurungabâd, the golden city of the -great Mohgul Aurungzebe, and thence to the caves of Elora. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[67] Hindoos also worship the sun every evening. - -[68] A Mahratta officer, but not of very high rank. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - - From Satarah, the Star City of the great Mahratta Kings, to - Dowlutabâd, the Abode of Fortune, and Aurungabâd, the Golden City - of the Mohgul Emperors.--Tombs of Boorhan Ood Deen and - Aurungzebe.--Mausoleum of Rhabea Duranee.--Sketch of the Mohgul - invasion of India.--Manners, Customs, and Religious Ceremonies of - the Mohammedans of Hindostan. - - -Of all the places in the East, there is none more celebrated in Oriental -romance and song than the province which occupies the centre of the -great table-land of the Deccan, called the Nizam's Dominion. Here the -Mahrattas, Rajpoots, Mohguls, French, and English have struggled for -mastery. Here are the ancient Golkunda and Hyderabâd, the Abode of the -Lion. In the reign of Mahmood Shah, so great was the renown of the -Bahmani[69] court that the celebrated Persian poet Hafiz determined to -visit it. "He embarked at Ormuzd, but the vessel encountering a tempest, -the Iranian Horace at once abandoned the voyage and despatched instead -an ode to Mahmood as his apology." From that time the songs of Hafiz -became the favorite melodies at the Bahmani court. - -In 1401, Firuz Shah, who had succeeded Mahmood in 1397, sent from his -kingdom an embassy with magnificent presents to the great conqueror -Timoor Lâng (Tamerlane), who conferred on him, in addition to the vast -provinces he ruled over, the sovereignty of the kingdoms of Guzerat and -Malwah; which proved, however, troublesome acquisitions. It was he who -caused that famous observatory (the ruins of which may still be seen on -the Dowlutabâd Pass) to be built for his Brahman astronomer. The close -of his reign is said to have been disastrous. His armies, bent on -conquest, were defeated in a battle with Dèo-Rai-Vijya-Nâggur, and Firuz -Shah was not only deposed, but strangled, by his own brother in 1422. -The ruthless murderer and brother of Firuz Shah was both a warlike and -able monarch. He is known in Indian story as Ahmad Shah Bahmani. In 1432 -he built the famous fort of Ahmedabâd at Bidhar, still called after him; -and not only restored but beautified that ancient city, which more than -two thousand years before had been famed in Sanskrit drama as the -capital of the Rajah Bhima Selm, the loves of whose exquisitely chaste -and beautiful daughter Damayanti and of Nala, the rajah of Malwah, are -sung and acted to this day throughout Hindostan.[70] - -This province has been the most celebrated for the beauty and rare -accomplishments of its Bahyadiers. They formed a large part of its -population; so much was the profession favored that many of these public -dancers have become queens, and sons born to them have become kings and -learned men. A beautiful and romantic story is still sung here of a -Bahyadier named Aminah. Having attracted the attention of Burhan Nizam -Shah, she sent him word that she loved him, and, in spite of her -profession, was worthy to be his wife. Doubting the sincerity of her -assertion, Burhan Nizam Shah subjected her secretly, through a friend, -to the most painful trials, in every one of which she gave evidence of -an innate nobleness of character. Thus, having proved the sincerity of -her attachment, he married Aminah, who continued to be his favorite -queen and counsellor even after he had espoused (from motives of policy) -the princess of Bijapoor. - -The appearance of the country of the Nizam's Dominion, however, is not -as full of interest as its history. Without forests of any extent, and -with but few lakes, it is intersected by innumerable small streams or -nullahs[71] and reservoirs, with occasional hills that rise in curious -detached blocks, as if accidentally dropped here and there by some -Titans at play. - -After many days of a painful journey through wide fields of desolation -and gigantic cities now crumbling away, we encamped at a -dhurrum-sala[72] in the ancient city of Bidhar, once a place of great -renown and the capital of the Mahratta kings, who seem to have shifted -their capitals as the Bedouin does his tent. Attached to the -dhurrum-sala were long sheds, places of shelter for the cattle, side by -side with that of the human cattle. These had grass and fodder provided -for them gratuitously by the Brahmans in the vicinity. - -This old Mahratta town contains some very curious stone buildings carved -with the figures of Hindoo gods and goddesses. Its chief attraction, -however, is the beautiful Bidharee ware. We bought a little box and the -bowl of a hookhah, which were very gracefully ornamented with -silver-work. The metal of which these articles were manufactured is a -jet-black compound of copper and tin which is capable of a high polish. -The natives here seem happy and independent. We saw some very handsome -Hindoo women in the bazaars, but the Mohammedan women were those of the -lowest castes. - -The difficulties of the road very much increased after leaving Bidhar. -We were bumped and battered over a stony road, nor was there anything to -be seen but a great wilderness for many miles. When we inquired the -distance to the next halting-place our guide, who was very musical, -stopped his song and replied, "_Chulla joa oodhur hai_" ("Go along! it -is there"). But where we could not make out. Finally, we were obliged to -spend the night under a tree in our wagons not far from a great nullah -which was thought unsafe to cross after sunset. On the opposite side of -us was a large party of men and women, gossains and priests, -fellow-travellers, with four wagon-loads of dancing-girls, some of whom -were very interesting seen in the dusk. They were a troup of actors and -actresses returning from some village theatre to their head-quarters at -Oude Gera, a city in this vicinity. - -A little after dawn next morning we crossed the nullah, which was by no -means as dangerous as represented by our guide. Along the road we saw -some beautiful wild flowers and trailing vines, among them a little -hardy blossom like the anemone, and of a lovely rose-color. In the -afternoon of the next day we crossed the Godaveri, the famous Tyndis of -the ancients, rising in the Thull Ghauts and flowing through the length -and breadth of the great high plain of the Deccan to pour itself into -the Bay of Bengal. We found no difficulty in fording the river at this -season, when the rains were over. In some places its banks were high and -steep, and here and there were striking views of the country. We met -hosts of carts and natives on horses crossing the river at this point. -After another long day's journey we took refuge at last at the -dhurrum-sala at Aurungabâd. From the verandah of the dhurrum-sala at -this truly picturesque Mohammedan city is a most enchanting view--the -Dhuna River winding away through the plain; the leafy woods, not very -dense, but full of trees noble and stately; the lime-groves in full -blossom sweetly scenting the air, while with pertinacious grace the -full-blown leaves of many creeping vines droop over the verandah to fan -us gently in the evening breeze; in the distance the domes, the tall, -graceful minarets, the shining roofs of mosques and palaces of the -once-famous city of Aurungabâd amid eternally verdant gardens. Gradually -the sun sets on the charming scene, but we still linger and gaze; few -lights are seen, but now and then a rushlight or the glimmer of a fire -prepared for the evening meal. - -Twilight is deepening into darkness as we start for a walk, accompanied -by pundit. We see in the distance a tall square tower, dark in color and -crowned with half-ruined battlements, and behind it, far away, the -mighty Dowlutabâd, grim, silent and watchful, against the dusky sky. -Some strangely weird-looking figures of priests and fakeers are -returning from a mosque adjoining, and here and there a bright star -shines softly upon the tombs of the dead Mohammedans buried on the -summit of the far-off Piphlaghaut. - -Dowlutabâd, "the abode of fortune," with the fickleness of the goddess -after whom it was named, fluctuated between the Mohgul conquerors of the -Deccan, the Rajpoots and Mahratta kings, for several centuries, till -finally it passed into the possession of the East India Company. We -obtained permission from the governor of the fort to visit this -remarkable fortress, which is built on a rocky hill, an isolated, -prodigious block of stone, with a perpendicular scarp of nearly a -hundred and fifty feet all round it. The summit is pointed like a cone, -and capped with a curious old tower, on which is mounted a heavy brass -gun. The only means of ascending the fort of Dowlutabâd is through a -narrow passage hewn out of the rock and leading to a large subterranean -chamber, whence a gallery, also excavated out of the heart of the hill, -leads to the top. After traversing this gallery the road passes by the -khilladar's (or governor's) house, a handsome building with an arched -verandah. The fortress is protected by a fosse and a circular wall -winding round the hill to the very summit; the lowest part of the wall -is made to enclose the little native town lying at its base, now -deserted and fast crumbling away. The view from the summit is very -inspiring; we could see the country around, far and near, though there -was a slight haze on the distant horizon. - -The revenues of the Soubah, or district of Dowlutabâd, including that of -Ahmed Nuggur, is said to have yielded the emperor Aurungzebe the sum of -two hundred and fifty-nine laks of rupees. In 1758 this fortress fell -for a short time into the hands of the French, but by the recall of M. -Bussy it was once more captured by the Mohgul rulers of the Deccan. The -Nizam's flag, that once floated so proudly over its summit, is now -supplanted by that ever-aggressive standard, the union jack. - -Aurungabâd, on the left bank of the Dhuna River, is one of the most -disappointing of the old Mohgul cities, and is fast crumbling to decay. -It was once the centre of Mohgul power in the Deccan. Aurungzebe removed -his capital from Dehli to this spot, whence its name the "Golden Seat," -owing to his chair of state being made of pure gold. The town is -approached through a gateway which looks, like the rest of the place, -old and dilapidated; the streets, however, are broad, and some well -paved. The gardens and reservoirs are numerous, but the whole atmosphere -of the town is strangely depressing. The groups of grave-looking -Mohammedans pirs, or holy men, naked, filthy fakeers, and porters, who -parade the streets, make it seem odd and grotesque, but do very little -toward enlivening the town itself. It is surrounded by a wall flanked -with towers at regular distances. The minarets, mosques, and some of the -dwellings are still possessed of much architectual beauty. Among its -most famous manufactures are fine kinkaubs, or gold- and silver-wrought -silks, and dried fruits, which are sent to Bombay and other parts of -India for sale. - -The palace of Aurungzebe stands on the south of the Dhuna River, and is -only remarkable for its extent. It is full of dark chambers, narrow -passages, stained ceilings and floors, that might once have been -beautiful, but which now have an unwholsome look of mould and decay. - -Having devoted an entire day to Aurungabâd, we rode out on the following -morning to Rowzah, "the city or garden of tombs," but most celebrated as -the last resting-place of Aurungzebe. The town of Rowzah itself is a -charming spot. It stands on the brow of a gentle hill, and the views -from every part of it are very fine. There was an air of bustle and -activity too among the people, and elaborate culture was everywhere -manifest throughout its immediate neighborhood. Temples, mosques, holy -places, groves, and gardens for the dead abound here, and the shops -seemed well stocked. We had a beefsteak[73] for lunch, cooked in a -Mohammedan "khanadhar," or restaurant. The houses are well built and -extremely picturesque with their low projecting balconies. Many of the -buildings are furnished with open courtyards in front. Sometimes a high -wall encloses, as at Aurungabâd, a group of buildings, the dwelling of -some wealthy Mohammedan merchant with his hareem. Groups of well-dressed -Musulmans, with here and there a Mahratta or a Hindoo, were passing to -and fro exchanging graceful salutations; water-carriers, porters, and -venders of fruit and cloth jostled one another in the streets; and from -the balconies there peeped out at us now and then coquettish-looking -young girls brilliantly attired, with here and there a face that -displayed great beauty. - -Finally, we came to the famous Mohammedan cemetery. Here we paused a -while at the tomb of the great Aurungzebe, which lies near that of a -saint called Bhooran Ood Deen. The mausoleum of the latter is more -costly, and is held in even greater veneration, than that of the Mohgul -emperor. It was covered with a handsome green velvet mantle, lamps were -burning within, musicians were beating their drums outside, and pirs, or -holy men, were standing around the tomb and reciting prayers for the -dead and prostrating themselves at certain intervals. - -Outside the walls of the city of Aurungabâd is the object best worth -seeing, the tomb of the loving and faithful Rahbea Dhoorane, the -favorite wife of Aurungzebe, though, at best, it is a poor copy of the -famous Taj-Mahal at Agra. Arriving at the farthest edge of a wide path, -the spires of the mausoleum rise before one amid a wide area of rich -dark foliage. It stands alone and immediately behind the wall that -separates it from the old palace of Aurungzebe. The approach is through -a gateway. In front is a canal with a number of fountains at play. At -the end of the avenue is the mausoleum itself. The windows are of very -exquisite workmanship, reminding one of Rahbea herself. The tomb is -quite low and unpretending, lying in the centre of the building, and one -has to descend a number of steps to look upon it. It is enclosed by a -light and elegant marble screen, fancifully chiselled, looking like -lacework. On the tomb itself is laid a covering of scarlet velvet. The -minarets at each of the corners are also full of beauty. To the left we -pass through a fine Gothic arch gracefully carved, and enter a noble -hall supported by fluted pillars and with handsome etchings along the -walls and ceilings. It is now used for the assemblies of Mohammedan -priests and bishops, who meet here from different parts of the country -twice every year to discuss matters bearing chiefly on the religious -disputes that arise among themselves. - -[Illustration: TOMB OF RAHBEA DHOORANE, AT AURUNGABAD.] - -Above even the last resting-place of the dead queen, and far beyond all -the other features of interest in this mausoleum, is a little unique -chamber that stands apart, surrounded with fragrant orange and sweet -lime trees and clustering blossoms of rare tropical flowers. It is the -loveliest retreat that the heart of man could have devised, and is still -touched with the lingering romance of Rahbea's love for and power over -the proud Aurungzebe; for here he often sought the beautiful queen for -purposes of quiet meditation or relaxation from the cares of state, and -here, if we may believe all the reports, Rahbea often knelt for hours -before her husband pleading for the lives of men and women whom he had -doomed to death. Amid all the cruelty, avarice, and bloodshed that -stained the life of Aurungzebe, the tender picture which this little -chamber conjures up is pure and refreshing. - -Mohammedan priests and pirs, or saints, are in constant attendance upon -this tomb. Morning services are held here every Monday. Fahtiahs, or -prayers, are offered for the dead queen and all other dead souls, -portions of the Koran are read or chanted, and lamps are kept burning on -especial festal nights. As we were leaving the place a number of -Mohammedans entered the tomb to pray, and one of the pirs informed me -that certain cures and miracles are yearly effected by the prayers -offered up to the dead queen. - -We went to see the Friday "prayer-meeting" in the finest mosque of this -once-princely Mohammedan city. The Jummah Musjid, as the great mosque is -called, is a quiet, unpretending structure. From a distance it is -imposing, rather from the insignificance of the buildings in its -vicinity than from any architectural claims of its own. But the interior -is both simple and grand: the roof is exquisitely arched, and upheld by -pillars of elegant design and workmanship. At the extreme end there is a -raised platform whence the _moolah_[74] prays with his face turned -toward Mecca, and behind this pulpit were hung heavy kinkaub curtains of -native manufacture. The mosque was well filled, and the sight was both -solemn and inspiring. More than a thousand men (with a few women sitting -veiled and apart), all clad in flowing white robes, brilliant -_cumberbunds_, and variegated turbans, rose, knelt, folded their hands -and prostrated themselves simultaneously. The earnest voice of the -_moolah_, the deep responses of the assembled congregation, their -expressions of devotion and self-abasement, were sufficient to bring -Christian and pagan into sympathy. - -We rode next morning to the gardens and tomb of Shah Safid, "the pure -saint." The rose, the jessamine, and the _mohgre_[75] bloomed here in -great profusion; we noticed some beautiful birds hovering among the -cypress and other trees, and we passed two splendid reservoirs full of -fish, and enjoyed the quiet of this resting-place of the great friend -and spiritual adviser of Aurungzebe. The mausoleum itself is a simple -structure, without any architectural adornments. We did not see any of -the descendants of this famous Mohammedan saint, but some holy men who -did the honors of the gardens showed us all that was worth seeing, and -the cemetery was a very bright, cheerful place in the morning sun. - -There are four great eras in the history of India--the early dominion of -the Brahmans, the Turk and Moslem invasion, then that of the Mohguls, -and finally the rise of British sovereignty in Hindostan. Before -introducing the reader to the peculiar rites and ceremonies of the -Mohammedans of Hindostan, I have thought that the most important events -of Mohgul invasion and occupation of India would not be out of place -here. - -It was about the beginning of the seventh century A. D. that first the -Turks, and then the Afghans, obtained by means of their superior -military discipline easy conquests over the Rajpoot chieftains. India -was at this time in a most prosperous and happy condition, governed -chiefly by the Brahmanic system of village communities. Each village was -in itself a little republic, providing for and administering its own -affairs through officers who were in all respects independent citizens, -subject to none but the jurisdiction of the village itself, save in the -case of war, when they volunteered to aid the Rajpoots in quelling such -disturbances as arose. The Rajpoots, on the other hand, comprised the -nobility and soldier-like chivalry of India. Romantic in their -attachments, tenacious of their honor, devoted in their attentions to -the softer sex,[76] they were ready to engage in deeds of daring and -adventure. But, unhappily, they were divided into clans, each under its -own chief, as among the Scotch Highlanders, which not infrequently were -disturbed by internal feuds. They were easily subdued, one clan after -another being dispersed or destroyed, until the greater part of -Hindostan fell into the hands of the Moslem conquerors. - -The expedition of Sultan Mahmood, undertaken in 1024 A. D., is the one -most famed in Indian story. In the fair park-like province of Guzerat -stood a wonderful Hindoo temple, none other than the famous temple of -Swayan Nath, or "the Self-Existent," as the god was called. This god was -worshipped here under the shape of a gigantic man formed of black stone. -For his ablutions water was brought from the Ganjas, a thousand miles -distant. The priests, devotees, and ascetics of this temple were -numbered by hundreds; one thousand elephants belonged to it and were -maintained for the service of the god. Stationed about the temple in -superb trappings, they added an imposing feature to this shrine on -festal occasions; banners of cloth of gold, standards of -peacock-feathers gemmed with rare jewels, musical instruments of every -kind and shape, with hundreds of hired musicians, formed part of the -daily service here. Nor were these all: the dancing-girls attached to -the temple were composed of the most beautiful women that India could -furnish, and so great was the prestige of this shrine that kings -dedicated their most beautiful daughters to enrich its coffers, in -addition to the revenues of two thousand villages that were ceded to it -by the combined princes of Hindostan. - -Sultan Mahmood, who had seated himself on the throne of Delhi, heard -one of the boasts uttered by the priests of this temple, and there and -then vowed its destruction, placed himself at the head of his troops, -and, marching four hundred miles overland through a barren and almost -impassable country, advanced upon the environs of the temple, which were -strongly fortified and garrisoned by Rajpoot soldiers. Twice the priests -and soldiers of Swayan Nath beat back the Moslems, but in the third -onslaught the latter bore down everything before them. In vain the -Brahman priests implored them to spare the idol, offering the conqueror -large sums of money for its ransom. Mahmood, regardless of their prayers -and offers, gave the signal for its destruction. In an instant the huge -god of stone was battered to pieces, and out of its hollow sides there -rolled an immense treasure, jewels of inconceivable value. The spoils of -this temple alone rendered the Mohguls all but invincible in the East. -After sacking the temple they bore off in triumph its wondrous gates of -sandal-wood inlaid with gold, and at the death of Mahmood, in 1030, -these gates adorned the splendid mausoleum erected over his remains. -Eight hundred years after they were captured by the English troops and -restored to the temple of Swayan Nath by the order of Lord Ellenborough, -then governor-general of India. - -The Mohammedan capital in India was established at Delhi by Khottub, who -made himself master of that city, of which he had been governor, about -the year 1215. He was succeeded by Altinash, who, like Khottub, rose to -the state of an emperor from the condition of a slave. The capital was -now permanently fixed at Delhi, and it was in the reign of this king -that the beautiful round tower of Khottub Minar, the highest known -column in the world, was built. It is a minaret of fine red granite -inlaid with white marble and crowned with a magnificent dome. This -Altinash was succeeded by his daughter Rhezeah, a woman of great natural -ability, who administered the affairs of the kingdom with remarkable -wisdom. Dressed as a sultan, she gave audience to her nobles and -officers and heard and redressed the wrongs of her people. Nevertheless, -the authority of these Mohammedan kings over the Rajpoot chiefs was very -uncertain, for at every change in the government, which was very -frequent, the Hindoo princes attempted to recover their independence. -Thus when the Gheiyas Tooklak (or Toghlak) possessed himself of the -throne of Delhi, the greater part of India was in a state of revolt. - -Ferozee Shah, crowned emperor in 1351, greatly enriched and beautified -the city of Delhi, built the great canal through the province of Delhi -from the river Jumna to that of Caggar, two hundred miles of which have -been reopened by the British government, thus fertilizing a vast tract -of country which had long been a great desert. It was after the death of -this prince that the Mohgul Timoor Lâng (Tamerlane), who had conquered -Persia, captured and destroyed the city of Delhi. Years after Timoor -Lâng's death one of his descendants, named Baber, once more established -the Mohgul monarchy in India, about the year 1498, when the Portuguese -maritime discoveries began to make an important revolution in the -commercial world. - -Baber was succeeded by the great emperor Homayoun, whose remains are -marked by a magnificent tomb near Delhi. Akbar, his son, one of the -wisest of the Mohgul rulers, had the prudence to marry a Hindoo -princess, the daughter of Baharmal, the rajah of Jeypoor in the province -of Rajpootana. He conquered the beautiful kingdom of Cashmere, one of -the most enchanting spots in the world. He built the city and famous -palace of Fettihpoor-Shikri in the province of Agra; his palace of -white marble and a magnificent mosque are still to be seen in excellent -preservation. It was in the reign of Akbar that Christian missionaries -first received a hearing at a Mohammedan court. They were sent to Agra -by the bishop of Goa. On Friday evenings it was also the custom of this -prince to assemble all the learned men around him for the purpose of -holding free discussions, where Mohammedans, Christians, Jews, Brahmans, -and Fire-worshippers gave their opinions and discoursed about the most -interesting themes of the day without restraint or fear. He also -instituted free public schools for Mohammedan and Hindoo children. - -Akbar died at Agra in 1605, and over his remains there still stands a -splendid mausoleum of vast dimensions. He was succeeded by his son -Selim, better known under the title which he assumed of Jehan Ghir, -"conqueror of the world." The life and history of this king are the most -romantic in the annals of India. - -Noor Jehan, "the Dawn of Life," so well known by the name of Noor Mahal, -or "the Light of the Palace," was the daughter of a poor Persian -adventurer, a noble in his own country, reduced by a series of -misfortunes at home, which led him to seek better fortunes in India, -accompanied by his wife and little daughter. The distressed condition of -the poor father and mother and the beauty of the child attracted the -attention of a rich merchant of Candiesh, whose caravan these Persians -had been following in order to keep themselves from starving. It was -through this merchant's influence that the father of the little Noor -Jehan obtained the subordinate position of gatekeeper at the court of -Akbar. Noor Jehan, who was in the habit of playing round the -palace-gate, attracted the attention of Akbar. Struck with her beauty, -he at once introduced the little maiden to his Rajpootanee wife, with -whom she became a great favorite, and thus the little Noor Jehan became -the playmate and companion of the young prince Selim. A deep attachment -sprang up between the children. But at length, when Noor Jehan attained -the age of womanhood, her father suddenly withdrew her from the court -and consummated a marriage for her with Shere Afkhan, a rich nobleman of -Bengal, and thus removed the beautiful girl from her dangerous royal -lover Selim. Selim was also married about the same time by Akbar to a -foreign princess of Kabool. But the moment his father died, and Selim -had ascended the throne under the name and title of Jehan Ghir, he -determined to obtain the beautiful Noor Jehan for his wife. With this -end in view he wrote to the viceroy of Bengal to seek some pretext to -place Shere Afkhan in confinement that he might the more readily succeed -in his designs. Shere Afkhan, suspecting some treachery on the part of -the viceroy, repaired to his house fully armed, and, as certain hostile -steps confirmed his suspicions, he slew the viceroy as he attempted to -lay hands on him, but the guards in waiting, hearing the cry of their -master, rushed in and despatched Shere Afkhan. That very night the -emissaries of Jehan Ghir carried off Noor Jehan to Delhi. - -But Noor Jehan, prisoner as she felt herself at the court of her former -lover, refused to listen to his proposals of marriage until he should -prove himself innocent of her husband's murder. After several years -Jehan Ghir satisfied the beautiful widow that he had never intended -Shere Afkhan's death, but only his temporary imprisonment in order to -obtain her for his queen. Finally, the nuptials of Noor Jehan and Jehan -Ghir were celebrated with splendor. The power and influence exercised by -this beautiful woman at the Mohammedan court was unparalleled in the -history of the Mohguls of India. Her name was associated with that of -Jehan Ghir in the palace, in the council, on the throne, in the -judgment-hall, and even on the coins of the country. Noor Mahal, or "the -Light of the Palace," as she was ever after called, was more or less -influenced by the counsels of her father, who was raised to the office -of grand vizier, and is acknowledged to have been one of the best and -wisest ministers who ever ruled at the court of a Mohammedan king. - -Mohabat Khan, a noble in the service of Jehan Ghir, had somehow incurred -the displeasure of Noor Mahal, but being a man of great talents he was -employed to quell a rebellion entered into by Shah Jehan, the eldest son -of Jehan Ghir, to dethrone his father. Having defeated the son and won -him over to his cause, Mohabat Khan took the father prisoner. No sooner -did Noor Mahal hear of the captivity of her husband than she placed -herself at the head of her troops, and, mounted on an elephant, -proceeded to give battle to Mohabat Khan and to rescue her husband. She -was defeated, and fled to the court of Lahore for safety. But Mohabat, -who had resolved to put Noor Mahal to death, extorted from Jehan Ghir a -warrant to that effect, and through letters which he caused Jehan Ghir -to write he induced the unsuspecting and loving wife to join her husband -in captivity. Once in the enemy's camp, she saw that her death was -determined upon. Professing herself willing to submit to her fate, she -pleaded only a last interview with her husband, which Mohabat granted, -but took care to be present himself. On the day appointed for her -execution Noor Mahal quietly entered the presence of her unworthy -husband and her implacable foe. She stood before them in deep silence, -her hands clasped, her veil thrown back, and her beauty shining with an -additional lustre through her flowing tears. Jehan Ghir burst into a -passion of tears, and, throwing himself at the feet of his captor, -pleaded so eloquently for her life that the heart of Mohabat was -subdued. He not only granted her life, but, strange to say, became a -friend to Noor Mahal, and finally restored her and her husband to the -throne of Delhi. - -With but few exceptions, however, rebellions, assassinations, treachery, -and misrule marked the reigns of all the Mohammedan emperors of India. -Upon the death of Aurungzebe, the grandson of Jehan Ghir, the empire of -Hindostan was divided by his command between his three sons, which -partition led to a series of most disastrous civil wars, and, happily -for the country, almost terminated the Moslem power in India. - -In 1738 the Persian emperor, Nahdir Shah, took Delhi with little effort. -The night of the capture a report was raised that Nahdir Shah had died -suddenly, and the populace rose _en masse_ and massacred over seven -thousand Persian soldiers. On the following day Nahdir Shah gave the -fearful command which almost decimated the population of Delhi, after -which he reinstated the humbled monarch, Mohammed Shah, on the throne, -and returned to Persia, carrying away with him treasure amounting to -seventy million pounds sterling and the celebrated peacock throne of -Shah Jehan. In 1760 the nominal king of Delhi, Alum Shah, became -tributary to the East Indian Company. - -The Mohammedans of Hindostan, like those elsewhere, are divided into a -number of sects, all more or less acknowledging the apostleship of -Mohammed, but differing in their estimate of the inspiration of the -Koran and other minor points of doctrine. The Sunnis, for instance, hold -that the traditions of the Prophet are of equal authority with the -Koran; they therefore venerate the successors of Mohammed, Abu Bahkr, -Omar, Usman, and Ali, as divinely-appointed Khalifahs or teachers; the -Arabs, Turks, Afghans, and the Rohillas of India more or less belong to -the Sunni sect. These undertake long pilgrimages to Mekka, and are very -tenacious on points of doctrine, often putting to death the heterodox of -their own religion. The Shiahs, another very powerful sect of -Mohammedans, wholly reject the "Sunnahs," or traditions, and with them -the four successors of the Prophet. They perform pilgrimages, not to -Mecca or Medinah, but to the tomb of Husain at Kaibelah. The Koran is -their only guide. The Shiahs are found in the vicinity of Cabool, Oude, -and parts of Bundelcund. - -The "Hanifi," as another sect of Mohammedans is called, are the -disciples of Abu Hanifah, an Arabic theologian of great renown who -flourished about the year 80 of the Hejira. He denied predestination as -unworthy of a divine and merciful Creator, and declared fate to be -nothing more or less than the free will of the individual. He was thrown -into prison for his bold utterances, and died there. Years after, Maluk -Shah Seljuki erected a splendid mausoleum to his memory in Bagdâd, to -which spot his followers in Hindostan make special pilgrimages. - -The Shaffids, again, are quite a distinct sect, so called from their -leader Shaffid Abu Abdullah, another celebrated Arabic divine. He was -born in the city of Gaza in Palestine in the year 150 of the Hejira, but -educated in Persia, where he composed most of his works on theology and -jurisprudence. Some of his precepts are still taught in the Shaffid -Mohammedan schools. This sect is scattered over the province of -Najapatam and in the city of Nagpoore. - -The Maliki, still another of the Mohammedan denominations, follow the -teachings of one Malik Ibn Aus, a man of some learning, but whose works -are filled with astrology and mysticism. Many of his followers are to be -found among the mendicants and fakeers of Hindostan. - -The Hanbhali sect are not very numerous, but are said to be extremely -dogmatic in their own belief. They adhere to the precepts of the priest -after whom they are called, and deny the divine origin of the Koran, -holding only such maxims contained in it as are based on pure morality -and monotheism. These comprise the most advanced and enlightened schools -of Mohammedans to be found in India to-day. - -Last, but not least, are the Suffis, a refined, learned, and mystical -sect of Mohammedans. They are divided among themselves on doctrinal -points: some are pure rationalists, others materialists, and yet others -again pantheists; the latter promulgate theories about the soul that are -in form and idea similar to those of the high-caste and educated -Brahmans. - -Such are the most important sects to be found among the Mohammedans of -Hindostan. Their intermixture with the Hindoos has produced a number of -minor sects and classes of Musulmans, as well as a very marked change in -their manners and customs. The Hindoos seem to have very greatly -influenced the Mohammedans. The feeling of caste and defilement and -other Hindoo restrictions have gradually assumed more and more -importance in the Moslem mind in India. An Indian Mohammedan is hemmed -about with endless observances reaching down even to preserving the -sanctity of his pots and pans, as with the Brahmans. A Mohammedan will -as religiously guard his "lota," or drinking-vessel, from defilement as -if he were a high-caste Brahman, and superstition attaches to all his -surroundings and habiliments and actions--to his earrings, which are -worn as a charm, his sandals, his _topi_, or turban, his beard, and -even his toe- and finger-nails, which can only be pared on certain days -of the waxing moon. Thus it will be seen that the Mohammedan on Indian -soil differs very greatly in his habits and feelings from the Mohammedan -of Persia and Arabia. As the early Aryan accommodated himself to the -deities and superstitions of the aboriginals, so the Mohammedan has -greatly conformed to customs, manners, and superstitions indigenous -almost to the soil of India. - -This social fusion is especially perceptible in the condition of the -women of Hindostan. The Hindoo woman has gradually borrowed the -seclusion of the zenana from her aristocratic Mohammedan sister (the -hareem and the zenana are but different names for one and the same -thing), while the latter in her turn has adopted many of the rules and -endless ceremonies of the Hindoos. Thus, for instance, marriage among -the Mohammedans must be contracted very early, and solemnized when the -youth is eighteen and the maiden thirteen. The courtship is always -carried on by some elderly females, who are instructed to find out and -report the charms of such young people among whose parents matrimonial -connections are deemed desirable. This done, the astrologer, who is very -often a Brahman, is consulted; he examines the horoscope of the young -couple and decides whether the marriage will be auspicious and when it -shall take place, etc. After this comes the betrothal, consisting of no -less than six different ceremonies: First, a present of betel-leaves to -the relatives of the young girl is given by the future bridegroom; these -leaves are often folded in fine gold tissue-paper and stuck with cloves; -each clove must be perfect, with the little blossom attached to the end -of it. The second is called "sweet solicitations." The young man -repairs to the young girl's house with attendants carrying presents, and -in returning to his own bears back with him large presents of -sweetmeats. This is followed by an important ceremony called "treading -the threshold." At dawn the young man stands before the door of the -young girl's home, repeats a prayer, and boldly crosses the threshold; -here the mother embraces him, ties a colored handkerchief around his -neck, puts a gold ring provided for the occasion on his finger, and -fills his palms with money--signs of her cordial acceptance of him as a -future son. This is followed by a three days' visit to the future -bride's home; on each day he partakes of a meal every dish of which is -some kind of sweetmeat; on the fourth day he joins the family at their -ordinary meal, where the ceremony of sharing the salt takes place. The -young woman, closely veiled, is seated by her lover; at the opening of -the meal he takes some salt on his platter and transfers a part of it to -her plate, and she does the same; this little act renders the marriage -contract sacred. The day previous to the wedding is spent in -purification, bathing, and anointing of the bride and bridegroom at -their respective homes. The ceremonies are much like those of the -Brahmans. The person of the young girl is rubbed over with a compound of -grain, flour, turmeric, ashes of rose-leaves, and fragrant gums mixed -into a paste with sweet oil. This preparation is laid on the person of -the young woman, and left to dry for an hour or two, after which she is -bathed with seven waters, four hot and three cold. This done, her -fingers, toes, tips of her ears, and all the joints of her body are -anointed with a mixture of sandal-wood powder, ashes of burnt rose-buds, -and sweet oil, after which she is sprinkled with rose-water, and -conveyed, all closely veiled, to the mosque, where she repeats seven -Kalimahs for herself and her future husband. On this day a procession -in order to exchange wedding-garments from one to the other takes place. - -The marriage ceremony is always performed in the evening. I was present -at the marriage of the daughter of a moolah (or Mohammedan bishop) named -Allih Bashka Deen, and the ceremony derived its chief attraction from -the gentle loveliness of the bride and the beauty of her dress. She wore -a purple silk petticoat embossed with a rich border of scattered bunches -of flowers, each flower formed of various gems, while the leaves and -stems were of embroidered gold and silk threads. Her boddice was of the -same material as the petticoat; the entire vest was marked with circular -rows of pearls and rubies. Her hair was parted in Greek style and -confined at the back in a graceful knot bound by a fillet of gold; on -her brow rested a beautiful flashing star of diamonds. On her ears, -neck, arms, breast, and waist were a profusion of ornaments. Her -slippers, adorned with gold and seed pearls, were open at the heels, -showing her henna-tinted feet, and curved up in front toward the instep, -while from her head flowed a delicate kinkaub scarf woven from gold -threads of the finest texture and of a transparent, dazzling, -sunbeam-like appearance. This was folded gracefully about her person and -veiled her eyes and nose, leaving only her mouth and chin visible. - -While the guests, relatives, and friends of the bride were all assembled -at the bishop's house the bridegroom had started off to perform what is -called the "shaba ghash," or nocturnal visit. Gayly dressed, handsomely -mounted, the young Akbar Khanibni Ahbad, attended by his nearest -relatives and friends and accompanied by a host of musicians, rode to -the mosque at Kirki, where he offered up three distinct prayers--one for -the future wife, one for himself, and one for the happiness and success -of all his undertakings, especially the one he was about to consummate. -This done, he and his friends mounted and approached the house of the -bride. The moment the cavalcade of the bridegroom appeared in sight a -number of well-dressed young Mohammedans rushed to the gate of the -courtyard, and with loud shouts most violently opposed his entrance, -whereupon he scattered money in handfuls among them, which was the -signal for them to give way. Here the youth dismounted, but was not -permitted to walk into the house, for a stalwart-looking man took him up -in his arms and attempted to rush in with him; here again he was once -more resisted by another party of friends and relatives, till he again -scattered a handful of gold coins among them, thus carrying out the -Oriental saying: "He lined the path to his love with golden flowers." -After this no further opposition was made. The bride and bridegroom, -both veiled, the latter with two coverings over his face, took their -places in the centre of the room, and every one stood up. The khazi, or -judge, then stepped forward, and, having removed the double veil from -the bridegroom's face, began the ceremony. The young man repeated after -him certain prayers--one deprecating his own merits and attractions in -comparison with those of the bride--after which came long repetitions -from the Koran treating of fervor, love, and devotion, followed by -repetitions of the Mohammedan creed and a general thanksgiving. At this -point all the assembly prostrated themselves, the khazi joined the hands -of the bride and bridegroom, the latter repeated word for word the -marriage-vows, and the whole was concluded with a benediction, after -which the bride, still veiled, was carried to the bridegroom's house, -and he followed in her train, accompanied with music, beating of drums, -and loud shouts of joy from his attendants and followers. - -On the birth of a child, if it happens to be a male, all the female -attendants utter loud shouts of joy. The mother is kept on very simple -diet, and obliged to drink water made hot by a heated horseshoe being -plunged into it; this has the power of guarding against internal devils, -who are supposed to be very active on such occasions, lying in wait for -mother and child. The moolah is then ushered into the chamber: he takes -the child in his arms and repeats in his right ear the Mohammedan -summons to prayer, and in his left the creed. A fakeer is then -introduced: he dips his finger in some honey and puts it into the -child's mouth before it has tasted any of its mother's milk, which is to -ensure it all the luxuries of life. After these have retired an -astrologer casts the horoscope of the child, and there and then predicts -its future, which, good or bad, is accepted as fate and without a -murmur. Meanwhile, the nearest relatives assemble around the father and -dress his hair with blades of grass--a Hindoo observance, grass -typifying the fragility of human life and affections--and he in turn -makes them presents according to his circumstances. - -The naming of the child takes place on the eighth day after birth. If a -son, it is named after the father's clan or tribe; if a daughter, after -the mother's side of the family. The choice of the child's name depends -on the day of its birth and the appearance of the planet under whose -influence it is supposed to be born, as much as on the parentage. The -mother remains apart from the household till the fortieth day after -childbirth; then she is bathed, fumigated, and purified, and so prepared -to enter the mosque, where she offers up thanks for her safe deliverance -from the perils of childbirth, and either reads or has portions of the -Koran read to her, offering a sacrifice of two goats for a son and one -for a daughter. - -On the same day, in the afternoon, another ceremony is held--that of -shaving the hair of the child. A priest and a barber attend to this -rite; prayers are offered, water is sprinkled over the head of the -child, and the hair shaved off is carried in procession to the water's -edge, and then launched on a little raft to float down the river. By -this ceremony all evil is guarded from the infancy and childhood of -Mohammedan children. Very often sacred locks are left on the top of the -heads of Mohammedan children, like those of the Brahmans, and these -locks are consecrated to some saint or noble ancestor. - -The other ceremony worthy of notice here is that attending the death and -burial of the Mohammedans in India. When a Mohammedan is thought to be -dying a priest is sent for, who prays before the family, then repairs to -the sick chamber, where he exhorts the dying man to attend to the -welfare of his soul, and proceeds to read the chapter on future life, -rewards, and punishments, and the two most important creeds--faith in -God and in Mohammed as his prophet. After death the body is placed on a -bier and conveyed with great pomp, beating of drums, wailing of women -and near relatives, to the Musulman cemetery, where there are always -tanks and utensils for bathing the dead before interment. Here the body -is carefully washed seven times, and then perfumed with powdered -sandal-wood, camphor, and myrrh. The forehead, hands, knees, and feet of -the dead man are especially rubbed; these parts, having touched the -earth at moments of prayer, are held more sacred than the rest of the -body. The two great toes are then tied together; a shroud or -winding-sheet, prepared by the dead man himself, on which he has caused -to be written from time to time the most beautiful passages from the -Koran, is folded around him very firmly and around each arm. After this -the body is replaced on the bier, every one salutes it, and the bearers -carry it to the grave. Here all the friends and relatives stand in three -rows, and at the head of every row is a priest, who solemnly begins the -chant, consisting chiefly of prayers and confessions for the dead. The -body is at length lowered into the grave with its face toward Mecca, and -each relative, taking a little earth in his hand, repeats the solemn -utterance of their Prophet, made in the name of God and his archangel -Gabriel: "We created you, O man, out of earth, and we return you to the -earth, and we shall raise you up again on the last day," and throws the -earth softly on the bier. The grave is then closed, and fatiahs, or -prayers for the dead, are offered on the spot at stated seasons -throughout the first year. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[69] So-called from Allahu Deen Hasain Shah Gangu Bahmani, who was the -first Mohammedan king of Deccan, 1347 A. D. He was a native of Delhi and -servant of one of the most learned Brahman astrologers, who was highly -favored by the fierce conqueror Mohammed Tooghlak. Hasain greatly -distinguished himself in battle with the imperial troops in storming -Dowlutabâd. Finally, the emperor Naisirud Deen resigned to him the crown -of Deccan. He very greatly extended his dominions under the advice of -his early master the Brahman astrologer, Ganzu Bood, whom he appointed -as his prime minister. - -[70] It was translated from the Sanskrit into Persian verse by the poet -Faizi of Iran, and acted, with all the Indian appendages of dress and -character, at the court of the great Akbar. - -[71] Creeks or water-courses, found full to overflowing in many places -during the rainy season, but which often dry up in the hot months. - -[72] A free rest-house for travellers. - -[73] Beef is never exposed for sale in a Hindoo city. - -[74] Mohammedan bishop. - -[75] A white rose, scented like a jessamine. - -[76] The practice of female infanticide among the Rajpoots may be traced -to the conquest of India by the Turks and Afghans. Too haughty to give -his daughter in marriage to a conqueror and enemy, and unwilling that -she should marry an inferior without a large dowry, the Rajpoot father -got rid of the difficulties of his position by destroying his female -children at the moment of birth. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - - The Temples of Ellora, the Holy Place of the Deccan.--Nashik, the - Land of the Râmâyanâ.--Sights and Scenes on the Banks of the - Godaveri.--Damaun, the most famous of the Indo-Portuguese Towns. - - -We bade adieu to the old historical city of the great Aurungzebe just as -the first streak of sunlight was gilding the conical summit of the -fortress of Dowlutabâd, and, wending our way laboriously up the steep -Pipla Ghaut, we emerged on the other side on a fertile plain planted -with magnificent trees and covered with innumerable mausoleums and -tombs, through which our bullocks made straight for the western boundary -of the beautiful hill of Rauzah. Here we reached a spot of perfect -tranquillity and beauty, but which must have been at some ancient time a -scene of intense activity. The present little village of Ellora, -consisting of a number of Hindoo dwellings, is almost hidden among -groves of fine trees, and is only remarkable because it lies immediately -at the foot of a high wall of rock in which the vast cavern-temples of -this neighborhood are found and to which it owes its prosperity. - -We alighted from our wagons on the verandah of a well-built pagoda; near -it was a fine reservoir with flights of broad stone steps leading down -to the water's edge. On the bank or upper stonework of this reservoir -are a number of artistic little Hindoo temples or shrines, the roofs -supported by light delicate pillars, giving an airy and graceful -appearance to the whole village. As soon as Govind had gone through his -prayers and ablutions we started off, accompanied by a couple of -sage-looking Hindoo guides, for the cavern-temples. We followed our -guides for some little distance, when they left the highroad and struck -a narrow, steep path, and all at once, when we were least expecting it, -a sudden turn brought us into the presence of the great "rock-cut -temples" that render this spot the holiest of all places in the Deccan. -Down went Govind and our guides prostrate on their faces and hands. - -[Illustration: ROCK-CUT TEMPLES OF ELLORA.] - -The solitude, the quiet stillness of the spot, with the bright morning -sun flooding hill and plain and penetrating the depths of these -excavations, were impressive. The temple before us was a large open -court and deep vaulted chamber, massive and elaborately carved, and -chiselled from the heart of the mountain itself, and rising up nearly a -hundred feet. There were many other temples in the hillside, with -doorways, arches, pillars, windows, galleries, and verandahs, supported -by solid stone pillars filled with figures of gods and goddesses, -heroes, giants, birds, beasts, and reptiles of every shape--quite enough -to baffle the most careful student in anything like a thorough -examination of their vast and intricate workmanship. - -We went in and out, climbing stone-cut steps up, down, and round about -the caves, not knowing which temple to admire most or on which to bestow -undivided attention. It would take weeks to explore them thoroughly. -There is a very fine cavern-temple dedicated to Pur Sawanath, "the Lord -of Purity," the twenty-third of the great saints of the Jains of this -era.[77] An image resembling those that are seen of Buddha, stone -tigers, and elephants bear up the altar on which he is seated; from the -middle of the altar there projects a curious wheel on which is carved -the Hindoo astronomical table, and a seven-headed serpent is seen over -the head of the god. - -Another very beautiful excavation, consisting of three temples or -compartments, is dedicated to Jaggar-Nath Buddh, or "the Enlightened -Lord of the Universe;" these temples are best known, however, by the -name of Indra Sabha, or "the assembly of Indra." These caves are -two-storied, containing images of Indra--"the darter of the swift blue -bolt," as he is called--seated on a royal elephant, with his attendants -about him, and of Indranee, his wife, riding on a couchant lion, with -her son in her arms and her maids around her. The sacred trees of the -Hindoos--_Kalpa Vriksha_, the tree of the ages or of life--are growing -out of their heads; on the one overshadowing Indra are carved peacocks, -emblematic of royalty, and fruits resembling the rose-apple, sacred to -love, grow on the one sprouting from the head of Indranee. This temple -is unrivalled for its beauty of form and sculpture. - -The next temple we visited was the Dho Máhal Lenah, "the double palace." -It is full of figures and sculptured story celebrating the marriage of -the god Siva with Parvatee. It is an excavation of great depth and -extent, filled with countless gods and goddesses, among which the figure -of Yama, the judge of the dead, commonly called Dhannah, is especially -remarkable. Not far from this cavern-temple a lovely mountain-torrent -comes leaping down in beautiful cascades. Near a wide pool is a rude -cave with a deity in it called Dàvee, who draws multitudes of pilgrims -to her shrine yearly because of her reputation for performing miracles. - -There is also a temple famous in Indian song and story called -Khailahsah, or "highest heaven." The mountain has been penetrated to a -great depth and height to make room for this wondrous bit of sculpture. -Within an area stands a pagoda almost, if not quite, a hundred feet -high. It is entered by a noble portico guarded by huge stone figures of -men; towering above it are, cut out of the hill, a music-gallery of the -finest workmanship and five large chapels, and above all there is in -front a spacious court terminating in three magnificent colonnades: huge -columns uphold the music-gallery; stone elephants, looking toward us, -heave themselves out of this mass of rock-work, and right in front is a -grand figure of the Hindoo goddess Lakshimi being crowned queen of -heaven by stone elephants, that have raised themselves on their hind -feet to pour water over her head from stone vessels grasped in their -trunks. - -Everywhere we found fresh objects of wonder, and each new cave seemed -the greatest marvel of all. The entire hillside is perforated with -chatiyas, monasteries, pagodas, towers, spires, obelisks, galleries, -and verandahs, all cut out of the solid rock.[78] Nothing could be -wilder and more fantastic than the effect produced by these excavations, -situated as they are amid natural scenes very wild and -romantic--waterfalls, ravines, gorges, old gnarled forest trees, and a -dense undergrowth of brushwood. - -Naturally, freely, unexpectedly, as the tree grows, was the development -of early Hindoo art. Everywhere one sees an unrestrained imagination -breaking through and overleaping the bounds of judgment, reason, and -even that intuitive sense of refinement to which the Hindoo mind is by -no means a stranger. - -Our journey next was quite an adventurous one. We started straight -across the high plain of the Deccan for the Thull Ghauts. In some parts -the country is sandy and desolate, and in others well cultivated, but in -no way remarkable till we reached the rugged but grandly mountainous -country through which our road lay, circuitous and difficult, but wild -and beautiful, as far as Nashik, or "the City of the Nose," sacred to -the Hindoos for various local traditions, but above all as being the -spot whence the Godaveri takes its rise. The real source of this famous -river, however, is some eighteen or twenty miles distant, at Thrimbâk. -On our road lay a deep and dangerous nullah or creek, which we forded -with much difficulty, assisted by a number of natives whom we were -obliged to hire from a little village lying half a mile from its banks. -Passing this, we saw the Ghauts for the first time, with their fine -forests, and here and there a mountain-stream, not yet dried up by the -hot summer sun, tumbling down the mountain-sides or flowing over pebbly -beds, sometimes gleaming into the sunlight and sometimes hidden in -verdure, and anon lying in deep eddying pools at the foot of the Ghauts, -that rise up grand and defiant on every side. - -With their forests of foliage and rich jungles the Thull Ghauts are a -perpetual wonder and mystery to the natives, and the spot on which the -handsome city of Nashik stands is a paradise to the Brahmans. Through it -the Godaveri, sometimes called the Gunga, flows, spreading gladness and -plenty everywhere. Here it was that Rama, with his beautiful wife Sita, -spent the first days of their exile near a dark and dreadful forest, out -of which issued the beautiful deer in pursuit of which he was obliged to -leave Sita, who became an easy prey to his enemy Rawana. Here Lakshman, -the brother of Rama, cut off the nose of the giantess Sarp Naki, the -snake-nosed sister of Rawana, from which event the city itself is named. - -There is doubtless an historical basis to all these local traditions, -for Nashik is a place of great antiquity, and is mentioned by Ptolemy by -the name which it bears to-day. This land was no doubt at one time -debatable ground between the advancing Aryan tribes and the aboriginal -settlers. Here the Buddhists took refuge from the persecutions of the -orthodox Brahmans, excavating the temples and caves that abound in this -region. - -Nashik is now a Brahman city in the fullest sense of the word. Brahmanic -power, influence, culture, and tradition are felt everywhere. Govind, -our pundit, was in his best humor. It seems he had long desired to make -a pilgrimage to this sacred spot, and here he was without any actual -expense to himself and at the right moment. Nashik is said to have a -population of from twenty-five to thirty thousand inhabitants, chiefly -Brahmans of great wealth and famed for their religious sanctity of -character. - -At the jatras, or tribe-meetings, a great concourse of Brahmans, -Hindoos, Rajpoots, and Mahrattas from all parts of India pour into this -city, and our visit happened at this time, for the pilgrims were -arriving from all parts of the Eastern world. Most of the streets are, -like those usually found in Oriental cities, narrow, ill-drained, and -badly paved, but there are some that are well kept, and a fine broad -thoroughfare leads almost, but not quite, through the centre of the city -to the banks of the Godaveri. The lofty houses of the Brahmans, many of -which are three stories high and almost palatial in appearance, were -thrown open to the strangers. Pilgrims thronged the streets and were -encamped along the roadside in tents in the open air or under the shade -of huge trees. Highways lead everywhere down to the river, whose -sanctity may be conceived from the vast numbers and characteristics of -the temples that line its banks and dot the islands and rocks in the -river-bed, nearly all built of a hard black rock capable of high polish, -and some in the purest style of Hindoo architecture. - -As we were detained here a couple of days, being obliged to purchase a -fresh pair of trotting bullocks in order to prosecute the rest of our -journey, we determined to stay over and see the celebration of the -_Holi_, one of the most curious festivals among the Hindoos. We took up -our abode in the travellers' bungalow, some little distance from the -native city, and looking out upon the English burying-ground. It is a -charming spot, with a wild tangle of trees forming a sort of garden -around it. - -The native town of Nashik seems to be divided into three parts, the -handsome and well-built portion being occupied by the wealthy Brahmans, -_vakeels_, or lawyers, and _gurus_, or priests. The second division, -which bears marks of great age and is not very sightly, is inhabited by -merchants and traders in grain and other articles of Indian commerce. -The bazaars are remarkably well stocked with shawls brought from -Cashmere, silks and kinkaubs from Aurungabâd, _gowrakoo_, a native -manufacture of tobacco and used for smoking, and _jaggery_, a dark-brown -sugar from Bombay. In the jewellers' shops we saw some very pretty -specimens of gold and silver ornaments, such as are worn by Hindoo -women. The vegetable and fruit markets here are very fine. Among the -fruits large trays of beautiful flowers were disposed, of which the rose -of Nashik seemed to me the finest I had seen in India. Sheep, goats, and -cows wander about the streets of the bazaar unmolested. Indeed, I saw -cows putting their heads into the open grain-bags exposed on the -shop-windows of the _bunyas_ or grain-dealers, and have a good feed, for -there was no one to hinder them. - -One day, as we were wandering about the streets of Nashik, we strayed -into an open court, and thence through an arched entrance, into a large -hall, where we suddenly came upon a company of men weaving a peculiar -and beautiful Oriental silk. The loom was of the old-fashioned Indian -type, set into the ground; the upper thread was of a pale-gold color, -and the lower of the most exquisite blue, and the fabric after it was -woven had a little knot of yellow left on the surface, which gave it the -appearance in one light of being woven of gold threads, and in another -light of pale blue. A number of women were seated close by preparing the -silk thread for the weavers by means of a very rude spinning-wheel. - -From the bazaars we set off to visit some of the most artistic temples -that embellish the banks of the Godaveri. There are five structures here -to-day in great repute: the temples of Maha Dèo, or the high god, Siva, -Parvati, Indra, and _Jaggar Nath_, commonly called Juggernaut. Each of -these temples has a large number of laymen, priests, and priestesses, or -dancing-girls, attached to them. The dancing-girls were seen everywhere -in the temples, on the banks of the river, and in the booths erected -here and there, performing their various dances for the amusement of the -pilgrims, and some of these girls were of the finest type that I have -seen in any part of India. - -We went into the temple of Maha Dèo, which contains some very rich and -bold carvings. A figure of a god was seated on a stone altar, and all -over the shrine were scattered flowers, oil, and red paint, or -"shaindoor." At the door of this temple we saw seated a very old woman, -who, they told me, was once a famous beauty and a priestess of this -temple. She sat there muttering idly to herself and basking in the -sunlight. Age had very forcibly set its seal upon her. Her skin was -drawn into the most complicated network of wrinkles, her arms were -almost devoid of flesh, and her limbs were as feeble and tottering as -those of an infant just attempting to walk; but her eyes, large, dark, -and piercing, still retained a great deal of their original beauty. The -people, however, regarded her as one inspired, and the women attached to -the temple had a tender care for her, taking her into an adjoining -chamber every night to sleep, bringing her out to her accustomed place -every morning, and feeding her at regular intervals. - -On the banks of the Godaveri is shown a spot where women without number -have become suttees, or, as they called them here, Sadhwees, or "pure -ones." At a very gentle curve of the river are the cremation-grounds of -the Hindoos, and here the ashes of men burned at a distance are brought -and scattered in the holy stream, which is thought to have its source in -the heart of the great Maha Dèo himself. - -Next morning, when we issued into the streets of Nashik once more, the -scene that presented itself to our astonished gaze was that of a vast -multitude gone mad. Crowds of women dressed in fantastic attire, -especially in white- and yellow-spotted muslin sarees, men in curious -garbs, boys dressed like sprites or wholly nude and besmeared with -yellow paint, fakeers, gossains, ascetics, Hindoos, and Brahmans, were -seen in the streets shouting, laughing, throwing red paint about; rude -jests were being passed; women were addressed in obscene or ribald -language; persons blindfolded in the streets were left to grope their -way until they removed the bandage from their eyes, friends sent on -bootless errands, etc. In fact, it was a complete saturnalia of the -rudest and most grotesque description. It was the festival of the -_Holi_,[79] held in honor of Krishna's sportive character on the night -of the full moon in the month of February. - -That evening we went out on the banks of the Godaveri to see the -termination of the festival, and it is simply impossible to describe the -wild enthusiasm of this vast concourse of people. The banks of the -river, the steps of the numberless temples, the courts within courts, -the shrines, the altars, the great halls and music-galleries with -forests of carved pillars, were closely packed with countless throngs of -white-robed priests, half-naked gossains, or sparkling dancing-girls, -while thousands of men, women, and children lined the banks of the -Godaveri, eager and enthusiastic participants in the gay, bewildering -scene. As we stood gazing at the strange spectacle we heard the wild, -discordant sounds of various musical instruments, the shrill blast of -innumerable conch-shells, and the deafening beat of the tom-toms, -whereupon huge fires began to blaze almost simultaneously from shore to -shore at regular distances, and everywhere round them groups of -strangely dressed boys performed weird circular dances, holding each -other's hands and going around them; then, suddenly letting loose, they -darted and leaped round and round one another and round the fire at the -same time. This dance is ostensibly performed to commemorate the dance -of the god Krishna with the seven gowpiahs, or milkmaids, but there is -scarcely a doubt that this festival originally meant to typify the -revolution of the planets round the sun. - -The light from these blazing fires streaming out upon the moonlit river, -the wild discordant music, the hilarious shouts, the frantic dancers, -the sparkle of the dancing-girls, the white-robed figures of the -countless multitude, now flashing in sight in the glare of the -firelight, and anon vanishing in the deep shadows beyond, the piles of -black temples, the great trees with their arms bending down to the river -or stretching toward the clear sky,--all combined to render the last -night of the festival of the Holi at Nashik a most weird and singularly -fantastic sight. - -From the first to the last day of our visit here there was nowhere -perceptible the least trace of European influence on the people or in -the city. The people and the city were just what they might have been in -the days when Ptolemy wrote about the latter, purely and wholly Hindoo, -and full of a Brahmanic atmosphere of religious mysticism--a -civilization quite different from anything we had ever witnessed. - -There are a number of curious excavations in this neighborhood, about -five miles from the town, in the side of a hill that overhangs the -highway from Bombay. The hill as well as these cavern-temples is called -Pandulená. We rode out on fine horses hired from a native stable close -to the bazaar. The ride out was delightful, the views of the country at -once grand and beautiful, but the excavations were much less interesting -than had been reported to us by Govind, and in no way comparable to the -wondrous structures of Ellora. There is one cave here, however, that has -a superior finish. The roof is finely arched; the dogaba, or memorial -structure, stands at the end and is well executed. Another cave with -idols of seated figures has a flat roof, and is not very interesting, -save that near it is carved in a niche a huge figure of Buddha. The -chief idol here is called Rajah Dhanna--_i. e._ "judge of the dead"--and -is held most sacred by the pilgrims, who were now beginning to arrive -here in strong numbers. The odors of the stuff with which the filthy -gossains rub themselves and their altogether disgusting appearance sent -us hastily back to our quiet lodge, and early next morning we bade adieu -for ever to Nashik. - -From Nashik to Trimbak, eighteen or twenty miles, the country is one of -unrivalled beauty. Trimbak is a very sacred spot, where the Godaveri -really takes its rise, and is wholly given up to the Hindoo and Brahman -pilgrims, who were pouring into the place from all the country round. It -is filled by a class of priests whose sole duty it is to instruct -pilgrims in the right way to worship and to receive the gifts bestowed -on the temples. The houses of these priests adjoin the temples; they -lodge the pilgrims without any charge, but each person generally leaves -at the temple a gift which exceeds the cost of his stay. We had no time -to examine the temples here, for we spent only a night at Trimbak, and -started next morning, traversing circuitous roads, crossing some small -nullahs, and by dint of travelling all day and night reached the next -important halting-place, which was no other than Damaun, a famous old -Portuguese town. - -The town of Damaun, with its ramparts, gateways, and bastions, is -picturesquely situated. There is on one side of it a fine old fortress -baptized after a Christian saint and called the "Castle of St. -Hieronymus," and on the other a deep, navigable river which still bears -the favorite Hindoo name of Gunga. The country all round Damaun is well -cultivated. The tara palm, the castor oil, the babool, or _Acacia -arabica_,[80] were seen in the gardens and plantations. But the interior -of the Portuguese town struck me as gloomy and exceedingly filthy, and, -though it was full of people--Mohammedans, Hindoos, and Christians, with -even Jews and Parsees--it lacked that air of sprightliness and vivacity -so noticeable in a purely Hindoo population. It was neither one thing -nor the other--not wholly pagan, and only partially Christian. The Roman -Catholic chapel here was once a grand mosque. - -Through the kind introduction of a Portuguese friend we were most -cordially received in the home of a venerable native Portuguese named -Johnna Castello. The household consisted of himself and the families of -two married sons; one of the ladies was indisposed, but the other, Donna -Caterina, did the honors of hostess in a simple and unpretending manner. -Our pundit had an outhouse placed at his disposal. The establishment did -not boast of many rooms, and those in which we were lodged were rough -and poorly built of wood. Our meals consisted of rice and curry, fish, -_kabobs_,[81] kid and fowl pillau, with a variety of fine fruits and -vegetables. Our meals were served apart and in European style, but the -quantity of onion and garlic with which almost every dish was seasoned -helped much toward shortening our stay here. Besides which, it seemed to -me that everything was pickled, from the pork (of which the native -Portuguese are very fond) to the young bamboo-shoots. At every fresh -course some half a dozen hot, biting pickles were handed around. - -My womanly curiosity led me into the kitchen of this very well-to-do -Portuguese family. It was in keeping with the rest of the place. It was -a low wooden structure, black with smoke and age; a long range of open -fireplaces, made of brick and mortar, ran along on one side; on these -earthen _chatties_, or earthen pots, were boiling away, some covered and -others uncovered; but hanging from the roof above these pots were long -lines of blackened cobwebs that looked as if they had remained -undisturbed for a hundred years. The servants were all men, native -Christians, and were overlooking the cooking or attending to various -culinary duties. They were filthy beyond measure, and so was every nook -and corner of the kitchen. The native Portuguese in this old-fashioned -city of Damaun struck me as peculiarly uninteresting in their manners -and appearance. We saw them in the streets, seated on the verandahs or -doorsteps of their houses, chattering or laughing or quarrelling with -their neighbors in shrill, harsh tones and with ungraceful gestures. In -some aspects Oriental Christianity seems even more degrading than the -worst form of paganism. - -In the afternoon of the same day, as we were walking about the town, we -passed a wedding-procession on its way to the Roman Catholic church, -which served in some slight degree to soften the unfavorable impression -produced by the people and the town. It was a gaudy sight. Sheets were -spread along the street leading to the steps of the chapel; flowers, -chiefly the oleander, the rose, and the _mohgre_,[82] were scattered all -over these sheets by dark-skinned Portuguese girls dressed in long white -trousers and old-fashioned pink frocks. Presently the church-bells began -to tinkle merrily, and a company of dark-hued damsels issued in full -sight, dressed in tinsel and gold, with long white muslin veils, almost -like the Hindoo sarees, bound round their persons. The bride was closely -veiled from head to foot in something that looked like the _purdah_[83] -worn by Mohammedan women. We could not see her, but I pleased myself -with imagining that she was young and beautiful. Close to her were two -young women bearing lighted torches, and in the foremost rank were two -Portuguese priests, who led the way to the chapel (once a mosque), each -bearing a silver-mounted crucifix. The bridegroom brought up the rear -dressed as an English general, with a dark-blue embroidered frock-coat, -golden epaulettes, scarlet pantaloons, sword, and a cocked hat with -feathers, accompanied by at least twelve other native gentlemen -similarly attired; but many of these grand-looking officers were -barefooted. This grotesque procession rushed into the chapel in unseemly -haste, and we followed. There was nothing very remarkable in the -exterior of this chapel. But within, the principal altar was very richly -adorned with gilt images of Christ, the Virgin, and saints, with -handsome candlesticks and a great deal of gold and tinsel. There seemed -to be but few seats. Before the marriage ceremony began the bride -dropped her purdah, or veil, and, to my surprise, I found that she was -both ugly and old, and about to be married to the young fellow in the -general's costume, who certainly looked young enough to be her son. She -was a rich old widow, which explained the matter. We did not wait to see -the ceremony, as our stay here was limited to two days, and this was our -last one in Damaun. - -After nightfall, as I looked out upon this strange, semi-Christian, -semi-pagan city, old and weather-stained, poorly lighted, and upon that -river named after a Hindoo goddess flowing by so sluggishly, but which, -after the rainy season, often becomes a cruel foe to the peasant and -cultivator, I felt somehow that it was one of the most dismal places in -the world, in spite of its peculiar advantages of a rich soil and -sea-views. Next morning, through the kind offices of our host, who -assisted us in procuring a comfortable berth on board a native craft -called a patemar,[84] we found ourselves sailing before a fine breeze, -bound straight for Surat, one of the most ancient and well-known -seaports of Western India. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[77] Pur Sawanath and Mah-vira, the twenty-third and twenty-fourth -pontiffs of the present era of the Jains, seem to have superseded all -the former saints in sanctity of character. They are described by the -Jains as having thirty-six superhuman attributes of mind and -body--beauty of form, fragrance of breath; curling hair, which does not -increase in length or decrease in quantity, the same qualities being -attached to their beards and nails; a white complexion, exemption from -all impurities, hunger, decay, bodily infirmity or disease of any kind. -The spiritual attributes are those of justice, truth, faith, love, -benevolence, freedom from all anger and all earthly desires, immense -power of devotion; hence of working miracles, of making themselves heard -at vast distances, speaking intelligibly to men, animals, and gods, of -materializing spirits and conversing with them, and the power of -scattering war, plague, famine, storms, death, sickness, or evil of any -kind by their immediate presence. The heads of these Jain saints are -always described as surrounded with a halo of light, whose brightness is -greater and more far-reaching than that of the sun. The Brahmans, it is -said, with great adroitness, in order to draw to these temples the Jain -pilgrims from Guzerat, Bombay, and other parts of India, take care to -represent their god Parshurama, an incarnation of Vishnu, to be none -other than the Jain saint, Pur Sawanath. - -[78] Those who desire to have a detailed account of these caves will -find an admirable description of them given by Col. Sykes in the third -volume of the _Bombay Asiatic Society's Transactions_. - -[79] A most popular Hindoo festival held all over Hindostan in honor of -Krishna. - -[80] A genus of leguminous trees and shrubs, usually with thorns and -pinnate leaves, and of an airy and elegant appearance. It is found in -all the tropical parts of both the Old World and the New, and also in -Australia and Polynesia. A few species only are found in temperate -climates. - -[81] Small pieces of meat seasoned and roasted on a skewer. - -[82] A white flower very much like a double jessamine, with much the -same fragrance. - -[83] A veil that covers the whole person. - -[84] A patemar is a coasting vessel, built generally in Bombay. It has -prow and stern alike, double planked--a handsome craft of about two -hundred tons burden, with two masts and great wide lateen sails. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - - The Taptee River.--Surat and its Environs.--The Borahs and Kholees - of Guzerat.--Baroda, the Capital of the Guicowars.--Fakeers, or - Relic-Carriers, of Baroda.--Cambay.--Mount Aboo.--Jain Temples on - Mount Aboo, etc. - - -The views along the Western Ghauts and the coast are very grand. We soon -lost sight of all their varied beauty, and in a couple of days entered -the splendid river Taptee, which flows broad and deep immediately under -the walls of the city of Surat. - -Almost at the mouth of the Taptee stands a lovely little island; -opposite to this is a little town called Domus, a quaint, -homelike-looking place, where Europeans spend the hot months. The river -flows for miles through a richly-cultivated suburb of gardens, -plantations, and beautiful houses, till it reaches the city, which is -walled with bastions at certain points, but the walls and towers are -fast crumbling away. At one extremity stands the famous old castle of -Surat, about three hundred years old, looking older and more stained -with time and age than even the fortress of Damaun. - -Surat has a double wall and twice twelve gates, inner and outer, -communicating with one another. But its history is even more varied and -complicated than its "world-protecting" walls and wooden-leaved gates. -It is written in the ruins found everywhere in the gardens, palaces of -the nawabs, rajahs, and peishwas, as well as in the factories of the -Dutch, French, Portuguese, and English, most of which are now -transformed into hospitals, lunatic asylums, hotels for European -travellers, or pleasure-houses and grounds for wealthy natives. - -Here are also grand English and Dutch cemeteries, where many noted -English and Dutch lie magnificently entombed in stately mausoleums, in -order to impress the Oriental mind, which is always disposed to attach a -certain kind of sanctity to piles of brick, mortar, and stone, whether -priest, prophet, or knave lie interred beneath. - -We tried to visit the "Pinjrapoore," or hospital for sick animals, here; -it seems to be arranged much on the same plan as that in Bombay, but -this place was too filthy to enter, and in that respect much inferior. -Attached to it are large granaries, where all the damaged grain of the -bazaars is piled up for the use of the sick animals in the hospital; and -this it is which has rendered this place a perfect pest-house of insects -and vermin of all kinds. - -Fire-temples and towers of silence are numerous here, as Surat has a -large Parsee community, who have been established in this region ever -since the eighth century. The most curious and interesting people in -this part of the world are the Borahs, the Jains, and Buniahs. - -The Borahs are divided into two classes, the traders and the -cultivators. They are Hindoos converted to Mohammedanism; they form the -most active and industrious cultivators of the soil, as well as cotton- -and cloth-merchants. Their dress, manners, and language are the same as -those of the Hindoos. Cotton is the chief staple. The Borahs occupy an -entire street in Surat, and it is especially distinguished as being the -cleanest in the native town. Their houses are spacious and well built, -with fine open balconies. Their women are well treated. They support -here a number of Mohammedan priests, a bishop--have a fine mosque -wherein to worship, and one of the best colleges in this part of the -country, where the Borah youths receive a thorough commercial education. - -The Buniahs are almost identical with the Borahs in their trading and -commercial qualifications. They are the great grain-merchants here and -everywhere. They are also divided into three classes--the cultivators, -the wholesale merchant, and the petty retailer, who travels from village -to village with his grain-bags on his shoulders. The Buniahs, however, -are Hindoos in religion as well as by birth. - -The Jains, of whom mention has already been made, are seen in great -numbers in the streets and bazaars. Their dress is a long white robe -descending in full folds from the shoulders to the feet, and over the -shoulders is thrown another long loose piece of white cloth; the head -and beard are closely shaven. But the most striking peculiarity is a bit -of white cloth of fine texture which they wear over the mouth to prevent -them from destroying, by inhaling into their lungs, the minutest insect -life. They are always found with a little broom in their hands, no -matter where they go, so as to sweep the ground before seating -themselves, with the same end in view--the preservation of all insect -life; for this purpose they walk very slowly with their eyes cast on the -ground. To destroy life, even unintentionally, is the inexpiable sin, -and a Jain will not drink any water until he has strained it, nor will -he take any meal or drink of any kind after sunset, lest he should -happen to devour some living thing. The Jains have some fine temples in -this city. - -Surat was long in the possession of the Mohgul emperors. In 1842 the -last nawab died, and it passed into the hands of the East India Company. -It is still a great trading city; the surtee rassum, or manufactured -silk of Surat, is very beautiful; the gold and silver ornaments sold in -the bazaars are unique and of fine workmanship. Surat is also famous for -the weaving of many varieties of cotton cloths; these are usually woven -in small chequered patterns with bright and elegant borders. Potteries -are not only numerous, but some pottery of very fine form and quality is -sold in the bazaars and is said to be of home manufacture. - -The last day we spent in Surat was passed in driving through the suburbs -in a native wagon drawn by a fine pair of humpbacked white bullocks -(zebus), who carried us rapidly over the ground. We alighted at the -palace of the last nawab, called at once the "gift of God" and the "seat -of oppression." Of its being the former there is no trace, but the -shadow of the latter name seems still to fall upon the partially -deserted place. Apart from the collection of Persian and Arabic -manuscripts to be seen in a room adjoining the palace of the nawab, -there is nothing to interest the curious visitor. With the removal of -the Moslem flag that once waved so proudly over the citadel of Surat the -glory of the Mohgul conquerors departed. - -The Mohgul quarter of the city is gradually falling into decay; ruin and -desolation mark the spot where many a noble pile of Moslem dwellings -once stood. The very name of the Mohguls is almost a thing of the past, -save that in household song and story their deeds will ever cast behind -them a dark and terrible shadow. - -We left Surat, or rather _Soo Rashtra_, "the pleasant country," seated -in a dhuinee, a native wagon on two wheels with a cloth canopy overhead, -and drawn by a pair of large, handsome humped oxen, with a Bheel guide, -the pundit, and two servants. We had traversed a large extent of -country, halted under trees by the roadside and at mean little -dhurrum-salas, without fear or molestation of any kind, with but few -detentions, and only one accident to our wagon, which was repaired -almost at once by applying to the headman of a village near by, who not -only sent us a blacksmith, but came out to see the work done himself. -The plan adopted in our travels through the Deccan we carried out in our -entire journeyings through Guzerat and back--_i. e._ to send the pundit -to the governor of the town or to the headman of the village to ask -escort and guide for the place itself as well as to the next station; -and in no instance were these unfaithful to the trust reposed in them. -When they quitted us at the appointed station we generally made them a -small present, which brought down upon us showers of blessings and -unqualified praise. I did not doubt, however, that our good-fortune in -this respect was owing to the dignified bearing and sanctified presence -of our Brahman pundit. For the first few miles from Surat to Ratanpoore, -"the Jewel City," the road was deep and heavy, and our wagon dragged -slowly along, but it was not long before we came out on a magnificent -park-like country, which is the characteristic of almost the whole vast -province lying west of the Deccan. It was delightful to hear our Bheel -guide singing in his deep sonorous voice as he trotted on by our side, -in which music he was joined occasionally by our driver. One of his -songs was intended to gratify European hearts and ears (with the "inam," -or present, in prospect, I suppose), the chorus of which was as follows: - - - "Bur, bur, nashanee oorta hai, - Ingraje Bhadhar ki, - Mar lia rah Tipoo Sultan, - Wo kaya lurta, hârâm ki." - - ("Behold proud England's flag unfurl - And wave on every height. - Beaten low lies Tippoo Sultan; - With England who dare fight?") - - -This chorus was kept up with great animation until we reached the Jewel -City, which is named after the extensive carnelian-mines in its -neighborhood. Our measure of sleep at the miserable halting-place was -stinted, for we started at dawn to visit the mines, situated some -distance from the village along the slope of a picturesque hill. The -road was literally covered with discarded pieces of carnelian. The mines -were neither high nor deep. The entire face of the hill is perforated -with galleries or pits that run in every direction. The gems are found -imbedded in a slimy black clay holding numerous organic remains. In some -parts the pits are carried down thirty feet before the peculiar deposit -in which the carnelian abounds is reached. It is also found in many -other places here still unknown to Europeans, as the natives keep the -secret, as far as it is possible, to themselves and even from one -another. It was interesting to see the men working at the mines. They -were very poorly clad, with only a _langoutee_, or waist-cloth, round -them, and each division was superintended by a number of better-dressed -men called _sirdhars_, or "head lords." The stones are collected in -great quantities, then tried by means of another sharp stone prepared -for the purpose. If they chip easily they are discarded, but if they -have a firm, compact texture and a deep-black color, they are selected, -cleaned, and exposed on strips of rough straw mattings to the sun's rays -for the space of a year or more, since the longer they are thus exposed -the brighter the color and polish after baking. The process of baking -these stones is both curious and original. The rough stones are piled in -small heaps on the ground, which is slightly hollowed out to receive -them. Small earthen pots with holes in them are placed over each pile; -then a quantity of goat- or sheep-ordure is heaped up on each pot; it is -then kindled and allowed to smoulder all night. On the following -morning the stones are carefully examined, and if they have acquired the -deep bright tint peculiar to the carnelian known to commerce, they are -ready for the jeweller's polish; if not, they are once more subjected to -the fire. The shops in Baroda, Cambay, and Ahmedabâd have great -varieties of these stones for sale; for they are not only carved into -rings, beads, bangles, boxes, vases, bowls, and mouthpieces for pipes, -but idols for the Jain, Hindoo, and Buddhist temples are also fashioned -out of them. - -Our journey from Ratanpoore to Baroda was through a very beautiful -country, and, though it is said to be infested with Kholee and Bheel -robbers, we passed through it without the least molestation. At one -point of the road not far from Baroda we espied a thick wood above which -towered the slender spires of some Hindoo temples. The moment these were -seen our pundit, driver, and Bheel escort craved permission to retire -for _puja_, or worship, for a few moments. The oxen were fastened to the -branch of a tree by the roadside, and we alighted and walked about until -our pious attendants had finished their devotions to the goddess -Bhawanee, enshrined even here as the favorite of the reigning Mahratta -kings. - -Baroda, or Varodah, "the good water country," is now the capital of the -Guicowars, which name means, literally, "owner of heads of cattle." It -is the quaintest, the most densely populated, and independent city in -this province. - -The first Guicowar, a peasant by the name of Pullahji, was employed as a -domestic in the service of the Peishwa Baji Roa. He soon raised himself -by means of his extraordinary military talents to the rank of a -commanding officer of the Peishwa's troops. Shortly after, having won -over the army, he declared his independence and established himself on -the throne of the Peishwas in Guzerat. Having sprung from the hardy -Khumbis, or cultivators of the soil, he was justly proud of his race, -and assumed the ancient title of Guicowar. Whenever opportunity offered, -Pullahji, bent on conquest, invaded the Peishwa's territories, carrying -pillage and disorder through the richest provinces of Nagpoor -Rajpootana. His successors, however, have been obliged to employ the aid -of the British troops to hold their own in these provinces, which are at -best but partly subjugated. - -We crossed an old Hindoo bridge of curious structure consisting of -arches placed one over the other, and spanning an impetuous but -extraordinarily beautiful river still bearing the polished Sanskrit name -of _Vishwamitra_, or "the friendly preserver." It flows strong and swift -for many miles through a deep rocky channel. Its banks are singularly -striking in some parts, rising on either side from fifty to sixty feet. -Its waters, instead of appearing friendly, seemed dark and turbulent, -not unlike the barbaric city which stretched along its banks. Temples, -mosques, tombs, mausoleums, and dark, sombre-looking fortresses are seen -everywhere; great flights of stone steps lead to the fast-flowing river, -and all day long these are crowded with men and women washing, bathing, -or filling their water-jars. The suburbs of Baroda extend for miles, and -in the most densely crowded part of the capital the streets are narrow -and crooked, the houses mostly of wood, but built with a view of -architectural effect. Some are almost like pretty Swiss châlets, and -others not unlike Italian villas. At the cross-roads and in various -parts of the streets and lanes are seen queer little temples with the -oddest of gods and goddesses enshrined in them--deities of the woods, -fountains, streams, and even of the streets--and over these fluttered -the gay-colored flags of the Guicowar. As for the inhabitants of Baroda, -as seen in the streets, verandahs, and shops, they are quite -characteristic. Specimens of every Eastern nationality may be seen here, -and, what is more, in the martial atmosphere of the place they seemed -more like freebooters, murderers, and warriors than like the simple -citizens of a great agricultural district such as Guzerat presents -outside of her cities and towns. - -The city proper, or rather the citadel, is walled. It is entered by huge -gateways guarded by soldiers, and made even more imposing by the lofty -round towers that crown it on either side. It is divided into four -portions, three of which are occupied by the nobility of the court of -Guzerat, and the other by the palaces and buildings of the Guicowar -himself. The antechamber of the palace is a huge stone structure -supporting a many-storied wooden balcony, from the centre of which rises -a lofty pyramidal clock-tower painted in various colors and looking -fantastic beyond description. Here we saw the Guicowar going to worship -at some temple; he was preceded by a number of led horses and elephants -splendidly caparisoned; then came his standard borne on a great -elephant, followed by the Guicowar himself. After him came men on foot -in scarlet dresses, and more elephants. The elephants here are trained -for riding, hunting, war, and even as executioners and combatants. - -The English station is very picturesquely situated, and is purely -European in appearance. The contrast is all the more striking after -seeing the citadel of the Guicowar. It is on the north bank of the river -Vishwamitra, and not far from the great highway are the British -residency and travellers' bungalow, where we were most comfortably -lodged. - -One of the most ancient and curious temples to be seen here is situated -at the west end of the suburbs of Baroda. It is called Ghai Dawale, "the -cow temple." The front is imposing. A portico with granite pillars -admits you into a series of vaulted chambers, and there are numberless -idols of gods and goddesses enshrined in niches, with offerings of -flowers before them and red paint sprinkled over their persons. A great -many corridors lead to other chambers, cells, vaults, and mysterious -retreats that have sprung up round it owing to the vast number of -priestesses called Páthars attached to it. Another feature of Baroda are -the magnificent _bowries_, or wells, that are found here; some are in -themselves most exquisite pieces of architecture, and may be called -temples built over reservoirs. The entrance to these well-temples are by -five or more pavilions; thence a flight of stone steps leads to a second -dome, which is arched, and under the outer dome, which is in its turn -supported by lofty pillars and is pyramidal, then more steps and more -pillars, until the level of the water is reached, which is again covered -by a last and beautiful dome supported by innumerable short pillars. The -largest of these wells in Baroda is called _Nou Laki_, or "Nine Laks," -from its having cost that amount in building. It was erected by -Suleiman, the governor of Baroda in A. H. (Mohammedan) 807. The water is -very delicious, and here people from all parts of the country assemble -to drink--mendicant Brahmans, gossains for alms, and fakeer carriers of -relics to trade. The latter is not a mendicant, but a religious trader, -whose chief claim to sanctity consists in the marks he wears on his brow -and nose. These men go from place to place carrying their curious relics -in curtained baskets slung across their shoulders; their shirts and -cumberbunds are filled with balls, beads, and pins made from the wood of -the _toolie_[85] and other sacred trees. They have beads of sandal and -other woods strung into necklaces, bracelets, armlets, and anklets, mud -figures of gods and goddesses made of the sacred clay of the Ganges, the -Godaveri, and the Brahmapootra, precious bones of saints and prophets -carved into amulets, and any quantity of yellow threads as a -preservative against the evil eye. Women and children flock round these -relic-carriers, and in return for grain, cloth, silver, and gold they -will fasten a small yellow thread, a bead, an amulet, or a precious bit -of some dead saint's bone--these, however, they part with only for gold -or silver--around their wrists, arms, neck, and feet, to preserve the -wearer not only from the evil eye, which is much dreaded in the East, -but from all diseases and from sudden death. - -Once more in our native wagon, with a fresh guide and escort we started -for Cambay, the Khambayat of the ancients. We passed through a luxuriant -country, for Guzerat is indeed the garden of the East. The thriving -villages enclosed with great hedges of prickly pear; the pretty little -wooden houses of moderate size, all built on the same plan, with farms, -or cotton-plantations, or fruit-orchards of mangoes, tamarinds, etc., -attached to them; the two-storied houses of the priest, the village -schoolmaster, and the headman, with their high verdant hedges shutting -off the house from curious eyes and separating it from its -neighbors,--this all makes up a pretty picture. In the centre of these -Guzerat villages there is generally a Hindoo temple, and a space fenced -or hedged in where all the villagers assemble for prayers, celebration -of holidays, and other festival gatherings. - -The Guzerati women are handsome, well-formed, and remarkably -industrious; many of them do all their weaving and spinning at home. -Their chief food consists of eggs, fowls, milk, cream, and cheese: some -of the Guzerat Brahmans will eat fowl and even game. The men are -well-formed, athletic, and of fairer complexion than the natives of -Southern India. - -Cambay is a city of great antiquity and well known to early European -travellers. In 1543, Queen Elizabeth of England sent a mission to -Khambayat, with instructions to proceed thence to China. The Hindoos -state that on the site of Cambay stood twelve hundred and eighty years -ago an ancient Brahman city--according to Forbes, the Camanes of -Ptolemy. It derives its present name, however, from a copper pillar, -called "Khamb," dedicating it to the presiding deity of the place, the -earth-goddess Dèvi; the date on this pillar is a little before the -eleventh century of our era. Cambay has an air of extreme sluggishness -and rapid decay, and one cannot fail to see its changeful history in its -numerous foundations. Everywhere are remnants of many cities and many -kinds and styles of architecture, built one above the other. - -The travellers' bungalow here comprises the upper stories of a spacious -stone building, once the English factory. It overlooks the entire city, -which is built on an eminence, with its old walls perforated with holes -for musketry, its fifty-two towers and ten gates guarded by soldiers, -and also looks out upon the great Gulf of Cambay, than which I know -nothing more formidable in nature. At low tide for miles out one sees -only a vast plain, moist, strewn with shells, and intersected here and -there with deep hollows and shifting sandbanks; but when the tide -changes, and long before the waters appear in sight, are heard -tremendous sounds, crash after crash, thunder after thunder, of the -advancing tide, which comes in leaping like a huge monster, thirty to -forty feet high, and breaks with terrific violence against the shore, -carrying everything before it. Ships and native vessels anchor at a -point some miles down the gulf, where the tides are less strong. - -Cambay has witnessed many a dreadful scene of carnage by the Mohguls, -Hindoos, Persians, and Rajpoots. The only objects of real interest here -are subterranean Jain temples; they are situated in the Parsee district. -The exterior, or rather upper part, of the temple would be insignificant -but for the imposing statue of Parswanath, sculptured in white marble, -surrounded by a host of smaller images, many of which are jewelled and -are sold as household deities. Our guide pointed to us a queer narrow -opening at the side which led by means of steep steps to the underground -temples which the Jains, like the early Christians, built for purposes -of midnight assembly and worship in order to escape the persecution of -the Mohammedan conquerors of Guzerat. - -Emerging from one of the gates of Cambay, we wended our way through -ruins which are scattered all about the neighborhood. Now a broad paved -pathway, now crumbling tombs, anon ancient structures, a broken archway, -a cluster of roofless pillars, or, again, dilapidated temples, mark the -sites where stood rich and quaint habitations, temples, or pavilions of -the ancient Hindoos. The richness and luxuriance of nature seems to have -vanished also from these ruinous suburbs, and our road was no longer -beautiful, but lay through a deep sandy plain until we entered the -ancient capital of the great sultans, Ahâmâdabâd or Ahmedabâd, one of -the unrivalled cities of the East. - -The travellers' bungalow is a pleasant place, and everything in the way -of living is as cheap and good as one could possibly desire. We engaged -a very intelligent guide, who spoke Hindostanee well, to take us to the -places best worth seeing. - -Our first drive was to Mirzapoor to see the Ranee-Ki-Musjid, or "the -Queen's Mosque," an enchanting spot. The moment we alighted in front of -it a very old fakeer, with a multitude of necklaces round his neck, came -out to greet us, and for a rupee showed us about the place. The mosque -and mausoleum here are both beautiful marble structures, erected to the -memory of a princess, Rupavati. Her tomb, which is richly ornamented, is -of a mixture of Moslem and Hindoo style of architecture. The dome is -magnificently fretted, and pillars standing at each tower form a -graceful colonnade around the tomb. But perhaps the chief and peculiar -beauty was the situation of these partially ruined monuments, amid a -wild tangle of fruit and other trees where birds, squirrels, and monkeys -find a pleasant home. The second mosque and tomb are not far off, -dedicated to the memory of a Mohammedan queen called Ranee -Sipra-Ki-Musjid, "the Queen Sipra's Mosque," one of the favorite wives -of Ahmed Shah, the founder of the city. These are exquisite buildings -too, and in the finest Saracenic style; the pillars and minarets have an -air of wonderful loftiness and beauty. - -The Kanch Ki-Musjid, or "Glass Mosque," and the Jummah-Musjid, are both -remarkably beautiful structures. The Glass Mosque, so called from the -whiteness and purity of the marble of which parts of it was built, has a -graceful dome after the Turkish style, terminating in a crescent. The -Jummah-Musjid is in the vicinity of the great street, "Manik Chouk," -which contains the chief bazaars and markets of Ahmedabâd. It is an -oblong building, with a fine open courtyard containing a reservoir for -washing the feet of the worshipper before entering the precincts of the -temple. The light elegant domes of this building are supported by -graceful pillars, and its open arches, minarets, and façades are most -exquisitely ornamented. - -The grand royal cemetery of Sarkhej lies several miles from the city of -Ahmedabâd--a wondrous ruin, the ancient summer residence of Ahmed Shah. -To approach it one is obliged to cross a fine pebbly stream fordable at -points, called the _Saber-Muttee_, properly _Safer Muttee_, "pure sand." -The road leading to these vast ruined structures of palaces, hareems, -mosques, tombs, and gardens is still paved in some parts. - -We were admitted by a saintly custodian, who became affable the moment -silver coins were dropped into his half-open palm. Gury Baksh, or "the -bestower of virtue," the spiritual adviser of Ahmed Shah, lies interred -here beneath a splendid monument which attracts crowds of pilgrims -annually. The tomb and mosque were completed by Khouttub-ood-din, the -grandson of Ahmed Shah. The city is founded on the site of a very -ancient and populous Hindoo town dedicated to and called after the -goddess Ashawhalla, and is built out of the materials of one or more -Hindoo cities which Ahmed Shah sacked and plundered, carrying away the -stones, pillars, and monuments bit by bit. - -Ahmedabâd was given up to the East India Company in 1818, and has been -held by it ever since. It is impossible to do anything like justice to -the beauties and attractions of this magnificent Mohammedan city. It -abounds in stately monuments, mosques, mausoleums, palaces, great -reservoirs, and gardens, in a more or less ruinous condition, but which -show a high degree of civilization and point to a period when the Mohgul -occupation of India was at its highest prosperity. - -Leaving Ahmedabâd, we started for Mount Aboo, a place very little known, -but one of the most beautiful spots in the world. The magnificent -province of Guzerat is separated from Marwar on the north-east by a -range of mountains in which are Mount Aboo and a beautiful -mountain-lake called Aboogoosh. Passing through Desa, a military station -for European troops, and across the Bhanas River, our road lay for many -weary days through patches of jungle more or less dense until we found -ourselves at the pretty little Marwar village of Andara, which lies at -the foot of Mount Aboo. There is a good path from the village to the -summit of the mount, and here a beautiful lake, called after the saint -"Aboo," who is said to have excavated the basin in which it lies with -his nails, and it is therefore called Nakhi Taloa, "Nail Lake." It is an -exquisitely shaded bit of water, and in its vicinity are found wonderful -Jain temples built of pure white marble. Not far from this spot is the -sanitarium for travellers, where we took up our abode, barracks for -convalescent European soldiers, and a quiet, unpretending little -Protestant church. - -The most important of the cavern-temples in the neighborhood are the Tij -Phal and the Veinahl Sah. One is dedicated to a Jain saint, -Vrishab-Deva. It stands alone in a square court, and all around it are -little cells with deities enshrined in them. A number of strange-looking -priests worship here, making offerings of saffron, lamps fed with ghee, -and incense in small brass pots. One priest deliberately asked us for -some _brandy_, and, as we had none to give him, proposed instantly to go -back with us if we would give him some, because he suffered from pains -in his stomach. - -The temple dedicated to Parswanath, the great Jain teacher and saint, is -an exquisite bit of architecture built of the purest white marble. From -one of the vaulted roofs is suspended a cluster of flowers resembling -the half-blown lotus, sculptured out of the rock; its cup and petals are -so beautifully carved that they are almost as delicate and transparent -as the flower itself. Everywhere the flowers, fruits, birds, and -animals indicate that the artists must have taken their models from -nature. There is also a fine Rajpoot fortress here. The dog-rose, a -beautiful Indian flower called _seotee_, the pomegranate, the wild -grape, the apricot, are among the indigenous products of Mount Aboo. The -mango tree also abounds here, the white and yellow jessamine, the -balsam, and the golden champa, which is sacred to the gods; but the -rarest and most beautiful of all the plants is a parasite called by the -natives _ambathri_, with lovely blue and white flowers, creeping, -entwining, and blossoming around the largest forest trees. - -It was a beautiful morning on which we returned to Andara. It was not -without deep regret that we bade adieu to this charming mountain-region -and the Jain temples enshrined within its heart. We turned again and -again to take a last look at the bas-reliefs and the ornaments wrought -here with such grace and delicacy of design as to become the despair of -our more impetuous artists, before we could make up our minds to quit -those extraordinarily beautiful monuments for ever. - -[Illustration: NATIVE PASSENGER BOAT ON THE HOOGLY.] - -FOOTNOTE: - -[85] A native name for a tree which is found in great abundance in this -part of India, and held very sacred. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - - Calcutta, the City of the Black Venus, Kali.--The River - Hoogley.--Cremation-Towers.--Chowringee, the Fashionable Suburb of - Calcutta.--The Black Hole.--Battles of Plassey and Assaye.--The - Brahmo-Somaj.--Temple of Kali.--Feast of Juggurnath.--Benares and - the Taj Mahal. - - -After eight or nine days' steaming from the fair and picturesque island -of Bombay our captain announced that we were about to enter the Hoogley, -a river made famous in Indian song and story as "the strong arm of the -beautiful goddess Gunga, the compassionate daughter of the proud -Himâlayas," but which is in reality a great muddy estuary. The burning -sun poured down upon its heavy waters as they loomed out of the distant -plain and rolled sluggishly toward the sea, every wave seeming to bear -on its troubled brow an impress of the dark history of the land through -which it has flowed for centuries. - -Late in the same evening the pilot-boat came out to meet us, and not -long after we cast anchor at a place called Saugor, where there is a -lighthouse. I remember distinctly the oppressive night we passed here, -owing no doubt to the combined impurities rising out of the turbid waves -and the fetid odors of the adjoining land. Early next morning we were -again in motion, sailing up the dusky Hoogley. Its low, muddy banks were -dotted with wretched-looking mud huts, relieved only by the -ever-graceful palm trees that waved above them. What a contrast this -river was to the clear, limpid, and joyous Krishna, the high-banked and -proudly isolated Godaveri, the genial, broad-breasted Taptee, and the -grand, impetuous Vishwamitra of Western India! - -Another day was nearly gone before we reached our moorings. We cast -anchor once more amid a dense forest of masts, funnels, and native craft -in the harbor of Calcutta. We were met at the Champhool Ghaut, or -landing-place, by kind friends. Ascending a magnificent flight of stone -steps and passing under a great archway, we hurried into a European -carriage, and were driven rapidly from the strange conflicting mass of -humanity that always abounds at a great seaport, but especially at the -seaports of all the British settlements in India. - -The house of our friends here was in many respects furnished like a -European dwelling, and one might almost fancy himself in an English home -but for the pillared halls; the spacious chambers, with long punkahs or -fans suspended from the ceilings, some of which are kept going night and -day; the dark, silent barefooted domestics, robed in pure white, who are -seen gliding noiselessly to and fro, which lend a powerful magic charm, -a flavor of the Arabian Nights, to the interior of even the most -ordinary of British homes in the East. - -Calcutta, the capital of British India, still bears the name of the -black goddess Kali, who is supposed to spread pestilence, famine, and -death over the land of which she is the presiding deity whenever her -altars are neglected and her thirst for vengeance unappeased. Unhealthy -as the spot is, it was rendered infinitely more so by the innumerable -corpses that were until within a few years cast upon the waters of the -Hoogley: the poverty-stricken inhabitants of the land, unable to pay the -expenses of a funeral by cremation, committed their dead to these waters -in the belief that its mystic current would purify them from all taint -of sin. This, however, has been prohibited by the British authorities. -Huge cremation-towers now receive all bodies cast upon its waters, -whence the never-dying flames are seen constantly ascending, dark and -lurid, toward the tranquil blue sky. - -The town of Calcutta lies on the eastern bank of the Hoogley, which is -the eastern arm of the old Ganges, and held almost as sacred as that -river; the natives daily repair in great numbers to its banks to offer -up prayers and praises. Here also, amid the din and noise and hurry of -native craft, trading vessels, and all manner of river commerce, may be -seen at any hour of the day or night the sick and dying of the Hindoo -population stretched on the edge of the river's banks, half immersed in -the sacred stream, their faces turned to the sky, convulsed or calm, -breathing their lives away. - -At high water the Hoogley is nearly a mile broad in front of the town, -and is very pleasant to look upon. Fine ships and steamers of all -nations and countries lie here within sight and sound; -picturesque-looking craft of every kind are seen gliding swiftly hither -and thither. But at low water the scene suddenly changes; the river -becomes a shrunken and muddy ghost of itself, with filthy borders, -whence myriad floating particles of miasma are wafted on the air to the -poor humanity who are doomed to live and labor in its vicinity. - -After passing the triumphal archway you emerge on a spacious open area -called the Meidân, or plain; here all the principal roads part and meet, -and here on either side one sees a grand display of really stately -architecture. This is the handsome and fashionable suburb of Chowringee, -and in every respect worthy of being called, as it is, "the City of -Palaces." The houses are all European, three and four stories high, some -detached, others connected by handsome terraces or open sunny -balconies, many with shady verandahs, high carriage-porches supported by -stately pillars, while not a few are rendered still more attractive and -home-like with gay flower-gardens and fine forest and fruit trees, which -latter are not as fine as those found in the gardens of Bombay, owing to -the destructive influence of the periodical cyclones that sweep over the -valley of the Ganges. - -Our first drive was through this the European part of the city, which -extends about five miles along the river. A noble and much-frequented -esplanade divides the town from Fort William. On one side stands the new -Government-house, said to have been erected by the marquis of Wellesley. -It is a noble pile, an Ionic structure on a simple rustic basement. A -flight of stone steps leads to the north entrance. The south part of the -building is ornamented with a circular colonnade surmounted with a lofty -dome. There are spacious corridors at each of the four corners, with -circular passages leading to the private apartments of the family. This -princely building contains magnificent chambers, some of which are -richly decorated and filled with valuable portraits of the great -viceroys of India. Near the Government-house stand the Town-hall, -Treasury, and High Court; opposite is Fort William, commenced by Clive -soon after the famous battle of Plassey in 1775, the most -systematically-constructed fortress in India. It is said to have cost -the East India Company the immense sum of one million pounds sterling. -In shape it is an irregular octagon, with bombproof quarters for a -garrison of no less than ten thousand men and with room for six hundred -pieces of cannon. Toward the front it presents a regular massive -appearance, and is not unlike most European fortifications, but on the -side overlooking the river it is strikingly varied and picturesque, -owing to the extremely irregular and broken character of the structure. -It was designed to bear upon objects that might approach the town on -either side of the river, and is eminently effective in warding off -danger. Immediately beyond the fort the fine steeple of the cathedral is -seen rising pure and high above the surrounding foliage. There is also -here a palatial residence for an Anglican bishop, and in 1844 the Rev. -H. Heber was the first Christian divine appointed to this see, with a -salary of five thousand pounds per annum. - -Here in this spot is found the secret of the marvellous success of that -small band of intelligent Englishmen who first set out for India under -the name and protection of trade. Here only a few years after their -arrival they laid aside their intention of simple traders; here they -mounted their guns, enrolled armed bands of natives to assist them in -their new position, made laws, punished evil-doers, rewarded the -industrious and such as made no opposition to their pretensions; and -here from one step to another they finally became the legislators and -rulers of the land. The city of Calcutta does not date farther back than -the famous battle of Plassey. The old fortified English factory was -erected on a low marshy plain in the middle of a few straggling native -villages, bordered on three sides by dense jungles infested with tigers. -At that time it had a garrison of only three hundred men; nevertheless, -that insignificant English stronghold became in a short time the -depository of all the rich merchandise of the Gangetic valley, which -excited the cupidity of many of the rajahs. In 1756, Nawab Surajah -Dowlah attacked it with an immense army, and after a desperate -resistance from the English merchants and soldiers of the fort he -finally succeeded in capturing it. Then followed the famous Black Hole -tragedy, which Macaulay has so graphically described: "One hundred and -forty-six persons were thrust into a dungeon twenty feet square; driven -into this cell at the point of the sword, the door was shut ruthlessly -upon them. When they realized the horrors of their position they strove -to burst the door. They offered large bribes to the jailers, but all in -vain. The nawab was asleep, and none dared to awaken him. At length the -unhappy sufferers went mad with despair. They trampled each other down, -fought for the places at the windows, fought for the pittance of water -with which the cruel mercy of the murderers mocked their agonies, raved, -prayed, blasphemed, implored the guards to fire among them. The jailers -in the mean time held lights to the bars and shouted with laughter at -the frantic struggles of their victims. At length the tumult died away -in low gaspings and moanings. The day broke. The nawab had slept off his -debauch, and permitted the doors to be opened. But it was some time -before the soldiers could make a lane for the survivors by piling up on -each side the heaps of corpses on which the burning climate had already -begun to do its loathsome work. When at length a passage was made, -twenty-three ghastly figures, such as their own mothers would not have -known, staggered one by one out of the charnel-house. A pit was -instantly dug. The dead bodies, one hundred and twenty-three in number, -were flung into it promiscuously and covered up." Such was the terrible -nature of the affair of the Black Hole. But the day of retribution was -not far distant. - -In order to understand the position of the East India Company at this -time we must go back a few years. The jealousy that had sprung up -between the French and English trading companies broke out into open -hostilities at the moment of the declaration of war by Louis XV. in -1744. The English were the first to receive reinforcements from home. -Four English vessels, having previously captured three richly-laden -French vessels on their voyage from China, appeared off the coast of -Coromandel in July, 1745. Dupleix, the governor at Pondicherry, -apprehensive that, owing to the incomplete state of the fortifications -and the insufficient garrison, the place would be taken, prevailed on -the nawab Anwar Ou Deen to threaten to revenge upon the English at -Madras any injury that the squadron should inflict upon the French -possessions within the limits of his government. The Madras officials, -intimidated by the authoritative language of the nawab, took immediate -measures to prevent the English fleet from attacking Pondicherry. The -English squadron, in obedience to the orders received, confined their -hostile operations to the sea. - -In the following year an indecisive action took place between the -English squadron and a French fleet under the command of La Bourdonnais; -after which the latter, having reinforced himself at Pondicherry, -proceeded to attack the English at Madras. The town was bombarded for -several days; a few of the inhabitants were killed by an explosion of a -bombshell. The English, knowing that the nawab, with all his countless -forces, was on the side of the French, capitulated, on which the -assailants entered the town and took it without the loss of a single -life. - -Robert Clive, then only a writer in the East India Company's service, -was among the persons who agreed to submit to La Bourdonnais, on the -express condition that the settlement should be restored on easy and -honorable terms. At the time when Madras had reverted to the English, -Clive had already exchanged the pen for the sword, and had risen to the -rank of a colonel in the East India Company's service. On hearing of the -atrocity of the Black Hole the English at Madras immediately despatched -a naval and military force, the one under Admiral Watson, and the other -under Colonel Clive, to punish the nawab and protect the English at -Bengal. - -The bravery and "duplicity" of Clive, who believed in the adage, -"similia similibus curantur," enabled him to succeed beyond the most -sanguine expectations. Victory was followed by victory, and at length, -at the battle of Plassey, Clive at the head of three thousand men, of -whom less than one-third were English, and in the course of a single -hour's conflict, routed the entire army of Surajah Dowlah, consisting of -fifty-five thousand armed men. Surajah Dowlah vanquished and deposed, -his prime minister, Meer Jaffer, was appointed in the place of the -master, whom he had not only deserted, but betrayed, and thus Meer -Jaffer became at once the subject and tool of the English. - -The directors of the East India Company, on receiving the news of -Clive's success, appointed him governor of their possessions in Bengal, -and in 1760 Clive was raised to the peerage with an income of forty -thousand pounds a year. - -Warren Hastings was the next Englishman who from the position of a clerk -in an office at Calcutta rose to be the governor-general of British -India. - -The kingdom of Mysore, whose lofty table-lands are swept by the cool -breezes of the Indian Ocean, has always been inhabited by a more hardy -and manly race than that which occupied the lower plains of Hindostan. -Hyder Alee, an illiterate common soldier, impelled by a daring spirit of -adventure, seized this kingdom of Mysore and seated himself on the -throne of Seringapatam. The next step taken by this daring adventurer -was even more startling. In the month of June, 1780, and when in his -eightieth year, he led an immense army into the Carnatic, carrying -slaughter and destruction wherever he appeared. Two small English -armies, headed by Colonel Baillie and Sir Hector Munro, tried in vain to -check his course; they were not only overwhelmed, but compelled to -retreat, and it seemed as if the British empire in Southern India -trembled on the very verge of destruction. It was this critical juncture -that brought out the great genius of Warren Hastings. He at once took -upon himself the supreme direction of affairs, superseded the incapable -council at Madras, and without loss of time despatched the brave veteran -Sir Eyre Coote with a small but resolute force to the assistance of the -English at Madras. At once the forces of Hyder Alee were checked, siege -after siege was raised, until at length the English and Mohammedan -armies met on the plains of Cuddalore, whence, after a desperate fight, -the latter was driven in wild and disorderly confusion. Hyder Alee died -two years after this defeat, bequeathing to his son, the famous Tippoo -Saihib, his throne and his hatred of English domination. - -Very shortly after Warren Hastings, impeached by the House of Commons, -resigned his office as governor-general of India. Then followed that -famous trial which not only extended over seven years, but, when -dismissed from the bar of the House of Lords, left Warren Hastings a -ruined statesman and an insolvent debtor. The East India Company, -however, came to his aid with an annuity of £4000 a year, and a loan, -half of which was converted into a gift, of £50,000. - -During the administration of the next governor-general, Lord Cornwallis, -the implacable Tippoo Saihib suffered a signal defeat. Sir John Shore -followed Lord Cornwallis, and was succeeded by the earl of Mornington, -the elder brother of the "Iron Duke." He no sooner arrived in India than -his attention was called to the intrigues of the French with Tippoo -Saihib, who were planning, with the assistance of fresh European troops, -to drive the English out of Hindostan. The treachery of Tippoo was -anticipated by a declaration of war. On the 5th of March, 1798, a -British army, commanded by General Harris, with the aid of several -native powers, entered the territory of Mysore, stormed the city of -Seringapatam, overthrew the dynasty of Tippoo Sultan, and annexed that -magnificent province to the British dominions. - -The British had no sooner gained possession of the lofty table-lands of -the Mysore than a new and more formidable enemy, the warlike and -predatory tribes who inhabited the table-land of the Deccan, opposed -their further progress. The most renowned of these kings, the rajahs of -Berar, Scindia, and Holkar, formed the famous northern confederacy under -the leadership of a still more powerful chief, the Peishwa, whose -government was at Poonah, the capital of the Deccan. The British were -soon plunged into an extensive war with these wild and fierce northmen. -On the 4th of September, 1803, the fort of Alleghur was taken by storm, -and on the 11th of the same month General Lake met twenty thousand of -these intrepid warriors, headed by able French officers, and defeated -them, capturing Delhi, one of the most ancient capitals of Hindostan and -the seat of the intolerant and luxurious Mohgul emperors. Triumph -followed triumph; Agra, Ahmednug-gur, and the golden city of Aurungabâd -surrendered. - -At length the united powers of Scindia and the rajah of Nagpoor made one -more desperate attempt to oppose the English power in the Deccan. The -armies of the Mahratta kings were marshalled at the small village of -Assaye to meet the British troops. On ascending the rising ground to -reconnoitre the enemy's forces, the English commander, who was no other -than General Wellesley, perceived a vast host extending in a line along -the opposite bank of the Kelnah River near its junction with the Jewah. -Their right consisted entirely of cavalry, and their left was formed of -infantry trained and disciplined by De Boigne, with over one hundred -pieces of cannon, which rested on the fortified village of Assaye. These -were completely overthrown by Wellesley with a force not exceeding eight -thousand men, and of whom not more than fifteen hundred were English. - -The power of the Mahratta kings, once shaken at Assaye, was at length -completely humbled on the plains of Argaum. They were compelled to sue -for peace, which was only granted them at the expense of enormous -territory. From this time British influence became paramount through the -whole of Northern Hindostan, and these were the last and most famous of -General Wellesley's conquests in India. He returned to England in 1805 -to win for himself greater fame than even that which he achieved on -Indian soil. - -Magnificent as is the city of Calcutta architecturally, it was -considered at one time one of the most unhealthy of spots. The entire -country is flat; here and there are extensive muddy lakes, breeding -under a tropical sun malaria and all manner of diseases; a line of dank, -tangled forests still stretch across the land, and is not very distant -from the town. In former times this jungle was the abode of innumerable -wild beasts, and it is even now infested with jackals, who immediately -after nightfall howl in sudden accord, uttering the most demon-like -yells. These local disadvantages have been partially removed. The -streets have been well and carefully drained; many of the stagnant, -muddy pools have not only been filled up, but converted into blooming -gardens; and the magnificent Botanical Garden with which Mr. Hooker has -enriched Calcutta, is said by good judges to be the finest in the -world. Nevertheless, the air is still impregnated to a certain extent -with the impure exhalations arising from the low jungles in the vicinity -of this city, called the Sunderbunds. - -From the palaces of the conquering Anglo-Indians the drive to the "Black -Town," as the native portion of the city is still called, is enough to -discourage the most enthusiastic of Christians in the world. This -quarter of Calcutta stretches for some miles toward the north, -presenting at once a sad contrast to the stately and grand portion -occupied by the English. The transition is all the more marked because -of the architectural pretensions of the one and the rude mud habitations -of the other. Here reside at least three-fourths of the entire -population of Calcutta. The streets are more or less narrow, filthy, -unpaved, and unswept. The houses are built principally of mud, bamboo, -or other coarse woods, swarming with an excess of population. Within -this wretched vicinity are found no less than twenty entire bazaars -extending from one end of the "Black Town" to the other, well stocked -with goods from all parts of the world, rare and valuable products of -the Indian loom, shawls and paintings from Cashmere, kinkaubs from -Benares, teas and silks from China, spices, pearls, and precious stones -from Ceylon, rupees from Pegu, coffee from Java and Arabia, nutmegs from -Singapore; in fact, everything that the wide world has ever produced is -displayed in shops that are nothing but miserably patched mud or bamboo -dwellings. Through these native bazaars the teeming population seemed to -flow and gurgle unchanged through all changes of governors, -constitutions, and rulers--the same to-day, in type, character, feeling, -religion, and occupation, as it was before the beginning of the earliest -known history. Here, assembled from the four winds of the heaven, were -all the elements of an unspeakably motley crowd--nut-brown, graceful -Hindoo maidens tripping daintily with rows of water-jars nicely balanced -on their heads; dark-hued young Hindoo men, all clean and washed, robed -in pure white, laughing, talking, or loitering around; -handsomely-dressed baboos--as the native gentlemen of Bengal are -called--in Oriental costumes, but with European stockings and shoes, -sauntering carelessly along; dancing-girls brilliantly attired; common -street-women jewelled and bedizened with innumerable trinkets and in -their distinctive garb; bheesties with water-skins on their backs; -Borahs, brokers, Brahmans, Musulmans, sepoys, fakeers, and gossains, in -their peculiar costumes, shouting in manifold tongues and various -dialects; and, above all, there may be seen strolling jugglers, -snake-charmers, and fortune-tellers plying their curious arts and -completing the picture of an Oriental bazaar. - -In some of the streets a small stream of water, a rivulet of the sacred -Ganges, flows bright and clear through artificial channels. Many of the -native shops open on it, and all day long hosts of men, women, and -children may be seen seated beside it, busy or idle, but always grateful -for this truly precious gift of the gods. - -Calcutta boasts of a Sanskrit college of high repute, a Mohammedan, and -an Anglo-Indian college, supported by the English government. The -College of Fort William, founded by the marquis of Wellesley, is chiefly -used by Englishmen, who, having been partially educated at the College -of Haylesbury, England, are instructed here in the Oriental languages -and other branches of study necessary for their respective professions -and callings in India. - -The government system of native education was established on the -foundation of the Hindoo schools already in existence. These schools are -divided into two classes or grades, the upper and lower schools. In the -upper, by means of Sanskrit, the peculiar philosophy, literature, and -religion of the Hindoos are taught; the lower schools are to be found in -every village, and may be numbered by tens of thousands; in these the -teaching varies and is more or less dependent on the ability of the -persons--_i. e._ Brahmans--who are employed to teach. Most of these -village teachers are induced for about six pounds per annum to attend a -normal school for a year; after having passed the required examination -they are invited to take charge of some village school. - -There are eight great centres of education in British India, and each is -wholly independent of the others. These are the three great presidencies -of Bengal, Madras, and Bombay, Scindh, the North-western Provinces, -Oude, the Central Provinces, and British Burmah. Each of these has its -own special director of public instruction, with a staff of inspecting -officers. Among the institutions that are wholly supported by the -government may be classed the village school, in which the vernacular of -the district is taught with a few other studies; the zillah, or district -school, in which the higher classes are often educated in English and -prepared for the universities; the talook schools, which also are -preparatory schools; colleges with European professors, in which a -thorough English education is imparted to the students, as are now found -in the chief cities of Benares, Delhi, Agra, Lahore, Poonah, Madras, and -Calcutta; and the Elphinstone College at Bombay. Normal schools, -technical colleges for medicine, engineering, and surgery, mission and -other private schools abound, besides which there are thousands of -purely native schools scattered throughout the vast territory of India, -still existing under the old Brahmanic village system of education. - -Native female education is hardly begun by the government, and the task -is very difficult, owing to the peculiar social restraints still imposed -on the better class of Asiatic women. The Parsee female schools in -Bombay are said to be the best supported and the most efficient in this -respect. About twenty-five years ago Mr. Bethune opened in the city of -Calcutta a school for native women. It was liberally supported by Lord -Dalhousie, and since his death by the state. This was the beginning of a -movement which has found great favor not only in Bengal, but in the -North-western Provinces and the Punjaub. There are now in Bengal two -normal schools for teachers and two hundred and forty-four schools for -girls, with 4844 pupils. There are no fewer than six hundred and fifty -schools in the Punjaub, with an aggregate of 20,534 pupils. These -elementary schools in the Punjaub, Lahore, and Umritsur are -superintended solely by native gentlemen. In addition to these the -zenana mission-work, carried on so successfully by American and European -missionary ladies, is slowly but surely preparing hundreds of women and -children for a day that may ripen into better things; like a grain of -mustard-seed once cast into the right soil, it will stretch out strong -boughs to the four corners of the earth for the birds to lodge under. - -Another school of religious thought, already mentioned, called the -Brahmo-Somaj, "assembled in the name of God," is even more closely -allied with the dawning freedom and emancipation of the Hindoos from the -priestcraft and spiritual tyranny of the Brahman hierarchy. From this -new school of religious thought a large party of about five thousand -souls seceded some few years ago. They chose for their leader the able -and astute philosopher, the late Keshub Chunder Sen, one of the most -talented and spiritual men among the Hindoos of to-day. This association -has a church in Calcutta, where the members meet once a week or oftener -for the purposes of meditation and worship. - -Various means of improvement are now open to the British subjects of -India. The English residents in Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay are among -the most kind and liberal people in the world. Quite independent of the -government establishments, they privately support a vast number of -charitable institutions, and there is no end of societies for religious -and other educational objects; and although the changes effected in the -religious and social condition of the majority of the peoples since the -occupation of India by the British are hardly perceptible, nevertheless -some very important steps have been taken toward ensuring the good of -the people at large, especially in the prohibition of sutteeism, -infanticide, the terrific sacrifice of life that at one time -characterized the festival of the god Juggernath, not to speak of the -tortures of maddened fanatics and self-condemned ascetics, the horrible -practices of the Thugs and that of the Meriahs of Orissa. All these -savage practices are more or less repressed by the constant and vigilant -operation of protective laws instituted by the British rulers. - -Before leaving Calcutta we paid a visit to the Khali Ghaut, and alighted -before a great hall with a towering but ungainly roof above it. This was -the famous temple of the black goddess Kali. There was something more -entangled, enchanted, and demon-like about this building and its -interior than any other that I had ever entered in India. It was the -festival of Juggernath. A number of white-robed priests were preparing -to place the grim goddess in a car and to lead her forth to grace the -festival. The temple consisted of a vast number of low pillars; it was -dimly lighted, and, although light was flooding the earth everywhere in -great splendor, it was not allowed to enter here, but it worked its way -hither and thither and quivered dubiously in unearthly tints on the face -of the black goddess dimly visible in the distance. A more hideous and -repulsive image can hardly be conceived by the heart of man than this -veritable female fiend after whom the city of Calcutta is still named. - -No one seemed to object to our entering the temple, so we walked down -the dim aisles and stood face to face with the grim and terrible Kali. -It would be impossible to give utterance to the sense of horror that -crept over me as I looked at this strange, enigmatic deity of the -Bengalees. The black face was surmounted by long hair which had the -appearance of innumerable serpents; a red tongue protruded from the -hideous mouth; the expression of the eyes was strange and fierce, almost -to madness; she was furnished with four arms, in one of which she -grasped a knife and in the other the head of a man; in another pair of -hands higher up she held a lotos and the _chakra_, or the wheel. Round -her neck hung the skulls of murdered victims, and she stood on the body -of a prostrate man, who is represented trumpeting forth her praises even -while she is in the act of crushing him to death. - -The pundit explained to us the meaning of this horrible figure; no -further text was needed. This grim idol is to the Hindoos a fearful -warning against sensuality. The lotos in the upper hand, which is the -emblem of purity, and the wheel of retribution, are transformed in the -lower hands into a knife and a bleeding human head. She puts out her -tongue derisively, and crushes her victim--all indicating, as plainly as -our Bible, "The wages of sin is death." Human sacrifices were offered to -her at no very remote period, but now, by order of the British -government, the sacrifices to her are limited to goats and kids, which -are offered to her every morning. - -As we were standing and looking at this strange idol, a number of -barefooted priests came through a narrow court, entered the temple, and -took their places beside the shrine. Two men very handsomely dressed -approached from an opposite direction bearing a fine goat, which was -tied by the feet, and laid it at the foot of the altar. Then one of the -priests took from the altar a vase containing some red paint mixed with -oil, with which he touched the forehead, fore feet, and breast of the -goat; he then sprinkled some consecrated water on it. This done, a -low-caste man stepped up, took the poor palpitating beast, inserted its -head into a curiously-fashioned guillotine, secured it there by means of -a wooden pin, and then dealt it one blow; the head was severed, and was -presented to the officiating priests, and the executioner carried away -the body. Such offerings are made by both men and women as an atonement -for personal offences. Thus the wrath of the black goddess of Calcutta -is supposed to be appeased. Goats are also sacrificed to her by Hindoo -women when they have had bad dreams or when they anticipate any -calamity, in order to avert the coming evil. - -On the next day was the procession of Juggernath. A wilder and more -incongruous scene I never witnessed. We spent several hours in watching -the procession, which, issuing from the native town, traverses a large -circuit round the principal thoroughfares, pauses at the bank of the -river, and then retires to the country-seat of the idol, some few miles -from the temple. The idol is made of wood, is about six feet high, with -a grim human countenance--very unlike the carvings of Krishna to be -found in other parts of India--painted blue, and seated in a lofty -chariot borne aloft on sixteen high wheels. It was drawn by long ropes -held by thousands of enthusiastic men, women, and children, who often -bribe the priests for the privilege of conducting the god to his -country-house. A number of priests and gayly-dressed priestesses, -standing on the platform of the chariot, chanted the praises of the -"lord of life," while the people shouted, screamed, and clapped their -hands amid the wild beating of drums and din of hundreds of native -musical instruments. The air was heavy with the incense offered to the -idol, while nature around seemed to be steeped in repose, myriads of -bees murmured softly their idyllic hum among the wayside flowers, doves -were seen nestling together among the shady leaves of huge pepul trees, -and around the cool recesses of huge tanks and reservoirs numbers of -peacocks sat or strutted quietly about, unfurling their glories to the -noonday sun. More puzzling than even the festival of Juggernath is the -curious state of things still existing in British India, for side by -side with the Church of the Brahmo-Somaj, the advanced thought and -intelligence of the educated baboos and other highly philosophic and -cultivated natives of Bengal, are the temples of the goddess Kali and -the strange festival of Juggernath. - -With regard to European influence, it must be admitted that it is -hardly, if at all, felt by the majority of the native population. The -viceroy and the great English grandees are separated from the natives -for whose interests they are there by law and custom which nothing can -overcome, and the officials around whom the whole Indian empire revolves -are often ignorant of the Indian languages, races, religious and social -prejudices, and mode of life of the hundreds of provinces that lie -within the railways, while those beyond are to them, as the wilds of -Africa, an undiscovered country. I have often heard gentlemen of great -intelligence in other respects speak of the people of India with -profound contempt, classing in one indistinguishable mass Brahmans, -Hindoos, Parsees, Mohammedans, Arabians, Persians, Armenians, Turks, -Jews, and other races too numerous to mention. - -Our next visit was to Benares, the far-famed ecclesiastical metropolis -of Hindostan. We rested full two hours just outside this sacred spot to -enable our pundit to perform the prescribed observances before entering -this holy of holies. When he appeared before us he was bathed, shaved, -anointed, and clothed in pure white, and even to his sandals he was a -new man. He kept his eyes half closed, so that his thoughts should not -be tempted to stray from the object of his deep contemplation. Presently -we were joined by a crowd of pilgrims who passed into the city, some -prostrating themselves full length as they drew near. In the morning -light Benares presented a most imposing appearance: the buildings are -lofty and mostly in the Hindoo style of architecture, stretching for -several miles along the edge of the Ganges, from which ascends a long -line of stone steps. Next morning we visited several of the Hindoo -temples, especially the temple of the monkeys, which was one of the most -ludicrous I have ever witnessed. A number of tame monkeys played about -the temple even while the most solemn services were being performed -within. The large area for the cremation of dead bodies sent hither from -all parts of Hindostan was the most astonishing thing I have ever seen, -and the huge funeral pyres ever burning here produced on my mind an -ever-memorable effect. We were glad to turn our steps from the revolting -sights and scenes of the cremation-ground to a beautiful mosque which -stands as a symbol of Moslem power in the very heart of this Brahmanic -city, towering up above the surrounding buildings on the site of a once -magnificent Hindoo temple which was torn down, by the order of -Aurungzebe, to give place to the present graceful structure. We remained -for an hour or more within the walls of this mosque, and came away -charmed with the glistening mosaics, the capitals of the columns, the -vaults, ceilings, and arches, and the thousand and one mysterious -optical illusions of light and shade caused by the wonderous -architecture of the Moslems. Our next visit was to the Hindoo Sanskrit -College, the most famous institution of learning in Hindostan, and well -worth seeing. The students often assemble here at sunrise, and even -after sunset, to continue their studies, and in no part of India do I -remember meeting so many noble-looking young Hindoos as were assembled -in these halls on the morning of our visit. - -[Illustration: THE MUNIKURNIKA GHAT--ONE OF THE BURNING GHATS OF -BENARES.] - -From Benares we made a long and tedious dâhk-journey--_i. e._ by -changing horses at different stations--to Agra, in the upper plains of -India. The country we passed through was beautiful. The picturesque -native villages of immemorial antiquity, their names, their fields, -their hereditary offices and occupations, have come down to them out of -a dim past and through countless generations, and everywhere we saw -fields of millet and wheat, the flaming poppy, and the tall luscious -sugar-cane plantations; cream-colored, dreamy-looking oxen moving -sleepily about in the fields or drawing water from the wells and tanks; -men, women, and children basking under the shade of huge trees or -bathing languidly in the cool tanks, giving one the feeling of passing -through dreamland. - -The great sight of sights at Agra, as every one now knows, is the famous -Taj-Mahal, and hither we repaired the morning after our arrival; and I -must confess, though I had heard of it and read the many elaborate -descriptions of it, I had no idea of its matchless beauty till I stood -under its roof surrounded by its pillars and walls. It would take pages -to describe the wonderful outlines of the windows, the ornaments of the -walls, arches, domes, and minarets, or even the exquisite carvings and -arabesques of a single frieze; so that I will not attempt here what has -already been so often done. The impression left on the mind is very deep -and solemn. When I first caught sight of the Taj through the noble -gateway at the entrance to the grounds, I experienced feelings of -mingled awe and wonder, which increased in proportion as we examined it -more closely. Even the enormous platform on which the Taj stands is of -white marble, inlaid with precious stones, and all the lower parts -outside of the building are also most elaborately and tastefully carved. -The dome is perfect in its proportions of pure white marble, with an -exquisite minaret of gold. In the centre is the tomb of Noor Mahal, also -called by her proper name, Mamtaz Mahal, the favorite wife and queen of -Shah Jehan, built to her memory two centuries ago. Above the tomb is a -mass of the most delicate inlaid work, and the screen-like wall which -surrounds it is entirely composed of leaves and all sorts of flowers -containing innumerable precious stones. The echoes of our voices -produced the most wonderful reverberations, impossible to imagine or -adequately describe. We visited the Taj also by moonlight, and found it -a hundred-fold more enchanting. The gardens in which it stands are -purely Oriental, and recalled to my mind many passages from the old -Persian poets. There are lovely white marble fountains and tanks and -promenades with inviting seats here and there for rest, while a -profusion of fragrant flowers, shrubs, and the dark silent cypresses -which stand like muffled mourners around the monument add a pathetic -beauty to the lovely spot. - -Having seen the Taj, there was nothing left to do but to return to the -"Aviary" on Malabar Hill. - -And now, as I close these brief sketches of life and travel in India, -the romance, antiquity, the song, and story still stir the memory with -the powerful enchantment of a land where all nature seems to lie -dreaming in its glory of perpetual sunshine, warmth, and color. - - -THE END. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Life and Travel in India, by -Anna Harriette Leonowens - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIFE AND TRAVEL IN INDIA *** - -***** This file should be named 52896-8.txt or 52896-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/2/8/9/52896/ - -Produced by MWS, Adrian Mastronardi, Martin Pettit and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net -(This file was produced from images generously made -available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Life and Travel in India - -Author: Anna Harriette Leonowens - -Release Date: August 25, 2016 [EBook #52896] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIFE AND TRAVEL IN INDIA *** - - - - -Produced by MWS, Adrian Mastronardi, Martin Pettit and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net -(This file was produced from images generously made -available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="center"><a name="cover.jpg" id="cover.jpg"></a><img src="images/cover.jpg" alt="cover" /></div> - -<hr /> - -<div class="center"><a name="i001.jpg" id="i001.jpg"></a><img src="images/i001.jpg" alt="The Taj Mahal from the River" /></div> - -<p class="bold"><span class="smcap">The Taj Mahal from the River.</span></p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="center"><img src="images/titlepage.jpg" alt="title page" /></div> - -<hr /> - -<h1>LIFE AND TRAVEL<br />IN<br />INDIA</h1> - -<p class="bold">BEING RECOLLECTIONS OF A JOURNEY<br />BEFORE THE DAYS OF RAILROADS</p> - -<p class="bold space-above">BY</p> - -<p class="bold"><span class="smcap">Anna Harriette Leonowens</span></p> - -<p class="bold"><i>Author of "Siam and the Siamese"</i></p> - -<p class="bold space-above"><i>ILLUSTRATED</i></p> - -<p class="bold space-above">PHILADELPHIA<br />HENRY T. COATES & CO.<br />1897</p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="center">——<br />Copyright, 1884,<br /> -BY PORTER & COATES.<br />——</p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="center">THIS LITTLE VOLUME OF TRAVELS</p> - -<p class="center">Is Inscribed to</p> - -<p class="center">MR. AND MRS. WILLIAM W. JUSTICE,</p> - -<p class="center">IN</p> - -<p class="center">GRATEFUL APPRECIATION OF THEIR FRIENDSHIP,</p> - -<p class="center">BY</p> - -<p class="center">THE AUTHOR.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_i" id="Page_i">[Pg i]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CONTENTS.</h2> - -<hr class="smler" /> - -<table summary="CONTENTS"> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center">CHAPTER I.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td><span class="smaller">PAGE</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">The Island of Bambâ Dèvi.—Sights and Scenes round about Bombay</td> - <td><a href="#Page_7">7</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center">CHAPTER II.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">Malabar Hill, and Domestic Life of the English in Bombay</td> - <td><a href="#Page_39">39</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center">CHAPTER III.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">The Island of Shastee, commonly called Salsette.—Gharipoore,<br /> -"the Town of Purification," or the Island and Caves of Elephanta</td> - <td><a href="#Page_51">51</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center">CHAPTER IV.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">Sampwallas, or Serpent-Charmers.—Jâdoowallahs, or<br />Miracle-Performers.—Nuzer-Bundyânâ, -Mesmerizers.—Yogees,<br />Spiritual Jugglers, and Naga-Poojmi, or Serpent-Worship, in India</td> - <td><a href="#Page_65">65</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center">CHAPTER V.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">The Parsees, or Fire-Worshippers, of Bombay.—A Visit to a Fire-Priest<br /> -and Astrologer.—His Astral Predictions.—The Gâthas.—Zoroaster.—His<br /> -Life and Religion.—History of the Settlement of the Parsees in India</td> - <td><a href="#Page_79">79</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_ii" id="Page_ii">[Pg ii]</a></span> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center">CHAPTER VI.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">Domestic Life of the Fire-Worshippers.—The Zend-Avesta.—Parsee<br /> -Rites and Ceremonies at Birth, Marriage, Death, and Final<br /> -Consignment to the Tower of Silence</td> - <td><a href="#Page_105">105</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center">CHAPTER VII.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">Hindoo Treatment of the Sick.—Pundit's House Defiled.—Its<br /> -Purification.—Short Sketch of the Different Races and of -the<br />Origin of Castes and Creeds among the People of Hindostan</td> - <td><a href="#Page_129">129</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center">CHAPTER VIII.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">A Visit to the House of Baboo Ram Chunder.—His Wife.—Rajpoot<br /> -Wrestlers.—Nautchnees, or Hindoo Ballet-Girls.—A<br /> -Hindoo Drama.—Visit to a Nautchnees' School.—Bayahdiers,<br /> -or Dancing-Girls, attached to the Hindoo Temples.—Profession,<br /> -Education, Dress, Character, Fate in Old Age and After<br /> -Death.—Cusbans, or Common Women.—Marked Differences<br /> -between these three Classes of Public Women</td> - <td><a href="#Page_173">173</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center">CHAPTER IX.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">From Bombay to Poonah, the Capital of the Maha Rastra, or the -great<br />Indian Kings.—Campooly.—The Ascent of the Bhor<br /> -Ghauts.—Khondala.—Caves of Carlee or Karli.—"Puja -Chakra," or<br />the famous Wheel-Worship of the Brahmans.—Poonah.—Kirki.—A<br /> -Visit to the Peishwa's Palace.—Temple -of Parvati.—The Pundit and<br />the Brahmin Priest at Prayer.—Sanscrit -and English Colleges at<br />Poonah.—Suttee Monuments at Sangam.—Hindoo Bankers, etc.</td> - <td><a href="#Page_208">208</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center">CHAPTER X.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">The beautiful Hindoo Village of Wye.—The Mahabaleshwar Hills.—The<br /> -Temple of the Gods.—The Couch of Krishna.—The -Stone Image of<br />the Cow from whose Mouth the Five Rivers -of this Region are said<br />to Spring.—The Holy Tank.—Satarah, -the Star City of the<br />Mahratta Empire.—The Fort.—The Palace -of Sivaji.—Jejureh,<br />the famous Hill-Temples where the -Dancing-Girls of the Country are<br />Recruited.—The Mad Gossain, -and the Story of his Ill-Fated<br />Love.—The Dancing-Girl Krayâhnee</td> - <td><a href="#Page_228">228</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_iii" id="Page_iii">[Pg iii]</a></span> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center">CHAPTER XI.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">From Satarah, the Star City of the great Mahratta Kings, to Dowlutabâd,<br /> -the Abode of Fortune, and Aurungabâd, the Golden -City of the<br />Mohgul Emperors.—Tombs of Boorhan Ood Deen -and<br />Aurungzebe.—Mausoleum of Rhabea Duranee.—Sketch -of the<br />Mohgul Invasion of India.—Manners, Customs, and -Religious<br />Ceremonies of the Mohammedans of Hindostan</td> - <td><a href="#Page_243">243</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center">CHAPTER XII.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">The Temples of Ellora, the Holy Place of the Deccan.—Nashik, -the<br />Land of the Râmâyanâ.—Sights and Scenes on the Banks -of the<br />Godaveri.—Damaun, the most famous of the Indo-Portuguese Towns</td> - <td><a href="#Page_270">270</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center">CHAPTER XIII.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">The Taptee River.—Surat and its Environs.—The Borahs and -Kholees<br />of Guzerat.—Baroda, the Capital of the Guicowars.—Fakeers, -or<br />Relic-Carriers, of Baroda.—Cambay.—Mount -Aboo.—Jain Temples<br />on Mount Aboo, etc.</td> - <td><a href="#Page_286">286</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="center">CHAPTER XIV.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left">Calcutta, the City of the Black Venus, Kali.—The River Hoogley.—Cremation<br /> -Towers.—Chowringee, the Fashionable Suburb -of Calcutta.—The Black<br />Hole.—Battles of Plassey and -Assaye.—The Brahmo-Somaj.—Temple<br />of Kali.—Feast of -Juggurnath.—Benares and the Taj Mahal</td> - <td><a href="#Page_303">303</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_iv" id="Page_iv">[Pg iv]</a></span></p> - -<h2>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</h2> - -<hr class="smler" /> - -<table summary="LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS"> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td><span class="smaller">PAGE</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Taj Mahal from the River</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#i001.jpg">Frontispiece</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Banyan Tree</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#i044.jpg">36</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Caves of Elephanta</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#i063.jpg">53</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Native Snake Charmers</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#i078.jpg">66</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">A Parsee Lady</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#i120.jpg">106</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Bombay. University and Esplanade</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#i144.jpg">128</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Buddhist Priest Preaching at the Door of a Temple</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#i179.jpg">161</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Bullock Cart</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#i228.jpg">208</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Tomb of Rahbea Dhoorane, at Aurangabâd</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#i272.jpg">250</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Rock Cut Temples of Ellora</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#i294.jpg">270</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">Native Passenger Boat on the Hoogly</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#i328.jpg">302</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left"><span class="smcap">The Munikurnika Ghat, one of the Burning Ghats -of Benares</span>,</td> - <td><a href="#i350.jpg">322</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span></p> - -<h2>PREFACE.</h2> - -<hr class="smler" /> - -<p>In the following pages, gathered from voluminous notes of early travel, -I have tried to give a faithful account of life in India, as well as of -the sights and scenes visited by me, with my husband, before the days of -railroad travel.</p> - -<p>It is well known that the introduction of the railroad into India has in -no sense affected the life of the people, and has only very slightly -modified the general appearance of the country. India is still what it -was in the Vèdic period, a land of peasant classes; she still invokes, -as did the ancient Aryans in the Rig Vèda, the "Khe-tra-pati," or the -divinity of the soil, for blessings on the land. The Hindoo to-day -lives, as did his forefathers, close to the heart of Nature, deifying -the mountains, streams, woods, and lakes, while the sun, moon, stars, -fire, water, earth, air, sky, and corn are his highest deities. The most -beautiful personification in the Ramâyânâ of womanly grace and virtue is -called <i>Sita</i>, "a furrow," showing how deep was the national reverence -paid to the plough; and to this day at the <i>Rathsaptimi</i>, the day on -which the new sun is supposed to mount his heavenly chariot, a feast is -observed in honor of the sun, and the ryots on this occasion decorate -with flowers and paint their ploughs, and worship them as the saviors of -the land.</p> - -<p>I do not, however, mean to say that India has made no progress whatever -in all these years—her imaginative and glorious youth has no doubt been -succeeded by the calm reason of mature age—but this transition has been -gradual and progressive rather than fitful and sudden.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span></p><p>The transfer of India by the East India Company to the British Crown, -and the recent laws for the protection of the ryot—or more properly the -<i>raiyat</i>, a leaser of land held in perpetuity—against the oppressions -of the zemindars, or governmental landlords, with the right of -underletting the land, have to an extraordinary degree awakened the -inborn desire of the Hindoo to become possessor of the soil and to -return to his hereditary occupation of agriculture. To these may be -added the security which England has conferred upon India, now that she -is no longer disturbed by frequent wars, which desolated the land, and -every now and then forced the people to abandon their villages and fly -to the jungles and mountains for safety, under the Afghans, Mohguls, -Mahrattas, and other predatory chiefs. Among the lasting benefits to -India it may be mentioned that sutteeism, infanticide, self-immolation -to the idols, Thuggism, and slavery have all been partially, if not -quite, abolished by the strong arm of the law. Railroads have been -built, the country has been opened, schools established, civil service -appointments thrown open to the natives and Europeans alike, good roads -made, canals and huge reservoirs for water excavated, ancient -water-courses reopened, giving an impetus to private enterprise and -industry in every direction. All these happy changes have been the -result of the more liberal policy of England toward India since the days -of the terrible mutiny of 1857; and it may fairly be hoped that British -India has before her as glorious a future as her brilliant youth and -maturity have foreshadowed for her.</p> - -<p class="right">A. H. L.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Sunnyside</span>, Halifax, Nova Scotia,<br />August 7, 1884.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span></p> - -<p class="bold2">LIFE AND TRAVEL IN INDIA</p> - -<hr class="smler" /> - -<h2>CHAPTER I.</h2> - -<p class="center">The Island of Bambâ Dèvi.—Sights and Scenes round about Bombay.</p> - -<p>In that most delightful of all Indian months, the cool month of -November, with the distant booming of a great gun that announced its -arrival, the steamer from Aden came to anchor in the harbor of Bombay, -bringing me among its many passengers. Here I was in this strange land, -a young girl fresh from school, now entering upon a life so different, -one which I was to lead through a long term of years.</p> - -<p>The sun shone through the mists and haze of the early dawn, and I could -see from my cabin window, with a sense of mingled wonder and curiosity, -the great stone quays and the long flights of stone steps which led to -the beautiful island of Bombay, lying there like a gem in the water, and -of which I knew nothing whatever, save that it was once the -marriage-dowry of a queen of England.</p> - -<p>According to some authorities, it takes its name from two Portuguese -words, "Buon Bahia," Good Bay; but in reality it has a still more -ancient origin, being called after a very beautiful Hindoo queen, -afterward deified as Bambâ Dèvi, who long before the days of Alexander -the Great was the presiding genius of the land. She was worshipped as -"Mahimâ Dèvi," or the Great Mother, in one of the oldest and largest -Hindoo temples which formerly stood in the great plain now called the -Esplanade. It was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span> pulled down about a hundred years ago, and rebuilt -near the Bhendee Bazaar, and is to this day called by her name and set -apart to her peculiar service.</p> - -<p>The longer I looked on that bay, and on those ancient islands with their -towers and spires, both pagan and Christian, gleaming in the pure -morning sunlight, the more I felt that it was one of the loveliest -scenes in the world and one of the best worth admiring.</p> - -<p>The harbor is not only one of the safest known to navigators from all -parts of the world, affording in its hollow rock-bound cup entire -shelter from sudden storms to vessels of all burthens, large and small -crafts of every imaginable size and color, but it is in itself a bit of -landlocked water unrivalled in picturesqueness, furnishing a variety of -beautiful views at every point, and, one might almost say, at every -passing moment.</p> - -<p>Its peculiar interest, however, depends much on the season of the year, -the brightness of the lights, the softness of the shadows, and the -picturesque character of the numberless native boats, which, with their -well-filled lateen sails, skim like white sea-birds on the surface of -the waters.</p> - -<p>The islands of Salsette, Elephanta, and Versovah, abounding in luxuriant -vegetation, rise like huge green temples out of the bay. A great part of -its beauty, however, is derived from the singularly shaped hills that -are found in its vicinity. Old as the world, they appear to have gone -through the hands of some gigantic architect—some so exquisitely -rounded, some regularly terraced, and others, again, sharply pointed, -not unlike spires. Lifting themselves proudly above the broad glittering -sea that bathes their palm-fringed base, they help to make the scenery -distinct from that of any other bay in the world. Then, beyond question, -there is nothing to equal in grace and beauty the palm forest. The -cocoanut, the sago, the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span> betel, the date, the wild plantain, and the -palmyra, all cluster in such profusion here and there along the seashore -that the whole seems too beautiful to be real, and you half expect to -see the island melt away like a dream before you.</p> - -<p>While I look on from the cabin window things take clearer shape and -form. Far away is the dim outline of the mighty Ghauts, towering amid -soft fleecy-white clouds, and extending farther than the eye can reach -in the purple distance. The striking views of the adjoining mainland, -with ruins innumerable of chapels, convents, and monasteries erected by -the Portuguese conquerors, all covered with a rich tangle of tropical -foliage; the strange shapes of pagan temples, each in its own peculiar -style of architecture, Hindoo, Parsee, Jain, and Mohammedan; the noble -remains of the old Mahratta<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> forts and castles, which in former days -were the habitations of the famous Rajpoots, with a long line of native -and European palaces,—gradually unfold themselves under the golden haze -of an Indian atmosphere.</p> - -<p>One sees in no other part of the world just such an assemblage as the -passengers on an Indian-bound steamer. In the vessel that took me to -Bombay the most touching object to my mind was a young married woman, -who was looking anxiously out for her husband, a missionary in whose -labors she was now about to share for the first time. He was weak, -haggard, and spiritless, worn out, no doubt,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span> by his combined efforts to -acquire a foreign language, convince an obstinate people, and bear the -enervating influence of a hot, muggy climate; all of which was enough to -break down the stoutest of frames and the most hopeful of spirits that -England has ever produced. A number of officers, civil and military, -some in light-brown coats of China silk and wide-brimmed straw hats, -others in frogged blue frocks and military caps, were seen pressing -through the crowd. A young cadet just out rushed into the open arms of a -handsome officer, like himself, but older by twenty or thirty years. The -deck was being fast cleared of its eager crowd. Everywhere the -passengers were separating amid almost sad adieux, enlivened only by the -oft-repeated promises to write to each other regularly—promises which -are never fulfilled. On the great continent of Asia all nations meet and -hail each other as friends, only to part, perhaps never to meet again, -as vessels do at sea. But we were all sincere enough at the moment, -which is all that can be expected from travellers scattering over the -vast unknown land of India. I remember I was very greatly troubled -because I was about to part from a gentle, blue-eyed young friend, a -frank, bright, innocent young Scotch girl, who had become very dear to -me during the most tedious and sultry part of our voyage from Aden to -Bombay.</p> - -<p>We were thrown a good deal together, and were almost of the same age. -One day, while passing through the Red Sea, we exchanged vows of eternal -friendship. There was on board a sprightly young officer, Ensign W——, -to whom she was already secretly betrothed. Why secretly she would not -confide to me, or perhaps explain even to herself, for every one on the -vessel knew it, and of her naturally tender and loving disposition, as -well as of her peculiarly lonely position on board, being sent out -under<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span> the charge of the captain. I only know that I shared her -happiness and her anxiety, for she would have to break the news almost -immediately to her father, whom she was expecting momentarily on board. -She informed me that her father was a widower—that she had come out to -India expressly to keep house for him in some remote inland province -somewhere in Guzerat.</p> - -<p>At last her father appeared on board, a fat, sun-burnt, frowzy-looking -man, and inquired from the captain as to which was his daughter, in -order to assert his ownership over her. Instead of rushing to greet a -father, she shrank back and nervously clutched my arm; and it was not -strange. She had not seen him for many years; in the mean time her -mother had died, her little brothers and sisters had all died in their -infancy; she alone had survived, and had been sent home to Scotland, -where she had been educated by an aunt. Here, then, she was alone in the -presence of an almost entire stranger, although he was her father; and -this is not an isolated case, but the fate of the thousands of European -children who are born in India.</p> - -<p>No blood-relationship avails anything in such cases. The mysterious -sanctities of a young girl's nature, be they more or less profound, -interpose themselves as barriers between father and daughter at the best -of times and under the happiest of circumstances. Those dim nooks and -corners of her budding sentiment can only be reached by a mother, so -justly called the mediator in the most ancient language of the heart.</p> - -<p>Years after I learned that my young Scotch friend had married Ensign -W——, the young officer to whom she had engaged herself on her voyage -out to India. But in one short year after her sweet blue eyes were -closed for ever on this world. She died in giving birth to a daughter, -who sleeps side by side with her young mother in the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> quiet little -European burial-ground at Deesa, a British station on the confines of -the great province of Guzerat.</p> - -<p>Very little was known about India until Alexander the Great led his -conquering army across the Punjaub (or, more properly, "Panch jeeb," or -five tongues, from the five rivers that water this portion of Northern -India) to the banks of the Hydaspes and the Hyphasis. The armies of -Alexander had hitherto visited no country which was so fertile, -populous, and abounding in the most valuable productions of nature and -art as that portion of India through which they marched. Fortunately for -the Greeks, Alexander had with him a few men who were admirably -qualified to observe and describe the country. At the mouth of the Indus -the army and fleet of Alexander parted company. The troops proceeded by -land. Nearchus took charge of the ships, sailed down the Indus, and from -its mouth, round the southern coast of Asia, to the mouth of the -Euphrates. The results of his observations during the voyage were taken -down and preserved. This expedition, undertaken 325 <span class="smaller">B .C.</span>, furnished a -vast amount of information in regard to India, its extent and wonderful -resources. Rome and most of her prosperous and civilized provinces were -also very familiar with the silks, brocades, fine muslins, gems of great -value, spices, and many other manufactures and products of the remote -East. The Latin name of rice, <i>Oryza sativa</i>, is derived from the -country, Orissa, whence the Romans first obtained it. During the -so-called Dark Ages which followed the subversion of their Western -Empire the trade with India was greatly diminished, though it never -entirely ceased in parts of Europe, especially as some of the -productions of the East had been consecrated to the services of the -Roman Catholic ritual, and have ever since continued in request with the -Christian churches of Greece<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span> and Rome. Even in the remote island of -Great Britain, and in the semi-barbaric Saxon period, some of the -precious spices and scented woods of India had been carefully treasured -by the Venerable Bede and his co-laborers in their bleak northern -monastery at Jarrow. In fact, at the very dawn of European civilization, -under the good and wise Alfred the Great, English missionaries are said -to have found their way to the coast of Malabar.</p> - -<p>The great seat of Eastern trade was, down to the eleventh century, the -city of Constantine the Great. Amalfi, Venice, and many other -enterprising Italian republics acquired about this time great commercial -importance, owing to their Eastern trade, which they extended to Egypt -and the Persian Gulf.</p> - -<p>In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries some of the more adventurous -Italians found their way to various parts of Hindostan. One of these, -the famous Marco Paulo, has given to the world much curious information -about the regions which lie between the Himalaya Mountains, the Indian -Ocean, and the numerous islands bordering on the Celestial Empire and on -India proper.</p> - -<p>The first European traveller who has given us an account of the country -near the island of Bombay was an Italian friar named Odoricus, who -passed nearly a month at Tana—or more properly Thanah—where four of -his family fell victims to the intolerant spirit of the natives, and -suffered martyrdom. His narrative was published in Latin in 1330 <span class="smaller">A. D.</span> -by William de Solanga. The first Englishman who visited the western -coast of India was Thomas Stephens, of New College, Oxford. He reached -Goa in October, 1579, and in the year 1608 Pryard de Laval mentions him -at the time as rector of a college at Salsette.</p> - -<p>It was during the early career of the famous Zehir-ed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span> Deen Mohammed, a -descendant of the renowned Genghis-khân, and the founder of the -so-called Mohgul dynasty, better known by his common name of Bâber, or -"the Tiger," that the Portuguese, whose maritime discoveries were -beginning to produce an important revolution in the commercial world, -succeeded in accomplishing their long-desired object of finding a -passage by the Cape of Good Hope to India. In the year 1498, just ten -months and two days after leaving the port of Lisbon, Vasco da Gama -landed on the coast of Malabar at Calicut, or more properly Kale Khoda, -"City of the Black Goddess." Calicut was at that period not only a very -ancient seaport, but an extensive territory, which, stretching along the -western coast of Southern India, reached from Bombay and the adjacent -islands to Cape Comorin. It was, at an early period, so famous for its -weaving and dyeing of cotton cloth that its name became identified with -the manufactured fabric, whence the name <i>calico</i>. The dyeing of cotton -cloths seems to have been in practice in India in very remote ages. -Pliny as early as the first century mentions in his <i>Natural History</i> -that there existed in Egypt a wonderful method of dyeing white cloth. It -is now generally admitted that this ingenious art originated in India, -and from that country found its way into Egypt. It was not till toward -the middle of the seventeenth century that calico-printing was -introduced into Europe. A knowledge of the art was acquired by some of -the servants in the service of the Dutch East India Company, and carried -to Holland, whence it was introduced in London in the year 1676.</p> - -<p>The town of Calicut, though repeatedly burnt and destroyed by Portuguese -and Mohammedan conquerors, still stands, as it has done for many -hundreds of years, on the seashore, in a somewhat low and exposed -position,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span> possessing neither a river nor any harbor within several -miles of it, so that ships are compelled to cast anchor five or six -miles from the landing-place, almost in mid-ocean. Its want of a -convenient harbor does not seem to have detracted from its commercial -importance. At the very beginning of the Eastern trade, when -Constantinople was attracting to itself all the commerce of the East, -Calicut was visited by vessels from Asia Minor, Egypt, and Arabia. It -was so well known to the Arabians that in the seventeenth century a -fanatical sect of Mohammedans named Moplahs immigrated to Calicut, and -entered with great success into the commercial life of the city, and -occupy in it, even to this day, a most important place, carrying on a -very profitable trade between Calicut, the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, -and various parts of India, its chief exports being rice, cocoanut, -ginger, cardamoms, and sandal- and teak-wood. At the time of the landing -of the Portuguese, Calicut is described as a fine city, with numerous -magnificent buildings, among which a Brahmanical temple and college are -especially mentioned, so remarkable were they for their size and -architectural adornments.</p> - -<p>It would be out of place to enter into particulars of the long struggle -that ensued, or the disgraceful acts of treachery and cruelty that -attended the conquests of the Portuguese. It will suffice to say that in -a very few years they were firmly established in the south of India. -Having possessed themselves of the large maritime city of Goa, they -formed a regular government, headed by a viceroy appointed by the king -of Portugal. They soon turned the trade of Hindostan and the Deccan into -new and more profitable channels, thus depriving the Venetians, Genoese, -and many other nations of all the advantages derived from their -long-established European commerce between the Persian Gulf, the Red -Sea, Egypt, and the Mediterranean<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span> Sea. From that time the Italians -began to decline in wealth, influence, and prosperity until the close of -the sixteenth and in the beginning of the seventeenth century, when the -English, Dutch, and French, sailing round by the Cape of Good Hope, -began to appear upon the scene. No sooner was this accomplished than the -Portuguese, who had monopolized the commerce with Europe during the -sixteenth century, lost (almost as rapidly as they had acquired it) -their immense influence in the East.</p> - -<p>In 1585, Thomas Cavendish, one of the boldest and most adventurous -navigators in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, had accomplished -successfully a two years' voyage round the world. Among other places, he -had visited and explored the spice islands called the Moluccas, but his -discoveries resulted in no permanent benefit to the British traders. In -the year following an English expedition consisting of three vessels, -under the command of Captain Raymond, was sent out to India, but its -object was rather more warlike than commercial, as it was intended to -cruise against the Portuguese. Sickness, shipwreck, and other disasters -overtook the vessels; Captain Raymond, one of the most spirited men of -his time, was lost without even having seen the Eldorado of his dreams, -and Captain Lancaster, his second in command, returned home a sad and -almost ruined man. Francis Drake, afterward knighted by Queen Elizabeth -for his many remarkable exploits at sea, succeeded in capturing five -Portuguese vessels laden with the rich products of India. These, with -the successes of the Levant Company and the accumulating information -obtained from private sources, contributed to keep alive the excitement -and to increase to an inordinate degree the desire of English traders -and merchants for a more immediate participation in the Eastern -commerce. Nevertheless, the ambition and jealousy of the British -<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span>merchants were not fully aroused until they heard that the Dutch in -1595 had fitted out and despatched four ships to trade with India.</p> - -<p>Then the British merchants immediately set to work. A fund was raised by -subscriptions of a number of individuals amounting to £30,133 6<i>s.</i> -8<i>d.</i>, a company was formed, and a committee of fifteen able men was -elected to manage it, which was the origin of the "East India Company." -On the 31st of December, 1600, just two hundred and eighty-four years -ago, a royal charter of privileges was granted, conditionally for -fifteen years, to the company. By means of this charter, and furnished -with letters from Queen Elizabeth to various Eastern rajahs, who were -probably unconscious of her existence, a squadron of five ships sailed -on the 2d of May, 1601, from Torbay. It was placed under the command of -Captain Lancaster, the companion of the unfortunate Raymond. Fortune now -appeared to favor the brave Lancaster. The very first place which he and -his crews visited was Acheen in the island of Sumatra. Owing to the fact -that Northern Sumatra had already been repeatedly visited by European -travellers, among whom were Marco Paulo, Friar Odoricus, and Nicolo -Conti, Captain Lancaster was remarkably well received by Alaudin Shah, -the then reigning sovereign; and, to add to his good fortune, while -cruising in the Straits of Malacca he succeeded in capturing a large and -heavily-laden Portuguese vessel having on board a cargo of fine -calicoes, spices, and some of the fine gold for which Acheen was then -celebrated. Thus unexpectedly enriched, he sailed away, and, entering -the Straits of Angeer, landed at Bantam in the island of Java, where he -established an agency—the first germ of the great East India Company's -factories—and returned in safety to England in the autumn of the year -1603. For many years<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span> following the trading vessels of the East India -Company made successful voyages to many of the best-known islands in the -Indian Ocean, realizing immense profits, and returning home to enrich -the company to such an extent as to excite the jealousy of the British -government, which vainly attempted to limit the privileges of the royal -charter granted to it by Queen Elizabeth. Not many years after the -success of the company was assured by a firman of the great Mohgul -emperor, confirming to them certain privileges, and, above all, -authorizing their establishment of factories at some of the most -important ports of Hindostan.</p> - -<p>The Dutch, who had dispossessed the Portuguese of their factory in -Amboyna, one of the largest of the spice islands in the Molucca group, -now began to regard the English traders with much jealousy. These, only -eighteen in number, had established themselves in a defenceless house in -town, trusting to the agreements and treaties they had made with the -Dutch traders. The Dutch invited them in a friendly manner to pay a -visit to their castle, fortified and garrisoned by two hundred men. The -unsuspecting English had no sooner entered the castle than they were -seized, put to the rack and torture, and ten of the number, holding out -firmly to the last, were put to death.</p> - -<p>During the memorable conflict between Charles I. and the Parliament -nearly all foreign enterprise flagged. Distracted by the great civil war -that followed, the East India Company sank into comparative inaction. -But no sooner was the great Oliver Cromwell at the head of affairs than -he reconfirmed the privileges of the company, and gave every -encouragement to its trade; he also compelled the Dutch government to -pay the sum of £300,000, together with a grant of one of the smaller -spice islands, as some compensation to the descendants of those who -suffered in the "Amboyna massacre."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span></p><p>A new charter was granted to the company by Charles II. in 1661, in -which, in addition to the old privileges, new and important ones were -given to them. They were vested with the right of full civil -jurisdiction and military authority over all Europeans in their -employment, as well as with the power of making war and concluding peace -with the "infidels of India." In 1662, Charles II. married Catharine, -princess of Portugal, who brought him a million pounds sterling and -gifts of the island of Bombay and the fortress of Tangiers. In 1668, at -the request of the company, Charles sold to them for a trifling sum of -money the island of Bombay, granting to them shortly after the island of -St. Helena, an equally convenient station for their merchantmen; and at -length, induced by the defensible character of the island and its -convenient and most commodious harbor, the company transferred from -Surat to Bombay the seat of their government. Thus the island of Bombay -became the presidency over all their settlements, and from that moment -numerous Oriental nations were attracted to the island, commerce rapidly -increased, the native town began to spread, and the foundation of a -great empire in India was securely laid.</p> - -<p>In no other part of the world are found so many races and peoples living -side by side as in the island of Bombay. In the spacious streets and -bazaars one meets Buddhists, Jains, Brahmans, Hindoos, Chinese, -Musulmans (both Persians and Arabs), Seedees or Africans, -Indo-Portuguese, Indo-Britons, Jews, Armenians, Afghans, Caucasians, -Parsees, Americans, and Europeans of all nationalities. The most -important of all these are undoubtedly the Parsees. They are as a class -the richest, most industrious, and most honorable of all the native -populations. They are the most extensive merchants and land-owners in -the island; they share largely in foreign speculation both in the -<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span>European and mercantile houses. They hold to two principles as -indispensable to their permanent success and efficiency in trade: First, -that every Parsee in any part of the Indian empire shall be subject to -the established government, whatever it may be. By this means they -diffuse a spirit of obedience and promptitude among their -co-religionists, whether in India, Persia, China, or Egypt, and are at -once able to secure the co-operation of one and every member of the -faith in any emergency that may demand the combined efforts of the -entire sect. Secondly, that every Parsee, no matter what the accident of -his birth, is the equal of his more prosperous fellow-laborers.</p> - -<p>The island of Bombay is separated from the mainland by an arm of the -sea, and forms, in conjunction with the adjacent islands of Salsette on -the north, Colabah and Old Woman's Island on the south, a magnificent -and well-sheltered harbor. Handsome causeways raised above the sea at -high water span the narrow channels on the south, and connect Bombay -with two of the most picturesque islands I have ever seen. To the north, -Bombay is again connected with Salsette by a causeway with a fine arched -stone bridge, and yet another causeway has been thrown over the strait, -so as to connect the great India Peninsular Railway with the mainland. -Thus Bombay and the islands which surround it form a continuous -breakwater extending from north to south for several miles. Toward the -east lies the celebrated island of Elephanta; just opposite to the mouth -of the harbor lies a thickly-wooded island of little elevation, with the -exception of two remarkable projections which are shot upward almost -perpendicularly from the level of the land, called Great and Little -Caranja Hills.</p> - -<p>One of our first drives was to the fort and town of Bombay. The latter -is situated within the fort, and is almost a mile in length from the -Apollo Gate to that of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span> the bazaar, but hardly a quarter of a mile in -its broadest part, from the Custom-house across the great Green to what -is called Church gate. It is now called Fort George, and with its moats, -drawbridges, and gateways is still in tolerably good repair. There are -two gateways facing the beautiful harbor, having commodious wharfs and -cranes built out from each, with a fine broad stone quay or -landing-place for passengers. Passing through these gates, we visited -the famous Bombay Castle, a regular quadrangle built of hard stone. In -one of the bastions we saw a spacious reservoir for water. The -fortifications are sufficiently formidable, and are frequently repaired, -if not improved. Dungarree Hill, which commands the town, has now been -included within the fort, by which accession the seaward points of the -island are rendered extremely strong, the harbor being completely -commanded by successive ranges of batteries placed one above the other. -The Government House, a showy but a most inconvenient building, the old -church, and a spacious Maidan, or Common, are also situated within the -fort.</p> - -<p>The rise of the tides has been found such as to admit of the -construction of docks on a truly magnificent scale. Indeed, the dry-dock -of Bombay is said to be unequalled in the East for its immense size and -convenience. It has been built with three divisions, each of which is -furnished with a pair of strong gates, so that it is capable of -receiving three ships-of-the-line at a time. This operation is generally -entrusted to Parsees, and executed with great rapidity and skill. These -docks have sprung up here since the days when the island passed into the -possession of the East India Company. Another remarkable feature of this -part of Bombay is the so-called ropewalk, which is said to be equal to -any in England (with the single exception of the king's yard at -Portsmouth). Here rope<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span> cables and every variety of lesser cordage are -manufactured in great abundance. The workmen can be seen seated under -covered awnings diligently plying their respective occupations—some -cleaning the caiah, or cocoanut-husks, others plaiting, and yet again -others twisting heavy ropes and cords.</p> - -<p>The Bombay dockyard is also worth visiting; it is admirably contrived, -and abounds in fine stone warehouses well stocked with timber for -building and repairing vessels and ships of all kinds and sizes, with -forges, and well-instructed Parsees, who, among other qualifications, -are counted the best ship-carpenters to be found in the East. Many of -the merchantmen and ships-of-the-line in the service of the late East -India Company have been built here from time to time, and are still -built, of Malabar and Mylonghee teak-wood, which is much esteemed -throughout India. One of the most magnificent teak forests, from which -supplies of wood are obtained, lies on the north-western boundaries of -the kingdom of Siam; the other on the western side of the Ghauts and all -along the mountains lying north and east of the old Portuguese town of -Bassein. They are floated down to Bombay by means of the numerous -streams which descend from these mountain-ridges.</p> - -<p>Another curious feature is the celebrated cotton-press, of which there -are a great many in use here—marvellous in themselves, but more -striking amid the mountains of cotton piled up waiting to be pressed -before transportation to Europe, China, and other parts of the world. -Not very far from these one comes upon a square around which cluster -most of the European warehouses and the banks, huge blocks of masonry, -dark and dismal as the tomb, impregnated with the odors of tea, coffee, -spices, and every other known Indian commodity or manufacture.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span></p><p>It was my first initiation to the commerce of the world to visit this -spot. Previous to this day I had hardly so much as purchased a ribbon -for myself, and could not conceive what trade really meant. But, driving -here about ten o'clock one morning, the whole scene dawned upon me with -peculiar force. The great square was thronged with a motley crowd of -dark- and white-faced foreigners, all eager, jostling, and contending -with each amid the confused hubbub of all languages and all manner of -dialects. Here were strange specimens of every nationality and every -phase of life, from the lordly English and Scotch merchants, the skilful -and assiduous Parsees, to the half-nude, wretched-looking fakeers and -beggars who haunt this spot in the hope of getting a few pice.<a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a></p> - -<p>For six hours these masses of humanity struggle, work, barter, buy and -sell, load and unload, and carry on the strangely-exciting warfare, not -of flesh and blood, but of pounds, shillings, and pence, straining every -nerve each to outdo his neighbor, to enrich himself, at great sacrifice -of life, health, and at times even of honor, in the hope of returning to -his native land to enjoy the spoils—a hope which, alas! is realized -only in rare instances.</p> - -<p>But at four o'clock, as if by magic, the eager, bustling, jostling crowd -suddenly vanishes; the din and confusion cease. Long lines of carriages -and handsome equipages drive up to the great stone warehouses, and dash -away with their white-faced occupants. Where is now the commerce of the -world? Gone with the powerful, all-grasping white man. A silence -profound as the grave succeeds to the rush, noise, and turmoil of the -day. In less than half an hour not a human being is to be seen anywhere, -save the solitary begrimed watchmen seated here and there in dim nooks -and corners, and the armed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span> white-faced sentinels standing grim and -silent at their posts.</p> - -<p>On this first visit we were the last to quit the scene. Nothing ever -made so deep and, I might truly say, so depressing an impression on my -mind as the fierce and unnatural activity which pervaded this spot.</p> - -<p>A day or two after we drove through the markets or bazaars of the -Parsees, or Fire-worshippers, and another and peculiar class of native -traders called the Borahs—the two most enterprising of the many -different peoples who occupy this island. These markets, nearly three -miles in extent, are perhaps the most picturesque in the world, composed -entirely of lofty, handsome Oriental houses, with projecting lattice -windows and wooden balconies elaborately carved and hung in many places -with rich tapestries. The upper stories of the houses are the dwellings -of the merchants and their families; the lower portions are given up to -stalls, shops, and alcoves where the most delicate fabrics and the most -exquisite work of all kinds are manufactured by native artisans—boxes, -fans, drinking-cups carved out of cocoanut-shells, with stools, tables, -chairs, and other articles of furniture for the homes of European -residents, as well as for exportation. Here are made kinkaubs, or cloths -of gold; mulmuls, or muslins, of such transparent texture as to be -called "running waters;" and many other articles are wrought out here by -half-nude, savage-looking men and women with tools of the rudest and -most primitive kind. Nearly all the Oriental work done here, though very -beautiful and delicate of its kind, is imitative, and it lacks that -freedom and diversity so peculiar to European manufacture.</p> - -<p>The street that Europeans most visit in this quarter, and the best worth -seeing for its unmixed and purely Oriental character, is called the -"Bhendee Bazaar." It abounds<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span> in the queerest and most picturesque -sights—solemn merchants, turbaned and with long flowing robes, seated -cross-legged in their dens smoking long hookas; native women, handsomely -dressed, in a variety of costumes, and half-nude beggars, who seem to -beg for fun or for a wager; cripples, vagabonds; coolies with great -heavy burdens on their backs, beneath which head and shoulders have -disappeared, and only two bare legs can be seen struggling along amid -the crowd; peddlers yelling like fiends; turbaned Mohammedans; Hindoo -and Parsee ladies closely veiled, either on foot or in draped carriages -drawn by milk-white bullocks instead of horses; indolent loungers -sleeping in the shade; dogs yelping and native soldiers crushing through -this great crowded aisle of the Bhendee Bazaar. It is not only full of -everything Oriental, but everything Occidental, even to the idols so -largely manufactured in Europe for the Indian markets—from the -costliest gems from the mines of Punnah and Golconda to the commonest -English prints; and since the introduction of free trade one can -absolutely purchase English goods cheaper in this market than in the -cities where they are manufactured.</p> - -<p>After visiting Bhendee we came one day upon a most interesting portion -of the bazaar, the Arabian horse-markets. Long lines of stables stretch -along for some distance, making a noble display of goodly Arabian -steeds. These splendid high-bred creatures are greatly esteemed by the -native traders, nawabs, and princes, as well as by the rich English -merchants, and often bring fabulous prices. It was very pleasant to go -through these stables and see the care and attention bestowed upon the -horses by the native grooms, who, while washing, feeding, and rubbing -them down, talk to them as if they were children. Our Hindoo <i>scyce</i>, or -groom, while grooming his horse<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span> always told him everything that had -happened to him during his absence on the previous evening, opening the -conversation with, "Kaisah hai paiyarah?—How art thou, beloved?"</p> - -<p>Not far off there is a less picturesque but much more densely-crowded -market called the "Chine Bazaar." It runs along the filthiest part of -the city, and leads to a stone pier devoted to the native population and -to the loading and unloading of native craft and vessels. The people who -inhabit this part of the city are chiefly Lascars, or native sailors, -and foreigners from different parts of the East. On any day and at any -hour one may see what seems the entire produce of the East piled on this -stone wharf; merchandise and mankind are in great masses here. Every -inch of ground is thronged with moving forms, presenting a wild -masquerade of extravagant dress and of the most perfect undress. -Everywhere there is more filth and dirt than is possible to conceive at -first sight; odors of ghee, or clarified butter, and fish in every stage -of decomposition, assail you amid all manner of deafening sounds.</p> - -<p>On one occasion, when visiting this part of Bombay, I saw the landing of -some pilgrims from Mecca—a dirty, ill-looking set of men, but the -moment they touched land the crowd was hushed; they walked in file -counting their beads through the parted crowds, who almost to a man -salââmed in abject reverence to the holy strangers.</p> - -<p>I also saw some beautiful girls landed here, and that they were slaves, -brought for private sale among the rich natives, I could not doubt. I -afterward learned that women were brought here every year, and disposed -of privately to fill the hareems of the rich Musulman merchants in spite -of British laws. Riding through these bazaars, it has impressed me that -whatever Great Britain<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span> might do for the improvement of the island of -Bambâ Dèvi in the way of governing it, it would take very many centuries -before she could destroy its purely Oriental character.</p> - -<p>At one time a very curious organization existed in Bombay for upward of -thirty years, consisting of a body of forty or more individuals who -bound themselves into a sort of secret society, the sole object of which -was systematic plunder. This society had in its employment about three -hundred men as subordinates, instructed to receive goods stolen from the -merchants' ships. The harbor was the chief scene of their secret -operations. Here those of the members who were on duty were ordered to -distribute themselves at the various wharves and piers, whence boats -went off to ships either when loading or unloading. These employés of -the secret society either detained the boats' crews in conversation, and -thus purloined goods, or hired themselves for a very low sum of money to -work with them for the night. In this way they managed to drop into the -water or into another and confederate boat some of the goods -surreptitiously obtained. The plunder was then conveyed openly to the -shore, and sold by auction next morning, without any attempt at -concealment, so far as the natives were concerned; and as few Europeans -frequented this part of the native town, they had no fear of detection. -It is said that the books of this robber society were scrupulously kept, -the division of the profits made with strict honesty, and, what is more -remarkable still, two shares of the profits were bestowed on charitable -institutions among the various tribes and castes of Bombay. It was not -until the year 1843 that this secret robber society was detected in some -wholesale plunder; the chiefs concerned in it were brought to justice -and the whole thing broken up.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span></p><p>The late East India Company, in order to protect the trade of the -country against such societies, as well as against the hordes of pirates -who have ever since the days of Alexander the Great infested the western -coast of India, found it necessary to maintain an armed marine force.</p> - -<p>Not far from the extreme point of the Oriental bazaars, so full of -mystery, romance, and dirt, is a spot I have often visited, called -Colabah—more properly Kaláaba, or Black Water—where the sea is of the -deepest blue, and where an entirely different picture is presented to -the eye. Bungalows, as the better class of Indian houses are called, -with broad, open, and shady verandahs, each with its beautifully kept -garden, stretch along this promontory, making a charming scene. These -are the residences of some of the wealthiest inhabitants of the island. -Bright, airy-looking dwellings, nestling amid the most graceful -evergreen foliage, and standing as they do between two bays, they occupy -the most beautiful spot in Bombay.</p> - -<p>At the extreme end of this promontory are the European barracks, built -with reference to the exigencies of the climate and replete with comfort -for the British soldiers and their officers. It is really both pleasing -and interesting to see that these are well cared for in this foreign -land; but the curiosity and charm born in the native parts of the -island, and especially in the bazaars, lessen by sure degrees as you see -your countrymen quietly and comfortably established in a spot with which -they seem so out of harmony in form and color. On the southern extremity -of Colabah is the lighthouse, a graceful circular building standing on a -desolate rock which stretches far into the sea and commands the entrance -to the fort. It rises from the sea-level one hundred and fifty feet, -flashing its light to the distance of twenty-one miles. I remember going -to the top of it one moonlight night.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span> We remained there two or three -hours, and saw the moon rise higher and higher, silently scattering the -deep shadows one by one, revealing the half-hidden beauties of that -strange shore; and at length, when she climbed over head and looked down -in the full splendor of her light, the mountain-ridges, feathered with -wavy palms, the glimmering peaks and spires of the land, were all -magnificently pictured in richest and softest colors in the polished -mirror of the sea.</p> - -<p>The "Maidan," or Plain, is a fine esplanade in front of the fort. Here -passing European officers, and those Europeans who are obliged by -business or any other circumstance to live within the fort during the -cool months, erect bungalows; some of these are remarkably elegant -buildings, but wholly unfit to resist the violence of the monsoon. At -the moment that the early showers of rain announce the wet season these -temporary homes vanish and their place is very soon occupied by a vast -sheet of water. The Esplanade serves to separate the European from the -native part of the island, the latter being vulgarly called the "Black -Town."</p> - -<p>Toward the north of the island are scattered many picturesque and -thriving villages amid native groves of mangoes, palms, and fine timber -trees, cities of the dead, and some very interesting ruined portions -once occupied by the Portuguese conquerors.</p> - -<p>The village of Girgaum, to the south of the island, is, however, the -most picturesque and most densely populated of all these native -settlements. No other part of the island is so fascinating as night -approaches. A blaze of light flashing on the surface of huge reservoirs -of water, on citron- and orange-groves, flooding flagged courtyards -surrounded with blooming tropical fruits and flowers, the brilliant -colors and varieties of dress of the numerous <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span>attendants, male and -female, together with the groups formed by different parties arriving or -departing, with the sounds of all kinds of music and midnight -revelry,—altogether formed a <i>coup d'œil</i> which I can never forget, -and which can be only seen in a tropical climate. Parts of this village, -I am told, are entirely given up to the dissipated and pleasure-seeking -youths who may happen to be beguiled by these outward appearances. It -presents a very different aspect in the morning light; the cottages amid -its palm-groves look so quiet and secluded that it is still more -attractive. In some parts there are vast plantations of cocoanut trees, -with the neat little huts, here and there, of native planters stretching -toward a portion of the island called the Back Bay.</p> - -<p>Lying on the opposite side of the palm-groves of Mazagaum, a fishing -village, about an hour's drive over a beautiful strand brings us to an -interesting spot called Breach Candy. On our way, especially in the -afternoon, we meet carriages full of handsome Parsee ladies, generally -brilliantly attired in their peculiar costumes, surrounded by numbers of -happy-looking children, taking their evening airing. Grand mohguls and -nabobs, driving out in magnificent European equipages, drawn by two and -not infrequently by four spirited Arabian horses, pass rapidly by. At -length, leaving the grand and princely occupants of all these brilliant -equipages, we arrive at a spot desolate and yet peaceful beyond -description—the cemeteries of the dead of all peoples and all creeds. -No sound is heard. One solitary Hindoo, robed in pure white, with his -bare shaved head, is praying over a smouldering spot covered with hot -ashes, which shows signs of a body having been recently burned there. -These graves are separated, it is true, but hardly distinguishable from -one another. Desolate homes of the dead, we cannot tell which are -Christian<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span> and which pagan. All sleep quietly in the same dust. But kind -nature has decked them in tender living green, with here and there a -beautiful wild flower, while the ever-encroaching sea washes away every -year, bit by bit, the tombs of Hindoo, Moslem, Jain, Buddhist, and -Christian alike.</p> - -<p>There is one place that one should not miss seeing in Bombay, and that -is the Pinjrapoore, or the Jain hospital for animals. It is one of the -most peculiarly Oriental institutions in the East, and the largest to be -found in India—pagan in everything, even in that disposition which has -become almost a natural instinct to the Hindoos, the Buddhists, and the -Jains,<a name="FNanchor_3_3" id="FNanchor_3_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a> to feel respect not alone for what is stronger and more -beautiful than themselves, but for what is weaker and more helpless, and -even hideous. The Pinjrapoore is situated in one of the most -densely-populated portions of the native town.</p> - -<p>We were conducted by two very civil men, low-caste Jains, into what -appeared a large courtyard. A number of low sheds and several other -courts ran all round it. I must confess I was greatly disappointed in -the appearance of the building itself; it was mean and wretchedly<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span> -dirty. But as for the aspect of the inmates, it was at once both -ludicrous and pathetic. I felt inclined to laugh and cry by turns. Never -was such a medley of sick and aged animals seen anywhere else. A number -of sick oxen were undergoing treatment at the hands of several native -physicians who live near the hospital, and whose sole care is to attend -to its inmates. One poor old, lean cow was having her leg dressed, and -she seemed to be pretty conscious of the physician's kind intentions, -for she stood perfectly still and quiet during the operation, which must -have lasted an hour at least. The other aged and sick cattle, some -blind, others scarred, not a few with bandages over their eyes or with -halting steps, presented a singularly pathetic sight. We passed into -several small courtyards where cats and dogs and many aged greyhounds -find a pleasant home. Some of these were old and infirm to such a degree -that it was painful to look at them. One big dog was pointed out to me -by one of the men as the "bura kahnah wallah," one who delighted in big -dinners; they certainly did not aid in fattening him, for he was the -leanest creature I have ever seen.</p> - -<p>The monkey part of the hospital was the most entertaining. A big ape -supported itself on crutches; another sick inmate was lying stretched -full length on the floor, gazing most piteously into the keeper's face. -It seemed to be an object of deep interest to all the other monkeys, who -clustered around it. The native doctor shook his head solemnly, and if -it had been a human being he could not have said more tenderly, -"Bachara! bachara! whoo murta hai" ("Poor thing! poor thing! she is -dying"). Almost all of the infirm inmates looked on their dying comrade -with peculiar intelligence in their faces, as if they had a sort of -vague idea of what was happening. As I looked on, I could not doubt but -that each one had <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span>somehow divined the meaning of the doctor's -foreboding shake of the head.</p> - -<p>In these compartments were collected, as it almost seemed, every known -quadruped and biped on the face of the globe. Old elephants, dilapidated -buffaloes, deplumed ravens, vultures, and buzzards hobnobbed together -with gray-bearded goats and most foolish-looking old rams; rats, mice, -rabbits, hens, herons, lame ducks, forlorn old cocks, and sparrows, -jackals, old owls, and geese, live here in harmony side by side. I have -been shown through palaces which interested me less.</p> - -<p>We waited to see this curious medley of inmates dine. When the food -which suited each class was being conveyed by a band of attendant boys -to their various pens, troughs, etc., the noise and confusion were -deafening. The monkeys in particular, with the peacocks—birds the most -sacred to the Hindoos and Jains—raised such a howl and were so -importunate to be served first that we were glad to escape. Such is the -extreme limit to which Oriental charity is carried. At first sight it -seemed absurd beyond words.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, there is something very noble and touching about this -"infirmary" for the brute creation. Every one who finds any animal -wounded, sick, aged, or dying is authorized to bring it here, and here -it is really well cared for until death comes to relieve it from all -suffering. Who can estimate the power of an institution that is -continually caring for the dumb mutes of the animal kingdom, who bear -not only man's burdens, but his harshness and neglect, with the patience -of almost sanctified beings?</p> - -<p>In my first week in Bombay I received an invitation to a grand -dinner-party to be given at the house of a rich East Indian lady, a Mrs. -C——, the widow of what is called in British India an uncovenanted -officer. So great is the prestige attached to the word "officer" in the -East<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span> that every man is an officer of some sort or other, from the -brigadier to the private soldier. A civilian, consequently, is an -uncovenanted officer, and as for the merchants, they are Mohguls, -nabobs, Badishas, or Kudawunds. Mrs. C——'s house was situated near -Parel, formerly "Nonpareil," a most lovely part of the island. Our -carriage drove through a long wide avenue of fine trees, and brought us -before a large one-storied stone building, pillared and with a spacious -flight of stone steps leading to it. On the steps were half a dozen -handsomely-dressed servants in long flowing white robes called -"angrakas," crimson-and-gold striped turbans, and bright blue-and-gold -cumberbunds, or scarfs, folded round their waists; the effect was -certainly striking. These salââmed to us, and with stately dignity -advanced and helped us to alight. We were then shown by another band of -ushers, magnificently dressed, into a sumptuously furnished apartment, -where we laid aside our light wrappings. A fresh troop of dusky-hued, -richly-draped, and turbaned individuals marshalled us into the grand -drawing-room, where we found the rich widow seated on a yellow satin -ottoman surrounded by a bevy of ladies and gentlemen. The ladies all -wore low-necked dresses of the most exquisitely delicate Indian fabrics, -Chinese crapes, gauzes, mulmuls, and silks; and some of them were young -and beautiful.</p> - -<p>At dinner numbers of dusky-hued attendants moved about us so softly that -they did not seem to touch the floor with their feet; gliding -noiselessly in and out, offering us costly viands and sparkling wines, -laying down plates and removing them so dexterously as not to make the -faintest sound, they seemed even to repress their breathing. Everything -was done with magical effect. The punkahs overhead moved softly to and -fro; the light fell from cocoanut-oil chandeliers in peculiarly -softened<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span> splendor on the rare flowers, the glass, and the silver below. -Everything went on with the ease and precision of clockwork, without the -faintest echo of a click or sound. Even those domestics who did not wait -at dinner-table stood with arms folded across their breasts under the -shadows of doors or pillars, waiting their turn to serve, and so still -and motionless were they that they might almost, save for the glitter in -their eyes, have passed for bronze statues.</p> - -<p>They impressed me very unpleasantly, and that in spite of all the -laughter and merriment, the exaltation of British power and British -supremacy in India. I had, somehow, a feeling of reserved force -pervading those mute, motionless figures around us, and I involuntarily -felt, for the first time, that it was a very solemn affair for the -Briton to be in India luxuriating on her soil and on her spoils.</p> - -<p>With those dark, restless eyes watching every turn, motion, and -expression of our faces, in vain were the delicious coffee and the -sumptuous dinner, the music of the fountains playing before each window. -I was anxious to escape. If I laughed or talked or moved, those dark -eyes seemed to observe me, even when they were seemingly fixed on -vacancy. If I had dared, I believe I should have risen and gone away. -But of course this would have been a shocking breach of etiquette, so I -sat still, hushing secret perturbations and longing for dinner to end.</p> - -<p>The conversation continued in a lively strain. I noticed that every one -seemed to have a pet theory about home government and how it could best -be administered; all of which I was then too young to comprehend, but I -did comprehend, and that very painfully, that no one seemed to mind -those dark, silent, stationary figures any more<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span> than if they had been -hewn out of stone. On coming out of that house I drew a long deep sigh -of relief and felt just as if I had escaped from some imminent danger.</p> - -<p>There are no less than three government residences in the island of -Bombay. One is within the walls of the fort, used for holding special -meetings of the council durbars, or assemblies, and for various other -public business. It has little or no architectural beauty, and looks -more like a stadthouse in a German free city. The one at Malabar Point -is a charming English cottage, situated on a rocky and well-wooded -promontory, commanding a beautiful view of the sea, and is often washed -by the sea-spray during stormy weather. The third is at Parel—a -magnificent building, said to have been founded on the remains of an old -Jesuit college which flourished here during the Portuguese supremacy in -India. It was bought by a Parsee, from whom it was purchased by the East -India government about a century ago and fitted up in its present style. -A noble flight of stone steps leads to the entrance-hall, whence a fine -staircase opens into two of the most spacious rooms I have ever seen in -Bombay, about eighty feet long, one above the other, and each very -handsomely furnished. It commands a fine view of the town and harbor.</p> - -<p>There is a curious rock at the extreme point of Malabar Hill which is -very difficult to approach at high tide. Here are the remains of an -ancient Hindoo temple, and a hole famous as a place of resort for Hindoo -devotees, who endure great hardships in order to get access to the hole -and pass through it, believing that in doing so they are regenerated, -born again, and purified from all their sins.</p> - -<div class="center"><a name="i044.jpg" id="i044.jpg"></a><img src="images/i044.jpg" alt="Banyan Tree" /></div> - -<p class="bold"><span class="smcap">Banyan Tree.</span></p> - -<p>Among the places worth attention in the neighborhood of Bombay are -Byculla and Mazagaum. The former has a fine English school-house for all -classes of children. It<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span> is placed under the supervision of a number of -English ladies of high rank, who take turns in visiting it.</p> - -<p>Mazagaum is a very old part of the island of Bombay, formerly a fishing -village, which its name indicates, but now a densely-populated town, -inhabited chiefly by the descendants of the early Portuguese settlers. -The Roman Catholic church here is a most venerable and picturesque -building, standing under the shadow of great forest trees. Their foliage -is certainly magnificent beyond description. The mango, the tamarind, -the graceful peepul, and the banyan attain great height and breadth, and -are covered with marvellous specimens of huge parasitic creepers and -plants forming miles of sheltered walks. The fruit-bearing trees come to -great perfection here. But with all its beauty the spot is considered so -unhealthy that it is often called the "white man's grave."</p> - -<p>I have seldom seen a pleasanter sight than that which is presented at -Mazagaum on every Sunday morning in the year, when the whole native -Christian population turns out to church almost simultaneously. The -streets are filled with handsome women and children. The women in their -long flowing mantles and costumes, half Hindoo and half European, are -very picturesque. But the men and boys present an appearance at once -both grotesque and ludicrous. Most of them are dressed as Europeans, and -not a few as English and Portuguese generals; gold lace, plumed hats, -helmets, and striped pantaloons are the prevailing fashion. They seem to -have no idea of the fitness of things. Their passion for European dress -is carried to such an extreme that I have seen a native<a name="FNanchor_4_4" id="FNanchor_4_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a> Portuguese -sailing down the lane without<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> any shoes on his feet, but sporting the -military dress, with the cocked hat and feathers, of some English -general. This love of dress is exceedingly queer, but it is quite as -much a characteristic of the Portuguese men of education and culture in -India as of the more ignorant and illiterate.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> The name Mahratta is applied to all the Indo-European races -who dwell in that portion of India extending from the Arabian Sea on the -west to the Satpura Mountains in the north, to which in ancient times -was given the Sanskrit name of Maharashtra, or "the good country." The -Mahrattas are Hindoos, divided like them into four castes—the Brahmans, -priests and professors; the Kumbis, cultivators of the soil; the -Rajpoots, or warriors; and the Sudras, or menials. The Mahratta Brahmans -are remarkable for the high physical, intellectual, and moral qualities -of that caste. Their language, a fine sonorous and flexible tongue, is a -dialect of the Sanskrit, called Mahratti.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> Pieces of money each of the value of one-fourth of a -penny.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_3_3" id="Footnote_3_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a> The Jains, a very curious sect found in India proper -to-day, and known only to the learned in Europe as the sole -representatives in Hindostan of the once-numerous adherents to the -tenets of Buddhism in that region, hold an intermediate place between -Buddhists and Brahmans, but approach more closely to the Buddhists. They -hold that Mahavira the hero, their greatest teacher, and the last of a -number of deified spiritual legislators called by them Tirthankaras, was -the preceptor of the great Gautama, the Buddha, whose followers embrace -nearly three-fourths of the human race even to-day. They have, like the -Brahmans, castes, and abstain most rigorously from flesh of all kinds. -But, on the other hand, like the Buddhists of Siam, Burmah, Japan, etc., -they disavow the sacredness of the Vèdas and the Hindoo gods, but in -their place worship twenty-four sanctified legislators or Tirthankaras.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_4_4" id="Footnote_4_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a> The descendants of the early Portuguese settlers who have -intermarried with the Hindoos and other castes of India, and now form a -very large portion of the population of Bombay and Goa.</p></div></div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER II.</h2> - -<p class="center">Malabar Hill, and Domestic Life of the English in Bombay.</p> - -<p>My first stay in Bombay was a comparatively short one, and was spent -partly with friends at Colabah and partly in tents on the great green in -front of Fort George.</p> - -<p>My stepfather being connected with the engineer or public works -department at the military station of Poonah, my life for a year or two -was passed at that strange city. Upon the occasion of my marriage, -however, I returned to Bombay for a settled residence, from which time I -began my real experience of life in India.</p> - -<p>We established ourselves at Malabar Hill, in a house completely isolated -from the rest of the world, where my husband and I took up the study of -the Sanskrit and Hindostanee languages. Malabar Hill is a rocky -promontory on the south of the island of Bombay, and covered with -beautiful houses, many of which are almost palaces. At its highest -point, detached and alone, stands a lofty tower, the largest "dohkma," -or "tower of silence," of the Parsees. Here the followers of Zoroaster -deposit their dead. It is rendered not the less sombre by the birds of -prey that hover around it in great numbers.</p> - -<p>There are two other and smaller towers of silence on the island, all -erected in the most isolated positions. No one is ever allowed to -approach them save the Fire-priests and those who carry their dead. -These strange towers or tombs are mysterious, grand, and barbaric in -their very<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span> forms—at their base screened by huge branching trees from -all human observation, open only to the blue sky, the free air, and the -gloomy birds of prey hovering always near.</p> - -<p>On the other side of this much-dreaded spot, and not far from a forest -of palms which descends in graceful undulations to the very base of the -hill, stood a solitary house, called by every one "Morgan's Folly." For -full ten years it had found no occupant. Its owner and builder, having -returned to England with broken fortunes and failing health, had -entrusted the renting of it to a Parsee agent. By a happy accident this -lonely house was discovered by my husband, who had it at once repaired, -furnished, and fitted up for our use, and here we took up our abode -after a few weeks' residence at Parel.</p> - -<p>I wish I could do justice to this singular abode, on the portals of -which the monosyllable "<i>Whim</i>" might fully be inscribed. It was the -caprice of a rich English cotton-merchant, whose love for the feathered -tribe amounted to an absorbing passion. The house was therefore designed -and built at great cost to serve the double purpose of human and bird -habitation. Foolish, capricious, extravagant, and incorrigible as he was -called by every one, I for my part conceived an affection for this -strange Englishman who built this fanciful place in which were passed -the first few years of my married life.</p> - -<p>Two fine roads led to the "Aviary," as we named the house, one of which -was cut into the hillside and descended to the base of the hill, whence -at low tide you might step from rock to rock away out into the bay. The -other was connected with a beautiful road which winds along Malabar -Hill, affording a favorite carriage-drive for the residents of the -island.</p> - -<p>As for the house, it was the most curious bit of architecture one had -ever seen—so fanciful, it seemed more like<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span> something that belonged -rather to the mysterious land we visit in our dreams than to an actual -house made of solid stone and wood standing fast, bound to the hard, -dull, practical earth.</p> - -<p>The building consisted only of two stories, of great length, and a high -chamber, called the "Teak Tower," which rose above the east corner of -the house and commanded the most extensive and beautiful views to be -found anywhere on the island. The upper story was the part designed for -human habitation. The wood of which it was built was a fine-grained teak -and very durable. The balcony, running all around the upper story, was -elaborately carved. The lower part was chiefly of stone pillars, -enclosing a spacious ground-floor united by screens of fine open wire -wrought in Oriental patterns of the Persian rose and the Buddhistic -lily. The pillars rested firmly on broad stone foundations, and the open -wire walls let in all the wind, rain, and sunshine that the feathered -inhabitants for whom the enclosure was intended could possibly desire.</p> - -<p>But this was not all: on the ground-floor of the hall flourished some -beautiful fruit-bearing trees. Right under our bedroom chamber stood -that most exquisite of Indian trees, "the gold-mohur acacia," with its -rich clusters of golden flowers; the slender, graceful pâpiya, with its -heavy drooping leaves and round fruit of a rich yellow when ripe, so -much sought after by birds. One gigantic baobâb, which had stood here, -no doubt, for centuries, for whose growth and preservation the builder -had made ample provision by leaving a well or circular opening through -the lower and upper stories and in the roof, gave the house the singular -appearance of growing around a great tree. Forcing themselves through -this opening to the sky, the branches of the baobâb shot straight up on -one<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span> side and overshadowed the tower chamber, covering it, after each -rainy season, with masses of fragrant blossoms and fine fruit. It was -very evident that in the course of time there would be, possibly, a -prolonged but mighty struggle between the house and the tree, which -should go first, and it was not hard to tell, for already the tree had -found its way to the open sky, and its branches were seen pushing here -and there and penetrating the woodwork of the chambers adjoining. There -were one or two more trees that deserve mention. These were a beautiful -Chinese pine and a heart-shaped peepul. The ground-floor of this hall -was covered with weeds and a perfect jungle of brushwood. The gardener -told me that it abounded in all kinds of reptiles, but I never saw any -signs of them until some large snakes were called out one morning by a -party of samp-wallahs, or snake-charmers. The fruit trees had long -ceased to bear, and were gradually crowding out and killing each other.</p> - -<p>All the more rare and beautiful birds with which Mr. Morgan had stocked -this place had died or taken flight to homes less confined; only a few -still remained. Among them were the sooruk, or scarlet breast, an -exquisite singer; the mâina, the Java sparrow, the bulbul or Indian -nightingale, and the zeenah, a little quarrelsome brown and red-spotted -bird,—all hardy birds. They lingered here, partly from association and -partly because of the grain still thrown in and around the "Aviary" -morning and evening by the pious Hindoo employed by the Parsee agent to -look after the garden.</p> - -<p>The tower chamber was our favorite sitting-room because of its splendid -views and being removed from the noise and vicinity of our servants. It -was simply furnished—a table, a few chairs, mostly of cane, a couple of -sofas and a Persian carpet, with gauze nettings to every<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span> door and -window to keep out our worst foes, the gnats, flies, and mosquitoes. The -rest of the house was furnished with the same severe simplicity; there -were no curtains, no blinds, no carpets; the floors as well as the walls -were painted in subdued half-tints, which gave them the air of being -very handsomely fitted up.</p> - -<p>In this place I began my first attempt at housekeeping in the East, and -I can truly say, without the least exaggeration, that for months the -house kept itself and my numerous servants kept me. To begin with, there -were too many servants for so quiet and unpretending a household, but I -soon found it would be still more difficult to do with fewer: -"<i>dustoor</i>," custom, was flung into my face morning, noon, and night. I -implored my husband to send half of them away, but if he sent one off, -either the whole gang disappeared like a flash or else the work of the -banished servant was scrupulously avoided by every one in the -establishment. There was, in short, a servant for every distinct thing -to be done in the house. There was a <i>khansamah</i>, or native butler, a -high-caste Hindoo, who was supposed to keep all the servants in order, -but who invariably incited a revolution in the camp if I wished anything -to be done my way and not his. Then there was a cook, a <i>kling</i> (a name -for a certain race natives of Madras), who got drunk whenever we -happened to have friends to dinner; there was a cook's mate, who was -inclined to be musical just as we were going to sleep; there was a -<i>buttee-wallah</i>, or lamplighter, a stripling, some near relation of the -butler's, whose friends and relatives were always dying, and who asked -permission three times in the course of a few months to be allowed to go -and bury his mother. When I very gently, because of his flowing tears -and doleful expression of face, reminded him that he had already buried -or burned her twice, he burst into a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span> passionate sob and said, "Oh! that -one was my aunt's mother, and the last one my father's mother, but this -is my own, own mother." Of course I had to let him go off for two or -three days, and the butler too, who was also a mourner. Then there were -besides these an <i>ayah</i>, or lady's-maid; a <i>dhoby</i>, or washerman, who -came to the house once a week for the clothes, and stayed away sometimes -for three weeks, owing to that chronic epidemic, death, in the family; a -<i>bheestie</i>, who filled the tubs in the bathroom with water, and did -nothing else; a <i>jarroo-wallah</i>, who only came each morning and swept -the house and grounds, and then disappeared till the next time; a -coachman, a groom, a <i>pundit</i>, or professor of Oriental languages; and -lastly, a tailor, whose name was Tom. He, Tom, was a Portuguese -Christian, and attended to the mending of the household linen and the -making of our clothes. He was the least manageable of the whole lot. He -would not answer to the name "boy," a generic name for servants in India -and a corruption of the Hindostanee word <i>bhai</i>, brother, but insisted -on being called "Tom." This put me very often into an awkward position, -as this was the familiar name by which I had learned to call my husband, -not knowing that there was another "Tom" attached to him from his -bachelor establishment. Once or twice, forgetting this fact, I happened -to call "Tom! Tom!" after my husband, who was hurrying off to town, when -who should pop into my chamber but the grinning tailor-boy, balancing a -pair of huge scissors on his right ear and with a number of needles full -of long threads stuck into his woolly head, which served him as a -needle-case? There was nothing left me but to change my husband's name.</p> - -<p>But this was by no means the beginning and end of my troubles of -housekeeping in Bombay. I happened to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span> awake very early one Sunday -morning. It was a lovely sunrise: the first blush of dawn was mounting -the horizon; the trees in the garden were unfolding their leaves; birds -of all colors were perched upon their branches opening their "ruby eyes" -on a newly-born day. But as I stood there, entranced with the beauty of -a tropical sunrise, my eyes fell on the figure of Tom the tailor going -off to early mass attired in my husband's best dress-coat and an -embroidered vest which had been a chief object of my girlish admiration. -In addition to these he sported pointed shoes, worked stockings—one of -the finest pair in my possession—and a frill six inches deep projecting -from his shirt-front, with a huge cocked hat, over which he held one of -my smallest parasols to protect him from the mildest of morning suns, -which had only just mounted the hillside. When I remonstrated with him -on his return from chapel, he burst into a passion of tears and sobs and -flooded me with such replies as these: "Your godship, you are my father -and mother; an unkind, unjust word from your divine voice will break -your poor slave's heart and consign him in the prime of his youth to a -lonely and desolate grave," etc. I absolutely began to feel that he was -the injured party, and that I was anything but a kind, generous mistress -and a Christian. It ended in my presenting him with the clothes he had -worn, but nevertheless he went about the house for days in a state of -sorrowful dejection at my unkindness, which he persisted in saying had -caused his heart to bleed to death.</p> - -<p>Not long after this in a rash moment we resolved to give a dinner-party -to some of our friends in Bombay, and to invite the rich East Indian -widow, Mrs. C——, who had shown us many kindnesses. Never in my life -did I pass through a more perplexing and fiery ordeal.</p> - -<p>The viands were all ordered and sent from town, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span> had arrived in good -season. But no sooner had they been deposited in the kitchen than the -butler reported, in his quiet and unconcerned manner, that the cook had -gone off to town to get help, and would probably not return in time to -prepare the dinner. The butler and the lamplighter were Hindoos, and -could not touch beef or ham, or, in fact, any kind of flesh. The butler -had no objection to putting these articles on the table when cooked, but -as for cooking them, he would lose caste. There was nothing left to be -done but for Tom the tailor-boy and I—who, being Christians, had no -such scruples—to set about and cook the dinner.</p> - -<p>About four o'clock everything was in a fair way toward being cooked, the -capons, ham, soup, and vegetables were all in their places on the fire, -when suddenly the cook returned, looking very strange; I thought he was -only tired and sleepy. He insisted on taking possession of the kitchen, -declaring that it almost broke his heart to see me spoiling my nice -dress and ruining my complexion over the fire. "What am I good for," -said he, striking an attitude and looking queerer than ever, "but to -cook you a grand dinner and be your slave for ever?" Thus assured, I -quitted the kitchen with all the dinner cooking away at great speed, and -betook myself to making various other preparations. It was almost the -dinner-hour before I was fairly through with the glasses and dessert and -a thousand and one of the many requirements of a European dinner-party. -No sooner had I put the last touches to my toilette than my husband -returned with two unexpected guests, which called my attention at once, -so that I had no opportunity to revisit the kitchen to see that all was -as it should be.</p> - -<p>The last of the guests had no sooner arrived than the butler threw open -the dining-room door and announced in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span> a solemn tone, "Kannah teyar hai -Sahibloke" ("Dinner waits, ladies and gentlemen").</p> - -<p>We marched gayly in, eager, happy, and very hungry. But, alas! no sooner -was the soup-tureen uncovered than I divined from my husband's -expression that something was wrong. The soup was sent away with some -playful apology, but when dish after dish was set on the table, -uncovered, and removed without my husband's even making a pretence of -offering the guests anything to eat, it was too much for me.</p> - -<p>At this juncture kind-hearted Mrs. C—— came to my rescue by saying, -"Let us all go off to the kitchen and find out what is the matter with -the cook," and coming to my side, gave me an opportunity to recover -myself, which I did under her gentle smile and oft-repeated adage, "My -dear, accidents will happen in the best regulated families."</p> - -<p>The gentlemen returned from their survey of the kitchen and reported -that the cook was "drunk and sound asleep in the middle of the floor," -and that the remainder of the dinner was burnt to cinders, but still in -the pots on the range. If it had not been for the kind-hearted Mrs. -C——, I do not know what we should have done. She insisted on our all -driving out to her house and taking tea with her.</p> - -<p>I must not omit to mention another incident which is characteristic of -life in India. My husband was in the commissariat department of the -army, and had a great deal to do with native dealers. The Parsees, -however, because of their honesty, had the monopoly of the contracts for -supplying the British troops in Bombay. One morning a number of -<i>Borahs</i><a name="FNanchor_5_5" id="FNanchor_5_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_5_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a> were ushered into the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> "Aviary," and laid before me on the -table what seemed to be a tray filled with sugar candy, raisins, and -almonds. Not understanding the meaning of this gift, and not having -quite outgrown my love for sweets, I took up a handful of the good -things, when, to my surprise, I found lying below the candy a number of -gold coins called "mohurs." I hastened to inform my husband of the -magnificent present waiting for him, but he no sooner heard of it then -he turned the Borahs out, tray and all. It was simply an attempt to -obtain contracts by bribery. The Borahs seemed in no way discomfited; -they bowed most politely on my husband's prompt dismissal, and departed -as if it were with them no unusual occurrence to be turned out of doors.</p> - -<p>Such are some few of the most prominent features of housekeeping and -life in India.</p> - -<p>The native servants have some good points, however. They will rarely -quit your service, even to better their fortunes, unless driven away. -They contrive, too, to have their own way without ever being -disrespectful to you. They bow or salââm at all times, move so softly -about the house with bare feet that you hardly ever know that they are -there, and, on the whole, they attend pretty well to their own peculiar -province in the household; but as for helping in what is <i>not their -province</i>, it is not to be expected.</p> - -<p>They are never away a day except for sudden deaths,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span> which take place in -the various branches of their friends or relatives once a week, on an -average. They are always clean, arrayed in their long flowing white -robes and handsome turbans, and they never address you without some -flattering or grandiloquent phrase, which helps not a little to smooth -over your wounded pride.</p> - -<p>Our pundit,<a name="FNanchor_6_6" id="FNanchor_6_6"></a><a href="#Footnote_6_6" class="fnanchor">[6]</a> Govind, was not a servant, but a high-bred gentleman. He -came to the "Aviary" morning and evening to give us lessons in -Hindostanee and Sanskrit. He was a learned high-caste Brahman and a -remarkably interesting specimen of a Hindoo gentleman.</p> - -<p>Almost directly to the right of the "Aviary" was the government -summer-house already mentioned; just opposite, situated on the summit of -a steep acclivity overlooking the sea, was a grand stone house, the home -of our Parsee friend and commissariat contractor. On the west, embowered -in a thick grove of mango and tamarind trees, was the prettiest of -little Hindoo villages, the village of Walkeshwar, sacred to the god of -the strand or beach.</p> - -<p>We spent a day here on a certain festal occasion accompanied by Govind, -our pundit. We lunched under the porch of the Hindoo temple by -permission obtained through our pundit. Perfectly nude dusky children -were clambering about the stones watching us with eager curiosity. Our -visit here was to witness the feast of Rama, the hero of one of the -Hindoo epic poems, Ramayána, and his wife, Seeta, which did not begin -until the afternoon. Hindoo women, black-eyed and singularly graceful in -their movements, adorned with gayly-colored robes and most -antique-looking bracelets and armlets, went to and from the pool, still -called "Rama Talai," or Rama's Pool, bearing water in jars piled in -tiers on their heads, others bathing and frolicking in the pool. There -were at the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span> same time some dozen Brahman priests at prayer, seemingly -abstracted from the scenes around them, going through with all kinds of -motions with their bodies while their lips moved incessantly, but -inaudibly, in prayer and praise. Our pundit told us that this was the -traditional spot where the hero Rama rested when on his way to Lanka -(Ceylon) to recover from the tyrant Rawana his beautiful wife, Seeta.</p> - -<p>The Rama Talai stands in a group of small temples—some of which are -very pretty—surrounded by gardens. About two in the afternoon the -officiating priests began to arrive, followed by thousands of Hindoos. -The doors of the temple were thrown open to all comers. The priests -placed themselves at the foot of the shrines, on each of which were -several idols—Siva, the chief god, above, and Rama and Seeta below. The -people poured forth their offerings to the priests. Those who could not -get into the temples pressed around the sacred pool, throwing themselves -into its holy waters and coming out free from all impurities. A great -many young women with peculiarly interesting faces were kneeling outside -of the temples and praying, with their eyes closed and their hands -folded, for some especial blessing. It was an interesting sight, but for -the fakeers and gossains, who make a disgusting spectacle of themselves, -and, strange to say, are encouraged by the pure, mild, and modest -Brahman priests to do so. As it was, we returned home shocked with the -nudity and filth of these sacred beggars, but very much impressed with -the perfectly pure and religious nature of the Hindoos, who have very -beautiful forms and faces, and even those that are not absolutely -beautiful have so much grace and gentleness about them that they attract -the eye and remain impressed on the memory with something of the charm -of a beautiful painting.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_5_5" id="Footnote_5_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_5_5"><span class="label">[5]</span></a> The Borahs are natives of Guzerat, converted to Islamism -about five and a half centuries ago. They are remarkable for their -extraordinary intelligence in trade. The name "Borah" signifies merchant -in the Guzerati dialect. These Borahs are a distinct sect, followers of -one Moolah Allih, who is buried in the old city of Cambay. They pay -reverence to Mohammed Hussain, called in the records of the Crusaders -"The Prince of the Assassins" and also "the Old Man of the Mountains." -They transmit a fifth of their gains to the Saiyads of Medinah, and pay -eleemosynary contributions to the chief of their learned men, who -distribute alms among the poor. (See <i>Asiatic Researches</i>, paper by H. -T. Colebrook.)</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_6_6" id="Footnote_6_6"></a><a href="#FNanchor_6_6"><span class="label">[6]</span></a> A professor of Sanskrit or other branches of Indian -literature.</p></div></div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER III.</h2> - -<blockquote><p>The Island of Shashtee, commonly called Salsette.—Gharipoore, "the -Town of Purification," or the Island and Caves of Elephanta.</p></blockquote> - -<p>Early one morning, after almost a week's preparation for the trip, we -found ourselves in a large roomy bunder-boat flying before the wind -straight for the beautiful island of Salsette, which lies to the north -and is united to the smaller island of Bombay by a causeway erected -during the administration of Governor Duncan, chiefly to enable the -natives of the larger islands to bring their produce to the Bombay -markets.</p> - -<p>Presently we entered upon a wonderful river, flowing through the land -out of the sea and dividing this island from the continent, at the very -mouth of which are the bleak, barren island and mountains of Trombay, -the latter rising up nine hundred feet high. We passed along reefs of -gold, now over wide swamps, our boat riding above and crushing down the -tall waving grass, and anon we would suddenly shoot almost within touch -of dark hollow caverns, and looking up see the high beetling cliffs -piled one above the other, surmounted by the ruins of some of old -Portuguese or Mahratta forts or castles, covered with wild flowers and -huge creeping plants. The scenes along the banks of this river are wild -and romantic enough to satisfy the most enthusiastic lover of nature. We -cast anchor at length at Tannah, having reached "a land all sun and -blossom, trees as high as heaven, amid every bird that sings."</p> - -<p>Tannah, the chief town of the island of Salsette, was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> taken by the -troops of the East India Company in the year 1774, and by a treaty then -entered into the Mahratta king, Raghu Nauth, ceded in perpetuity to the -company Bassein with its dependencies, the island of Salsette, the -entire districts of Jainbhosir and other valuable provinces adjoining it -in Guzerat. It is chiefly inhabited by Roman Catholic Christians, the -majority of whom are converts from Hindooism. The interior of the island -is inhabited by a peculiar tribe of peasants who are to this day in a -condition as wild as the Bheels and Konds of Guzerat and Central India. -These peasants are burners of charcoal; they dwell together among the -hills, but apart from all other tribes, and have neither intercourse nor -any social bond with the Hindoos of the plain. At stated times they -bring down their loads of charcoal in rude carts drawn by buffaloes to -particular spots, whence it is carried away by the Hindoo or Portuguese -buyer, who, according to a settled custom among them, deposits in its -place rice, clothing, and iron tools. This excessive shyness is said to -be owing to the contempt in which the natives, as outcasts, are held by -their Hindoo neighbors.</p> - -<p>We were met on our landing by a very polite and obliging native -Portuguese, the elder brother of my husband's tailor Tom, in whose -company we walked about the town and at whose house we stayed during our -visit.</p> - -<p>Tannah, the chief town of the island of Salsette, takes its name from -the beautiful river which flows at its base, and which was anciently -called <i>Tainnah-Dèo</i>, "the Limb of God." It runs deep and narrow in -front of the town. It is a place of great antiquity, probably dating -back to the days of Vicrâmaditya, of whose universal and beneficent -rule, 57 <span class="smaller">B. C.</span>, tradition is yet eloquent throughout India. The ruins -here are few and not very interesting. There are some massive walls of a -great square building<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span> that was once a Mahratta citadel, and some -ponderous old arches that have fallen and are now covered with beautiful -wild creepers; also a Hindoo temple, a vast, shapeless mass of -architecture, but almost animate with the innumerable gods and goddesses -that grin and smirk at one from every cornice and entablature of the -building. There is here a small but perfect little fortress, from which, -during the last Mahratta war, the famous Trimbukjee escaped, occupied by -a small European garrison. The government prison is also well worth -visiting. We were surprised to see the manner in which the prisoners of -all ranks, creeds, and nationalities worked together within these walls. -Most of the prisoners, however, were of the Takhor race. They were -busily employed in the manufacture of very valuable striped cotton -stuffs much prized by the natives for scarfs, cumberbunds, and -waist-cloths.</p> - -<div class="center"><a name="i063.jpg" id="i063.jpg"></a><img src="images/i063.jpg" alt="Caves of Elephanta" /></div> - -<p class="bold"><span class="smcap">Caves of Elephanta.</span></p> - -<p>The cavern temples that are found in this island are the chief objects -of interest.</p> - -<p>On the morning following our arrival, furnished with two guides and -accompanied by our pundit, we started off to visit some of these -remarkable excavations in the mountains that stretch across the middle -of this island. At first, the road, though very narrow and rugged, lies -through a most beautiful valley formed by hills of moderate height, -covered with forests to their summits, with here and there patches of -bare rock, while the ravines and the valley itself were planted with -groves of mangoes and several varieties of the palm. For some time we -saw but few traces of inhabitants; we passed during a ride of more than -eight miles but one small village, a collection of most -miserable-looking huts, a few half-starved looking children, and a troop -of pariah dogs, who rushed out to bark at us.</p> - -<p>At another small village, named Viarè, we came upon<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span> what seemed a -jungle, open in some parts and in others densely thick, abounding in -hyenas, tigers, panthers, and the wild-boar; passing through this with -anything but pleasurable feelings, we reached Toolsey, named after a -famous Hindoo goddess who, like the Greek Clytie, loved some Hindoo god, -and was by him, out of pity for her unrequited passion, transformed into -the beautiful toolsey-plant, whence her name. This is a lovely spot, -encircled with hills, the highest of which is Khennari, its face -perforated with no less than one hundred cavern temples. Under a fine -banyan tree which stands in an open plain we passed the night. In -northern latitudes one can form no idea of the peculiar beauty of the -night with a bright moon shining overhead.</p> - -<p>Almost at dawn next morning we set off for the temples. The ascent to -the Khennari Hills is somewhat steep and difficult, but after a hard -climb we gained a platform, and was confronted by a stone porch leading -into an arched cavern temple of great majesty and beauty. These cavern -temples are scattered over both sides of a high rocky hill at many -different elevations, consisting of no less than six stories or tiers of -caverns, of various sizes and forms, all excavated out of the rocky -surface of the mountain and connected with each other by narrow stone -steps cut in the rock. The façades and great court are most imposing.</p> - -<p>Entering through a fine lofty portico, we saw a little to the left hand -a curious octagonal pillar, detached from the rock and surmounted by -three well-carved lions seated back to back. Passing this, we were -suddenly introduced into an elaborately carved vestibule, at the end of -which is a colossal statue of Buddha, with his hands raised in the -attitude of benediction. The stone screen which here separates the -vestibule from the body of the temple is<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span> covered with a row of male and -female figures half nude; the expression of the faces of these figures -is remarkably calm and thoughtful, and the whole is executed with -considerable spirit. Above them the rocks are carved into a profusion of -graceful sculptures.</p> - -<p>The great temple or cave is divided into three aisles by regular -colonnades of octagonal pillars; of these, the twelve on each side -nearest the entrance are ornamented with exquisitely carved bases and -capitals in the style usual in Indian temples. The arch of the vault is -occupied by a dagoba or mausoleum, perhaps of some early disciple of -Buddha. It is cylindrical in the shaft and surmounted by a cupola. On -the right and left of the portico are two colossal figures of Buddha, -perhaps twenty feet in height.<a name="FNanchor_7_7" id="FNanchor_7_7"></a><a href="#Footnote_7_7" class="fnanchor">[7]</a> The ceiling of this cave is arched -semicircularly and ornamented with slender ribs of fine teak-wood, -disposed as if for the support of the ponderous dome overhead, but in -reality for the floral decorations which on solemn <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span>occasions were hung -from them. A flight of steps cut into the same mountain leads by various -intricate paths to smaller caves or cells, consisting only of a portico -and two small chambers, with everywhere seats for the disciples or the -recluse cut into the rock. To each cave there is a cistern for the -preservation of rain-water, some larger and more elegantly carved and -finished than others. The whole appearance of this excavated hill of -Khennari is that of a Buddhist monastic city, the cells and temples, the -apartments and cisterns, hewn in the rocky sides of the mountain.</p> - -<p>On Sunday we attended the Roman Catholic church, which is a stone's -throw from the home of our Portuguese friends. Early on Sunday morning -the streets were filled with men, women, and children, entirely of the -Portuguese population. The men were, with a few exceptions, quietly -dressed in the ordinary European attire, which the majority don only on -stated occasions, with the black silk hat of modern fashion, carrying -prayer-books, fans, and footstools of the ladies of their party. It was -a pleasant sight. The Portuguese here are entirely independent of the -Romish Church, and from simple contact have adopted the mode of life and -a great many superstitions of the Hindoos. One finds everywhere in India -not only Hindooized Mohammedans, but Hindooized Christians. Their -priests are natives of the country, under the jurisdiction of the -archbishop of Goa, who is a sort of Indian pope. Their worship is so -much more pagan than Christian that when in a Roman Catholic church in -any part of India one finds it difficult to believe that it is not the -worship of Khrishna or Brahm.</p> - -<p>The native Portuguese are darker than the darkest of the better class of -Indians, showing a mixed and degenerate race.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span></p><p>I accompanied our host and his family to church. The children were -charming with their little pink trowsers, lace over-slips, pink shoes, -and were adorned with jewels; the only difference between the dresses of -the little boy and the girls was that the boy sported a hat like that -seen in the pictures of Bonaparte, which gave him a most whimsical air, -and the little girls had white handkerchiefs tied neatly under their -chins. I took little Marium's hand, and off we went; looking toward the -deep flowing river, I saw a string of Brahman priests marching solemnly -along the steep banks preparatory to beginning their morning services, -for our Sabbath is also their day of sacrifice and prayer to Suriya, the -sun-god. I was very much tempted to abandon my Christian friends and -follow the Brahman priests, but I restrained myself, and was soon within -the <i>temple</i> of Jesus Christ. I say designedly the <i>temple</i> of Jesus -Christ. It was crowded with images—perhaps one ought to say idols—of -God the Father, Christ the Son, the Virgin Mother, and the Holy Ghost, -besides quantities of relics, sacred vessels, tapers, candles, -incense-burners swinging from the roof, flowers both natural and -artificial, and all kinds of beads and shells on the altar. High above -the altar was a great porcelain figure of the Virgin jewelled and -crowned as queen of heaven, with her arms stretched out in benediction.</p> - -<p>We pressed in. The service had not begun. All the men, women, and -children prostrated themselves—some at full length; others, being -crowded for room, squatted down and touched the brick pavement with -their outspread open palms and then their foreheads; after which the -rich, among whom were classed my friends, took their seats, and the -crowd remained kneeling on the bare floor. Presently the priests, of -whom there were no less than a dozen, appeared, gaudily dressed in -tinsel and lace, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span> took their places before the altar, keeping their -heads covered. Now the service began, which consisted of some chants in -a kind of Latin known only to the priests, and not fully understood even -by them, with dressings and undressings, perpetual genuflexions, turning -from the altar to the people, swinging of censers, marching and -countermarching with the baby figure of Christ and a pretty wax doll -which represented the mother; these the men, women, and children kissed -with apparently genuine pleasure. This done, boys dressed as angels in -long white robes and with wings attached to their shoulders, entered, -each bearing a lighted candle and a lily, as do the Buddhists at prayer, -chanting some beautiful hymn, of which no one understood a word, and -even the music was wild and Oriental. Then finally came the ringing of -multitudinous little bells (another Buddhist custom when about to -exhibit a tooth or any other relic of Buddha), and up rose the Host, as -large as an ordinary fan, composed of glutinous rice. In the centre was -a white spot, and around it rays of gold proceeding outward. All fell -upon their faces; little Marium and I alone were the lookers-on, but -suddenly my gentle hostess gave her little daughter a vigorous push, -which sent her head foremost to the floor, whispering, "The body of -God!" I bowed my head out of respect for the poor human hearts that -worshipped here, and not without a deep sense of humiliation at -witnessing the complicated and ingenious ceremonies by which these -ecclesiastics, an outgrowth of the Church of Rome, cultivate and foster -the credulity and ignorance of the people, whom they teach to rely more -on certain forms and the supernatural agencies of the Virgin and relics -of deceased saints than upon religious and moral truths. After the "body -of God" a bone of some martyred Indian saint who had been converted to -Christianity was held up for<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span> adoration; again the people bowed down; -and then came the end, the benediction, amid more ringing of bells and -swinging of censers.</p> - -<p>Who can witness these imbecilities and not hold the native Portuguese -clergy accountable for withholding the true knowledge, the simple -teachings of Jesus, the true Bread of life, and for substituting -superstitions and pageantries not one whit superior to, but in some -respects even more degrading than, the most debasing paganism which they -have supplanted? Forms are the same, the names alone have been changed; -otherwise, the Roman Catholicism I have everywhere witnessed in India is -essentially the same as the lowest forms of paganism.</p> - -<p>Before dawn next morning we took leave of our kind friends, and in our -comfortable bunder-boat started for the island of Elephanta, or -Gharipoore. After a couple of hours or more of pleasant sailing we -reached the island. I found it larger and more beautiful than I had -expected. A good part of it is under cultivation, especially all around -a village of tolerable size, above which a couple of clearly-defined -hills rise from the sea to a considerable height. The view as you ascend -to the right is simply magnificent: the twin mountains seem to be knit -together by a grand old forest, the one rising slightly higher than the -other. The name "Elephanta" was given to it, some say, by the Greeks, -others by the Portuguese conquerors; however that may be, the name of -the caves was anciently "Gharipoore," or, "the Town of the Rock," or, -according to some, "the Town of Purification."</p> - -<p>We ascended a long flight of stone steps, in the wake of a party of -fakeers, Hindoo priests, and half-nude men beating tomtoms, which at -length brought us to a very handsome and spacious platform shaded with -some fine old trees.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span></p><p>Here the party of Hindoo priests, drummers, and fakeers sat down to -rest, while we went on a short distance and reached the entrance to the -famous caves of Elephanta. The principal cave is of great extent, -excavated out of the solid rock; the colossal columns of the portico -seem to hold up the mountain above them. On either side of the entrance -great creepers come down in heavy masses over the mountain. Rows and -rows of columns handsomely ornamented appear within, growing beautifully -less in the distance and vanishing amid gloomy shadows and a thousand -fantastic shapes. The gateway or porch is still in excellent -preservation; it leads directly through the heart of the mountain. The -different shrines, which contain objects of Hindoo worship, are placed -on each side. In the centre there is seen by the light of torches a -majestic altar of stone, now in a state of decay, supporting a gigantic -bust of three noble heads, two of which are in profile. The Hindoo -Trinity, Maha Dèo, the Great God, commonly called Brahm, the Hindoo -Creator, occupies the centre in full relief. The eyes are half closed, -the expression serene and tranquil. It seems to be carved from a living -model, and is a perfect Oriental ideal of masculine beauty, with the -delicate and refined outline of the features and the deep contemplation -expressed in those large downcast eyes. The forehead is crowned with a -lofty diadem exquisitely carved, not unlike the mitres worn by the -bishops of the Roman Church; the right arm, which is very much broken, -once grasped the head of a cobra da capello, which, our pundit explained -to us, here typifies in its sublimest sense the masculine or creative -energy of the world.</p> - -<p>Siva, to whom this cavern temple is said to be dedicated, and who is -seen in another compartment with his consort Parvati, with a chaplet of -skulls round his neck, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span>eight-handed, and bearing the cobra, and whose -name in Sanskrit signifies either happiness or pleasure, is seen in -profile on the right. In a hand outstretched from the altar he also -grasps a cobra, but with its hood extended wide. In his hand the -character of the symbol is transformed with the god into that of the -avenger or destroyer. The god's mouth is distorted with grimaces, and he -puts out the tip of his tongue, by which, according to our pundit and -guide, he mocks at the sensualist, and says as plainly as our Bible, -"The wages of sin is death."</p> - -<p>On the left side of Maha Dèo is Vishnu, in the grand character of -preserver; the head is very noble and the face of no common beauty; it -wears a tender and smiling expression. He no longer holds the symbol at -once of masculine creative energy and of sensuality, but a peculiar -oblong lotos-shaped cup or flower, the higher and purer symbol of -maternity. Our pundit gave this wonderful bit of sculpture, which -reaches from the low altar to the ceiling of the temple, the name of -"Maha Trimourtri, the Great Three-in-One." By some it is called Bhava -Natria, "Love threefold." Whatever else it may be called, it certainly -makes a wonderful impression seen high above from the principal aisle, -guarded on all sides by gigantic and well-proportioned caryatides. The -shape of the largest cave is cruciform and resembles the plan of an -ancient basilica.</p> - -<p>The massiveness and strength of the pillars, which find their deep -foundations in the earth below, supporting the elephant-shaped mountain -above, is rendered more and more striking by the thousand and one scenes -of Hindoo, and particularly Saivic,<a name="FNanchor_8_8" id="FNanchor_8_8"></a><a href="#Footnote_8_8" class="fnanchor">[8]</a> mythology, in part solemn and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span> -majestic, and in part grotesque and absurd, that fill every part of the -walls; gods and goddesses, heroes and monsters, almost stand out of the -rocks. Here are carved strong and clear the story of the babe Krishna -and the slaughter of the infants by his uncle Cansa. Everywhere are -curious and venerable specimens of sculpture, which, though shamefully -mutilated in parts, still show so high an advance in art, and possess so -indescribable an aspect of animated life, that one half expects the -stone figures to move or to speak. A great number of the pillars have -been undermined by the accumulation of water in the cavern temple; the -capitals of some and parts of the shafts of others remain suspended from -the ceiling like huge stalactites. Enormous creepers and trees have -forced themselves through certain cracks and crevices in the mountain, -and the whole scene is very wild and pagan; which enhances the beauty -and mysterious appearance of the caves.</p> - -<p>On going through a passage guarded by stone lions the pundit took a -little tin box out of his pocket, opened it, and scattered some -odoriferous snuff on the head of the lions, and then took a little pinch -himself. His explanation was, that he had taken cold, and snuff was his -remedy for it. "But," said I, "the stone lions haven't taken cold -too?"—"Oh, that," said he, "was a propitiatory offering, lest I should -sneeze in their sacred presence."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span></p><p>As we went out of the great stone porch the declining sun sent a long -line of light through the aisle, the wind blew softly, and the island -stretched away green and beautiful, surrounded with the sea all -a-glitter with the rosy hues of the setting sun. In many places we -noticed traces of color, but everywhere are to be seen the ruthless -mutilations this cave has suffered both from the conquering Mohammedan -and Portuguese soldiers; most of the colossal statues are defaced and -broken, the arms and limbs of innumerable figures are prostrate. Long -lines of pictured story and inscriptions are effaced, but there are -still standing rows and rows of gods and goddesses, their heads crowned -with garlands. These figures, although much defaced, still show that the -artist carved some of the female forms with only one breast, like the -famed Amazons of Greek story. The temple or city of purification was -desecrated centuries ago, and it is now deserted, save for an annual -fair and occasional visits from Brahmans and fakeers; it can boast of -none of the splendors of its palmy days.</p> - -<p>About fifteen miles from "Gorabunder," on the mainland, lies -Bassein—or, as it was anciently called, Vassai—once a proud city and -the chief seat of the early Portuguese settlers in this part of India. -But for nearly three-quarters of a century it has ceased to be -inhabited. The city is of considerable size, and surrounded by a regular -fortification of rampart and bastions. It is kept locked up under a -small body of soldiers and an English conductor of ordnance.</p> - -<p>By permission obtained from the authorities at Bombay we spent a very -interesting day wandering over this deserted city, its ruined towers, -cloisters, convents, monasteries, and churches, that once belonged to -the Jesuits, which are here crumbling away unheard of and unnoticed.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span> -The only building in good repair is a small pagoda raised over a -Mahratta saint amid a display of the most melancholy of ruined houses, -churches, and colleges. In the vast jungle-covered cemetery of the dead -Portuguese are the tombs of the great Don Lorenço and the famous -Albuquerque. In one of the largest of the churches there is a monument -to a certain lady, Donna Maria de Souza, of the date of 1606.</p> - -<p>Bassein was wrested from the Mahrattas by the Portuguese in 1532 <span class="smaller">A. D.</span> -But the Mahrattas laid siege to it again under the renowned Chinaje Apa, -brother of the Peishwa Baji Rao, and after a desperate struggle the -Portuguese were forced to capitulate. It is said that the English in -Bombay might have saved them this defeat and humiliation, but from a -feeling of jealousy of the power and influence of the Portuguese in -India refused them all aid, except that of advancing fifteen hundred -rupees, for which they took some very valuable church plate and some -brass guns, which were actually removed from the defence of Bassein as -security. They were finally induced, however, to make some amends for -this barbarous treatment of fellow-Christians, and sent boats with a -strong escort to convey the refugees to Bombay, whence they started for -Goa, but were once more attacked and almost annihilated by the -Mahrattas. In 1780 the English attacked, stormed, and captured the city -of Bassein once more from the fierce Mahrattas, and have held it ever -since, a melancholy monument of the departed greatness of the Portuguese -conquerors. Such is the fate of conquering nations. It can hardly be -doubted that if the English were now expelled from India the few relics -left of their religion, their power, and their civil and military -magnificence would be swept rapidly away, and would in the course of a -century or two leave not a trace behind them.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_7_7" id="Footnote_7_7"></a><a href="#FNanchor_7_7"><span class="label">[7]</span></a> The following extract from Dr. Bird's <i>Caves of Western -India</i> may prove interesting to the curious reader: -</p><p> -"The tope (a monument erected over a Buddhist relic, sometimes -resembling a pagoda) at Khanari was opened by me in 1839. The largest, -being selected for examination, was penetrated from above to the base, -which was built of stone. In this tope the workmen found two small -copper urns, in one of which were a ruby, a pearl, and a small piece of -gold mixed with the ashes. In this urn there was also a small gold box -containing a piece of cloth; and in the other ashes (probably of some -cremated saint) and a silver box were also found. Outside, a circular -stone was found, and to it were fixed two copper plates in the Salh or -cave characters. The inscriptions read thus: 'Whatever meritorious acts -proceed from cause of these the source Tathagata (Buddha) has declared; -the opposing principle of these the great one of golden origin has also -demonstrated;' or, in other words, Whatever merit may proceed from these -acts, Buddha has explained its source to you, and also the opposite -principle of these acts; he has also demonstrated to you the one of -golden origin. This discovery establishes the fact that these caves are -of Buddhist origin, and probably date from the beginning of the -Christian era."</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_8_8" id="Footnote_8_8"></a><a href="#FNanchor_8_8"><span class="label">[8]</span></a> The Saivi Hindoos are those who worship Siva or Shiva, one -of the Brahman Trinity, as chief god; the lingam or phallus is sacred to -him. Their chief act of worship is performed on the fourteenth night of -the dark half of every moon. They fast during the day, and at night -repair to their temples, repeat the names of their god—of which there -are no less than one thousand, all expressive of certain spiritual and -physical qualities, passions, acts, etc.—pour the leaves of the bheel -tree, sacred to Shiva, because they are heart-shaped, over the lingam, -then rub it with oil, and finally sprinkle it with consecrated water. At -the Shivaratri, or the night of Shiva, which falls once a year on a dark -night, a fair is held at the caves of Elephanta during the day, and a -night-vigil from eight o'clock till five in the morning, accompanied -with music, prayer, and other strange ceremonies.</p></div></div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER IV.</h2> - -<blockquote><p>Sampwallahs, or Serpent-Charmers.—Jâdoowallahs, or -Miracle-performers.—Nuzer-bundyânâ, Mesmerizers.—Yogees, -Spiritual Jugglers, and Naga-Poojmi, or Serpent-Worship, in India.</p></blockquote> - -<p>Life in the East is altogether so novel, so full of dramatic sights and -sounds, that one's curiosity seems to grow with the abundant nourishment -it finds everywhere. Now one sees a Mohammedan funeral, or the -procession of gorgeous Taboots of Moslems, or gods of the Hindoos; anon -the body of a Hindoo or a Parsee borne on an open bier by white-robed -priests, the one to be burned, the other to be abandoned to birds of -prey in their strange silent "towers of the dead." Sometimes a gay -procession of dancing-girls, followed by troops of men and elephants -richly caparisoned, waltzing all the way to the temple and keeping time -to the pipes, cymbals, and the beating of most discordant drums; at -others, a poor funeral of some low-caste person, quiet and -unpretending—an open bier, on it perhaps an only child in its every-day -soiled garments, followed by women wailing and beating their breasts and -throwing dust on their heads. This wailing is inexpressibly mournful. -One morning, as I sat at work in my room, there came floating upon the -breeze toward the "Aviary" a sharp, penetrating, and very peculiar cry. -While I listened there came another and another of these unearthly -sounds; again they were repeated, and all at once there appeared in -sight a band of half-naked men accompanied by two women and a perfectly -nude little<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span> child—all so strange and weird-looking that I almost felt -the victim of some illusion.</p> - -<p>They were a band of sampwallahs, or serpent-charmers, and in rather a -bewildered state of mind I watched the gang approach the front of the -house and take their places around the doorsteps. Having deposited their -bags and baskets, they proceeded to salââm before me. I could not summon -resolution to send them away, as my curiosity was gradually getting -better of my fears, nor could I bring myself to witness their -performance in the absence of my husband. I therefore sent a message to -the one who seemed the headman of the band by my "ayah," or maid, to -inquire if they would not go away now and return in the afternoon about -four o'clock. "Return? Why, what is to prevent us from remaining just -where we are until the master comes home?" I could see no just reason -save my own fears to have them lounging around my lonely house, and in -spite of these concluded to let them stay.</p> - -<p>Strange it was to see these, to me almost supernatural men and women, -enjoying themselves as naturally and innocently for three or four full -hours as did this company of wild serpent-charmers and jugglers. The two -women of the party searched for the most delicate and polished pebbles -to be found in the gravelled walks of the garden, and entertained -themselves by digging holes in the sand and rolling their pebbles with -great skill into these, hitting off one with another, and seeming to -think it capital sport. Some of the men took some caiah, or -cocoanut-fibre, out of their bags and proceeded to twist a rope out of -it. Some lighted long pipes and began to smoke quietly, stroking down -the cobra de capellos, who would poke their heads from under the baskets -by their sides. The boy of the party had a bit of rag spread for<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span> him -under an adjoining tree, and here he stretched himself at full length to -sleep, with a basket of snakes for his pillow. Every now and then the -upper lid of this basket seemed to open and a snake would thrust out his -head, as if to survey the sleeping boy, then as suddenly withdraw. All -the while the beautiful sea gleamed and sparkled and dashed against the -rocks in front of the "Aviary," and completed this strange picture.</p> - -<div class="center"><a name="i078.jpg" id="i078.jpg"></a><img src="images/i078.jpg" alt="Native Snake Charmers" /></div> - -<p class="bold"><span class="smcap">Native Snake Charmers.</span></p> - -<p>A little after four o'clock my husband arrived, and, seated on the steps -of the "Aviary," we witnessed some most astonishing performances. Before -beginning his music, and while the women were girding themselves for -action, the snake-charmer paid us some very startling and original -compliments. All at once, seizing his bagpipe-like instrument and -puffing out his polished black cheeks, he produced the same queer melody -that I had first heard, with its endless reverberations, creating a -strange effect upon one's nerves. The women kept time to these sounds by -motions the most gently waving that one could conceive of. When the -sounds were low and faint they waved their arms and bent downward in -graceful undulating curves; then again, as the sounds began to be shrill -and piercing, they raised their arms aloft, turned up their faces to the -sky, and, poised on tiptoe, beat a rhythmic movement to the sound. The -dance was in itself a wonder of grace and flexibility. But, strangest -sight of all, the serpents were equally moved. In raising their heads -they had thrown off the covers of the baskets, and presently every -snake, large and small—and there were no less than six—had begun to -take part in this dance, their eyes glistening, their forked tongues -extended, their hoods spread to the utmost; they raised themselves on -the abdomen and swayed their heads to and fro, following the movements -of the charmers and seemingly ravished with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span> the strange sounds. There -was not a doubt in my mind, as I watched the serpents, that they -distinguished the varieties of sound, for with every rise and fall of -the music they kept time with their inflated hoods and slender forms.</p> - -<p>Suddenly the serpent-charmer started to his feet and began a wild -circular movement, accompanied with wilder and more energetic sounds, -which were reverberated from every rock of the hill. After a few minutes -he stood still, and, taking for a moment the instrument from his mouth, -uttered a sudden "Ah!" short, sharp, and guttural, and all at once -resumed his former movements both of sound and action. We involuntarily -turned our eyes in the direction of those of the serpent-charmer, and -noticed a slight movement in the grass and brushwood that covered the -ground-floor of the "Aviary;" and as we looked the head and neck of a -cobra de capello of large size rose above the grass. The strange reptile -approached nearer and nearer. He passed with folded hood through the -open wirework of the "Aviary." Out of it, he once more unfolded his -hood, and, waving it to and fro, looked like one suddenly awakened to -some subtle and purely spiritual influence; he leaped rather than crept -toward the sound of the charmer; every curve, every change of motion, -and every movement of the body betrayed an exquisite apprehension of the -peculiar waves of the melody. The serpent, followed by another more -slender in proportions, leaped almost into the arms of the charmer, and, -swinging their bodies to and fro, both snakes seemed to give themselves -up to the enchantment of sound. Very slowly but deliberately the -serpent-charmer dropped one hand, and, stooping over the head of the -largest serpent, playing all the while, grappled it just under the head -by the thumb and forefinger and handed it to one of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span> the men. This done, -he proceeded to enchant and capture the smaller snake, which was -accomplished in the same way. Then he dropped his instrument, took a -curious flint knife out of his bag, and, pressing tightly the windpipe -of each of the serpents in turn, cut out the bags containing the -poisonous fluid and dropped the deadly reptiles, now rendered for ever -harmless, into the bags. This was done in broad daylight, in the open -air, where no deception could have been practised.</p> - -<p>Some persons have suggested that these two snakes might have been -brought by the band and let loose in the "Aviary." Even if this were so, -it could not destroy the mystery of the influence which certain sounds -evidently exercised over the serpents, who voluntarily returned to -captivity even before the poison-bag had been cut out, the removal of -which, according to all testimony, renders them harmless and agreeable -pets. As far as my observation went, I am inclined to believe that these -snakes were perfectly wild till caught by the serpent-charmer.</p> - -<p>When I asked him by what power he compelled these snakes to abandon -their holes and come out to hear his music, his reply was -characteristic. "Asmani ka jore se, Maim Sahib," translated into -English, would mean, "By the secret power of the heavenly motions."</p> - -<p>The other tricks of the band were very wonderful, but not as absorbing -as serpent-charming. They appeared to cause a seed to bud, grow, -blossom, and bear fruit in the open air in a short space of time and -with but few contrivances. They showed us a mango-seed, which they -planted before our eyes in a pot of prepared soil brought with them; -this they watered again and again with a peculiar liquid, also in their -possession. Each time that there was a positive growth in the tree the -round basket which covered it was removed, and our attention called<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span> to -the fact that it was growing. When the tree had outgrown the basket a -large cloth was thrown over it. Finally, it was presented to us full -grown, and, though dwarfed in stature, with ripe mangoes hanging from -its branches. They invited me to taste the fruit, which I did, and found -it decidedly inferior in flavor to the most ordinary mango produced in -the natural way. The curious part of this feat is this, that the tree -itself, supposing they carried it about with them, had that fresh and -vigorous look of active life and growth which it could not possibly -retain out of the earth in a hot climate for any length of time without -a very delicate and careful knowledge of how to preserve plant-life on -the part of these apparently savage jugglers. I have also seen them -produce flowers on plants in the same way.</p> - -<p>A great many other feats and tricks were performed, such as throwing up -a top, and not only catching it on the end of a slender stick, but -balancing it on the point of the nose, and causing it, without any new -impetus to stop or to go on spinning at the request of the spectator.</p> - -<p>Some of the tricks are called <i>nuzzerbund</i>, "blindfolding" or -mesmerizing the spectator. A ring is placed in your hand and you are -requested to hold the hand tightly between your folded knees, and when -you look again you find a little dust. One of these tricks, called -<i>khano-nuzzerbund</i>, "ears and eyes bound," is that of a small boy being -put into a basket and made to disappear and reappear. Our juggler -produced a small basket and beckoned to the boy to get into it, which he -did; two of the men then produced instruments that looked like -flageolets and began to play, moving round the head of the child. This -seemed to have a peculiar effect on the boy, who appeared like one in -paroxysms of pain. It was very distressing to witness his convulsions, -and even while we looked the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span> child began to disappear in the basket. -The moment he was out of sight the musicians seized long knives and fell -upon the basket and pierced it with many thrusts, and it seemed certain -that the child was not in it, nor could we see him anywhere. Presently -they straightened out the basket and resumed their music, when, all at -once, from afar the clear answering voice of the child was heard; nearer -and nearer came the sound, until the basket swelled and distended, and, -lo! there was the boy peering from under the lid serene and smiling.</p> - -<p>These jugglers call themselves Jâdoo-wallahs, and are of the same tribe -as the Yogees who follow the Mohammedan processions and cut themselves -with knives and sharpened flints in order to extract money from the more -tender-hearted of the crowds who always frequent such spectacles. The -name of Jâdoo-wallah is a corruption of the words Yahdèo-Wallah, "filled -with god-power." The common people believe that these powers are -bestowed upon them by the gods, and thus do everything and anything in -their power to propitiate the goodwill of the Jâdoo-wallahs. As acrobats -they far surpass the Europeans. One of the men who performed for us -received on his right shoulder, as lightly as if it had been a feather, -a heavy weight which was dropped from an over-hanging branch of a tree -above.</p> - -<p>It was dusk before the jugglers and serpent-charmers finished their -astonishing feats and performances. We handed them five rupees, and they -were delighted with this liberality, though I had feared they would not -think it enough. They departed with the usual benediction, "Both burrus -Jeho Sahib loke. Tumarra bucha kè bucha Ingrage kè guddee per bait -jowoh" ("Long may you live, gentlefolk, and may your children's children -seat themselves on the British throne").</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span></p><p>Not long after we had an opportunity of witnessing the grand -serpent-festival held in Bombay and other parts of Hindostan in the -months of July and August. It is called "the naga-poojmi," literally, -"serpent-worship." There are many tribes in India who have assumed the -name of Nagas or Serpents from the earliest times. Diodorus supposes -that the snake had been used as their crest or banner. There are three -kinds of serpent-worship practised in India, and each is peculiar to a -distinct class of people, although all the natives of India, except the -Mohammedans, either from dread of the deadly serpent or from a feeling -of veneration, join in the festival of the naga-poojmi.</p> - -<p>The first of these is the worship paid to the serpent by the high-caste -Brahmans, who adopted the early serpent-worship from the non-Aryan -populations, placing the serpent, as a symbol of the masculine energy of -the world, in the hand and sometimes around the head of Brahma, the -chief god of their trinity; they adroitly represent that on the day -sacred to the serpent, Krishna, their last incarnation, slew the great -serpent Kali, who was just in the act of swallowing up the sun and moon. -The second is the worship made to the serpent-gods carved in their -temples by the non-Aryan and low-caste races of India, by whom the -serpent is regarded in the light of a benefactor and friend, and to whom -it was at one time customary to offer annually a human victim to -propitiate its deadly sting. And, last of all, is the worship paid to it -by the professional snake-charmer, to whom the art of taming the serpent -has been transmitted from father to son, and in whose eyes the serpent -is an oracle of wisdom, the harbinger of all good things, and last, but -not least, a means of livelihood to the tribe.</p> - -<p>On the last day of the waning moon at the end of July we rode out, -accompanied by a party of friends, to the native<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span> part of the city, -where we were told the chief of the serpent-worshippers were assembled. -Here we found an immense throng of men and women gayly dressed, bands of -handsome dancing-girls in flowing veils and glittering jewels, and rows -of young maidens beautifully attired, with offerings of rice and milk, -and some with fruit and flowers tastefully arranged in baskets which -they carried on their heads; others with baskets filled with such -flowers as serpents are reported to delight in—the champu, the -marigold, the water-lily, the tuberose, and quantities of the -snake-plant commonly called <i>sampkèmah</i>, "the mother of the serpent." We -passed through the crowd and succeeded in reaching the centre of a great -<i>maidan</i>, or open plain, where we stood.</p> - -<p>Not far off clustered a vast number of serpents, with their charmers and -worshippers. Immediately behind this curious assembly was a temple -dedicated to the snake-god. From within these walls the lights, kept -burning in great numbers, could be seen pale and ghastly amid the -daylight, and the sounds of the tomtom and gongs beat in honor of the -idol were heard; some noble old peepul trees surrounded the temple. -Right in front of the temple were placed great basins containing milk -and a preparation of rice and milk called <i>khir</i>, for the serpents. -Those, however, that fed out of the basins were mostly all tame; they -coiled in and out and round about the worshippers in a careless and easy -manner. But farther on, beyond the stone basins and amid flowers and -floods of sunshine, women dancing and men and boys singing, might be -seen the deadly cobra de capellos now and then inflating their hoods and -keeping time to the music.</p> - -<p>The Brahman worship of the serpent is characteristic. Regarding the -snake purely as a symbol, each priest prepares a clay figure of a cobra -and winds it when in a <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span>plastic state round a tall pole, the upper part -of which is ornamented with a ring, which in its turn typifies the -feminine powers of nature.</p> - -<p>On the day of the festival thousands of Brahmans, each with his pole -thus ornamented, accompanied by musicians and dancing-girls, the former -playing on their instruments and the latter keeping time to the music -and performing a mystic circular dance, surrounded by half-naked fakeers -and gossains, who keep shouting and leaping about, traverse the length -and breadth of the native town till they reach their temples. Entering -these, they plant their poles in front of the shrine of Siva, after -which they make over the clay serpent a wave-offering of fire, pouring -over it the oil pressed from the "telah," or sesamum-seed, sacred to the -serpent, and repeat the prayer, "Life has sway over all in earth and -heaven; protect us as a mother her children; grant us life, prosperity, -wisdom," etc.</p> - -<p>On this day every Hindoo and Brahman woman places seven wicks in a dish -of silver or other metal, fills the dish with telah oil, and at -nightfall waves it around the portals and windows of her house. When her -husband returns he makes her a present, generally of a scarf, and she -then performs a curious and very mysterious rite: placing her hands on -her own hip-joints, and touching his with the tips of her fingers, she -prostrates herself before him and implores for him, from the god of the -day, renewed vigor, health, and strength.</p> - -<p>The Nagas, or low-caste serpent-worshippers, assemble with the -snake-charmers in open plains, where all the tame snakes in the country -are brought together. After having fed these creatures, they offer up -prayers, each to his own deity, but mostly to the god Siva, for long -life and for protection from its deadly bite, making offerings<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span> of the -snake-plant, and to the priests of little lamps lighted with one or two -wicks for the altars.</p> - -<p>The common people in the Hindoo villages also make clay images of the -cobra and pray to them. Most of the abandoned characters turn out on the -occasion of these festivals, and the night is spent in licentious -merriment, music, and song, while the snake-charmers, jugglers, and -Yogees obtain large sums of money and presents from the people, who -regard them in the light of divine benefactors to their race.</p> - -<p>To understand the worship paid to serpents we must remember that the -earliest feeling which mankind had of a relation to invisible powers -must have been a compound of dread and gratitude, and in the mingling of -these emotions dread predominated. The dreaded serpent alone, says -Fergusson,<a name="FNanchor_9_9" id="FNanchor_9_9"></a><a href="#Footnote_9_9" class="fnanchor">[9]</a> without arms or wings or any of the usual appliances of -locomotion, still moves with singular celerity and grace; its form is -full of elegance, its colors are often very beautiful, its eyes are -bright and piercing. A serpent can creep, spring, climb, swim, expand, -constrict, suspend itself by the tail, burrow in the ground, and even -raise its body almost erect. Its muscular irritability is remarkably -great and persistent, depending on its nervous energy. The heart -palpitates long after death; the jaws open and shut even when the head -is severed from the body; the outer skin is shed more than once, and the -ancients believed that by this means the snake renewed its youth. It -does not need food for long periods when casting its skin. It often -changes color at will, and, above all, its longevity is so great as -still to make the superstitious ascribe to it immortality. It makes no -nest (except in the case of the python, who hatches her eggs by the heat -of her own body); no food is stored for the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span> young, who are born with -all powers in full perfection. Then the poison of a serpent is so deadly -and subtile that it excites in the heart of the savage the greatest -dread and mystery, and even more startling and terrible than the poison -of the cobra is the flash-like spring and fascination of the boa -constrictor, the instantaneous embrace, the crushed-out life,—all -accomplished faster than the human eye can follow. These are the powers -that must have impressed the primitive races of the East with dread and -terror, and wherever the serpent was found, there he seems to have been -propitiated by man with prayers, supplications, and all forms of -worship. It is perhaps strange that the serpent in the early period of -the worship was not so much dreaded as loved—whether from a feeling -that it was not as deadly as it has in its power to be, or for some -other reason, it is now impossible to determine. However, in the history -of this peculiar religion it is found that in course of time the serpent -began to be regarded as the harbinger of good gifts, the teacher of -wisdom, the symbol of subtlety, the oracle of the future, and even the -healer of all diseases.</p> - -<p>All the gods, and even the kings and queens, of the old world are -usually represented with serpents coiling about their heads or arms. The -Hindoos most probably adopted this symbol of the serpent from the -aboriginal populations among whom they settled. "Sanee," the oldest -rock-sculpture of the Hindoo "Saturn," the presiding deity of the -seventh day of the week, has serpents for her belts or rings. She rides -on a raven, a bird of ill omen sacred to her, and no Hindoo will -undertake any new enterprise on the day over which she presides. As one -wanders through the forests of India one finds that many of the finest -trees served as altars to a generation long gone by. Their huge old -trunks have been hollowed out and carved in the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span> form of oriel chapels -or windows, in the inmost recesses of which may be still traced the -faint remains of what was intended to represent the cobra de capello or -hooded serpent of India.</p> - -<p>Sacred trees have from very early times shared a portion of the homage -paid to serpents. It would appear that while the serpent was made to -symbolize both the beneficent and dreaded powers of nature, the tree -represented man. The wondrous spectacle of a new creation every year, -the forest trees gathering their fresh leaves every spring, became to -the primitive man a steadfast promise of a similar resurrection, and -perhaps caused him to associate the tree with the serpent because of the -analogies that exist between them. The one shedding its leaves, the -other its skin, their mutual inactivity in winter, their awakening to -life in the spring, their longevity, the twig-like form of the serpent, -and a last, but not least, important fact is this, that wherever, in -India, the deadly serpent is found, there also abounds the mungoose,<a name="FNanchor_10_10" id="FNanchor_10_10"></a><a href="#Footnote_10_10" class="fnanchor">[10]</a> -or snake-plant, with convex flower-clusters and long serpentine roots, -possessing the mysterious power to cure the deadly bite of a snake.</p> - -<p>Thus, in the course of time, the serpent became an endless writing on -the wall, so full was it of mysterious significance and dread to the -ancient races of the world. In fact, serpents play an important part in -the mythology of every nation of the earth. Even to-day the -snake-charmers will tell you that the circles on the head of the cobra -de capello are spiritual eyes which enable it to distinguish<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span> between -good and bad men. If a good man is bitten to death, they account for it -by declaring that he must have committed some deadly sin in a former -state of existence, hence his punishment in this.</p> - -<p>It will not be amiss to conclude this chapter with a mention of some of -the symbols for which the serpent stood in ancient times. It stands for -the higher and lower forms of the creative energy of nature; for the -emblem of evil; for wisdom and subtlety, as we all know, being -self-supporting from the moment of birth; for immortality, because of -its fabled longevity; for death, for new birth, and resurrection, from -its casting its skin and from its awakening in spring from the torpor of -winter. In the oldest hieroglyphics the serpent with its tail in its -mouth stood for cycles of time, for the horizon, for eternity, and for -life to come. Twined around the crown of ancient Oriental kings and -queens, it symbolized the fatal sting lurking beneath the power -entrusted to them; and bound round the royal sceptre, it typified -national life, vigor, and strength.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_9_9" id="Footnote_9_9"></a><a href="#FNanchor_9_9"><span class="label">[9]</span></a> See Fergusson's <i>Tree- and Serpent-Worship</i>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_10_10" id="Footnote_10_10"></a><a href="#FNanchor_10_10"><span class="label">[10]</span></a> This plant is named after a large rat common in India and -called mungoose by the natives. It is said to have a deadly antipathy to -snakes of all kinds. It will hunt and destroy them wherever they are -found. If, however, the mungoose happens to be bitten by a snake, it is -said that it instinctively runs to this plant, gnaws at its roots, and -thus cures itself of the poison.</p></div></div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER V.</h2> - -<blockquote><p>The Parsees, or Fire-Worshippers, of Bombay.—A Visit to a -Fire-priest and Astrologer.—His Astral Predictions.—The -Gâthas.—Zoroaster.—His Life and Religion.—History of the -Settlement of the Parsees in India.</p></blockquote> - -<p>The race which more than others attracted my attention in India was the -Parsees in Bombay. As we drove almost daily to or from the fort to -Malabar Point, we passed a Fire-temple, and there are also two others in -the old fort. These are held very sacred, and none but Parsees are -allowed to enter them. The one, however, which stood between the fort -and our house was less guarded, by which means it was more accessible to -strangers and visitors.</p> - -<p>At my earnest request, I was invited by the wife of our Parsee neighbor -to witness the worship of this interesting people. It was on the -occasion of the "Khurdad-Sal," the anniversary of the birthday of -Zoroaster, that I repaired to the above-mentioned Fire-temple. Seeing a -large crowd centred about the building, I ventured to peep in, in the -hope of seeing my friend. No one paid the slightest attention to me; -presently a young Parsee lad came forward and conducted me to a quiet -corner, and I found myself the sole spectator of a very curious and -interesting worship performed by the Fire-priests alone, with a crowd of -Parsee women and children, and some very aged Parsee men scattered here -and there among them.</p> - -<p>The building was quite small, circular in shape, with a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span> sort of pent -roof, small iron-grated windows, and an iron-bound door, which was -padlocked the moment the service was over. Under the central arch of the -temple was a low altar on which burned a clear bright fire; the smoke -had no means of escaping but through the windows, which made the place -rather unpleasant to stay in for any length of time. A number of priests -clad in simple white robes and quite unadorned fed the sacred fire<a name="FNanchor_11_11" id="FNanchor_11_11"></a><a href="#Footnote_11_11" class="fnanchor">[11]</a> -with the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span>different kinds of precious woods, and while some chanted, -passing each his sacred thread through the fingers of his hands, others -dropped perfumes and consecrated oil into the Fire.</p> - -<p>The Parsee women and children sat or stood around this central fire, -most of them beautifully dressed. I was struck with the beauty and -nobility of their faces as they worshipped here with their hands folded, -their eyes closed, listening reverently to the chants or praying -silently to themselves.</p> - -<p>A great many silver trays full of fruit, sweetmeats, and white robes -were placed on one side, offerings from the women to the Fire-priests.</p> - -<p>At the close of the service the entire congregation folded their hands -across their breasts, and, having bowed their heads, retired, leaving -the priests to heap precious fuel on the sacred fire, so as to preserve -it from going out, for which purpose the temple is regularly visited -during each day, and the fire is carefully preserved from year to year -by certain priests who take turns to perform this most religious duty.</p> - -<p>One evening we went to visit, by appointment, one of the oldest -Fire-priests in Bombay, who was also a famous astrologer. The -appointment was made by our nearest European neighbor on Malabar Hill, a -Mr. S——, an Englishman who had lived a long time in India, and one of -our intimate friends. Although Mr. S—— was personally acquainted with -him, the old priest had declined to receive strangers until prevailed -upon to do so by Mr. S——'s Parsee friend and partner in business.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span></p><p>We started about six o'clock in the evening, and after a long drive -through the Parsee settlement of the native town and through a crowded -and noisy bazaar, our carriage drew up before a high, dilapidated wooden -building. The balcony projected into the street, supported by rickety -wooden pillars, under which there was a small garden filled chiefly with -herbs and plants. Mr. S——, who had often visited the house and was -familiar with its ways, led us through the little garden and up a great -flight of wooden steps into a corridor or hall, crossing which we at -length stood before a very old door which was slightly ajar, through the -opening of which a light streamed upon us in the dark passage. Mr. S—— -tapped, and a voice feeble and tremulous bade us enter. We did so, and -in another moment we were standing side by side with an old Fire-priest, -perhaps the oldest in the world. He did not move or speak, or even turn -his eyes upon us.</p> - -<p>An old Ethiopian servant present pointed to us to be seated on some -cushions near by until his master had finished his evening prayer. We -silently took our places on the seats and looked on. In the centre of -the room, which was woefully shabby and coarsely built, stood a -three-legged stand, and on it was a round earthen lamp filled with -cocoanut oil and containing depressions at the sides for wicks, of which -there were just seven burning. Before it stood the Fire-priest, his -dress, a long dingy-looking robe which might once have been white, -flowing down to his emaciated feet, which were bare. But as his lips -moved in prayer, and his thin dark fingers passed over and over his -sacred thread or girdle, that mystic emblem of his faith, there was an -indescribable reflection of some unseen interior light on his wan and -pallid features; he hardly looked old, so wonderfully was his -countenance<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span> lit up with a serene and beautiful expression of peace and -happiness.</p> - -<p>The floor of the room was made of planks roughly hewn and rudely put -together. A number of curious old parchments were piled up on one side; -pots, earthen lamps, vases, flowers, shawls, carpets, bedding, and a -number of embroidered silk cushions lay in seeming confusion about the -floor. The Ethiopian attendant, who looked almost as old as his master, -grinned at us from his corner, showing plainly that he had lost nearly -all his teeth; but no word was spoken.</p> - -<p>His prayers over, the aged Fire-priest put off his long robe and dark -conical cap, which were replaced by a short gray angraka, or coat, and -close-fitting skull-cap, revealing a few locks of long scanty gray hair. -He then turned to Mr. S——, took both his hands kindly in his own, and -saluted him by raising them to his forehead three times, and then he did -the same to us.</p> - -<p>After an interval of about an hour or so spent in pleasant conversation, -during which we learned that the Dustoor or Fire-priest Bhèjah was a -native of Surat, and had come to the island of Bombay about forty years -before with his family, every member of whom he had survived save some -distant connections still living in Surat, we begged him to read our -horoscopes for us.</p> - -<p>The old Dustoor rose at once, as if pleased at our request, and with -great alacrity led the way through a long narrow passage and up another -old wooden staircase into a small chamber open to the sky by a curious -contrivance, a sort of trapdoor, which was let down in rainy weather. -There was a bench in one corner of this room; in the middle a circular -table which revolved on a pivot, painted with curious hieroglyphics, and -beside it a three-legged stool. As soon as we had taken our seats on -the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span> bench, the Dustoor drew out from under the table a board chequered -black and red and a piece of chalk, and, taking the dim horn lantern -that stood in a niche in the wall, set it on the table. This done, he -turned to me and questioned me very closely in Hindostanee about the -day, year, hour, and almost moment, of my birth. All such questions as I -had it in my power to reply to he put down in what seemed to me signs -and figures in one of the squares on his peculiar black and red board.</p> - -<p>This was a work of some time, for every now and then he seemed doubtful -of his operations, rubbing out and replacing the signs and figures in -new squares. When he had scrawled on the board to his satisfaction he -began to compare it with the hieroglyphics on his revolving table, -deciphering and studying the stars on each of his tablets with the -utmost care. He then turned up his wan face and began to gaze -alternately at the bit of sky seen through the open trapdoor and to -examine the strange hieroglyphics on the table. The stars presiding at -my birth were evidently unpropitious. He foretold for me many deaths -among relations and friends, long and cruel separations by strange seas -and oceans being placed between my friends and me; softening it off, -however, by predicting a long life, a happy old age, and a numerous -progeny of grand- and great-grandchildren; which, indeed, are the chief -sources of happiness in the Parsee household.</p> - -<p>He then foretold my husband's future, which was even less auspicious, -saying that a great shadow of one of the planets would cross his path in -middle life, which if he survived he would live to a good old age, etc., -etc.</p> - -<p>It was not what the old astrologer and Fire-priest said so much as his -perfect faith in his own rendering of the position of the stars that -most impressed me. The <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span>floating locks of gray hair, the serious brow, -the deep, thoughtful, contemplative look on that face, were all very -striking: his head full of the mystery of the stars and his heart ever -revolving the secret destiny of human life were as strange and marked as -any of the many lives whose future he believed he could so easily -decipher.</p> - -<p>In the Zend-Avesta—or, more properly, the Avesta-Zand—the religious -books of the Parsees, we find the Gâthas, or sacred hymns, of the -ancient Fire-priests, and these in their turn may be traced directly to -the Rig Vèdas, the oldest of the Aryan Scriptures, a collection of a -thousand hymns, more or less, called "Mantras," or Mind-born songs, -composed and recited by various priests and poets, the earliest of whom -lived about three thousand, and the latest not far from twenty-six -hundred, years ago. These hymns, some of which are very beautiful, -composed and sung long before the Aryans left their home in the Hindoo -Kush<a name="FNanchor_12_12" id="FNanchor_12_12"></a><a href="#Footnote_12_12" class="fnanchor">[12]</a> Mountains, were inspired by its soaring mountains—"roofs of -the world," as they called them—capped with snow, clear blue skies, and -by the rushing waters leaping in gladness out of the heart of the hills.</p> - -<p>"They found the mountains ever near mighty to defend them, the lakes and -rivers eager to serve them."<a name="FNanchor_13_13" id="FNanchor_13_13"></a><a href="#Footnote_13_13" class="fnanchor">[13]</a> "Sparkling bright with mighty splendor, -she carries the clouds across the plains; the unconquered Sindhui, -Indus, the quickest of the quick, like a beautiful mare, a sight to see; -by their swiftness, depth, as well as by the sweetness of their waters; -the birds by their delicious warbling; the winds by the fragrant dust of -flowers which they<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span> bore along on their invisible wings, the clouds by -their refreshing shadows."</p> - -<p>Light, as seen in the sun, moon, and stars, dawn and sunrise, fire in -all its mysterious forms—the spark struck from the flint, the fire that -burned their oblations, the holy flames that were lighted on the -domestic hearth—became their earliest objects of worship. These they -celebrate in the Rig Vèda, and in these they saw, with their deep -intuitive insight, thousands of years ago, an "all-productive cosmic -energy."</p> - -<p>Thus, the simple act of rubbing two dried pieces of wood together in -order to obtain fire became a religious ceremony, and the tiny flint -which served to kindle fire became their first idol, and gave those -ancient Aryans the first hint of the wonderous power of heat, at once -their god, the ministering angel of their lives, and their first step -toward civilization.</p> - -<p>This vital fire of the universe, with every upward dart of flame issuing -out of the cold, hard rock, starting out of dried wood, streaming in -jets spontaneously out of the heart of the earth itself, and flaming -luridly from mountain-tops, was an object so full of mystery, so potent, -ever present, even when invisible, ever within call, lurking in the rock -and air, water and tree, waiting to be called into life, vanishing at a -breath, naturally became the highest symbol of the unseen to those -primitive worshippers of nature.</p> - -<p>The early Aryan priest, who was to his race what our poets and thinkers -are to us to-day, on awakening at dawn turned his face to the east, and, -waiting for the light, cried, "Arise! arise! the breath of our life has -come, the darkness has fled." The fire had to be kindled by men. "She, -the Dawn, brought us light by striking down darkness.—Shine for us with -thy best rays, O thou bright<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span> Dawn! thou who lengthenest our lives, thou -beloved of all, thou mother of the morning clouds, leader of the days, -gold-colored and lovely to behold!" When the sun at last climbed the -mountain-tops and shone upon his worshipper, he sang a deeper hymn of -joy to the Creator: "In the beginning there arose the source of golden -light. He was the first-born lord of all that is. He established the -earth and the sky. He gives us life, he gives us strength—whose shadow -is immortality, whose absence is death—he who through his power is the -only king of this breathing and awakening world."<a name="FNanchor_14_14" id="FNanchor_14_14"></a><a href="#Footnote_14_14" class="fnanchor">[14]</a></p> - -<p>These songs were not only sung, but transmitted from father to son, long -before the age of a written alphabet, as a sacred, inviolable -inheritance, preserved from century to century in the religious memory -of the Aryan priest, even as they were recited to us evening after -evening at the "Aviary" by our modern pundit without book or notes or -text.</p> - -<p>The pictures these songs present of the deep religious and poetic fervor -of the early Aryans, both before and after their descent into the plains -of India, of their pastoral and agricultural life, divided into separate -and distinct classes, as priest, king, shepherd, warrior, and tiller of -the soil, are in themselves the most comprehensive and valuable of -historical records.</p> - -<p>The first and most important fact to be found in the study of these -hymns is that every home, every dwelling, has its own altar, which is -the family hearth, called the "dâdgâh" by the Fire-worshippers—that -"holy of holies" of which father and mother were priest and priestess. -This fire is the ancient "avesta," to which were attached three mystical -interpretations—first, "womanly purity;" second, the "inviolability of -the family;" and third, "the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span>sacredness attached to the mother as the -transmitter of human life."</p> - -<p>There is no doubt that from the Assyrians, Chaldeans, and the early -Iranians, who were then one with the purer Hindoos of to-day, this -worship of nature, and especially of fire in its triple significance, -was propagated southward among the Egyptians, westward among the Greeks, -and by them introduced into Italy.</p> - -<p>The Greeks met together to worship in their Prytaneia. Here they -consulted together for the public good, and there was a constant fire -burning on the altar, which was called "vesta." The Vestal Virgins of -the Romans had their origin in the same idea. Many of the oldest and -some of the most modern usages still to be found among the Parsees, -Hindoos, Jews, Greeks, Mohammedans, and Roman Catholics bear reference -to this early worship of the "household fire," and many of the problems, -puzzles, and contradictions that are found in the religious symbols of -the world stand clear and evident when submitted to this light.</p> - -<p>The word "Light" is used in the New Testament as the highest symbol of -Christ—"the Light of the world," "the Light that lighteth every man who -cometh into the world." Every instance also of God's acceptance of -sacrifice and prayer in the Old Testament is made evident to the people -through the medium of fire, as seen in the case of David, in the -dedication of Solomon's temple, and when Elijah demanded that -extraordinary proof from Jehovah that Baal was not God. From Genesis to -the Revelation, from the first offerings of Cain and Abel to "the city -that had no need of a sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it, for the -glory of the Lord did lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof," -this symbol of light is the dearest to the human heart, and ever -recurring and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span> conspicuous as the fittest and purest to be applied to -the Deity.</p> - -<p>It is as a symbol, not as a material element, that the worshippers of -fire have clung to it through all times; and their adherence and -tenacity are all the more remarkable when we consider the changes that -have passed over all primitive institutions. We ourselves have had a -succession of different religions and gods—the divinities of the -Phœnicians, then those of the Greeks and Romans, which superseded the -terrible gods of the Norsemen and the aboriginal deities of the Druids, -our ancestors. All these in time have given place to the sublime -teachings of Christ. Our religious forms are changing even to-day as -religious convictions become wider, deeper, and more comprehensive than -ever.</p> - -<p>But the Parsees, those ancient Sun- and Fire-worshippers, still offer up -their prayers in the old Pehlevi—a language which is the elder sister -of the ancient Sanskrit—in which the Zend-Avesta, the sacred books of -the Zoroastrians, are written, and older by far than the cuneiform -inscriptions of Cyrus, Darius, and Xerxes;<a name="FNanchor_15_15" id="FNanchor_15_15"></a><a href="#Footnote_15_15" class="fnanchor">[15]</a> still wear the same old -conical cap in the form of ascending flame, preserved in the shape of -the bishop's mitre in the Christian symbolic dress; still adhere to the -rites, ceremonies, manners, and customs peculiar to their earliest -fathers, invoking the invisible fire upon which they called centuries -before the building of the temple of Solomon.</p> - -<p>The race has survived the destruction of Babylon and Assyria—outlived -the beautiful gods of the Greeks, who beat them down by land and sea. It -has persistently overcome the hatred and persecution of the Scythian and -Tartar hordes, the rage and fury of the Moslems, the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span> intolerance and -prejudice of all sects and nations, and, strange to say, even when -placed between the currents of new ideas, which ceaselessly move and -transform those around them, the Fire-worshipper, like the Jew, stands -alone, as if he were beyond time and above change.</p> - -<p>From the time of Xerxes, four hundred and eighty-six years <span class="smaller">B. C.</span>, we -have to date the decline of the Persian empire. Even the old heroic name -of Iran—Ayiran, from the Sanskrit Ariya, "the noble"—has passed away -for the word Persia, which, whether we apply it to the country, to the -people, or to the language, is a misnomer. Pars, or Fars, is only a -province of the great empire of "Iran." It was owing to the fact that -the language of its chief city, Shiraz, was considered the most elegant -and fashionable speech of the Iranians that the name of the province -Pars was gradually used to distinguish the people, the entire country, -and the language.</p> - -<p>To the ancient world Zoroastrianism was known by the name of "Mazdasnah" -or "Mazdayasnah," the doctrine of "universal knowledge." It was revealed -by the "Pure Spirit," called also the "Excellent Word," pure, -efficacious—"the word that Zoroaster has conveyed to men," which is the -"Good Law." The priests were called Madhi, or middlemen, go-betweens, -corrupted into Magi, which name is very commonly applied to the priests -of the Zoroastrian religion by the Greek authors, beginning with -Herodotus, who had travelled in Media and confounded the name of the -priests of Magism and the Median religion with that of Zoroastrianism.</p> - -<p>It is impossible to fix exactly the era when the great reformer -Zarathustra—"splendor of gold"—lived. The Greek and Roman historians -make him very ancient. Xanthos of Lydia, 470 <span class="smaller">B. C.</span>, the first Greek -writer who mentions Zoroaster, is convinced that he must have -<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span>flourished about six hundred years before the Trojan war. Aristotle and -Eudoxus place his era even earlier. Berosus, the Chaldean priest and -historian, who translated the history of his native country, Babylonia, -into the Greek language, and dedicated the work to Antiochus, one of the -Greek kings of Syria, makes him a king, or rather founder of a dynasty -which reigned over Babylon between 2200 and 2000 <span class="smaller">B. C.</span><a name="FNanchor_16_16" id="FNanchor_16_16"></a><a href="#Footnote_16_16" class="fnanchor">[16]</a> The -Fire-worshippers hold that their great priest and reformer lived about -five hundred and fifty years <span class="smaller">B. C</span>. They identify him with the great -Kavan-Vistaspa of the Zend-Avesta, called Khai Gustasp in the -<i>Shahnamah</i>.<a name="FNanchor_17_17" id="FNanchor_17_17"></a><a href="#Footnote_17_17" class="fnanchor">[17]</a> But it is very evident that even the ancient Persians -themselves were very uncertain as to who this Kavan Vistaspa was. It is -clear, however, that Darius's father, who was also named <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span>Vistaspa, and -the Kavan-Vistaspa of the Zend-Avesta and the <i>Shahnamah</i>, were entirely -distinct persons.</p> - -<p>There is very little doubt that this confusion of opinions is owing to -the similarity of names. A very common habit even in India to-day is to -name persons after heroic kings, great priests, or even after the gods, -without any mark being added to distinguish them in after years; and -when any period of time has elapsed it is almost impossible to separate -the personality of the father from the son, or the disciple from the -teacher, or the priest from the god. Zoroaster, or rather "Zara -Thustra," means illustrious like gold, or, in another sense, simply high -priest; and this being taken afterward as the proper name of the -celebrated priest and reformer of ancient Iran, gave rise to the endless -confusion of dates and opinions which has always prevailed with regard -to the age in which he lived.</p> - -<p>There is, however, internal evidence in the language and religion which -he reformed that he lived at a very early age, and there are many traces -of his great antiquity in the Zend-Avesta itself. First, that he stands -at the head of the extensive Zend literature,<a name="FNanchor_18_18" id="FNanchor_18_18"></a><a href="#Footnote_18_18" class="fnanchor">[18]</a> which must have -required centuries for its growth, and which was already in a state of -perfection when Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, was born, from four to -five hundred years before Christ; and secondly, that he is expressly -called Aryana Veèdgo, "the celebrated one," in the Aryan home whence the -Aryans, now called Hindoos, emigrated in times immemorial. This title, -Martin Haug justly observes, would not have been given him had his -followers not believed him living at that early time. Under no -circumstance can we assign to him a later date than the year 1000 <span class="smaller">B. C.</span></p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span></p><p>The causes which led to the schism between the early Fire-worshippers -may be readily learned from the Zend-Avesta, where the gods of the -dissenters are called "dèvas" (to whence our word devil) by the orthodox -"Soshyantos," or Fire-priests. It was a vital and successful struggle -against that form of the early religion which inclined to Brahmanism, -and later to open idolatry. Thus, for instance, the Vèdic gods Aditya, -Mitra, Varuna, and Indra became the devils of the Zoroastrian religion; -and this struggle must have taken place when Indra was declared the -chief of the gods by a large portion of the Aryans, before they had -immigrated into Hindostan proper. In the later period of Vèdic -literature we find Indra at the head of the gods; then in the great -epics, the Mahâbhárata and Râmayâna, he gives place to the Trimourtri, -Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva. A compromise was thus effected between the -esoteric doctrine of the metaphysicians and the common forms of worship, -giving rise to what was henceforth to constitute the orthodox system of -belief of the Brahmanic caste. The Vèdic pantheon, however, is not -altogether discarded in the Zend-Avesta; the existence of the old gods -is recognized, but in a very different way from that of the mysterious -triple divinity which represents not only the eternal, infinite soul, -but Brahma himself in his active relation to mundane occurrences; and -moreover, as the Trimourtri is never alluded to in the Zend-Avesta, -where most of the other Vèdic gods are named, we are obliged to fix the -religious struggle at a much earlier date than that assigned to the -Indian poems.</p> - -<p>The only source whence we derive anything like reliable historical -facts, and those of the most meagre kind, respecting this great reformer -Zoroaster, is in the Yasnahs, where he is distinguished by his family -name S'pitama. His father's name was Poorooshaspa. Of his children,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span> -only his son S'pitama and his daughter Poroochista are mentioned. In -these fragments, rather than books, he appears to us as a real man, -earnest, strong, and true, just and generous in every act of his life, -taking a prominent part in the history of his country and the welfare of -his fellow-creatures. It was he who struck a deathblow to the idolatrous -practices that had crept in among the Fire-priests—who established in -his own country a new community, governed by new laws; he called upon -every man to take his part in the battle between good and evil, adding -the firm assurance that good will always prevail. In his own works he -calls himself a "Dutah"—<i>i. e.</i> "a messenger"—sent by the great -Ahura-Mazda. His ideal of home, of father and mother living together -under one roof in freedom and love and unity, cemented by a supreme and -unalterable bond of love and friendship, has never yet been equalled -save by Christianity.</p> - -<p>This remarkable reformer, according to the Yasnahs, was born in the -sacerdotal city of Ragha, near Teheran, the capital of Persia. His -father was an aged priest named Poorooshaspa, a man noted for his purity -of life. Like all such histories, his birth was miraculously -ordained.<a name="FNanchor_19_19" id="FNanchor_19_19"></a><a href="#Footnote_19_19" class="fnanchor">[19]</a> One evening as Poorooshaspa and Dhogdha his wife, a -childless old couple, were praying in a lonely place, the atmosphere -around them became suddenly luminous. They looked up, and saw a form of -exquisite beauty standing in the midst of a bright cloud, and as they -gazed upon this beautiful vision there was handed to them a cup -fashioned out of an amethyst filled with the wine of heaven. "Drink -this," said the angel, "and renew your youth, for<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span> Ahura-Mazda has -chosen you to bring a savior into the world." Having drank the wine, -they became the parents of one son, S'pitama.</p> - -<p>It is related that the ruler of the city of Ragha sought to destroy the -child; at his command he was snatched from his mother's arms and thrown -into a narrow lane where cattle passed, in the hope that they might -tread him to death; but, lo! in the evening a sensible and motherly cow -brought him on her horns to his weeping, disconsolate mother. Then -again, by the order of the same cruel governor, he was cast into a -blazing fire; but he lay there unscathed, smiling so serenely upon his -persecutors that they were at once converted into friends. In fact, -every attempt made by enemies to destroy the infant is said to have been -arrested by divine agency. At last the child was permitted to grow up -unmolested with his friends and relatives, who were among his earliest -followers.</p> - -<p>Zoroaster did not so much reveal a new religion as reform the old -Fire-worship of his country. He abolished stone images, necromancy, -magic, witchcraft, all of which were identified with the worship of -fire. He investigated astrology, and confirmed its practices as true and -elevating. He inspired the old materialistic teaching of the -Fire-priests with a new and more spiritual meaning. He made war on the -idolatrous practices of his fellow-men, and banished from Iran all who -still bowed down before wood and stone. At the age of thirty he -completed a new code of laws, and also the Zend-Avesta, with the -Izeshnee, a still more sacred book. He distinctly recognized, above and -beyond all manifestations of sun, light, or fire, a purer, higher, -unconditioned Being.<a name="FNanchor_20_20" id="FNanchor_20_20"></a><a href="#Footnote_20_20" class="fnanchor">[20]</a> When moved by deepest awe he bowed his head and -reverently called this Being<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span> "the Truth of the Truth, the Wisdom of the -Wise, the Purity of the Pure." So also in his famous prayer of -one-and-twenty words, "The world is produced, and all that is good in -thought, word, and deed, because of the Truth."</p> - -<p>The problem of the origin of evil, the most difficult to be solved, -seems to have been constantly before his mind. It seemed to him -impossible that the Truth, whom he conceived to be eternally pure, good, -just, and perfect, had created evil. The ancient Aryans attributed the -struggles in the physical world around them to the strife between good -and evil; Zoroaster seized this idea, applied it with the deepest -emphasis to the moral and spiritual world, and it became the basis of -his system of dualism. Together with Ahura-Mazda, the good principle, he -admitted the existence of an evil principle or spirit equal in power and -of a similar nature<a name="FNanchor_21_21" id="FNanchor_21_21"></a><a href="#Footnote_21_21" class="fnanchor">[21]</a>—Angra Mainyus; in Persian Ahriman. This spirit -is the author of all moral and physical evil, sin, disease, suffering, -and death.</p> - -<p>All things, created by Ahura-Mazda pronouncing the creating, -pre-existing word "Honover," were pure, perfect, and beautiful as -himself until spoiled by the evil influence of Ahriman. And though -Ahriman, like Ahura-Mazda, has been eternal and self-existing in the -past, Zoroaster declares that a day will come when three great prophets -will arise, Ukhsyad-eremah, "the increasing Light," Ukhsyad-eretah, "the -increasing Truth," Açtvad-ereta, "self-existent Truth," who will convert -all mankind; everything created will become as pure as on the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span> first day -when it issued from the breath of the "Wisest of all Intelligence," and -Ahriman will be destroyed and disappear for ever.</p> - -<p>Such is the real doctrine of Zoroaster, while the hymns of the -Zend-Avesta glow and burn with the assurance of the mystic and essential -life of the soul with the spiritual essence of all pure thought. The -pure heavens are like light; thought is likened to a drop of pure light, -and the departing spirit has a sunbeam for its guide to conduct it to -immortal light.</p> - -<p>In the Gâthas, or Songs, he says: "God appears in the best thought, the -truest speech, and the sincerest action. He gives through his pure -spirit health, prosperity, devotion" (which, more properly translated, -ought to be "love"), "and eternity to this universe. He is the Father of -all truth and the Mother of all tenderness."</p> - -<p>It is very remarkable that the early Aryans looked upon disease, -deformity, and weakness in the same light that we are apt to regard the -depraved and vicious. Health was the first and greatest boon, the gift -they supplicated most earnestly from heaven. Health first, then -immortality. They seemed to loathe consumption and scrofula, and many of -their most energetic prayers are supplications to the Deity to be -preserved "from this hateful indwelling sin," as they termed it. Their -laws for the happy treatment of women, especially in certain conditions -of health, of which I shall treat in the chapter on their domestic life, -is full of that reverence for her health and happiness, as well as those -of her offspring, which is seen to penetrate the whole life of the -Fire-worshipper, passing as it did in the course of time into a rigid -etiquette. Stern as it is, it is infinitely better than the careless -indifference with which the mother, "the transmitter of human life," is -so often regarded among us.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span></p><p>In the Zend-Avesta we find a moral code almost as perfect as our own, -with rather a singular account of the creation. In one of the books, -called "Desater," it would seem all animals being created except man, -the dog was dreadfully lonely, and that man was created only out of -compassion for him; and no sooner was man formed than all the animals, -save the dog, broke out into open rebellion against the Great Spirit for -having favored man with speech, reason, and immortality.</p> - -<p>As in Genesis, so in the Desater, the Great Spirit brought the animals -to Gelshadèng and made them subject to him, and he it was who divided -them into seven classes. There is a curious dialogue that passed between -the seven great sages of Persia and the seven different animals, and the -reasons given why some are made fierce, others harmless, and yet others -beneficent. In some passages great veneration is expressed for the cow, -and great aversion to some animals, and to the human corpse; this is not -permitted either to find a resting-place in the earth or in the fire, -because of the sacredness of both these elements; and it is commanded -that it be abandoned to birds of prey or to absorption by the air in -enclosures set apart for the purpose.</p> - -<p>However, in spite of many things that seem childish and absurd in their -books (the unprejudiced student is not always certain that the right -meaning of the text has been rendered, for the language is full of -difficulties), yet so much is clear: that the "Gâthas" are very -beautiful hymns and full of true religious feeling. They are addressed -to the household fire, to the sun, moon, and stars, to the spirit of the -hills, mountains, trees, birds, and flowers, to the earth, air, and sea. -The earth is often called the "infinite, the all-nourishing cow," and -the sun is consequently, by the same figure, designated "the -fiery-winged one, the immortal bull."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span></p><p>Then there are prayers and songs to the spirits of the righteous dead, -to the seven high angels around the throne, the planets then known. The -most spiritual are those addressed to Ahura-Mazda, "the Everlasting -Light," who is described as an ineffable Being, full of brightness and -glory. Zoroaster discovers God in the eternal invisible Fire. His wonder -and joy over the first kindling of the flame arose from the spiritual -symbolism that interpreted all nature to him. In it he recognizes the -type of the immortal Light and the spiritual resurrection of the soul. -Thrilling with religious fervor, he bows before the radiant light as the -most subtle and all-dissolving element, and in feeling its mystery -acknowledges the mystery of God, its Supreme Creator.</p> - -<p>Thus, all the rites and ceremonies of the ancient Fire-worshippers -abound in symbols which typify the operations of nature, not only in the -heavens, but also in the hidden recesses of the earth. They attribute -the maturing of precious gems and metals to the peculiar influence of -the sun, moon, and stars; and it is a curious fact that they called the -seven metals by the very same names by which they denominated the seven -planets, and the same peculiar hieroglyphic characters are used to this -day to distinguish both. Among them certain stones represented certain -virtues, and not a few were famed for their magical properties. The -months of the year were spirits who exerted their influence over certain -precious stones, which in their turn had power over the destiny of any -person born during the period of their sway. Thus each month has its own -presiding genius in the heavens and its appropriate symbol in the heart -of the earth, bound up with the life and character of the individual -born under their combined influence. The garnet, symbol of the presiding -spirit of January, means constancy; the amethyst, of February, -sincerity;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span> the bloodstone, of March, courage and presence of mind; the -diamond, of April, innocence; the emerald, of May, love; the agate, of -June, health and long life; the carnelian, of July, contentment; -sardonyx, of August, happiness; chrysolite, of September, antidote -against madness, sane mind; opal, of October, hope; topaz, of November, -fidelity; turquoise, of December, prosperity.</p> - -<p>Rings are still used among the more superstitious of the Parsees as -charms and talismans against the evil eye, demons, and most of the ills -inherent to the human flesh. Sometimes the virtue exists in the stone, -sometimes in the magical letters engraved upon it, which are thought to -have the power to preserve the owner from thunder, lightning, -witchcraft, the evil eye, from sin, and from taking cold even when -exposed to biting frosts and storms.</p> - -<p>The ancient history of the Fire-worshippers presents no nobler picture -than that of Zoroaster traversing the wilds of Persia to preach a purer -doctrine to his fellow-men. Before his death he is said to have reduced -the twenty-one books he had written to three immortal maxims: Pure -thoughts, Pure words, Pure deeds. "All pure thought is spirit-worship, -or religion," said he, going at once to the root of the matter, "and all -pure actions are fed by the immortal dew of heaven;" this dew is -<i>virtue</i>, and he calls it the vapor which the pure-hearted inhale from -the heart of the eternal Sun.</p> - -<p>What a nation does thoroughly, she does for all time. So it was with the -ancient Persians: centuries after the death of their great teacher they -kept their faith in one God firm and inviolate amid the most crushing -persecution. On the final conquest of Persia the unrelenting soldiers of -the Caliphat forced at the point of the sword one hundred thousand -persons daily to abjure their faith. Thousands upon thousands were -slaughtered daily; only a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span> few escaped and fled to the mountains of -Khorasan, taking with them a lamp lighted from the sacred Fire. From -these mountains they were again driven forth by the Mohammedans four -hundred years after, and the little band of Zoroastrians fled once more, -to the beautiful island of Ormuzd, at the mouth of the Persian Gulf. -Here persecution still followed them, and, driven out again, the little -colony put to sea, still taking with them their sacred lamp, which had -been preserved from extinction through all those troublous years.</p> - -<p>They had hardly lost sight of land when a terrific storm overtook them, -and their little fleet was soon deprived of all hope of escape. -Voluntarily exiled from their native land, they had fled from place to -place for protection; the mountains refused to hide them, the earth to -shelter them, and now even the sea and all the elements rose up against -them—all but their little feeble lamp, which, according to their -historians, continued to burn brightly in spite of the dreadful storm. -At length the high priest of Zoroaster resolved to hoist their sacred -lamp as a signal to the tempest-driven little fleet to join in prayer. -Up rose the horn lantern containing the sacred light to the masthead of -the dahstur's (or high priest's) vessel. The little fleet of boats and -ships tried to draw near to the precious beacon, but the winds blew and -the tempest beat upon their vessels. All undismayed, straining their -utmost and peering through the gloom, they turned them in the direction -of the sacred light. Then up above the din and roar of that angry -surging sea the prayer of that faithful little company ascended to the -Invisible, the shining Ahura-Mazda, for help in their sore distress.</p> - -<p>Next morning the storm had abated, and they landed at Diva, on the coast -of Western Hindostan, where they disembarked, and remained nineteen -years, whence they<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span> migrated in a body to Sajan, twenty-four miles south -of Damaun. The Hindoo king, Ranah Jayadeva, granted an asylum to the -fugitives.</p> - -<p>After centuries of cruel persecution the exiles at length found refuge -from the enemies of their faith among the Hindoos, who had separated -from them in the dim dawn of history because of a religious feud, but -whose antagonism touched only names and other non-essential rites, the -worship of light as the Creator's highest symbol remaining unchanged for -both. Though they had drifted farther and farther apart, the latter in -the multiplying of symbols, while the former gradually dispensed with -even those they once regarded as a part of their worship, they still -remained united in their worship of fire.</p> - -<p>In 721 <span class="smaller">A. D.</span> they erected their first Fire-temple on Indian soil at -Sajan, and the sacred fire was once more kindled on its altars by means -of their little lamp, the flame of which they had so religiously -preserved. To the Fire-worshipper this first temple on Indian soil -seemed a resurrection of hope, of reality, striking deep into their -fervent hearts and binding them to one another by a subtler and diviner -fire. From this time the Parsees rose to importance in India. They -greatly aided the Portuguese and Dutch settlers in the establishment of -mills and factories all along the coast of Guzerat. Owing to their -enterprising spirit, Surat, Cambay, and Baroda grew into large and -influential cities and attracted all the extensive commerce of the East. -When the island of Bombay was ceded to the British a colony of Parsees -emigrated thither, and, having purchased a part of Malabar Hill from the -British, built there a Fire-temple and a tower of silence, or tomb for -the reception of their dead, and here was brought the same sacred fire -and rekindled once more on the altar of their first temple in Bombay.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span></p><p>No country in the world has witnessed so many revolutions as Persia. -Nevertheless, the moral and physical condition of the Fire-worshippers, -who are still found centring about Yezd and Ispahan, has remained much -the same as when they called the country their own. They certainly are -superior in moral character to the Mohammedans of Persia to-day. In the -garden adjoining the harem of the present shah none are employed save -Zoroastrians, and this is because of their national character for -purity. As for the Parsee women, they are remarkable for their chastity, -an unchaste woman being unknown among them.</p> - -<p>In Persia, however, the Parsees are subject to heavy taxation, from -which the Moslem population is entirely free, and the distress to which -the poorer Parsees are reduced in order to pay this tax is deplorable. -Unheard-of cruelties are practised, and many as a last resource abandon -their homes to escape the extortions of the annual tax-gatherer. All -means of instruction are also closed to the children of the -Fire-worshippers in Persia. "The Parsees of Bombay, hearing of the -distress of their co-religionists, have recently caused schools to be -established in various parts of Persia, where instruction is imparted -gratuitously to the children of the Zoroastrians."</p> - -<p>When we remember that the Parsees of Bombay are the descendants of a -small colony of ancient Fire-worshippers who emigrated from Persia more -than a thousand years ago under circumstances the most overwhelming, it -is a matter of wonder that this people should have risen with the -progress of British power in India to wealth, honor, and dignity in -every condition of life. More than once, even after they had established -themselves in Guzerat, they were all but decimated by the sword of the -conquering Moslem. But up again they rose each time, creating anew the -old life, starting afresh on the same old<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span> basis, nothing discouraged, -remembering with deeper appreciation the old promise of their earliest -priest and founder, "that to persevering mortals the blessed immortals -are swift."</p> - -<p>It is impossible not to be struck with the life and history of this -people—a history of endless defeat and persecution, a life of the -closest unity and steadfastness. And this oneness of purpose, by which -they have distinguished themselves for so many centuries, has a still -closer relation to their moral and religious character. Whatever may be -the errors and defects of the religion of the Fire-worshipper, the -comprehensiveness and unity of his national character demand our respect -and admiration.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_11_11" id="Footnote_11_11"></a><a href="#FNanchor_11_11"><span class="label">[11]</span></a> Minute instructions for the preparation of this sacred -fire in case of its accidental extinction or in the first building of a -temple are given in the "Fargard," one of the books of the Zend-Avesta. -Fires from sixteen different places are necessary. One of the most -indispensable ingredients in the building of the Fire is the flame by -which a <i>dead body is burned</i>, though the body itself is held as the -most impure of all things. Still, the fire which has consumed it is -essential, as containing the most mysterious of all created substances, -"electricity," which is thought to be more abundant in the human body -than elsewhere in nature; it is called "naçupâka." This fire is purified -by a very extraordinary process. A certain number of holes are prepared -in the ground called "handarèza," or, in modern Parsee, "andaza," a -measure. The fire is then placed in each of these holes in turn, prayed -over by the chief priest with closed eyes, and blown over with the -breath, already purified by the prayers just uttered. -</p><p> -The dyer's fire, the potter's, the glass-blower's, blacksmith's, -bricklayer's, gold- and silversmith's, with phosphorus, beeswax, -odoriferous gums, many different kinds of wood, the ashes of the rose -and jessamine-flower, salt of various kinds, etc.,—all these fires and -substances must be brought, after having been purified by the prayers -said over them, to one and the same hearth or altar, called in the -ancient Pehlevi Dâityo-gatus, now corrupted into "Dâdhgah." The -collective fire, combined into one and thus obtained, represents the -essence of nature, the mystic wine of the poets, pervading the whole -universe, even to the most distant stars. This "mystic wine" or -"life-water" is held to be the cause of all the growth, vigor, and -splendor of the physical and mental qualities of animals, men, birds, -beasts, and plants. It is therefore regarded with the deepest reverence. -Before the collection and preparation of this fire the priests who are -to take part in the ceremony must undergo great purification for nine -nights, nine being the most sacred number, as it is the period in which -the human offspring is perfected. The priest must drink the urine of a -cow, sit on stones within the enclosures of certain magic circles; while -moving from one circle to another he must rub his body with cow-urine, -and then with sand, and lastly wash himself from head to foot nine times -in pure cold water.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_12_12" id="Footnote_12_12"></a><a href="#FNanchor_12_12"><span class="label">[12]</span></a> The "Hindoo Kush," name for the Caucasian Mountains.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_13_13" id="Footnote_13_13"></a><a href="#FNanchor_13_13"><span class="label">[13]</span></a> See Max Müller's <i>The Origin and Growth of Religion</i>, p. -195, "The Gâthas, or Sacred Songs of the Parsees." See Haug's essays on -"the Zend-Avesta."</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_14_14" id="Footnote_14_14"></a><a href="#FNanchor_14_14"><span class="label">[14]</span></a> See Max Müller's <i>Chips from a German Workshop</i>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_15_15" id="Footnote_15_15"></a><a href="#FNanchor_15_15"><span class="label">[15]</span></a> See Max Müller's <i>Science of Religion</i>, Lecture IV., page -iii.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_16_16" id="Footnote_16_16"></a><a href="#FNanchor_16_16"><span class="label">[16]</span></a> See Rawlinson's <i>Ancient Monarchies</i>, where he identifies -Zoroaster with the celebrated Median king Kudur-Nakhunta, and says: "A -king of Elam, whose court was held at Susa, led in the year <span class="smaller">B. C.</span> 2286 -(or a little earlier) an expedition against the cities of Chaldæa, -succeeded in carrying all before him, ravaged the country, took the -towns, plundered the temples, and bore off the images of the deities -which the Babylonians especially reverenced. This king's name, which was -Kudur-Nakhunta, is thought to be the exact equivalent of one which has a -worldwide celebrity—to wit, Zoroaster. Now, according to Polyhistor, -who certainly repeats Berosus, Zoroaster was the first of those eight -Median kings who composed the second dynasty in Chaldæa and occupied the -throne from about <span class="smaller">B. C.</span> 2286 to 2052. The Medes are represented by him -as capturing Babylon at this time, and imposing themselves as rulers -upon the country. Eight kings reign in the space of 234 or 224 years, -after which we hear no more of Medes, the sovereignty being (as it would -seem) recovered by the natives. The coincidences of the conquest, the -date, the foreign sovereignty, and the name Zoroaster, tend to identify -the Median dynasty of Berosus with a period of Susanian supremacy which -the monuments show to have been established in Chaldæa at a date not -long subsequent to the reigns of Urukh and Ilgi, and to have lasted for -a considerable period."</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_17_17" id="Footnote_17_17"></a><a href="#FNanchor_17_17"><span class="label">[17]</span></a> A collection of heroic poems on the ancient histories of -Persia and her kings, by Firdoosi.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_18_18" id="Footnote_18_18"></a><a href="#FNanchor_18_18"><span class="label">[18]</span></a> See Martin Haug's <i>Essays on the Sacred Language, -Writings, and Religion of the Parsees</i>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_19_19" id="Footnote_19_19"></a><a href="#FNanchor_19_19"><span class="label">[19]</span></a> The Persian writers of the Middle Ages ascribed to -Zoroaster a long series of prodigies and miracles without end; to which -both Pliny and Eubulus, giving the last echoes of popular traditions, -allude.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_20_20" id="Footnote_20_20"></a><a href="#FNanchor_20_20"><span class="label">[20]</span></a> The Uncreated, the Eternal. He has had no beginning, and -will have no end.—<i>The Yasnahs.</i></p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_21_21" id="Footnote_21_21"></a><a href="#FNanchor_21_21"><span class="label">[21]</span></a> To reconcile the existence of these two absolute Beings, -coequal and coeternal, the doctrine of the Zarvanians was conceived in -later times. This sect, which flourished about the time of Alexander the -Great, supposed an unconditioned existence prior and Superior to -Ahura-Mazda, Ormuzd, and Ahriman, called "time without limit," -Zaravan-Akarana, from whom emanated the two spirits or principles of -good and evil.</p></div></div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER VI.</h2> - -<blockquote><p>Domestic Life of the Fire-worshippers.—The Zend-Avesta.—Parsee -Rites and Ceremonies at Birth, Marriage, Death, and Final -Consignment to the Tower of Silence.</p></blockquote> - -<p>Before we cross the private threshold with a view to take a peep at the -domestic life of the Parsees it may be well to state that "Avesta," in -one of its deepest significations, is said to be the symbol of womanly -fervor and purity. Among the early Zoroastrians it was consecrated in -the <i>fire</i> that burned on the hearth, which typified the inviolability -of the family, through which the sacredness attached to Asha<a name="FNanchor_22_22" id="FNanchor_22_22"></a><a href="#Footnote_22_22" class="fnanchor">[22]</a> as the -centre and preserver of the order<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span> of the universe is reflected upon and -consecrated in the mother as the immediate centre of the home, "the -transmitter of human life," and the preserver of family bonds.</p> - -<p>The ancient Fire-worshippers are commanded in their religious books to -watch over the woman in the home. It is a religious obligation. In the -first male child centre the past, present, and future glory of the -father. Children have always been the desire, "the crown of glory," to -an Oriental. Thus the mother became in the Zend-Avesta the "holy mystic -one," through whom man himself was born again as a son. She was the -goddess of abundance, the irradiator of his hearth and home.</p> - -<p>While the procreative and nutritive offices of woman called forth deep -religious enthusiasm and veneration, the peculiar physical difference -which these entailed on her appealed to a dawning sense of chivalric -generosity; and it was a tender regard for her physical liabilities that -first led to the institution of distinct rules for her life at times and -seasons when she was most likely to be overworked, oppressed, or unduly -taxed; and these rules time has rendered fixed and absolute as the -Medo-Persic laws. But all through this rigidness of custom are seen not -only a tenderness for the weakness of woman, but a high appreciation of -her ideality and beauty.</p> - -<div class="center"><a name="i120.jpg" id="i120.jpg"></a><img src="images/i120.jpg" alt="A Parsee Lady" /></div> - -<p class="bold"><span class="smcap">A Parsee Lady.</span></p> - -<p>"A wife cannot be set aside, save for the crime of adultery alone. She -may be superseded because of barrenness, but not a beloved and virtuous -wife. It is better to be childless here and hereafter than to wound or -grieve her for a moment. And in any case let her not be set aside but by -her own consent and free will." In all such cases she must be supported -and cared for tenderly until death. It was an unpardonable offence -against <i>God</i> to leave a wife destitute and without support. Unmarried -daughters—a very rare occurrence among the Parsees—are<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span> entitled to an -equal share of the mother's estate. A wife is not responsible for the -debts of husband or son, whereas they are held strictly responsible for -hers, and the son is enjoined, as the highest duty to the gods, to -support his mother after the death of her husband. In a husband habitual -vices—such as profligacy, intemperance, cruelty—insanity, and -impotence, were held sufficient excuse for aversion. She was neither to -be punished nor deprived of her property in any such case.</p> - -<p>A father is strictly forbidden to sell his daughter—<i>i. e.</i> to take -money in any shape whatever when giving her in marriage, but is -enjoined, on the contrary, to furnish her with a handsome dowry.</p> - -<p>The Parsee woman is as independent in her home and marriage relations as -the European, although the universal seclusion of high-born Hindoo and -Mohammedan women has not been without its influence on her domestic -life. The first use of the veil among the Persian women was as a symbol -of dignity and honor rather than of concealment from motives of modesty. -In the early days of the Zoroastrians woman was held not so much as an -equal, but as something superior in the home. In social rights and -home-duties the husband and wife shared alike, and side by side they -ministered to the holy fires on their household hearths. In the -"Prajapatya" form, which, though <i>Vèdic</i>, is equally binding on the -Fire-worshipper, the bride and bridegroom are distinctly enjoined to -perform together their civil and religious duties. But the poetic love -and reverence which surrounded woman in the early days of the Aryans, -and which is still unsurpassed in all their literature, struck deeper -than laws or rules, and in a burst of generous and spiritual enthusiasm -"all men were commanded to bow the knee in filial reverence before the -mother of a family, declaring a mother to be greater, more<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span> blessed, -than a thousand fathers." Thus we see how much the simple fact of -maternity tended to elevate woman in the home. And the desire to foster -and protect her led these early worshippers to typify womanly purity as -ever sacred, and as ever ready to comfort and cheer the heart of man as -is the carefully-watched fire that burned on their altars.</p> - -<p>But, alas! the rules and obligations which were originally intended for -her safety and happiness are now forged into iron fetters to bind her, -too often a willing slave, to the caprice of man, and have been used, -and still are urged, against her higher advancement to the privileges of -a liberal education.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, there are among the Parsees even to-day a few -old-fashioned observances which might be introduced with great advantage -to the wife and mother among the laboring and even richer classes of -European nations. For instance, even in the poorest families there are -certain days when the woman is considered unfit to cook, wash, bake, -sweep the floor, or light the house-lamp. So strenuous are the laws -against her working at these times that among certain persons her touch -is held to pollute the thing or person that comes into close contact -with her. She is forbidden to perform even the lighter offices which may -fall to her share in the house. She separates herself from the family on -such occasions. If she is too poor to keep a servant, her husband is -enjoined to do her part of the housework in addition to his own outdoor -labor, whatever that may be. The same rules apply to all female -servants.</p> - -<p>During pregnancy woman is held sacred among both Persians and Hindoos. -Their laws are fixed and absolute on all points relating to maternity, -whereas in European countries women are often treated with less kindness -and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span> consideration than the household and domestic animals. Disregarded -by man, she is too apt to neglect and overwork herself at such times. -But in the Parsee code of laws maternity and childbirth are protected by -deep religious obligations. "All harsh words, anger, sorrow, anything -that will occasion pain of mind and body, are to be kept away from the -woman with child." "She is forbidden all strong drink, all unhealthy -intercourse with neighbors and friends; she cannot travel from home or -from place to place, or look upon unsightly objects, or listen to any -but pleasant and familiar sounds." In fact, woman at such times is to be -guarded with an especial religious care, "as the household priestess or -divinity, who is on the eve of unveiling the future greatness and glory -of the family by the gift of a male child."</p> - -<p>Another and a very old superstition among the early Aryans and Parsees, -if we may call these tender observances by such a name, is that the -living, thinking, intelligent soul (which is held to be distinct from -the life) of the child takes up its habitation in the heart and pulse of -the unborn babe forty-nine days, or seven times seven sunrises and -sunsets, before its advent into the world. This curious belief makes -them regard the mother at such times as overshadowed by the presence of -a divine being. Hence, before the "holy breath" has animated the unborn -babe the mother is conveyed with religious care to the ground-floor of -the house. There are both spiritual and physical reasons for this step: -that she may not be disturbed by the ordinary household cares and jars; -that the child should enter into the world on the solid breast of the -great mother of all, the earth; and that she may not undergo the fatigue -of climbing stairs, which Oriental women very much dislike. Here she -remains fifty days, and sometimes even more, before, and forty days -after, the birth of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span> her child, tenderly cared for by every member of -the family, for to neglect her at such a time is to forfeit the -blessings of the seven high angels who are about the throne of -Ahura-Mazda.</p> - -<p>In the centre of her chamber there is an enclosed spot, sometimes -provided with a cot, and all around it is a low wall or a light fence to -guard off all irreverent approach. At the time of delivery her women -place her in this sacred spot, and here, in the heart and centre of the -Fire-worshipper's <i>home</i>, the newborn child is ushered into the world.</p> - -<p>Among the Hindoos, and even among the more uneducated of the Parsees, -these observances have lost their original signification, and have -dwindled down not only to a mere ritual ceremony, but are corrupted into -a gross superstition. The poor mother is now looked upon as being -impure,<a name="FNanchor_23_23" id="FNanchor_23_23"></a><a href="#Footnote_23_23" class="fnanchor">[23]</a> and her seclusion from the rest of the family necessary to -preserve the entire household from the much-dreaded pollution of -childbirth; therefore none of the members of the household will approach -or touch the mother—not from a fear of harming her, but rather of -pollution to themselves—until forty days after her confinement and -after she has undergone a series of purifications and performed a great -many sacramental rites.</p> - -<p>The whole course of the future life is carefully traced out for every -child that is born unto the world. First of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span> all, at the moment of birth -it is the duty of the nurse and midwife to carefully observe the time, -the hour, the signs, and marks, and any and every unusual occurrence -which may happen at the moment of delivery, particularly the aspect of -the heavens at the time of day; if at night, the appearance of the moon -and stars, and all such phenomena. All these and the exact moment of the -infant's birth are noted down. The newborn child is also carefully -examined as to its physical conditions, and these also are commented -upon and set down for the use of the astrologer. The mother too has -especial attention bestowed upon her; incense is kept burning at her -bedside; she is fumigated twice a day by means of a censer in which -odoriferous gums are burnt; tapers are lit and sent as offerings to the -Fire-temples, with wine, fruit, flowers, sweet oils, and frankincense -and myrrh.</p> - -<p>On the seventh day after the birth of the child an astrologer and priest -are invited to determine the horoscope of the newborn infant. The -former, having ascertained the moment of birth and all other notable -things with regard to mother and child, begins by drawing on a wooden -board a set of hieroglyphics in chalk as curious as they are -complicated, and his dexterity in counting and recounting the stars -under whose influence the child is supposed to be born is marvellous; -after which all the assembled relatives press forward, especially the -father, eager and trembling to hear the astrologer predict in a solemn -voice the future life and prospects of the newborn babe.</p> - -<p>According to these curious speculations, if the child is born at the -point of Cancer he will be a great man; if at the point of Capricorn, he -will be a great priest and reformer. Under the influence of the planet -Saturn he will be distinguished for intelligence (though some priests -hold<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span> the influence of Saturn to be dark and sinister over human life); -if under Jupiter, for power and physical strength. If he happens to be -born at the moment of the arrival of the sun at the summer solstice, the -child is looked upon as the favorite of Heaven, and every good fortune -is predicted as the result. Should the planet Mars preside at the time -of birth, they foretell great trouble and sorrow; if Mercury, poverty -and early death; under Venus, contentment and peace; and under the moon, -a numerous progeny. The astrologer then enumerates the names which are -the most appropriate for the child to bear, so as to mark his or her -astral relations; the parents make a choice of one of them. The -Fire-priest then takes the babe and places it on his knees, waves a lamp -lighted from the sacred fire over it, calls aloud its name, and implores -Ahura-Mazda to fulfil all the good and avert all the evil predicted by -the stars of heaven at the hour of its birth.</p> - -<p>After the expiration of the forty days, and having undergone seven -purifications by fire and smoke and various incense fumigations, the -mother returns to the family circle as before, but is exempted from much -arduous work while nursing her infant.</p> - -<p>I was fortunate enough to be present one evening at the house of Shet -Dorabjee, a Parsee merchant of Bombay, when one of their most beautiful -services was held. It was the simple act of lighting their evening lamp, -which in every Parsee household is one of the most sacred duties. This -lamp is poetically called "the dispeller of darkness." It is always -lighted in the evening, but goes out at dawn. Besides this, an earthen -and ever-burning lamp is preserved in almost all Parsee homes.</p> - -<p>On the occasion when I happened to be present at the house of Shet -Dorabjee the front door was gently closed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span> at twilight. The family, of -whom there were no less than forty-five persons, assembled around this -"hearth-lamp." My charming hostess and friend, the lady Shet Dorabjee, -repaired to the secret chamber, kindled her torch at the perpetual fire, -mingled its flame with her breath by lightly blowing on it, returned, -and lighted the hearth-lamp. Then the family all stood up—father, -mother, sisters, brothers, children, and grandchildren—no stranger -being allowed to join the circle. I stood aside and quietly watched the -scene. With their arms crossed upon their breasts while the mother was -lighting the evening lamp, they repeated this prayer (of which I -obtained the translation): "O Ahura-Mazda, thou who dwellest where the -sun never shines, where the lightnings flash not, from that world, thy -secret hiding-place, kindle our hearts to worship the pure Lord of -Purity;" to which the whole family responded, "So be it, O Divine -Illuminator."</p> - -<p>Consecration into the Zoroastrian religion takes place in the seventh -year of a child's life. First comes the strange purification by washing -the child's body and face with the urine of the cow. This curious and -disgusting custom is said to be handed down from the most ancient times, -when this liquid was regarded as a very effective remedy against any -disorder of the bodily organs. This done, a prayer is repeated, and the -body is bathed again in pure water. There is a second and a third -process, each called purification; the second consists of standing face -to face with the fire, and praying to the Light without beginning or -end; the third in repeating, with arms crossed, the Zoroastrian creed -and acknowledging the truth of the Zoroastrian religion.</p> - -<p>The child is then seated before the high priest, who puts on him a linen -garment of nine seams and a woollen<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span> girdle of seventy-two threads. -These are the exact number of the sacred books of the Fire-worshippers. -These two are called the "garments of the pure and faithful," and the -whole ceremony is concluded with a benediction of fire and prayer, the -former being waved round and round over the child, and the latter being -chanted.</p> - -<p>The last and peculiar initiation takes place when the youth has attained -his fourteenth year. He stands clad in pure white among the priests and -his assembled relatives and friends in the Fire-temple. Here he repeats -his vows; the priests warn him of certain temptations that will beset -his youth and manhood, and the shame and suffering that will follow him -through life if he should prove unfaithful to the higher instincts of -his nature. They then invite him to drink the "homa" or "soma" juice, -and to join them in practising purity in thought, word, and deed.</p> - -<p>The "soma," or moon-plant, is a round smooth twining plant peculiar to -the Aravalli Hills; it is also found in the deserts north of Delhi and -in the mountain-passes of the Bolan, and it is imported into Bombay. It -possesses not only medicinal, but, when allowed to ferment, slightly -intoxicating, properties. It is the privilege of the Fire-priests and -the most devout of the congregation to partake once a month, at the time -of the new moon, of this intoxicating juice. Those who are about to -partake of it generally abstain from food from sunrise till noon, which -is the hour for celebrating this ceremony.</p> - -<p>A day or two before the appearance of the new moon the stalks of this -plant are bruised with the tender shoots of the acacia and with -pomegranates, extracting thereby an acrid greenish juice. This is put in -a strainer of goat's hair, after which it must be pressed through by the -priest's fingers; this juice, mixed with barley and clarified butter,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span> -is allowed to ferment, when it forms the "soma wine." On the first -morning after the new moon is seen in the heavens the Fire-priests -repair to their temple, where, after certain prayers and chants, the -soma-juice is drawn off in a vessel; a portion is thrown into a sacred -well as a libation to the earth, a ladleful is drank by the priests, and -the residue is handed round to the people who are present. The priests -then join hands and wait for the stimulating properties to reach the -brain, whereupon they wheel round chanting a hymn full of mystical -meaning.</p> - -<p>Strange as it may seem to us, the exhilarating property of this drink is -supposed to shadow forth the presence of divine life in the soul, and -this life of thought and emotion is often poetically called "wine"—"the -wine that fills creation's cup."<a name="FNanchor_24_24" id="FNanchor_24_24"></a><a href="#Footnote_24_24" class="fnanchor">[24]</a></p> - -<p>The Parsees in worshipping the sun turn their faces to the rising -luminary, and, holding before them branches of certain trees, chant -aloud. In our early-morning rides on Malabar Hill, as the sun made his -first appearance above the horizon, the white-robed priests of Iran were -always before us, crowding the summit of the hill; they could be seen -with their faces turned eastward, with branches of acacia raised aloft -in their hands, singing their morning hymn to the god of day.<a name="FNanchor_25_25" id="FNanchor_25_25"></a><a href="#Footnote_25_25" class="fnanchor">[25]</a></p> - -<p>We knew personally several of the Fire-priests of Bombay. They seemed -less intelligent than the ordinary Parsees, and some of them went -through their religious duties mechanically and without any of that -religious fervor that I had noticed in the Brahmans; but I have seen -others who were both intelligent and extremely devout.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span></p><p>Among the Fire-worshippers the marriage of one's children is the first -and earliest consideration. Marriage is held a high sacred and religious -obligation, and mothers often pledge their children in marriage before -they are born, and if their children prove of the right sex their pledge -is held sacred. In most cases, however, the priests are the go-betweens -or the matchmakers. This is held as one of the most important of the -ministerial duties that fall to the care of a Fire-priest. As soon as a -Parsee sees what he and his wife consider an eligible mate for his son -or daughter, direct negotiations are opened with the parents by means of -the Fire-priest, who calls on the parties, and after some few -preliminary questions with regard to the temper and disposition of the -proposed mother-in-law on the part of the relatives of the young maiden, -the Fire-priest (who cannot proceed until he has examined the respective -horoscopes) demands the birth-paper of the little maiden in question, -who, perhaps all unconscious of what is going on, may be frequently seen -hiding behind her mother and peering timidly at the white-robed -Fire-priest who is about to decide one of the most important events of -her future life.</p> - -<p>Everything depends on the positions of their respective stars. The stars -once declared favorable, however, matters proceed rapidly and the -betrothal takes place. This consists of an exchange of dresses from the -parents of the young couple; but so rigid are their rules that the -acceptance of this simple gift is held by each of the parents as the -sign of an indissoluble bond between the children.</p> - -<p>Even the day for the celebration of the marriage (after the children -have arrived at the respective ages of eighteen for the boy and fifteen -to sixteen for the maiden) is selected by the Fire-priests. Indeed, -there are only a few days in the year held propitious for marriage by -both the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span>Hindoo and Parsee. So many marriages take place on these -favored days that to a stranger it would appear as if the entire native -population was being married off.</p> - -<p>We were invited to the celebration of the marriage of Munchejee -Sorabjee's daughter, a very beautiful girl and a great heiress in her -own right, her late uncle having left her a very large fortune. We -arrived early, so as to witness the whole ceremony from beginning to -end.</p> - -<p>It was a lovely place near Mazagaum. The house was approached through -grand old groves; there were rustic seats here and there, and inviting -grassy slopes whence one could catch glimpses of the distant sea. We -were shown into a spacious hall, where we took our places, with several -other European guests, on divans arranged along the walls.</p> - -<p>Just before sunset the bridegroom's party arrived in full dress of pure -white, all save the turban, which was of a dark chocolate color, -ornamented with precious stones. Each of the gentlemen attached to the -bridegroom's party had garlands of white flowers around his neck. Behind -these came a long row of Fire-priests in flowing white linen robes, -white turbans, and long white silk scarfs.</p> - -<p>The nuptial ceremony must always be held on the ground-floor, and after -all the guests, some three or four hundred Parsees, had taken their -places round the hall, there was heard a gentle buzz of expectation. All -eyes turned involuntarily to the great lofty door at the western -extremity of the room. It opened, and for a moment the young bride stood -still, hesitating at the threshold of the unknown future before her. -Presently both bride and bridegroom entered. I never saw a more graceful -or more beautiful creature than this young Parsee bride. Her dress was -exquisitely simple—white satin trousers fastened at the ankle, above a -pale blue silk bodice <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span>covered with some sort of rich white embroidery, -and over it all, wound round her whole person, half veiling her face, -was a semi-transparent flowing scarf, every curve and twist of which was -arranged with the most artistic effect. They walked in side by side. A -murmur of delight ran through the audience at the delicate downcast -face, the grace, and the beauty of the half-veiled maiden figure before -us. When the couple reached the centre of the hall they bowed down and -performed a sort of mystic prostration to Mother Earth in the presence -of the Fire-priests. They then stood up, joined hands, and waited for -the auspicious moment. All eyes were turned upon the youthful pair; -every one was almost breathless with tender expectation, save the -Fire-priests, who watched the sunlight fading out of the sky. With the -vanishing of the last shimmering gleam of light the ceremony began. -Torches and lamps were kindled with fire from their temple by the -Fire-priests, who approached the young couple, and, waving round them -the sacred light, sprinkled them with consecrated water; then taking an -immense "purda," or veil, placed it over one of their number and over -the bride and groom, who were shrouded beneath its folds for some -minutes; meanwhile other priests chanted the following hymn: "O man, in -the name of the great Ahura-Mazda, be ever pure and faithful, and bright -in good actions as the immortal Light. Be ever worthy of all praise and -honor in the heart of this woman, now thy wife. May the spirits of fire, -sun, and water give thee wisdom! May the peaceful earth, whose fragrance -is excellent, whose breasts contain the heavenly drink, fill thee with -the purity of the Pure and the benevolence of the great Yohoo mano -(beneficent spirit) toward this woman thy wife!"</p> - -<p>Then the chant is addressed to the bride: "O woman<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span> of mysterious body, -be thou immortal like Kosru (one of the fixed stars). Be full of -understanding for thyself, thy husband, and the fruit of thy body, as a -capacious vessel full of love, fervid as the sun by day, tender and pure -as the moon by night; heavy laden as the cow (clouds) with moisture" -(meaning heavy laden with kindness, as the clouds with moisture). "Be -serene, be wise, be steady as the fixed stars. May Ahura-Mazda give you -fire for brightness and purity, the sun for exalted rule! May the -shadowless night give you the moon for increase and the sky for life -everlasting!"</p> - -<p>The instant the chanting—which was drawled out in monotone by the -assembly of the Fire-priests—ceased the great white veil was withdrawn, -and the young couple were man and wife.</p> - -<p>The bride then, blushing scarlet and looking if possible still more -lovely than before, received the eager and hearty congratulations of her -friends and relatives, who pressed around her and embraced her. Her -mother and aunts wept with joy and poured tender benedictions on her -young head. It was a trying ordeal for the poor girl. I noted every -shade of feeling that passed over her face. She wore a look of -constraint, every now and then blushing crimson; she bit her lips in -order to keep herself from giving way to her own conflicting emotions.</p> - -<p>After this came the bridegroom's turn to salute and be saluted by his -own and his wife's relatives. A knot of gay young Parsee gentlemen -surrounded him with welcome sounds of greeting and laughter when the -next important part of the ceremony began. A young Parsee lad, -magnificently dressed, appeared, bringing in a large bowl of milk, and a -charmingly dressed young maiden advanced, the younger sister of the -bride, with a <i>choole</i>, or vest, belonging to the newly-made wife.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span></p><p>That "there is only one step from the sublime to the ridiculous" is -only too true, for this rare and unique ceremony was absolutely -concluded by the Fire-priests washing the toes of the bridegroom in the -milk, and then they rubbed his face all over with the cast-off garment -of his wife. As far as I could understand, the one was a sign of the -great future happiness in store for the husband, and the other that he -was no longer his own master, but henceforth under petticoat government. -It is but just to add that most of the Parsee gentlemen present seemed -to have outgrown this ridiculous custom, but the ladies smirked and -giggled and seemed to enjoy it immensely.</p> - -<p>After this came the end. The happy but confused-looking young couple -retired (dripping with rose and jessamine waters showered over them) to -their new abode, which in most cases is in the paternal home of the -husband.</p> - -<p>The Parsees have but few festivals; the birthday of Zoroaster and their -New Year's Day are the most important. The former is held in the month -of October, and it is a sight worth seeing. The men, women, and -children, magnificently dressed in gold-wrought silks and flashing -jewels, crowd the Fire-temples with offerings of fruit and flowers. Long -processions of priests robed in pure white take turns in officiating, -and chant after chant ascends from the temples to the shining -Ahura-Mazda, accompanied with invocations to the spirits of the -righteous dead, and to the seven high angels around the throne. The -beautiful half-veiled women, the lovely children, the noble-looking -fathers of families with their numberless sons standing at their right -hand, and the priests magnifying and feeding the sacred flame from -sunrise to sunset, form a sight as inspiring as it is novel.</p> - -<p>Their Noow Rooz, or New Year's Day, is observed very<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span> much as we do -ours. The poor and destitute of all castes and creeds have alms, food, -and clothes distributed to them by the rich and great, poor relations -receive presents, and among friends kindly visits and gifts are -exchanged.</p> - -<p>The costume of this peculiar people is exceedingly simple, and said to -be made obligatory on them by the rajah of Sajan on their first landing -on Indian soil. That of the man consists of a long seamless muslin or -silk shirt or tunic reaching to the knees, a woollen girdle with -tassels, and a pair of silk trousers; when going out he puts on a sort -of tunic, with a short silk vest over it; the modern Parsee gentlemen -has also adopted shoes and stockings. The cap or turban by which a -Parsee is distinguished is bound round a frame in the form of a little -round tower, slightly higher on the right side. The stuff of which it is -constructed is a peculiar manufacture made at Surat expressly for the -Parsee turban. It is a sort of stiff paper-muslin, figured, and -generally of a dark-red or chocolate color, bound round the frame -smoothly, till it is made to assume this one particular form of a -conical tower (typical of their earliest Fire-temple), around which -emeralds and rubies are arranged on great festal occasions.</p> - -<p>The Parsee women that I met and visited in Bombay were, on the whole, -remarkably good-looking as girls; before they conceal their fine curly -hair they are really beautiful, and the children among the loveliest and -happiest to be found in the East.</p> - -<p>The women are fair-complexioned, with a delicate brunette tinge, with -large eyes and regular features, often exquisitely formed, owing to -their dress being freed from anything like pressure on the body; but -they rob themselves of a part of their beauty by the custom of -concealing their beautiful hair under white linen bands bound<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span> around -the brow. They wear very wide silk trousers, gathered and fastened at -the ankles, over this a silk tunic, often descending in graceful folds -to the feet and bound at the waist, while a deep, wide scarf of silk or -some other light texture gracefully drapes the whole person and serves -at once the double purpose of a head-dress and a veil.</p> - -<p>They occupy in their homes a much more honorable position than either -the Hindoo or Moslem women. They enjoy almost as much freedom as -European women. I used to meet them in the streets and bazaars, driving -in their open carriages, surrounded by their bright, happy-looking -children.</p> - -<p>So careful are the Parsees of their national honor that in the whole -island of Bombay there exists neither paupers nor prostitutes among the -followers of this religion. Polygamy is unknown among them. A wife can -only be put away for immoral conduct. She is tried by the Punchayet or -Parsee court, and if found guilty repudiated amid the whole assembly; -formerly she was put to death.</p> - -<p>The ceremonies attending the death of a Parsee are very singular. When a -person is about to die he is conveyed to the ground-floor, washed in -consecrated water, and his face anointed with holy oil. A lamp or lamps -lighted from the sacred fire in the temple are placed by the dying man's -bed, and priests stand before him with folded arms crossed on their -breasts, and pray for him in a most earnest and beautiful chant. When -life becomes quite extinct the body is clothed in a new white cotton -shirt of nine seams and a sort of apron, which is thrown over the face. -This is bound by a new and sacred girdle of seventy-two threads. The -body is then placed on an oblong stone on the floor.</p> - -<p>But the most curious part of all is, that along with the Fire-priests -the house-dog is brought in, and after they<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span> have offered up prayer and -praise in the presence of the assembled family, the dog is taken up to -the dead body of his friend and master and exhorted to conduct him -safely into paradise. If the dog should lick affectionately, as -heretofore, the face, or even hands or feet, of his dead friend, it is -held as a most auspicious sign of the dead man's ready admittance into -heaven. It is but just to add here that the more refined and intelligent -Parsees have outgrown this absurd custom and superstition; but the more -ignorant certainly believe that every dog has an angel spirit residing -in some star, whence it issues forth to convey the souls of the good -safely into heaven.<a name="FNanchor_26_26" id="FNanchor_26_26"></a><a href="#Footnote_26_26" class="fnanchor">[26]</a></p> - -<p>When the time for the removal of the body approaches, lamps lighted from -the sacred fires burn around the corpse. The priests stand face to face -with the dead, singing praises to the immortal Light; finally, their -last prayer or exhortation to the dead soul is chanted. This done, the -body, covered with white garments, the hands crossed on the breast, is -laid on a long open bier. A number of priests robed in pure white carry -the bier to the dohkma or tower of silence, and there the long -procession of friends and relatives stand in a circle praying with arms -folded, heads bowed, and lips moving silently, while the Fire-priests -place the dead body on a long slide and slip it on the iron gratings of -this strange circular tomb, to be devoured by birds of prey.</p> - -<p>On the third day they pray again in the Fire-temple that the soul of the -dead may ascend to heaven, for, according to their sacred books, on the -third day "he reaches Mithra (Sun-god), rising above the mountains -resplendent in his own spotless purity;" then he comes to the bridge of -the "<i>Gatherer</i>" where he is asked as to the conduct of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span> his soul while -living in the world. If he is pure, a beautiful, tall, swift spirit, -called Serosh, comes thither with a dog, a nine-knotted hook, and the -twigs of the "Barsom;" these things are considered efficacious for -keeping off evil spirits and guiding him over the heavenly bridge -(Chinvat). Here a most exquisite form meets him, lovely and smiling, and -when he questions the beautiful maiden, "Who art thou shining so -brightly on the wide shore?" she replies, "I am all thy good works, pure -thoughts, and pure words, O man." She then takes his hand, leads him -smiling and joyous to the archangel Yohoo mano, who rises from his -golden throne and speaks thus to the soul: "How happy it is that you -have come here to us from mortality to immortality!" Then the soul goes -joyfully to Ahura-Mazda, and resides for ever with the immortal saints, -praising the unbegotten, self-created Light.</p> - -<p>Though the Fire-worshippers believe in the resurrection, they do not -hold that it is to be made in the same body; their reverence therefore -follows the soul, and not the body deserted by its spiritual tenant, -while their reverence for the earth, water, and fire is so profound that -they hold burial, cremation, or even casting the ashes into the waters, -a sacrilege against the elements. The original idea in exposing the body -to the weather was Brahmanic—that of absorption by the elements. The -dead body was restored to the sun, air, and sky, to be reunited and -launched on the bosom of that "<i>vast Illimitable</i>" whence it had sprung.</p> - -<p>The Parsees also hold all birds sacred, as a sort of spiritual agent of -universal purification, through whose agency all gross, unclean -substances pass into healthy conditions. For these reasons the towers of -silence which receive the dead spoil are open to the sky, and by means -of the bird of prey it re-enters almost immediately into the domain of -life and health and purity.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span></p><p>From the universal testimony of pagan or Christian travellers we find -that the Fire-worshippers of India are thought to be more honorable in -their dealings with one another, and even with strangers, than the -generality of Asiatics, and even than those peoples professing -Christianity. They rarely resort to written contracts, as their word is -the best bond. Benevolence is said to flow in their veins, so -conspicuous have they become for their love of charity. The Rev. Mr. -Avington, during his stay at Surat so early as 1698, bore testimony to -the fact that the Parsees there were ever more ready to provide for the -comfort and support of the poor and suffering than even the Christians; -and this reputation they bear to this day in India. The Bombay -government voted thanks so far back as 1790 to Sorabjee Muncherjee, who -during the scarcity that prevailed at that time daily fed at his own -expense two thousand people, comprising Jews, Christians, Mohammedans, -and Hindoos. Mrs. Graham, in her journal of a residence in India, -declares that she was enraptured with the simplicity, purity, and -never-ceasing kindliness of the Parsee community; and every one in India -is familiar with the name of that very prince of benevolence and -kindliness, the venerable Parsee baronet Sir Jamsetjee Jeeboy, knighted -by the queen of England for his unbounded charities, which are not only -unsurpassed, but without a parallel, in ancient or modern times. He has -done more in his lifetime for Western India, in feeding the poor, -releasing unhappy prisoners for debt, building causeways, founding -schools and colleges for the education of all castes and conditions of -men and women, erecting hospitals for the relief of the suffering poor, -benevolent institutions for the deformed, spacious resting-places, or -dhurrum-salas, for weary travellers in all parts of India, stupendous -aqueducts, wells, and tanks,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span> than any other single individual, or even -the East India Company, for the benefit of mankind. Connected with the -Grant Medical College of Bombay is the noble hospital, the gift of this -Parsee baronet; and only a few years ago his family erected a hospital -for incurables near it. An ophthalmic hospital has been opened and -endowed by another liberal Parsee, Cowasjee Jehangheer.</p> - -<p>The late Sir Jamsetjee commenced life in Bombay at the early age of -twelve as a street peddler, selling old bottles, and was called -"Bottle-wallah" to the day of his death.</p> - -<p>In the short space of two centuries of undisturbed industry the Parsees -have placed themselves in competition with the foremost of the Europeans -in India. In liberality and enterprise they rank with the -merchant-princes of England, and may be justly compared to the most -famous merchants that America has produced in the last century, and yet -no question has ever been raised as to the commercial integrity of the -Parsees. In the Indian banks and various other stock companies the -Parsees are prime movers. They are almost the exclusive owners of all -the trading-steamers that now navigate the Indian and China seas. They -are great landholders, and many of the finest residences in the island -of Bombay are owned by Parsees. They have shared largely in introducing -railways into India. Jamsetjee Dorabjee is now considered the foremost -railroad contractor in India. The most difficult passes extending from -the Thull Ghauts to the Kustsarah Mountains, covered with wild jungles, -full of trap hills, mountain-torrents at one season of the year, and -devoid of water at another, were laid open and made as easy of travel by -railroad as the most finished roads in England or America. Many English -officers of the engineer department have declared the building of this -<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span>railroad across the Thull Ghauts and Kustsarah a more arduous -undertaking than that of the great Pacific Railroad across the American -continent.</p> - -<p>Europe, during the great American War deprived suddenly of one of the -chief products so necessary to her industries, resorted to India for -cotton, and all at once the island of Bombay became not only the great -centre of trade, but soon attracted to herself merchants and traders in -cotton from the four quarters of the globe, each and all eagerly -competing for the same prize, the monopoly of the cotton-market. -Enormous fortunes were amassed in an incredibly short space of time, and -for a brief period the whole commerce of the great East and West seemed -to flow into the port of the small island of Bombay. Misinformed by the -English press, and seemingly unwilling to investigate for themselves the -true nature of the almost superhuman struggle carried on between kinsmen -for the preservation of State rights and the suppression of slavery on -the American continent, this eager crowd only foresaw what seemed the -most natural, the utter destruction of the great republic of the United -States and the magnificent future for themselves springing from the very -ashes of this ruin. Thus assured, and blinded to every other -consideration, even the wise and hitherto prudent merchants of Bombay -became dazzled with the prospects in view, and launched forth into the -most gigantic enterprises and into rash schemes for the utmost -development of one and all the various resources of the country. -Everywhere this feverish, insatiable thirst to profit by a great -nation's approaching destruction displayed itself. Men and women who had -never dreamed of speculating in stocks, the rich with his hundreds of -thousands and the poor with hardly a few rupees to his name, master and -servant, were alike seized with the distemper called by the few who -looked<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span> calmly on "Rupea-Dewana," "the rupee-mad." How changed was the -once happy population! What anxious faces, revealing lines of thought -and care, of midnight toil, of mingled fear and hope! Still, the great -drama went on, and for a short period immense fortunes were made in a -day. But no sooner had the whole island gained sufficient encouragement -to set on foot her gigantic schemes and rash enterprises, no sooner had -she at one final throw staked all on the ruin of the Northern States, -than came the appalling intelligence of General Lee's defeat. A fearful -revulsion followed: sudden panic seized the busy world enclosed in the -small compass of the Bombay "Commercial Square." Like a flock of birds, -the business population took wing and vanished out of sight. The banks -were closed, flourishing houses collapsed, firms disappeared, and an -almost universal ruin stared every one in the face. The very atmosphere -was filled with the despair of men who had so rashly staked all and lost -all.</p> - -<p>Painful as the lesson has been, it was a wholesome one, not only for all -classes of merchants in British India, but for Old England herself. The -merchants of Bombay are once more in their counting-rooms and -warehouses, the banks are as firmly established as ever, with a richer -experience and a more profound insight into the laws which govern the -moral as well as the business world; they yet bid fair to render the -beautiful island of Bambâ Dèvi the heart and centre of all the commerce -of the East, even as she is now, owing to her remarkable sanitary -conditions, the healthiest city in India. She is the second city in the -British empire in point of numbers, having a population of six hundred -thousand, and an average to the square mile exceeding that of London; -nevertheless, the average death-rate for the past five years has been -the same as that of London.</p> - -<div class="center"><a name="i144.jpg" id="i144.jpg"></a><img src="images/i144.jpg" alt="Bombay—University and Esplanade" /></div> - -<p class="bold"><span class="smcap">Bombay—University and Esplanade.</span></p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_22_22" id="Footnote_22_22"></a><a href="#FNanchor_22_22"><span class="label">[22]</span></a> "It cannot be denied," says Max Müller in his <i>Origin and -Growth of Religion</i>, "that in the Avesta, as in the Vèda, <i>Asha</i> may -often be translated by purity, and that it is most frequently used in -reference to the proper performance of the sacrifices. Here the Asha -consists in what is called 'good thoughts, good words, good deeds—good -meaning ceremonially good or correct, without a false pronunciation, -without a mistake in the sacrifice. But there are passages which show -that Zoroaster also recognized the existence of a kosmos or <i>rita</i>. He -also tells how the mornings go, and the noons, and the nights, and how -they follow that which has been traced for them; he too admires the -perfect friendship between the sun and the moon and the harmonies of -living nature, the miracles of every birth, and how at the right time -there is food for the mother to give her child. -</p><p> -"As in the Vèda, so in the Avesta, the universe follows the Asha, the -worlds are the creation of Asha. The faithful while on earth pray for -the maintenance of Asha, while after death they will join Ormuzd in the -highest heaven, the abode of Asha. The pious worshipper protects the -Asha; the world grows and prospers by Asha. The highest law of the world -is Asha, and the highest ideal of the believer is to become Ashavan, -possessed of Asha—<i>i. e.</i> righteousness."</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_23_23" id="Footnote_23_23"></a><a href="#FNanchor_23_23"><span class="label">[23]</span></a> It is now very difficult to ascertain at what period the -"dual principle" of good and evil formulated by Zoroaster was first -applied to the sexes. It is clear, however, that in course of time the -masculine energy came to be regarded as good and holy, and the feminine -as evil and unholy; and there is no doubt that from that time the -original idea of the mother as the household priestess or divinity -underwent a slow but radical change; and at length the fall of woman -from the lofty place assigned to her in the early Vèdic and Zoroastrian -religions became an accomplished fact.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_24_24" id="Footnote_24_24"></a><a href="#FNanchor_24_24"><span class="label">[24]</span></a> Omar Khyâm, astronomer-poet of Persia.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_25_25" id="Footnote_25_25"></a><a href="#FNanchor_25_25"><span class="label">[25]</span></a> The earliest mention of this practice is found in the -eighth chapter and sixteenth verse of Ezekiel, where that prophet -complains that the Jews turn their backs upon the temple to worship the -sun.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_26_26" id="Footnote_26_26"></a><a href="#FNanchor_26_26"><span class="label">[26]</span></a> The dog is also brought in to be looked at by the dying -man when at his last gasp.</p></div></div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER VII.</h2> - -<blockquote><p>Hindoo Treatment of the Sick.—Pundit's House Defiled.—Its -Purification.—Short Sketch of the Different Races and of the -Origin of Castes and Creeds among the Peoples of Hindostan.</p></blockquote> - -<p>The Hindoo treatment of the sick is quite peculiar, and I once had an -opportunity to witness some of its curious features during the illness -of my Sanskrit teacher, the pundit Govind. I was fortunate in this, -since only exceptional circumstances permit a European to pollute with -his presence the dwelling of a high-caste Brahman. Every one knows that -caste still holds the Hindoos under an iron rule, but it is difficult -for us of the Western World to realize, without actual experience, the -tenacity with which its mandates are obeyed even in an extremity.</p> - -<p>For several days Govind had not presented himself to give his usual -morning lesson at the "Aviary." I feared he was ill, but did not venture -to visit him, lest my very shadow might pollute his dwelling and place -him in an unpleasant dilemma with the rest of his high-caste friends. I -began to be alarmed, however, on the third morning of Govind's absence, -and was on the point of starting off to his house, when I observed a -native woman coming toward the "Aviary," her scarlet saree fluttering in -the breeze and making quite a pretty picture in the distance.</p> - -<p>I hastened to the doorstep to meet the stranger. She salââmed to me, but -positively declined to enter the house. As she did so she flung back her -scarf or covering, and from the sectarian mark on her forehead I knew -that she<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span> was a high-caste Brahmanee. She stood for a few minutes -breathless and silent, and I do not remember ever having seen a more -delicate and sensitive-looking girl. The saree, which was a scarlet -muslin cloth of Indian manufacture, and decorated with a handsome -border, covered her person from head to foot, leaving the left arm and -shoulder bare. I noticed that she had sandals on her feet and a number -of bangles round her arms and ankles. Her shining black hair was tied in -a massive knot behind and fastened by a gold pin, which also served to -secure the end of her saree as a veil and covering for her head. Her -features, form, arms, hands, and feet were of the most exquisite type, -and her complexion of a rich chocolate-brown.</p> - -<p>She at length lifted her dark eyes brimming with tears, and with a -slightly quivering voice said, "Beebee saihib torâ douva daoh kuda ka -wasta; Govind ka jahn jata hai" ("Lady, for God's sake give me a little -medicine; Govind's life is passing away").</p> - -<p>I inquired the nature of his complaint, but all I could learn from the -young woman was that Govind's stomach and legs had gone away, and that -his head was fast following his heels, which is the Oriental phraseology -for extreme prostration.</p> - -<p>I seized a small bottle of brandy, a physician's mixture at hand for -cholera morbus, and some quinine, and started with the Brahmanee for the -home of Govind the pundit. In less than half an hour we stood before a -mean, wretched-looking bamboo dwelling, the walls of which were -plastered with mud and covered over with an attap<a name="FNanchor_27_27" id="FNanchor_27_27"></a><a href="#Footnote_27_27" class="fnanchor">[27]</a> roof. It stood in -the middle of a small patch of ground neatly smeared over with -cowordure. In the centre of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span> this yard was a flourishing plant growing -out of a large earthen pot buried in the ground—the Indian -"mehndee"<a name="FNanchor_28_28" id="FNanchor_28_28"></a><a href="#Footnote_28_28" class="fnanchor">[28]</a> (sacred to the goddess Bhawanee), called <i>Lawsonia</i> by -English botanists. It was in full blossom, with small delicate, fragrant -flowers resembling the clematis.</p> - -<p>The sky was very much overcast, portending soon a shower or -thunderstorm; the air was hot and sultry. I stood for a moment or two -before the half-open door of the little hut, whence proceeded a low, -faint, tremulous sound which I recognized as the voice of Govind, my -teacher, enfeebled by his illness. As I stood there hesitating to enter, -the pretty little Brahmanee dropped on her knees before the door, and, -having saluted the presiding genius of the dwelling three times, -advanced, creeping softly in on her knees. At length I summoned courage -enough to walk in, but I did so in my stockings, leaving my shoes on the -doorsill. Even this was, as I afterward learned, desecration to the -Brahman's household.</p> - -<p>On a low charpie, or native cot, standing apart within an enclosure -formed by a mud wall a few inches in height, lay the pundit, his eyes -closed, his features shrunk and wasted. The little woman, who I divined -was his wife, had already taken her place at his feet, which she kept -rubbing in a listless way, the sad expression deepening on her dark but -beautiful face, the great tears brimming her eyes and coursing one after -another all unheeded down her cheeks.</p> - -<p>The dwelling consisted of two apartments. Through a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span> doorway to which -there was no door I saw an old woman seated by a rude fire on the floor -in the adjoining room cooking some rice in an earthen pot, and before -her on the floor were a board and a rolling-pin, with which she had been -rolling out some wheaten cakes, piled, already baked, in a copper -platter by the fire. The moment I entered the hut she turned her -shrivelled features, and, seeing a white woman, she gave a shrill cry; -then, stretching out her bare, bony arms, implored me in piteous tones -to begone. "But, lady," said I, trying to appease her, "I cannot go -away. Govind is very ill, and I have some medicine here that may cure -him."</p> - -<p>Hearing her still entreating me to begone, Bhawanee begged her to let me -stay and give the medicine to Govind; at which the poor old woman, -shuddering, retreated to the inner apartment, resumed for a time her -cries, uttering them in a loud voice and in a tone at once piercing and -imperious, "You dare not come in here! you dare not! What reason have -you for daring to give my son medicine? I want you hateful Injrage -(English) to know that I would rather have him die, rather have him die, -than be polluted by your vile drinks, made of devils' blood and pig's -flesh; I would rather have him die." Rocking herself to and fro, she -kept her strange glittering, dark eyes fixed upon me, and repeated, -lowering her voice more and more gradually, "I would rather have him -die," till she seemed to be talking to herself. I really thought she was -delirious or perhaps out of her mind; but Bhawanee whispered to me, "She -is very old and very cross, and sometimes possessed of a devil."</p> - -<p>All the noise made by the old woman did not seem to disturb her son, who -was in a deep sleep, his respiration so heavy and labored, and his -pallor so death-like, that I almost feared he was dying. But at the end -of half an<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span> hour he stirred and made a vain attempt to turn on his side; -failing, he gave a look toward the foot of the bed, where his -sorrow-stricken wife sat still and mute. Meeting his gaze, she crept to -the head of the bed, and, taking his hand tenderly in hers, sobbed out -in broken accents, "Govind duva piuh, tora duva piuh" ("Govind, drink -some medicine—just a little of the medicine").</p> - -<p>The pundit opened wide his half-closed eyes, looked full and inquiringly -into his wife's face, and then turned them upon me. If I had been the -very lowest wretch on the face of the earth, he could not have been more -startled and horrified than he seemed at my presence. He almost sprang -up, but in another second fell back on the bed, and, putting his hands -before his face, cried feebly to his wife, "Wife, wife, what have you -done?"</p> - -<p>There was deep sympathy in the voice of the poor young woman as she -exclaimed, "Oh, Govind, I thought you were dying. I did not know what -else to do, and Doorah has been gone since morning, and is not yet -returned. Oh, please take the lady's medicine. Never mind about caste; -we can do 'puja' for it, and be restored;" and the poor woman began to -sob as if her heart would break.</p> - -<p>"What are my sufferings and death, that you should create so much -disturbance about them?" feebly moaned Govind. "Let me die, oh, let me -die quietly!" and again the deadly pallor overspread his face.</p> - -<p>"Govind," said I in a very energetic tone, "drink this." I had already -poured out a little brandy into an earthen lota or cup, which his wife -handed me, and giving it back to her said, "Put it to his lips; he will -be better as soon as he has swallowed a little of it."</p> - -<p>Poor Bhawanee, nervous and trembling from head to foot, tried, and tried -in vain, to persuade her husband to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span> take even a mouthful of the -medicine. Each time that she presented the lota to his lips he would put -it aside, and turn away his face, muttering, "Better to die than pollute -myself with what I am forbidden to touch."</p> - -<p>The old woman, who had never taken her eyes off me, hearing his voice, -began to moan, "Oh, beloved son, die, die, but do not touch their unholy -drinks."</p> - -<p>I did not know what to do, but, inspired by poor Bhawanee's entreating -look, which, though she said not a word, plainly urged me to persevere, -I once more endeavored to get the patient to swallow a little of the -brandy. "Govind," said I, "do get over your scruples, which are well -enough in health, but absurd in your fast-failing condition. Drink a -mouthful of this; it will help to revive you until your doctor comes. No -one need ever know that you have tasted brandy; I promise you to keep it -a profound secret."</p> - -<p>"Do, oh do!" urged his wife—"eke gutta piuh—take only one gulp."</p> - -<p>"Much or little, a drop or a whole bottle, are all the same to me," -groaned the poor pundit. "You may not speak of it, lady, and no one, no -one may know it, but how can I conceal the fact from myself?"</p> - -<p>I felt it was useless to persuade the patient to try the remedies I had -brought with me.</p> - -<p>At this moment we not only heard the sound of approaching feet, but a -sudden clap of thunder, preceded by a flash of lightning, almost blinded -us as we sat in the hut, and down came a deluging rain. Bhawanee rose, -and in a state of great agitation begged me to retire by the back door; -but, casting her eyes on my stocking feet, and apprehending that my -European shoes on the threshold of her dwelling had already betrayed my -presence to her friends, she begged me to keep my place, when in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span> -walked, all dripping, three strange-looking men, accompanied by Doorah, -her sister, who had been despatched in the early morning in search of a -doctor, a priest, and a soothsayer.</p> - -<p>Bhawanee rose and bowed before them, and so did the old woman from her -place in the inner room. It was comforting to see the poor woman's -expression, which till now had been full of despair, replaced by a look -of child-like confidence and trust, though I doubted whether the Hindoo -priest, doctor, or soothsayer could do much toward helping the sick man.</p> - -<p>The doctor, who was a tall, dark, and rather handsome high-caste Hindoo, -placed himself near the bedside of Govind and proceeded to feel his -skin, pulse, and chest and to examine the condition of his tongue, eyes, -and nails.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, the Brahman priest requested a pitcher of water and an empty -bowl. Furnished with these by Doorah, Bhawanee's sister, he sat himself -down in the middle of the room and began to transfer the water from the -jar into the empty bowl, drop by drop, repeating over each drop the -"Gayatree," the holiest text of the Vèdas, the most sacred and effacious -prayer of the Brahmans, and thought by them to be absolutely necessary -to salvation, while the soothsayer sat apart waiting his turn to perform -certain magical enchantments for the benefit of the poor sick man. The -latter opened his eyes once more and looked at his Guru,<a name="FNanchor_29_29" id="FNanchor_29_29"></a><a href="#Footnote_29_29" class="fnanchor">[29]</a> or priest, -and said solemnly, "I am dying."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span></p><p>"Dying? you are not dying," said the doctor. "I will soon make you -well," whereupon he opened a bag and drew out of it some pieces of iron, -which he placed on a charcoal fire. While these were being heated he -took out various roots and dried herbs and began to rub them on a small -stone, occasionally moistening the stone with a little water. Having -compounded several queer, dark-looking doses, he, to my utter -astonishment, deliberately began pinching, thumping, and slapping poor -Govind—now on his back, anon on the soles of his feet. His sides, -palms, shoulders, elbows, knee-joints were all slapped and beaten. This -done, he branded with the hot pieces of iron the poor patient on the pit -of his stomach, the inside of his arms, and the calves of his legs; then -administered his queer-looking doses, which the unhappy-looking Govind -swallowed without a sign of remonstrance; and, finally covering him from -head to foot with a thick quilt, the Hindoo physician beckoned to the -soothsayer to complete the cure.</p> - -<p>The soothsayer robed himself in a dress covered with strange designs of -men exorcising fiends, put on a cap to which was attached two or three -long cords, at the end of which hung little brooms made of kusah-grass -(a grass sacred to the Hindoo gods). He then took up the pan of burning -coals and scattered them over the quilt which covered the patient; these -he brushed off as rapidly as possible with the sacred brooms hanging -from his cap. This was to dispossess the sick man of some extraordinary -but invisible devil, which he then drove out at the door, running after -the spirit and howling terrific invectives on it for having dared to -enter the "divine precincts occupied by the <i>liver</i> of a Brahman." All -this while the Guru, or priest, prayed, chanting in a monotonous tone, -over each drop of water that passed from the pitcher to the bowl,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span> and -each of which was supposed to carry off with it the cholera of the sick -man.</p> - -<p>Strange to say, violent and absurd as were the remedies administered to -poor Govind, he not only bore them patiently, but seemed better; a -profuse perspiration having broken out upon him, it was looked upon as a -most hopeful sign and an especial interposition of Brahm.</p> - -<p>In another hour the rain ceased; Govind had fallen into a peaceful -sleep; Bhawanee's face was irradiated with smiles; the old woman was -setting out their mid-day repast on a mat in the adjoining apartment. I -returned home, promising to call and see Bhawanee on the following day. -The next day, when I started off, I fully expected to hear that Govind -had passed away; but when I reached the outer gate of the yard enclosing -Govind's dwelling I found the pundit, although looking weak and feeble -enough, seated on a small stone holding in his left hand three blades of -kusah-grass. The old woman, who was in the act of tying up the lock of -sacred hair on his head in some mystical form, shouted to me to keep -off. I stood at a distance and looked on. He was evidently undergoing -the purification ceremony. Bhawanee, who smiled sweetly at me, was -holding before her husband a bowl of water, which he first sipped, then -flung a little of it toward the horizon, and washed his hands, ears, -breast, eyes, nose, shoulders, and feet, repeating over each member a -prayer. His wife then brought him a stick of lighted wood from the -household fire; he breathed over it, repeating the mystic word "Aum," "O -divine Spirit, resplendent Fire, purify me from all uncleanliness." He -then placed the sacred grass on his right ear (Gunga, the sacred river, -is supposed to have its source in the right ear of Brahm, the -sacrificial fire (or life) in Brahm's nostrils, so that when the pundit -touched these members of his <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span>person with fire and water all the -impurity entailed by my visit to his house on the previous day passed -away). Finally he took some sacred mud out of a pot which was handed to -him by his wife, and made the holy mark, the circle and the cross of his -caste and race, on his brow.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, Doorah, the sister, had been purifying the hut. First it was -sprinkled all over with holy water, smeared with cow-ordure, and lastly -fumigated with certain gums—a very sensible proceeding in a hot, moist -climate like that of Bombay.</p> - -<p>And at length the poor pundit, restored to his normal condition of -holiness, was once more assisted into his bed by his tender and loving -wife. I smiled at them from a distance, and went my way regretting more -keenly than ever we were <i>so</i> separated from one another that the -simplest act of kind interest on my part should entail on the whole -household a series of purificatory rites to last for seven days.</p> - -<p>As long as there exist in social life certain laws, manners, and customs -by which the civilized man is distinguished from the savage, the -gentleman from the cowherd, the high-born dame from her lowly maid, so -long will caste, which is nothing more or less than social grades, -complicate the lives and destinies not only of the races of the East, -but of the West. The three great problems which yet remain to be solved -by the British in India are to do away with the degradation of man by -caste, the bondage of woman by custom, and the deterioration of -childhood through the influence of the one and the other.</p> - -<p>Caste on Indian soil was not in its beginning an entirely arbitrary -institution; it was at first the natural expression of a high-bred and -highly-sensitive race toward an inferior and savage population among -which they had settled. It took centuries before caste was established -on Indian soil,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span> and nearly a thousand years before it became -incorporated in the sacred books of the Brahmans in its present form. -But the moment that divine authority was claimed for it, that moment it -became to the God-fearing races of the East a law so subtle, so -intricate, and yet so absolute, that the most daring as well as the most -abject could not hope to escape its iron rule.</p> - -<p>From the remotest times there has been a ceaseless march of tribes and -races into the vast peninsula called Hindostan, from which there is no -easy outlet, east or west, north or south; all points are equally -difficult and impassable—mountain-barriers on the north, with ranges of -mountains and circling seas on every other side. Nevertheless, pouring -across the Indus and straggling down the narrow defiles and passes of -the Himalayas, came wave after wave of immigration, pushing the earlier -populations farther and farther into the hills and forest-boundaries of -the occupied land. Each wave, borne down by the later arrival, -disappeared or retreated deeper and deeper into the heart of the country -till the whole of India was over-flooded by the great Aryan invasion.</p> - -<p>In no part of the world are there found so many remains of distinct -tribes and races of men as in Hindostan proper. Everywhere in the -forests, in the most inaccessible mountain-regions of the peninsula, and -all along the sea-coast, are tribes and races who seem to have been -hemmed in where we now find them. The vast plains of the regions of the -Indus and the Ganges afforded no place of refuge to the retreating -barbarians. Hence, with the exception of some few who were absorbed into -the population of Lower Bengal, the Aryans drove all before them, even -the Tamuls, a partly-civilized people, who, having swept the earlier -inhabitants southward, were in their turn forced south.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span></p><p>From the latitude of the Vindhyan chain down to Cape Comorin, and in -the forests of Ceylon, the aboriginal populations of India are still to -be met with, living in detached communities, distinct in physical -appearance, manners, customs, and religions, not only from the Hindoos, -Tamuls, Moslems, and Parsees, but from one another.</p> - -<p>Nothing annoyed our pundit so much as when he heard me call my bhistee, -or water-man, "a Hindoo:" "Hindoo nay, maim sahib, whoo jungly-wallah -hai" ("Not Hindoo-man, but a savage of the forest"). And, to tell the -truth, one could not fail to notice between the Hindoo pundit and the -coolie-bhistee as marked a difference as one sees between a high-bred -American gentleman of the Anglo-Saxon race and the newly-emancipated -American negro.</p> - -<p>In crossing the Indus one comes upon the relics of ancient races in the -dark-complexioned, diminutive, but powerfully athletic natives of -Guzerat, many of whom are now the coolies or porters of Bombay. Again, -scattered over the Vindhyan and Satpurah mountains and the banks of the -Nerbudda and Tapti are other tribes of a very peculiar race called -Bheels or Bhils, probably from the Sanskrit word "bhil," which signifies -"separate" or "outcasts." The legends of these tribes, one and all, -trace their origin to the union of the god Mahadèo with a beautiful -woman met by him in a forest. From this union sprang a sort of giant -distinguished by his ugliness and vice, who, after having perpetrated a -series of horrible crimes, killed the sacred Brahmanic bull of the god, -and was banished to the wilderness of Jodhpoor. The history of the -Rajpoot princes of Jodhpoor and Odhpoor corroborates this account of the -Bhil emigration. The Bhats,<a name="FNanchor_30_30" id="FNanchor_30_30"></a><a href="#Footnote_30_30" class="fnanchor">[30]</a> or minstrels, of the Bhils still reside -in <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span>Rajpootana, and make yearly visits to the countries of the various -Bhil tribes to celebrate festal seasons with music and song. The -celebrated Nádir Singh, a Bhilahah (that is, one sprung from the -marriage of a Rajpoot with a Bhil woman), was one of the most formidable -freebooters of his time until the establishment of an English settlement -at Mhau,<a name="FNanchor_31_31" id="FNanchor_31_31"></a><a href="#Footnote_31_31" class="fnanchor">[31]</a> when he was compelled to discharge his foreign adherents -and renounce plundering.<a name="FNanchor_32_32" id="FNanchor_32_32"></a><a href="#Footnote_32_32" class="fnanchor">[32]</a></p> - -<p>The Bhils are short in stature, thick-set, almost black, with wiry hair -and beard, but extraordinarily active and capable of enduring great -fatigue, delighting in flesh of all kinds and intoxicating drinks, with -which no Brahman will ever pollute his sacred lips. The chiefs of the -Bhils are called Bhomiyahs, and are generally of the Bhilalah or mixed -race. They exercise the most absolute power over their subjects; each -chief is styled a "dhani," or lord, and the most atrocious crimes are -often committed at his bidding. In order to limit this absolute power, -however,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span> there are certain religious officers called "tarwis," or heads -of tribes, whose counsel must be attended to by the chiefs. The worship -of the Bhils is paid to Mahadèo, the high god, and Dèvi his consort, the -goddess of small-pox. A great number of infernal deities are also -propitiated by yearly offerings and pilgrimages to their respective -shrines.</p> - -<p>While the Bhil men are brutal, cruel, and drunken, it is a remarkable -fact that the Bhil women are chaste, gentle, and almost always very -good-looking.<a name="FNanchor_33_33" id="FNanchor_33_33"></a><a href="#Footnote_33_33" class="fnanchor">[33]</a></p> - -<p>Driven southward by the conquering Rajpoots, numbers of the Bhils -adopted the savage life of freebooters and robbers, which they still -retain, and the more wealthy settled in Guzerat and Candeish, where most -richly-ornamented temples and rock-shrines are to be found to-day, and -such as remained with the Rajpoots became hardy cultivators of the soil -or the bravest of watchmen when employed as guards.</p> - -<p>In character they are sensitive on points of honor among themselves, but -desperate foes, revenging themselves, sometimes years after, for any -grievance perpetrated against one of their tribe. I remember an incident -related to me by my mother which is characteristic of the Bhil -freebooters and robbers. My stepfather was appointed to survey the -public road newly opened from Cambay to the confines of the great and -then almost unknown province of Guzerat. She had decided to accompany -him on his long and hazardous journey. Having acquired a fair knowledge -of the Guzerati language, she proved, as he had hoped, an invaluable aid -in settling disputes about payments of money for work done, and in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span> -directing and instructing such of the Bhils, Khands, and other tribes as -were employed on the roads. Furnished with a sepoy guard and a large -amount of government money to defray the expenses of the road repairs, -they travelled for some time unmolested through the strange country. On -one occasion, however, they had pitched their tents in the village of -Balmere, and had retired for the night. My stepfather, fatigued with a -hard day's ride over the roads, slept soundly. The guards patrolled the -little encampment, which consisted of three tents, two for the servants -and sepoys on duty, and the other, a double-poled tent, consisting of -two rooms with a double wall of canvas around it, for the family. The -tumbril which conveyed the government money from place to place stood in -the corner of the room, near the cot on which my mother slept. My -stepfather occupied the adjoining room. A small lamp stood burning on -the tumbril, and the key had been carelessly left in the treasure-box.</p> - -<p>About midnight my mother was suddenly aroused by a slight shuffling -noise. She raised her head, and, looking toward the spot whence the -sound proceeded, was horrified at seeing the shadows of the nude figures -of several men passing between the outer and inner walls of the tent. -Presently a gang of Bhil robbers opened the tent-door and stood before -her, confronting her, armed with bows and poisoned arrows. There were -six men in all, with nothing on their persons but <i>langoutis</i><a name="FNanchor_34_34" id="FNanchor_34_34"></a><a href="#Footnote_34_34" class="fnanchor">[34]</a> of -straw round their loins, and their bodies highly greased, so as to slip -away from the grasp of any person who attempted to seize and hold them.</p> - -<p>Divining that their object was to rob the tumbril, the brave lady, -without uttering a single cry, sprang to her<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span> feet, standing erect and -seemingly fearless, and gazed defiantly at them. For a moment or two the -foremost robbers seemed to hesitate. Then the one of the gang nearest -her addressed her in Guzerati, and said, "Woman, we do not desire to -hurt you; we only mean to possess ourselves of what we need, the money -in that cart there;" saying which, he attempted to advance toward the -tumbril. To scream for help would imperil her own and her husband's -life, for these freebooters would at once use their poisoned arrows; but -to permit them quietly to rob the government treasury would be almost as -fatal, entailing on them endless delay, trouble, and perhaps even unjust -suspicion at head-quarters. The intrepid wife suddenly remembered that -the Bhils had a superstitious reverence for the person of woman, and -before they had time to reach the tumbril she flung herself on her face -and hands across their path, and said solemnly in Guzerati, "Only by -stepping over a woman's body can you obtain possession of what is -entrusted to the care of her husband." There she lay, not daring to -utter another word, trembling from head to foot, and anticipating -momentary death from their cruel arrows.</p> - -<p>Minute after minute passed away, but she still did not dare to open her -eyes or even turn her head toward them. After lying there for nearly -half an hour, which seemed almost an eternity of agonizing suspense, and -unable to endure it any longer, she ventured timidly to glance in the -direction of the robbers, and, lo! their places were empty; the -tent-door was closed. The Bhil freebooters, hearing this strange being -address them in their own language, hurling at them one of their most -formidable threats, had vanished as softly as they had entered the tent, -vanquished by the presence of mind shown by a delicate woman.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span></p><p>On another occasion the military chaplain at Desa, a British station in -Guzerat, was on his way to seek change of air at Mount Aboo. At dusk one -evening he found himself surrounded by a gang of Bhil robbers; his -travelling-wagon was stopped, his driver took to his heels and fled; his -servants too had gone on ahead. Not knowing what to do, he addressed -them in Guzerati, and said, "I am not a rich man; I am a poor servant of -God, a Christian priest in search of health." Immediately the chief of -the gang gave orders that he should not be hurt. They stripped him, -however, and divided among themselves whatever they could find. Two of -the gang, presenting their short daggers to the poor clergyman, made him -march before them in his shirt for some distance. Every time that he -turned to remonstrate with the robbers they pricked him slightly with -their pointed daggers, till at length he resolved to take no further -notice of them. On and on he went. A great darkness had overtaken him; -almost fainting from fatigue, he sank to the ground unable to take -another step, when, to his surprise, he found that the robbers had -departed, leaving him to pursue his way through a wild jungle. He spent -an anxious night in the forest, retraced his steps to the village, and -by complaining to the headman was at once furnished with a guard and -every facility to pursue his journey, the law here being that if robbery -or murder is perpetrated in the vicinity of a village, the headman is -obliged to make ample restitution; and he has the power to levy a fine -on the community to indemnify himself for all the expenses that such -acts entail on him as patèl, or governor, of the village. The reverend -clergyman always maintained that his escape from death on this occasion -was owing to the fact of his being able to address the robbers in their -own tongue.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span></p><p>South of the Nerbudda, and in the very heart of the Vindhyan chain, are -the Gonds,<a name="FNanchor_35_35" id="FNanchor_35_35"></a><a href="#Footnote_35_35" class="fnanchor">[35]</a> so called from their habitual nudity—a race of the -lowest type, jet-black skin, stunted, thick-lipped, and with small, -deep-set eyes. This race is often called by the Hindoos Angorees—<i>i. -e.</i> cannibals. They live in miserable huts, surrounded by swine, -poultry, buffaloes, and dogs, without any industries, literature, or -priesthood, and with few ceremonials of any kind whatever—worshippers -of serpents, demons, or anything, in fact, that inspires them with -dread, to whom they sometimes sacrifice their children or captives taken -in war. Such religious rites as prevail among them are conducted by the -aged and honored members of their tribe, both male and female.</p> - -<p>Verging on the Gondwana<a name="FNanchor_36_36" id="FNanchor_36_36"></a><a href="#Footnote_36_36" class="fnanchor">[36]</a> are the hilly provinces of Orissa, inhabited -by the Khands, no doubt a tribe slightly in advance in physical type and -civilization of their neighbors, the Gonds, the Thugs, and Sourahs. They -regard the earth-spirit as in rebellion against the Supreme Deity. To -the earth-spirit they direct their prayers, and seek to propitiate her -by human sacrifices.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span> Their victims are called "Meriah"<a name="FNanchor_37_37" id="FNanchor_37_37"></a><a href="#Footnote_37_37" class="fnanchor">[37]</a> by the -Oriyahs, and Kudatee by the Khands. These victims must not belong to -their tribes nor to the Brahman caste. They are purchased, or more -generally kidnapped, from the surrounding districts by persons called -Panwhas, who are attached to their villages for these and other peculiar -offices. They may be either male or female, and as consecrated persons -are treated with great kindness. To the "Meriah" youth or maiden a -portion of land is assigned, with farming stock. He or she is also -permitted to marry and bear children, who in turn become victims. If a -"Meriah" youth form an attachment to the daughter or even wife of a -Khand, the relatives indulge him in his wishes, regarding it as an -especial favor. These sacrifices take place annually, when the sun is in -his highest point in the heavens. The victim is selected by casting of -lots. The ceremony lasts three days, and is always attended by a large -concourse of people of both sexes. The first day of the approaching -sacrifice is spent in feasting, merriment, and prayers, which go hand in -hand with wild revelry of all kinds. On the second morning the victim -who is to propitiate the earth-goddess is washed, attired in a flowing -white robe, and conducted, with music, beating of drums, blowing of -horns and rude reed instruments, to the sacred groves preserved for -these rites. Here the assembled community implore the earth-goddess Tari -(called Pennu by the Shanars and Davee by the Rajpoots, who have in -great measure been tainted by their contact with these hill-tribes) to -accept the sacrifice about to be offered, and to bless their land with -increase of corn, wine, cattle, and so forth. After the offering up of -prayer the victim, whether male or female, stands up before the -assembly,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span> draws forth his glittering knife, and passes his hand three -times over its sharp edge. He then deliberately steps up to the rude -altar of Tari, lays down his knife upon it, and, bowing his head, -worships the insatiable earth-goddess; then snatching up the knife, he -cries, "Drink of my blood and be appeased, O Tari," etc., etc. He waves -it aloft three times and plunges it into his side. Leaning toward the -earth, which he desires to propitiate in behalf of his fellow-men, he -slowly draws out the knife, pours his life-blood out upon her parched -and thirsty soil, and expires at the foot of the dreaded altar raised to -her name. Honored as no other creature in the land, reared for death, -the "Meriah," or doomed one, exults in the performance of this -self-sacrifice with a consciousness of being a savior of the country, -and has never been known to evade or escape the doom in store for him.</p> - -<p>After this horrible sacrifice the human victim is cut into small pieces, -and each head of a Khand or Gond family obtains a shred or infinitesimal -portion of the body, which he buries in his field to please the spirit -of the earth. This is believed to aid not a little in rendering the soil -rich and fertile.</p> - -<p>The Thugs, or "stranglers," are not unlike the Gonds in physical -appearance and natural characteristics. They live by robbery and murder, -and are banded together by certain vows which they religiously follow. -One sect of Thugs are called Phansigars, or "throttlers." It is their -practice to strangle wayfarers, whence their name, and appropriate such -spoils as may fall to their lot in these onslaughts. Efforts have been -made, through the British government, to put a stop to both these -religious atrocities of the Meriah and the Thugs, and in some parts of -the country with great success.</p> - -<p>The Jadejas are a branch of the great Samma tribe once<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span> so powerful in -Sindh; they assumed this title from a celebrated chief named Jada. Their -arrival in Guzerat dates from 800 <span class="smaller">A. D.</span> The remarkable characteristic of -this tribe is their systematic murder of all their female children. -Another branch of the Jadejas settled in Kach, or Cutch. These differ -materially from their brethren in Guzerat. They are half Musulmans and -half Hindoos, believe in the Kuran, worship Mohammedan saints, swear by -Allah, eat, drink, and smoke with the followers of the Prophet. But, on -the other hand, they do not undergo circumcision, and adore all kinds of -images of wood and stone. In appearance they are fine, tall men, -light-complexioned, handsome-featured, and have singularly long -whiskers, which are often allowed to come down to the breast. They owe -their good looks to their mothers, who are either bought or kidnapped -from other tribes; no females of their own are ever reared.</p> - -<p>The Kalhis (another curious tribe) are evidently a northern race; they -are tall, well-formed, with regular features, aquiline nose, blue or -gray eyes, and soft dark-brown hair. The sun is their chief deity. On -the Mandevan Hills, near Thau, is a temple to the sun, said to have been -erected by the Kalhis on their first arrival in Guzerat. In this temple -there is a huge image of the Sun-god with a halo round its head. The -symbol of the sun with the words, "Sri suryagni shakh" ("the witness of -the holy sun") is affixed to all official documents and deeds of -property.</p> - -<p>A number of tribes may be found in the district of Bilaspoor, which -forms the upper half of the basin of the river Maha-Nadi—the Gonds, -already mentioned, the Kanwars, Bhumias, Bingwars, and Dhanwars—all -differing among themselves in physical characteristics, customs, -manners, and certain religious observances. Among the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span> Hindoos here are -two tribes which deserve particular mention—the Chamars, or -Chamar-wallahs, and the Pankhas. The former take their name from their -dealing in "chamar," or "leather." They are the shoemaker and -leather-trading castes of the Hindoo communities, and have always been -held in great contempt by the high-class Brahmans and Hindoos. About -sixty years ago a religious movement was inaugurated by one of the -Chamars named Ghasi-Dhas. He represented himself as a messenger from God -sent to teach men the unity of God and the equality of men. He was the -means of liberating his tribe from the trammels of caste; he prohibited -the worship of idols or images, and enjoined that prayers should be -offered up to the Supreme Being, whose spirit should be ever present to -their minds without any visible sign or representation. The followers of -the new faith call themselves "Satmanes" or the "worshippers of Satyan, -the truth." Ghasi-Dhas was their first high priest; he died 1850. His -son succeeded him, but was assassinated by some Hindoo fanatic, but his -grandson is the present high priest of the Chamars.</p> - -<p>The "Pankhas," or weavers, are also deists of a very high order; they -are the followers of a religious reformer named Kahbir, who flourished -about the fifteenth century. There is very little difference between the -Kahbir-Pankhas and the Satmanes-Chamars in their worship and religion. -The province of Sindh derives its name from the Sanskrit word "Sindhu," -"ocean or flood," which name the Aryans of the Vèdic period who were -settled about the sixth century <span class="smaller">B. C.</span> in the Panjaub and along the Indus -gave to that river. In the third "Ashtaka" and the sixth "Adhyáya" there -appears to be a distinct mention of the Indus River in the twelfth -verse, which runs as follows: "Thou hast spread abroad upon the earth by -thy power<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span> the swollen Sindhu when arrested (on its course)."<a name="FNanchor_38_38" id="FNanchor_38_38"></a><a href="#Footnote_38_38" class="fnanchor">[38]</a> The -Indus is still called Sindhu throughout its course from Kalabágh to -Atâk; it is sometimes locally termed Atâk. From Kalabágh to Bâhkhar is -the upper Indus, and from Bâhkhar to the sea the lower Indus. It begins -to rise in March and falls in September, but, unlike the Ganges and the -Mississippi, it does not submerge its delta or inundate the valley -through which it passes to any great extent. Its floods are irregular -and partial, pouring sometimes for years on the right bank, and then on -the left, so that even at the height of the freshets the Persian wheel -may be seen at work watering the fields on either bank.</p> - -<p>The principal tribes of Sindh are the Beluchis and the Jâts, or Sindhis, -once Hindoos, but converted to Islam under the Khalifs<a name="FNanchor_39_39" id="FNanchor_39_39"></a><a href="#Footnote_39_39" class="fnanchor">[39]</a> of the house -Ommayyah. The Sindhis are taller, stronger, more robust, and muscular -than the natives of India; they belong chiefly to the Hanifah sect of -Mohammedans. Their language is a strange mixture of Arabic and Sanskrit -words, the noun being borrowed from the Sanskrit, and the verb from the -Persian or Arabic grammar. The Beluchis are a mountain-tribe; they are -superior to the Jâts or Sindhs, fairer, more powerfully formed, very -hardy, not deficient in courage under brave leaders, and extremely -temperate. The Beluchi women are remarkably faithful and devoted as -wives, and those of the Mari tribe often follow their husbands to -battle.</p> - -<p>One of the peculiarities of the Hindoos of Sindh is that they have no -outcast tribes among them, like the Parwaris, or Pariahs, Pasis, and -Khandalas of Hindostan;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span> and many of the Musulmans of Sindh are -followers of Nanak<a name="FNanchor_40_40" id="FNanchor_40_40"></a><a href="#Footnote_40_40" class="fnanchor">[40]</a> and Govind his disciple.</p> - -<p>Farther north, in the Afghan districts, numerous warlike tribes are -found. Afghans, properly so called, distinguish themselves from the -aboriginal populations. The chief clans or tribes of the Afghans are the -Duranis, south-west of the Afghan plateau; the Ghilzais, the strongest -and most warlike of the Afghans, occupying the highlands north of -Kandhar (this tribe is noted for its deep-rooted hostility to -foreigners, and especially to the British); the Yusufzais, north of -Peshwar; and the Khakars, who are chiefly the highlanders of this -region. Of the non-Afghan tribes very little is known; those that have -come under the notice of the British officers are no doubt mostly a -mixed race, descendants of the Aryans and Turanians. The purest of these -are the Parsivans, the Kizibashes, the Hindikis, and the Jâts, all more -or less closely allied to the Persians and Hindoos in language, manners, -and customs. The Eimâk, the Hazaras, Tajiks, and the Khohistans are -semi-nomadic tribes—Mohammedans; some are of the Shiah<a name="FNanchor_41_41" id="FNanchor_41_41"></a><a href="#Footnote_41_41" class="fnanchor">[41]</a> and others -of the Sunni sect.</p> - -<p>As a race, the Afghans are a very handsome, athletic<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span> people, with fair -complexion, aquiline nose, and flowing black, brown, and sometimes even -red, hair, which the men wear long, falling in soft curls over the -shoulders. The women are beautiful, and often of fair rosy complexion, -dark eyes and hair, which they wear under a skull-cap, with two long -braids falling to the waist behind, finished off with silk tassels. -Since the Mohammedan conquest the custom of excluding women from the -society of the male members of the family has been introduced into -Afghanistan, and is now rigidly enforced.</p> - -<p>In the very apex of India, the hilly districts of Southern Madras, are -numerous early races and tribes, distinct and peculiar to themselves, of -whom the Tudas and Cholas are most worthy of notice. The former is as -superior in type to the latter as the Caucasian is to the Mongolian. The -Tudas are chiefly found in the Nilgherry Hills; they are tall, athletic, -and well-formed. Their women, though dark, are singularly pleasing when -young. The comparatively treeless character of these hills indicates -that in former times large spaces were cleared and cultivated, though at -present the Tudas seem to prefer roaming about the hills and leading a -nomadic life.</p> - -<p>In the Dhendigal and neighboring Wynadd Hills appear other tribes, -apparently the oldest of all the primitive races of India, and of the -lowest type of humanity. They are called Shanars, and are clothed, if at -all, with the bark of trees, using bows and arrows, and subsisting -chiefly on roots, wild honey, and reptiles. Short in stature and agile -as monkeys, living without habitations among trees, they penetrate the -jungle with marvellous speed, and seem only a step removed from the -orang-outang of Borneo and Sumatra. There is no doubt that these wild -people, if not indigenous to the soil, occupied at one time a large -portion of this country, and are the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span>remains of that "monkey race" whom -the first Aryan invaders met with, and who, with their leader Hanuman, -figure so largely in the old poems as the allies of Rama in his conquest -of Ceylon.</p> - -<p>Among these numerous but isolated relics of aboriginal populations there -is another and superior race, divided into several distinct -nationalities, such as the Tamuls, Telingus, and Canarese, who people -the greater part of Southern India. Nevertheless, between them and those -still later Aryans the difference, both mental and physical, is plainly -seen.</p> - -<p>There are still current in Southern India a number of languages and -dialects, which, though largely intermixed with Sanskrit terms in -consequence of Aryan conquest and civilization, belong to distinct -families of languages. The most comprehensive of these are the Tamul, -Telingu, and Carnatic, showing the existence of separate nations at the -time of the Aryan conquest. The Tamul language has no inconsiderable -literature of its own.</p> - -<p>The Mahrattas, whose chief seat is in the Deccan, belong to still -another race, although there is now among them a larger infusion of -Aryan blood than is to be found farther south in India.</p> - -<p>In the van of Aryan immigration settling along the plains of the Ganges -from Hurdwar down to the eastern frontier of Oude and the Raj-Mahal -Hills were the Brahmans, founders of the great cities Hastinapoora -("abode of elephants"), Indraspatha, Delhi, Canouge on the Doab, Ayodhya -(Oude), Benares, and Palibothra (Patna). They concentrated themselves in -the upper part of the Ganges valley, but did not attempt to pass into -Lower Bengal, as may be seen to-day by the physical and mental -inferiority of the Bengalees to the populations of Northern Hindostan.</p> - -<p>All travellers and historians agree in stating that the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span> early Aryan -settlers in the valley of the Ganges closely resembled the Hellenic race -in Greece in almost every feature of their military, domestic, and -social life. They were split up into a number of small states or -communities. The Kshatryas, though originating in their military -profession, and not in a single family, were not unlike the Heraclidæ, -who became the royal race of the Peloponnesus. But in process of time -these Kshatryas were absorbed into the Rajpoots, who are supposed to -have arrived in India about the time of Alexander's invasion of the -Panjaub. They settled where we find them to-day, in the neighborhood of -Rohilcund and Bundelcund, and shortly after them came the Jâts, another -branch of the Indo-European or Aryan family, thus completing the four -great waves of the so-named Pandya, or white-faced, immigration—the -Brahmans, Kshatryas, the Rajpoots, and the Jâts. It was the Brahmans who -founded the celebrated Pandhya kingdom, so called from their white -skins, and established the "Meerassee" system—<i>i. e.</i> an aristocracy of -equality among the four conquering races. They shared the land equally -among themselves, and regarded all others as servants or subjects.</p> - -<p>In this primitive village-system the Brahman, or priest and poet, the -Pundit, or schoolmaster, the Vakeel, or pleader, were as essential as -food and drink to the community. Priest, teacher, and pleader by virtue -of their high functions enjoyed peculiar and unquestioned privileges: -land free of all tax was religiously assigned to them, and servants to -cultivate it for their use were attached to the grant.</p> - -<p>In each and every Hindoo village or town which has retained its old form -the children even to-day are able to read, write, and cipher. But -wherever the village-system has been swept away by foreign and other -influences there<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span> the village school has also disappeared with it. A -trial by jury, called "punchayet," was also a part of the primitive -system of self-government instituted by the early Brahmans: each party -named two or more arbitrators, and the judge one; the jury could not in -any case be composed of less than five persons, whence the name -"punchayet"—five just ones. In difficult cases the influence of the -heads and elders of the village was brought to bear upon the contending -parties, and the administration of justice was so pure in those days -that the saying "In the punchayet is God" became proverbial.</p> - -<p>Out of these marked mental and physical differences grew up the -monstrous and extraordinary system of caste in India. Not that caste -does not exist in some degree everywhere throughout the world. In the -British Isles it is as fixed and absolute as a Medo-Persic law, and even -among Americans a marked social inequality exists. Caste naturally -sprang up with the first mingling of the conquering and conquered races -on Indian soil. At first the distinctions of class and rank were no more -marked than that of an English peasant and the lord of a domain, or that -of the negro girl and her mistress in the United States to-day. But the -proud, white-skinned Brahmans, in order to guard the purity of their own -"blue blood," and to rivet their own ascendency, invented at length a -distinct and most binding code of laws, and then claimed for them the -divine authority of the Vèdas.</p> - -<p>Of the four great castes that we read so much about, three only were -fixed—Brahmans, Kshatryas, and the Vaisyas. This last was the common -Aryan people, and they were not separated from their superiors by any -harsh distinctions. But the Sudras, "the threefold black men," among -whom the Aryan population established themselves, all the non-Aryan -races and tribes of the peninsula<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span> of Hindostan, were kept off by a wide -gulf and the most galling marks of inferiority. The Sudra could not read -the Vèdas nor join in their religious meetings. He could not cook their -food, or even serve in their houses; he was unclean, gross, sensual, -irreligious, and therefore an abomination to the noble white-faced -Aryan.</p> - -<p>The code of Manu, with all its "unparalleled arrogance" toward the -Sudra, was founded rather upon what a high-bred Brahman ought to be than -with any deliberate intent to degrade the Sudra. But with its practice -came that inevitable deterioration to the moral character of the -Brahmans themselves, who forgot that the humblest man has a right to the -same sanctity of life and character as the highest. The lower the -Brahman sank in his spiritual and moral nature, the more he tried to -hedge himself about with artificial claims to the reverence of the -peoples around him, until finally the code of Manu swelled into minute -details. Reaching the unborn child of Aryan parents, it directed its -nursing in the cradle, it shaped the training of the youth, and -regulated the actions of his perfect manhood as son, husband, and -father. Food, raiment, exercise, religious and social duties, must be -brought into subjection to its sovereign voice, and in the course of -time it was inseparably interwoven with every domestic usage, every -personal and social habit. From the cradle to the grave it undertakes to -regulate and control every desire, every inclination, every movement, of -the inner and outer man. Such is the code of Manu.</p> - -<p>In spite of these laws, however, there flourished Sudra kings and Sudra -communities, influenced though not absorbed by the Aryan population. -Sudra kings were invited to the court of the great <i>Yudishthira</i><a name="FNanchor_42_42" id="FNanchor_42_42"></a><a href="#Footnote_42_42" class="fnanchor">[42]</a> and -treated with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span> marked respect and courtesy; indeed, this word "Kiriya" or -"Kritya" (courtesy) was held to be the distinguishing mark of a -high-bred Brahman. The Sudras in their turn soon caught the infection of -caste feeling, and were not slow in adopting the same distinctions among -themselves.</p> - -<p>From being at first a sign of superiority of race, it gradually took -form and extended to every branch and profession. Priest, teacher, -soldier, sailor, tinker, tailor, robber, murderer, and beggar, was each -one fixed immovably and for ever in his place and grade, and no earthly -power could draw him into any other. Every one piqued himself on his -particular caste; each man confined himself sternly to his own perfect -circle. There was hope for every man who belonged to a caste, so that -even those fallen from caste bound themselves together in a brotherhood -and called themselves Pariahs, "outcasts," which in time became a large -and distinct caste. "Even in the lowest depths they found a lower -still."</p> - -<p>So monstrous and deteriorating was this system that in the course of -time, losing sight of its original purpose, it separated the Aryans -themselves, for whose especial preservation and union it was designed, -by distinctions and restrictions almost as galling as those it had -formerly imposed only on the Sudras.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, it had its noble features, and did good work for a time. -The high advancement to which the Indo-European art, literature, -painting, music, and architecture attained was due to the leadership of -the Brahman civilization. It was an aristocracy to rule and educate the -masses, which everywhere exhibited a uniform inferiority. But even with -all the help of caste and the inflexible code of Manu to preserve them -on every side, the proud white-faced Aryans did not long escape the -<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span>deteriorating influences both of the climate in which they had settled -and the debasing usages of the non-Aryan populations around them.</p> - -<p>The most degrading practice that sprang up in time on Indian soil was -asceticism. The amount and the terrible nature of this self-imposed -penance practised by the Hindoos exceed anything known in the world, and -are almost inconceivable to any ordinary European, whose first instinct -is self-preservation. Ablutions and commands of personal cleanliness, -which formed a part of the code of Manu, have increased in number, and -also the penalties attached to their violation to such a degree that -now-a-days a Brahman or Hindoo is defiled by the most trifling accident -of place or touch. To eat with the left hand, to sneeze when he is -praying, to gape in the presence of the sacrificial fire, to touch one -of a low caste, are all pollutions. In fact, the very shadow of an -Englishman or a Sudra falling on his cooking-pot renders it obligatory -on him to bury his meal in the earth and to throw away his pot if -earthen; if not, it must undergo seven purifications before it is in a -sufficiently holy condition to boil the rice sacred to the Brahman. The -simple contact with pig's fat in the cartridges made the sepoys, who -believed they were thus lost to caste and to heaven, willing and -terrible tools in the hands of the arch-enemy of British power in the -East. Nana Sahib, or, more properly speaking, Dundoo Punt, who, in order -to revenge a private wrong—the lapse to the East Indian Company, on the -death of his uncle and royal father by adoption, of a large territory -bequeathed to him—worked upon the caste-prejudices of the sepoys until -he maddened them into committing the most fiendish acts ever recorded in -Indian history. But the original code does not so regard the eating of -pork. If a Brahman purposely eat pork he shall be degraded, but if<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span> he -has partaken of it involuntarily or through another's connivance, a -penance and purification are sufficient for full atonement.</p> - -<p>Thus, injunctions originally designed as rules of pure living and -high-breeding, cleanliness, abstinence, kindliness, charity, and -courtesy, have been so multiplied and distorted that it is now difficult -even for the most precise and devout Brahman to carry them all -faithfully into practice. And if Christian teachers and reformers were -seriously minded to overthrow this vast system of caste in India, they -could successfully do so by quoting the Vèdas and the code of Manu, -which prescribe no such arbitrary rules of life as now exist in India. -It is our want of knowledge, and that of most of the modern Brahmans, -which still holds them in their old fetters, rendering the efforts to -free them of little avail, for we know not how nor where to begin the -attack on such a strong fortress as caste and custom are to these blind -followers of law and order.</p> - -<p>Centuries after the consolidation of the Brahman power and system of -caste there arose a strong-souled Aryan, a prince By birth, a republican -at heart, and a reformer by nature, called Sakya Suddarthà, who no -sooner became of age than he suddenly began to deny the inspiration of -the Vèdas, the divine right of Brahmans to the priesthood, and the -obligations of caste. He offered equality of birthright and of spiritual -office alike to all men and women. Sudra, Pariah, Khandala, bond or -free, were of one and the same great family. He went about declaring all -men brothers. This was the strong point of Buddhism. The new religion -spread at once. It ravished the hearts and kindled the imaginations of -many Aryans, but chiefly the non-Aryan nations. Everywhere it was -received with enthusiasm. Brahmanism and caste received their first -great shock, from which they have never wholly recovered.</p> - -<div class="center"><a name="i179.jpg" id="i179.jpg"></a><img src="images/i179.jpg" alt="Buddhist Priest Preaching at the Door of a Temple" /></div> - -<p class="bold"><span class="smcap">Buddhist Priest Preaching at the Door of a Temple.</span></p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span></p><p>Monastic orders first arose among the Buddhists, and as caste was -abolished the monasteries were open to all men, and even to women, who -were bound over to celibacy and self-renunciation. These Buddhist -priests went about preaching their new religion to the common people, -and found ready acceptance with them. Barefooted, with shaven heads, -eyebrows, and chins, wearing a yellow dress instead of the pure white -robes of the Brahmans, they seemed indeed lower than the lowest Pariahs. -They built lowly chapels, and had regular services in them, chanting a -prescribed liturgy, offering harmless sacrifices of incense, lighted -tapers, rice, wine, oil, and flowers, and taking the lily instead of the -Brahmanic lotos as the emblem of the purity of their faith.</p> - -<p>Buddhism spread with amazing rapidity, and flourished for some time on -Indian soil. During the reign of the celebrated Indian king Asoka, three -centuries more or less before Christ, it was the dominant religion of -India, about which time it was also introduced by Buddhist missionaries -into Ceylon, China, and the Japanese Archipelago. At length, the -Brahmans, recovering from the lethargy that seemed to have overtaken -them, joined all their forces, and, rising <i>en masse</i> everywhere against -these dissenters from the Vèdas and from the old code of Manu, drove out -of Hindostan proper those whom they could not put to death. The -Buddhists finally found refuge in Guzerat and ready acceptance among the -early primitive races; and here the new religion reached its highest -prosperity, but began to decline in the eighth or ninth century after -Christ. At this juncture a new sect arose under the leadership of one -Jaina, or saint, a man of great purity of character, who undertook to -correct the many errors which had crept into Buddhism. Veneration and -worship of deified men, confined by the Buddhists<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span> some to five and -others to seven saints, were extended by the Jains to twenty-four, of -whom colossal statues in black or white marble were set up in their -temples. Tenderness and respect for animal life they carried to an -extreme point, which has led to the establishment of the hospitals for -infirm aged animals in different parts of India. In its essence Jainism -agrees with Buddhism. It rejects the inspiration of the Vèdas, has no -animal sacrifices, pays no respect to fire. But in order to escape the -unremitting persecution of the Brahman priesthood it admits <i>caste</i>, and -even the worship of the chief Hindoo gods. Thus Jainism secured that -toleration on Indian soil which was never extended to Buddhism, the very -birthplace of Buddha having been rendered a wilderness and untenanted by -man through the rage and fury of Brahmanic persecution.</p> - -<p>Brahmanism, finding itself once more in the ascendency, proceeded with -great tact to incorporate into its ritual all the divinities, the rites, -and the ceremonies peculiar to the non-Aryan populations. In Southern -India Vishnoo is worshipped under the name and character of Jaggernath -(or Juggernaut), "Lord of the universe;" but in Northern Hindostan this -worship is mingled with that of Rama and Krishna, two Aryan heroes, whom -the Brahmans with great political adroitness represent as later -incarnations of both Vishnoo and Jaggernath. The pre-Aryan Mahrattas and -Marwhars were brought to believe their supreme deities, Cando-ba, and -Virabudra, as incarnations of Siva, and so on, until at length every -god, hero, or saint belonging to the pre-historic inhabitants of Asia -found a place in the Brahmanic calendar of incarnations of gods and -goddesses.</p> - -<p>Monotheism and polytheism exist side by side; purity and vice are only -different expressions of a system as <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span>complex as life itself. Through -all manners, acts, and usages, the most trivial or the most momentous, -the Brahman religion flows in perpetual symbolism and stamps everything -with its seal and mark. The pure Hindoos live in a network of -observances, the smallest infraction of which involves the most terrible -social degradation and loss of caste. They are bound by observances for -rising, for sitting, for eating, drinking, sleeping, bathing; for birth, -marriage, and death; for the sites of their homes and even the positions -of their doors and windows.</p> - -<p>The dwellings of Hindoos vary according to their means. The poorer have -only one apartment, which must be smeared over once a week with a -solution of the ordure of the cow. The better classes always have a -courtyard and a verandah, where strangers, and even Europeans, may be -received without risk of contamination. Very often the walls of the -dwellings are covered with frescoes and paintings. The entrance to the -dwelling is always placed, out of respect to the sun, facing the east, -but a little to one side. Every morning at an early hour the Hindoo wife -or mother of the home may be seen cleansing her house and her utensils -for cooking, eating, and drinking. This done, she will wash or smear -with cow-ordure the space about her dwelling. After this purification -the wife will proceed to ornament the front of the door, which in itself -is held sacred to the Brahman, with the form of a lotos-flower. This she -makes out of a solution of lime or chalk, and imprints it on the door -and on the space in front of it. This flower is emblematic of the name -of God, too pure to be uttered, but supposed to bestow a magical charm -on the dwelling on which it is inscribed.<a name="FNanchor_43_43" id="FNanchor_43_43"></a><a href="#Footnote_43_43" class="fnanchor">[43]</a></p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span></p><p>No one is so scrupulous with regard to personal neatness, purity, and -cleanliness as the true Hindoo woman. The Hindoo sacraments are ten in -number, with five daily duties that are as obligatory on the Brahman as -are the sacraments in the Roman Catholic Church. The first sacrament -begins with the unborn babe; it is the conceptional sacrament. Attended -by the mother of a large family, the young wife repairs to a temple with -a peculiar cake made of rice, sugar, and ghee (clarified butter), and -with a fresh cocoanut. The goddess invoked on such occasions is -Lakshina, the consort of Indra. They first offer up a prayer before her -shrine, meditate on her glorious progeny of gods and heroes, then -implore her kindly interposition in behalf of the young woman who is to -become a mother; after which the elder matron breaks the cocoanut and -pours the liquid out as an offering to the goddess, and part of the cake -and cocoanut is brought home and distributed among the members of the -family.</p> - -<p>The next ceremony is a very profound one, and has an especial reference -to the quickening of life in the babe.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span> The mother, shrouded in pure -white from head to foot, accompanied by an elder female and mother of a -large family, with her husband and father repair to the temple. One or -more Brahman priests are invited to preside on this occasion. Oil, -flowers, and lighted tapers are offered to Mahadèo the Great God. The -priest pours the oil presented on a lighted lamp, then performs a -wave-offering over the head of the expectant mother, praying, "O thou -who art light, thou art also life and seed. Accept our sacrifice and -make the new life thou hast created in secret visible in beauty and -strength and power of intellect." After which offerings according to the -wealth of the parties are made to the priests. There is one more -important ceremony, similar in character to the others. All these -sacraments are performed only in the case of the first child.</p> - -<p>The birth ceremony takes place on the birth of every child. On this -occasion a Brahman priest and an astrologer are invited. The mother of a -large family and the grandmother are generally present. Before dividing -the umbilical cord fire is waved over the child, a drop of honey and -butter out of a golden spoon is put on his lips, after which the cord is -severed. This is a very sacred ceremony, called "Jahu Karan" -("introduction to life"), and is performed with prayer, indicating that -as the child's life is now severed from the parent life, so is all life -at some time or other parted from the Central Life, but yet dependent on -that as the infant is on the tender care of a mother. The father then -draws near and looks upon the face of his son or daughter for the first -time, at which he must take a piece of gold in his hand, offer a -sacrifice to Brahma, and anoint the forehead of the child with ghee -which has first been presented to Brahma. A string of nine threads of -cotton, with five blades of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span>durba-grass, must be bound by the father -round the wrist of the child, indicating that the life matured by nine -months is to be made perfect by the five daily sacraments or duties. -This done, the astrologer casts the horoscope of the child, which is -carefully written down, whether good or evil, and is confided to the -father. This paper is generally burned with the person at death.</p> - -<p>When the infant is a month old, and the new moon is first seen, he is -presented to it as his progenitor with a solemn prayer. After which the -naming takes place. The child's nearest relatives are invited. A Brahman -priest waves over it a lamp, then sprinkles holy water, and calls aloud -its name as he anoints the ears, eyes, nose, and breast of the child -with clarified butter. This done, a little dress prepared for the child -is put on for the first time.</p> - -<p>When the teeth begin to appear a grand religious service takes place, -and its first food of milk and rice is given to it after it has been -consecrated by the priest. At three years of age the prescribed -religious ceremony connected with the shaving off of the boy's hair -takes place, and the consecration of the single lock left on the top of -the head. Next comes the investiture of the sacred thread, performed -only in the case of the male child.</p> - -<p>Between the ages of fourteen and sixteen the youth formally presents -himself before the temple to be admitted to the order to which he -belongs. He is placed on a stone near a sacred tank in the precincts of -a Hindoo temple; he is then washed in pure water by the priests robed in -spotless white garments; the holy "Gayatri" is repeated in his right ear -by one priest, while the other breathes over him the mystic trisyllable -of "Aum, Aum, Aum," after which he is invested with a new sacred thread.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span></p><p>Marriage is also a sacrament. The male may be married at any time after -the "mung," or investiture of the sacred thread; the time for this -ceremony varies among the different castes. The female, however, must -not be under ten years of age, and as she is obliged to be several years -younger than the male, he is generally from sixteen to eighteen at the -time of marriage.</p> - -<p>Particular rules are laid down to be observed in the choice of a wife. -She must not have any physical or moral defects; she must have an -agreeable voice, sweet-sounding name, graceful proportions, elegant -movements, fine teeth, hair, and eyes. Deformity inherited or -constitutional delicacy, or disease of any kind, weak eyes, imperfect -digestion, an inauspicious name, or lack of respectable lineage, always -operate as strong impediments to marriage. Once the choice is made by -the parents, then the particular months and junctions of the planets are -consulted by the joshis or Hindoo astrologers: the birth-papers of both -parties are first examined, followed by a profound study of the stars, -which sometimes takes a year to be completed, after which a writing -called the Lagan-patrika is prepared, in which the day, the hour, the -names of the parties, and the position of the planets are put down, and -one of the eight different kinds of marriages mentioned in the Shastras -prescribed as the most fitting in view of the astral relations of -husband and wife. These eight different kinds of marriages, however, are -more or less similar, and vary only when the different castes intermarry -one with the other. This intermarriage is always attended with loss of -caste. The ceremony observed by the Brahmanic caste is the most -interesting, and is called "<i>Brahma</i>," from the sacredness attached to -the rite. The bridegroom is obliged to prepare himself by certain -prayers and ablutions before he can be presented to his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span> future wife, -whom he often sees for the first time, but of whose charms, graces of -person, and character he is fully informed beforehand. Robed in pure -white, anointed with holy oil, and wearing garlands of fresh flowers -around his neck, he goes in procession, accompanied by his friends and -relatives, to the bride's house, where he and his friends are welcomed -as guests by the bride's father. The future wife is allowed to appear, -and is generally veiled, so that even then the young couple do not see -very much of each other.</p> - -<p>On the afternoon of the day appointed for the wedding company to -assemble at the house of the bride's father a raised platform is placed -at one end of the hall; here the bridegroom takes his place, surrounded -by the priests. Presently the bride enters the room accompanied by her -father, who does homage to his future son and places his daughter at his -right hand. After this a young priest enters bearing a large censer -containing a charcoal fire, which is placed at their feet, and is -emblematic of their warm affection. Two priests stand before them -holding each a lighted torch in his hands, reciting some very beautiful -prayers; meanwhile the bride rises and treads three times on a stone and -<i>muller</i><a name="FNanchor_44_44" id="FNanchor_44_44"></a><a href="#Footnote_44_44" class="fnanchor">[44]</a> placed beside her, and which is meant to indicate that the -cares and duties she is now about to assume as a married woman will be -carefully observed. The bridegroom then makes an oblation of oil and -frankincense to the fire, as typical of his gratitude to the gods for -the blessing which is now about to crown his life; this done, the priest -hands him a torch, which he takes and waves three times around the -person of his bride, signifying that his love will always surround and -brighten her existence; he then drops it into the pan or censer at their -feet. The bride now scatters a handful of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span> rice and a little oil as an -oblation to the gods. The chant having ceased, the father steps up, and, -taking a new upper and a lower garment, clothes the person of his -daughter; he then fastens the end of her dress to the skirts of her -lover's robe, and, taking the bride's hand, he places it in that of the -bridegroom, binding them together with a mystic cord which is made of -their sacred grass, typifying the delicacy of the marriage-tie, the -strength and solidity of which depends not so much on the fragile cord -which binds them, as on the individual will and resolution not to break -it asunder. Then, conducted by the bridegroom, the young bride steps -seven times around the sacred fire, repeating the marriage vows, the -priests chant the nuptial hymn, and the marriage is consummated.</p> - -<p>Every act of the Brahmanic ritual is symbolic. Thus in the evening of -the same day, after sunset, the bridegroom sees his blushing little -bride alone for the first time; he takes her by the hand, seats her on a -bull's hide, which in its turn is symbolic of several spiritual and -physical facts, one of which points to his power to support and protect -her. Seated side by side, they quietly watch the rising of the polar -star; pointing it out to her, he repeats, "Let us be steady, stable, -serene, for ever abiding in each other's love, as that immovable and -deathless star." Having sat in silent contemplation, they partake of -their first meal together. The bridegroom remains three days at the -house of the bride's father; on the fourth day he conducts his wife to -his own, or, as it sometimes happens, to his father's house, in solemn -procession. The Hindoo women are remarkably devoted as wives and -mothers: instances of conjugal infidelity among the high caste are -unknown, and extremely rare even among the lower castes of the Hindoo -women.</p> - -<p>The ceremonies attending the dead are worthy of brief<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span> notice here. The -last moments of a Brahman are generally made very impressive by the -prayers and recitations that take place around his dying pillow, the -chief aim of which is to concentrate the thoughts of the departing soul -on the fact that life is the <i>master</i> of death. "The sun rises out of -life and sets into life; so does the soul of a pure Brahman. Life sways -to-day, and it will sway tomorrow, O Brahman! Life is immortal; death -but conceals the fact as the garment covers the body. Hasten, O soul, to -the Unseen, for unseen he sees, unheard he hears, unknown he knows. As -by footprints one finds cattle, so may thy soul, O Sadhwan (pure one), -find the indestructible Soul," etc., etc.</p> - -<p>The moment life is fled the high priest bends over the corpse with his -hands folded on his breast and repeats a prayer. After which the near -female relatives indulge in the most dismal howls and shrieks as -expressions of their grief and lamentation. The body is then bathed by -the priests, perfumed, decked with flowers, and placed on a temporary -bier or litter. This is borne along through the chief thoroughfares, -preceded by men who carpet with certain pieces of cloth the entire way; -women follow, howling and weeping and casting dust on their heads. The -funeral pyre, formed of dried wood, is three or four feet high and over -six feet long; the corpse is laid on it, and over it is poured oil, -clarified butter, and flowers made of fragrant woods. The priests stand -around, sprinkle the body with holy water, and repeat a number of -prayers which very clearly point to the mystery which enfolds all -animate and inanimate life, within and without, and express earnest -hopes that the body now about to be consumed may not draw down the soul -to enter another body again. The nearest relative then applies the fire -and the body is consumed. They who watch the fire repeat to themselves<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span> -long passages from the Shastras and the Puranas on the vanity of human -life and the deathless nature of the soul, after which they purify -themselves before returning home. Eleven days after death the Shrada, or -purificatory ceremonies, are performed by the heir, and in his absence -the next nearest relative; then every month for a year, and lastly on -the anniversary of his death.</p> - -<p>Brahmans are held unclean for ten days after the death of a relative, -the military caste for twelve, the mercantile for fifteen, and the Sudra -for thirty. Among the Hindoos the body is burnt, except only in case of -infants under two years, when it is buried. The "Shrada" is a ceremony -very much like mass performed in the Roman Catholic Church for the souls -of the dead who are in purgatory. Prayers are offered by the high priest -and the nearest relatives, accompanied with gifts and offerings of rice, -flowers, oil, and water, in order to free the deceased soul from a -purificatory abode in which it is held, and to enable it to ascend to -the heaven where its progenitors are thought to be united to the -universal Soul.</p> - -<p>The worship of the Brahmans and the high-caste Hindoos, though -complicated by trivialities, is in its essence very simple and pure. The -Brahmans do not themselves worship the idols in the temples, although -they encourage the inferior castes and races to do so. Every act of a -Brahman's life is stamped with a religious character, even as every -breath that he draws is held to be a part of that "Divine Soul" that -exists in the heart of all beings.</p> - -<p>As the Brahman priests accommodated their religious beliefs to suit the -popular mind, so have the Roman Catholic missionaries and priests -effected a compromise between Hindooism and Christianity in India, and -Eastern Christianity has assumed features as foreign to the sublime -teachings of Christ as demon- and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span>serpent-worship are foreign to the -pure and natural religion of the Vèdas.</p> - -<p>It is only by examining the existences of all the different races and -layers of populations, and the mingling of so many and such conflicting -religions, that we can rightly understand the India of to-day with her -hydra-headed creeds, dogmas, and castes.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_27_27" id="Footnote_27_27"></a><a href="#FNanchor_27_27"><span class="label">[27]</span></a> A species of palm-leaf dried and stitched together, much -used all over Hindostan in roofing houses and sheds.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_28_28" id="Footnote_28_28"></a><a href="#FNanchor_28_28"><span class="label">[28]</span></a> Most of the high-caste Hindoo women cultivate this plant -for the purpose of dyeing their nails and finger-tips. The dye is -prepared by bruising the leaves and moistening them with a little -lime-water. This mixture is then applied to the nails, tips of the -fingers, palms of the hands, and sometimes even to the soles of the -feet, which in a short time become dyed of a reddish-orange color. The -stain remains on the skin until it wears off.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_29_29" id="Footnote_29_29"></a><a href="#FNanchor_29_29"><span class="label">[29]</span></a> A "Guru" is a spiritual guide, a Brahman ecclesiastic, -invested with the power of attending births, deathbeds, marriages, and -settling all such questions as effect Hindoo caste and all its duties -and obligations. A Guru is generally an ascetic of peculiar sanctity, -and is often worshipped as an incarnate deity. This office descends from -father to son. The Gurus comprise a very large and influential body of -men, occupying the chief cities of India, wielding a despotic power over -the people, as their curse is dreaded by all ranks and conditions of -people.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_30_30" id="Footnote_30_30"></a><a href="#FNanchor_30_30"><span class="label">[30]</span></a> The Bhats and Charans, the bards and genealogists of these -tribes, are remarkable for their power of reciting from memory whole -epics describing the birth, exploits, and death of the various Bhil -chiefs. They will also devote themselves to death or to receive the most -cruel mutilations in order to keep a promise, accomplish a vow, recover -a debt, or to obtain any end which might be secured by inspiring others -with superstitious reverence and dread. A Bhat of Viramghaw in 1806 put -his little daughter, a beautiful girl of seven years old, to death by -decapitation, and with her blood, which he carried in an earthen vessel, -he sprinkled the gate of the Malliah Rajah's castle, and thus compelled -him to pay a debt to the Gaikwar for which he had become security.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_31_31" id="Footnote_31_31"></a><a href="#FNanchor_31_31"><span class="label">[31]</span></a> The British established in 1825 a Bhil agency in Central -India, and organized a Bhil corps in order to utilize the warlike -instincts of the various Bhil tribes. This brave body of men, who have -distinguished themselves in war, have recently done good service in -aiding to put down the predatory habits of their countrymen. They are -slowly becoming cultivators of the soil, though still unwilling to rent -land and thus bind themselves to fixed habits for any length of time.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_32_32" id="Footnote_32_32"></a><a href="#FNanchor_32_32"><span class="label">[32]</span></a> A remarkable account of a residence with Nádir, and of -some of his murderous exploits, will be found in the <i>Autobiography of -Lutfullah</i>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_33_33" id="Footnote_33_33"></a><a href="#FNanchor_33_33"><span class="label">[33]</span></a> The great reforms which have been effected in many of -these tribes have been very materially assisted by the influence of the -Bhil women.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_34_34" id="Footnote_34_34"></a><a href="#FNanchor_34_34"><span class="label">[34]</span></a> A strip of cloth worn by the lower population of India -around the loins.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_35_35" id="Footnote_35_35"></a><a href="#FNanchor_35_35"><span class="label">[35]</span></a> The Gonds are supposed to be the aborigines of the Sagar -and Nagpoor provinces, and have much in common with the Khandsor Khands, -another tribe of North Sarkar. They have dialects peculiar to -themselves, and which have no affinity whatever with the Sanskrit, but -probably are akin to that of the Dravidian stock. They kept up their old -religious custom of human sacrifice until 1835-45, when the strong arm -of the English interfered and has almost put a stop to it.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_36_36" id="Footnote_36_36"></a><a href="#FNanchor_36_36"><span class="label">[36]</span></a> Gondwana has been thought by some Oriental scholars to be -the ancient Chèdi, which was ruled by the great Sisupal, who is said to -have governed India about the time of the appearance of Krishna (the -last of the incarnations of Brahm) on earth. They identify Chanderi, his -ancient capital, with the modern Chanda, a city in British India in the -Nagpoor division of the Central Provinces, and abounding in fine remains -of huge reservoirs for water, cave-temples, and the curious tombs of the -aboriginal Gond kings.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_37_37" id="Footnote_37_37"></a><a href="#FNanchor_37_37"><span class="label">[37]</span></a> Meriah means "death-doomed," and Kudatee, "dedicated to -the god."</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_38_38" id="Footnote_38_38"></a><a href="#FNanchor_38_38"><span class="label">[38]</span></a> See <i>Introduction to the Second Book of the Rig-Veda</i>, by -H. H. Wilson, p. xvii.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_39_39" id="Footnote_39_39"></a><a href="#FNanchor_39_39"><span class="label">[39]</span></a> Khalif, or Caliph, successor or vicar of Mohammed, from -Khalifah, an Arabic title given to the acknowledged successors of -Mohammed, who were regarded as invested with supreme dignity and power -in all matters relating to religion and civil polity.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_40_40" id="Footnote_40_40"></a><a href="#FNanchor_40_40"><span class="label">[40]</span></a> A Mohammedan reformer and founder of the Sikh religion. He -preached about the fourteenth century against the abuses of the -Mohammedan religion, and inaugurated the spiritual worship of God alone. -One day, when Nanak lay on the ground absorbed in devotion, with his -feet toward Mecca, a Moslem priest, seeing him, cried, "Base infidel! -how darest thou turn thy feet toward the house of Allah?" Nanak -answered, "And thou, turn them if thou canst toward any spot where the -awful house of God is not."</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_41_41" id="Footnote_41_41"></a><a href="#FNanchor_41_41"><span class="label">[41]</span></a> The Shiahs and Sunnis are the two most important -Mohammedan sects. The Sunnis hold the "Sunnat," or traditions of -Mohammed, as of nearly equal authority to the Kuran, and they revere -equally the four successors of the Prophet, Abu-Bahkr, Omar, Usman, and -Ali. The Shiahs, on the other hand, reject the traditions, and do not -acknowledge the successors of the Prophet as Khalifahs.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_42_42" id="Footnote_42_42"></a><a href="#FNanchor_42_42"><span class="label">[42]</span></a> One of the greatest of Aryan kings mentioned in the -Mahabharata.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_43_43" id="Footnote_43_43"></a><a href="#FNanchor_43_43"><span class="label">[43]</span></a> The sectarian marks of the Hindoos vary with their caste -and the deity to whom they attach themselves. The high-caste Brahman -makes only a circular mark with a little sacred mud of the Ganges, and -mixed with water, on his forehead. This is symbolic of the mystic word -"Aum." The followers of Vishnoo, a second grade of Brahmans, use a -species of clay brought from a pool, Dhwaiaka, in which the seven -shepherdesses, who are always represented with Krishna, are supposed to -have drowned themselves on hearing of the death of their favorite hero. -This mark is a circle with a straight line passing through, symbolizing -the regenerative powers of nature. The Mahadèo sect wear two straight -lines on the brow; the one on the right stands for God, the one on the -left for man, a transverse streak of red lime: a preparation of turmeric -and lime is used; it means God and man united. A great many wear the -mark of Vishnoo's weapon with which he is supposed to have killed the -sea-monster to rescue from destruction the three Vèdas. The followers of -Siva, one of the four great sects of Hindoos, wear a complex mark of -circle and cross combined, made with the ashes of burnt cow-ordure, -symbolizing the destruction of all sin and the beatitude in store for -the pure and holy.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_44_44" id="Footnote_44_44"></a><a href="#FNanchor_44_44"><span class="label">[44]</span></a> A mill or grinder, used for grinding rice and wheat.</p></div> -</div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER VIII.</h2> - -<blockquote><p>A Visit to the House of Baboo Ram Chunder.—His Wife.—Rajpoot -Wrestlers.—Nautchnees, or Hindoo Ballet-Girls.—A Hindoo -Drama.—Visit to a Nautchnees' School.—Bayahdiers, or -Dancing-Girls, attached to the Hindoo Temples.—Profession, -Education, Dress, Character, Fate in Old Age and after -Death.—Cusbans, or Common Women.—Marked Differences between these -three Classes of Public Women.</p></blockquote> - -<p>Among the most interesting of the rich Hindoos whose acquaintance we -made during our long residence in Bombay was one Baboo Ram Chunder. A -wealthy gentleman, educated in all the learning of the East as well as -in English, possessing quite an appreciative intelligence on most -English topics, but nevertheless a pure Hindoo in mind and character, -clinging with peculiar affection to the manners, customs, and religion -of his forefathers, and struggling to the last degree to counteract the -vulgar and popular superstitions of modern Brahmanism, though not a -member of the Brahmo-Somaj,<a name="FNanchor_45_45" id="FNanchor_45_45"></a><a href="#Footnote_45_45" class="fnanchor">[45]</a> he left nothing undone<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span> to revive the -pure and simple teachings of the Vèdas. It was his custom to give every -year a grand entertainment at his residence, to which he occasionally -invited his European friends.</p> - -<p>One morning Ram Chunder called in person at the "Aviary" to invite us to -one of these to take place on the following evening, and promised me if -I would be present not only a rare treat in the performance of a -newly-arranged Hindoo drama from the poem of "Nalopakyanama," but also -an introduction to his wife and child.</p> - -<p>Ram Chunder's house, though not far from the vicinity of the Bhendee -Bazaar, stood apart, surrounded by a well-built wall. The building was a -large white-stuccoed dwelling decorated with rich carvings. There were -two courts—an inner and outer court. We were received by a number of -richly-attired attendants, and conducted through several dimly-lighted -passages into a spacious apartment. It was a circular hall or pavilion -with a fountain, and a garden with gravel-walks and a large area in the -centre. The pavilion itself was decorated in the Oriental style, hung -with kinkaub (or gold-wrought) curtains and peacocks' feathers; the -floors were inlaid with mosaics of brilliant colors; the roof and -pillars were decorated with rich gold mouldings; and the whole would -have been very effective but for the mélange of European ornaments that -were disposed around on the walls, tables, and shelves—clocks, antique -pictures, statues, celestial and terrestrial globes, and a profusion of -common glassware of the most brilliant colors.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span></p><p>Ram Chunder, a young man not over thirty, with remarkably courteous -manners, with that refinement and delicacy which are the distinguishing -characteristics of a high-bred Hindoo, rose and bowed before us, -touching his forehead with his folded hands, and then placed us on his -right hand. In person he was rather stout, with peculiarly fine eyes and -a benevolent expression of countenance, though he was darker in -complexion than most of the Brahmans. His dress on this occasion was -unusually rich and strikingly picturesque. He wore trousers of a deep -crimson satin; over this a long white muslin "angraka," or tunic, -reaching almost to the knees; over this again he wore a short vest of -purple velvet embroidered with gold braid. A scarf of finest cashmere -was bound around his waist, in the folds of which there shone the -jewelled hilt of a dagger. On his head was a white turban of stupendous -size encircled with a string of large pearls; on his feet were European -stockings and a pair of antique Indian slippers embroidered with -many-colored silks and fine seed-pearls.</p> - -<p>Thus attired, he was a gorgeous figure, and, like a true high-born -Hindoo, he sat quietly in his place, except that every now and then he -rose and bowed with folded hands to each guest as he entered and pointed -out their places, reseating himself quietly and simply. There was no -sign of bustle or expectation, nor any conversation to speak of. In -course of the evening about twenty native and two or three European -gentlemen were assembled in the pavilion. The Europeans were on the -right, the native gentlemen on the left, and Ram Chunder in the middle. -No native ladies were visible, but from the sounds of female voices -behind the curtain it was evident they were not far off.</p> - -<p>Richly-dressed native pages, stationed at the back of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span> each guest, waved -to and fro perfumed punkahs of peacock and ostrich feathers. After the -usual ceremony of passing around to the guests sherbet in golden cups -and "paun suparee," or betel-leaf and the areca-nut done up in -gold-leaf, the performance began.</p> - -<p>A herald dressed like a Hindoo angel, with wings, tail, and beak of a -bird and the body of a young boy, announced with a peculiar cry, half -natural and half bird-like, the presence of the Rajpoot athletes; and in -stepped some ten men, their daggers gleaming in the dim light of the -pavilion, which flickered on the gravelled space in front and barely -lighted the surrounding garden, in the centre of which stood a fountain. -The Rajpoots were in the prime of life, displaying great symmetry of -form and development of muscular power. Their heads were closely shaven, -with the exception of a long lock of hair bound in a knot at the top of -their heads; their dress consisted of a pair of red silk drawers -descending halfway to the knee and bound tightly around the waist with a -scarf of many colors.</p> - -<p>The wrestlers advanced, performing a sort of war-dance; they disposed of -their daggers by putting them in their topknots; they then salââmed -before the audience and began the contest. Each slapped violently the -inside of his arms and thighs; then, at a given signal, each seized his -opponent by the waist. One placed his forehead against the other's -breast; they then struggled, twisted, and tossed each other about, -showing great skill and adroitness in keeping their feet and warding off -blows. Suddenly, with a peculiar jerk, one of the wrestlers almost at -the same moment dashed his opponent to the ground, and drawing forth his -dagger stood flourishing it over the fallen victim. At this juncture a -strain of music wild but tender swept from the farther end of the -pavilion,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span> seemingly given forth to arrest the premeditated thrust of -the exultant victor.</p> - -<p>They listen with heads slightly turned to one side; presently their -grim, bloodthirsty expressions give place to looks of delight and -wonder. All at once their faces break into smiles; simultaneously they -drop their uplifted daggers, release their knees from the breasts of -their prostrate foes, stoop, and, taking a little earth from the -gravelled walk, scatter it over their heads as a sign that the victor -himself is vanquished, salââam to the spectators, and retire amid -deafening shouts of applause.</p> - -<p>After this the musicians struck up some lively Hindoo airs, and at -length the heavy curtains from one side of the pavilion curled up like a -lotus-flower at sunset, and there appeared a long line of girls -advancing in a measured step and keeping time to the music. They stood -on a platform almost facing us. Some of them were extraordinarily -beautiful, one girl in particular. The face was of the purest oval, the -features regular, the eyes large, dark, and almond-shaped, the -complexion pale olive, with a slight blush of the most delicate pink on -the cheeks, and the mouth was half pouting and almost infantile in its -round curves, but with an expression of dejection and sorrow lingering -about the corners which told better than words of weariness of the life -to which she was doomed. For my part, it was difficult for me to remove -my eyes from that pensive and beautiful face. Every now and then I found -myself trying to picture her strange life, wondering who she was and how -her parents could ever have had the heart to doom her to such a -profession.</p> - -<p>The Nautchnees, or dancing-girls, of whom there were no less than -eighteen, were all dressed in that exquisite Oriental costume peculiar -to them, each one in a different shade or in distinct colors, but so -carefully chosen that this<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span> mass of color harmonized with wonderful -effect. First, they wore bright-colored silk vests and drawers that -fitted tightly to the body and revealed a part of the neck, arms, and -legs; a full, transparent petticoat attached low down almost on the -hips, leaving an uncovered margin all around the form from the waist of -the bodice to where the skirt was secured on the hips; over this a saree -of some gauze-like texture bound lightly over the whole person, the -whole so draped as to encircle the figure like a halo at every point, -and, finally, thrown over the head and drooping over the face in a most -bewitching veil. The hair was combed smoothly back and tied in a knot -behind, while on the forehead, ears, neck, arms, wrists, ankles, and -toes were a profusion of dazzling ornaments.</p> - -<p>With head modestly inclined, downcast eyes, and clasped hands they stood -silent for some little time, in strong relief against a wall fretted -with fantastic Oriental carvings. The herald again gave the signal for -the music to strike up. A burst of wild Oriental melody flooded the -pavilion, and all at once the Nautchnees started to their feet. Poised -on tiptoe, with arms raised aloft over their heads, they began to whirl -and float and glide about in a maze of rhythmic movement, fluttering and -quivering and waving before us like aspen-leaves moved by a strong -breeze. It must have cost them years of labor to have arrived at such -ease and precision of movement. The dance was a miracle of art, and all -the more fascinating because of the rare beauty of the performers.</p> - -<p>Then came the cup-dance, which was performed by the lovely girl who had -so captivated my fancy. She advanced with slow and solemn step to the -centre of the platform, and, taking up a tier of four or five cups -fitting close into one another, she placed this tier on her head and -immediately began to move her arms, head, and feet<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span> in such gently -undulating waves that one imagined the cups, which were all the time -balanced on her head, were floating about her person, and seemingly -everywhere except where she so dextrously poised and maintained them. -This dance was concluded by a cup being filled with sherbet and placed -in the middle of the platform. Removing the cups from her head, the -dancer, her eyes glowing, her breast heaving, swept toward the filled -cup as if drawn to it by some spell, round and round, now approaching, -now retreating, till finally, as if unable to resist the enchantment, -she gave one long sweep around it, and, clasping her arms tightly behind -her, lay full length on the pavement, and taking up with her lips the -brimming cup drained its contents without spilling a drop. Then, putting -it down empty, she rose with the utmost grace and bowed her head before -us, her arms still firmly clasped behind her. The grace, beauty, and -elegance of her movements were incomparable; the spectators were too -deeply interested even to applaud her. She retired amid a profound and -significant silence to her place.</p> - -<p>Presently a tall, slim, graceful girl took her place on the platform -with a gay smile on her face. An attendant fastened on her head a wicker -wheel about three feet in diameter; it was bound firmly to the crown of -her head, and all around it were cords placed at equal distances, each -having a slipknot secured by means of a glass bead. In her left hand she -held a basket of eggs. When the music struck up once more she took an -egg, inserted it into a knot, and gave it a peculiarly energetic little -jerk, which somehow fastened it firmly in its place. As soon as all the -eggs were thus firmly bound in the slipknots round the wheel on her -head, she gave a rapid whirl, sent them flying around, while she -preserved the movement with her feet, keeping time to the music. Away -she whirled, the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span> eggs revolving round her. The slightest false movement -would bring them together in a general crash. After continuing this -about a quarter of an hour, she seized a cord with a swift but sure -grasp, detached from it the inserted egg, managing the slipknot with -marvellous dexterity, dancing all the while, till every egg was detached -and placed in her basket; after which she advanced, and, kneeling before -us, begged us to examine the eggs whether real or fictitious. Of course -the eggs were real, and she was almost overwhelmed with shouts of -"Khoup! khoup! Matjaka! matjaka!"—"Fine! fine! beautiful!" And then the -Nautchnees vanished from the pavilion.</p> - -<p>During the interval that followed the pages went round with -goulab-dhanees, or bottles with rose-water, to sprinkle the guests.</p> - -<p>Suddenly the cry of the herald announced a new scene. The heavy curtain -slowly folded up and a long line of male actors, superbly attired as -Oriental kings and princes from different parts of the East, entered and -took their places on the divans ranged along the farther end of the -pavilion. Ram Chunder approached us and informed me that the piece about -to be represented was a pure Hindoo drama, a beautiful episode from the -Sanskrit epic <i>Mahâbhârata</i>, called "Nalopakyanama, or, The Story of -Nala."</p> - -<p>After the kings and princes had seated themselves, in came a string of -attendants arrayed in gold and gleaming armor, who took their places -behind the royal personages on the divans. Then came twelve maidens -attired in cloth of gold and fantastic head-gear, belonging to the -ancient Vèdic period. Each of these girls had a cithara in her hands; -they disposed themselves on seats to the left of the pavilion. After -these a shrill cry of many voices announced the gods Indra, Agni, -Varuna, and Yama, and in stalked four men splendidly robed, bearing -gold<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span> wands, with serpents coiling around them, in their hands, and -lotos-shaped crowns richly jewelled on their heads. Their raiment was -one blaze of tinsel and glass jewels, made to shine with all the -brilliancy of real gems.</p> - -<p>Then came the hero Nala, with faded flowers on his tiara, dust on his -garments, and looking picturesque enough with his bright scarf thrown -across his shoulders, but travel-stained and very commonplace in the -presence of so much gold and finery.</p> - -<p>Nala was the hero to whom the matchless Damayanti, "whose beauty -disturbed the souls of gods and men," had pledged her love, in spite of -the proposition he brought her from the four gods to choose one of them -and reign the unrivalled queen of the highest heaven. Damayanti, -desirous of averting from her well-beloved Nala the vengeance of the -gods, invites all her suitors to the "Swayamvara;" that is, a public -choice of a husband by the lady, according to the custom of that age, -assuring Nala that then there will be no cause of blame to him, as she -will choose him in the presence of the gods themselves. Hence the -presence of the four gods among the assembled princes suitors for the -hand of the lovely Damayanti.</p> - -<p>The herald once more gave the signal for the performance to begin. The -musicians struck their citharas and recited in musical intonations the -chief parts of the drama of Nala. At a certain part of the recitation -the curtain descended, and in a few moments went up again. During this -interval the gods were transformed into the likeness of Nala, presenting -five Nalas instead of one; which the singers explained was a trick of -the gods by which they hoped to bewilder poor Damayanti and perhaps -induce her, in her ignorance of which were the gods and which Nala, to -select one of their divine number as her future husband. The interest of -the drama was centred among<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span> these four suitors of Damayanti, each the -counterpart of the favored Nala.</p> - -<p>The music at this point rose and fell, now vibrating in low tender -accents, and anon rising in wild, startling emphasis of expression. At -this moment the curtain parted and there stood the cup-dancer with her -quiet yet entrancing beauty. Calmly she entered, looking down and -meditating, as we were told, on the object of her affections. Her dress -was exquisite of its kind and character; I never saw its counterpart on -a Nautchnee before or after. It was a long gown without sleeves, falling -from her shoulders to her feet, open at the throat, exposing a part of -the neck and breast and the whole arm from the shoulder. It was very -full, but of the most delicate texture, revealing the whole outline of a -very lovely form. A bright border of variegated silk ran down the front -and round the hem of this ancient Vèdic garment, and it was fastened at -the waist by a rich silk scarf. Her hair fell back, flowing down to her -feet; on her head was a curious crown of an antique pattern, and over it -all was thrown a long veil that streamed on the floor, and was of such -transparent texture that it looked like woven sunbeams.</p> - -<p>Such was the impersonation of the Vèdic beauty Damayanti. When she -reached the centre of the circular pavilion she lifted her eyes, and, -seeing five Nalas instead of one, started backward, clasped her lovely -arms on her bosom, and, rocking herself gently to and fro, moaned, -"Alas! alas! there are five Nalas, all so like my own true sinless -chief. How shall I discover the one to whom alone I have pledged my -undying love?"</p> - -<p>At this juncture the music ceased and a deep silence fell upon the -audience. Every eye was riveted on that lovely creature seemingly -overcome with the tide of sorrow and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span> uncertainty that swept over her. -Suddenly pausing in her moans, she turned up her fine eyes to the sky, -and with some new inward light dawning as it were upon her troubled soul -said audibly, "To the gods alone I will trust. If they are indeed gods, -they will not deceive a poor mortal woman like me."</p> - -<p>Then, quivering and trembling, with flushed cheeks and lustrous eyes, -she folded her hands and knelt in reverence before the gods and prayed -aloud, and said, "O ye gods, as in word or thought I swerve not from my -love and faith to Nala, so I here adjure you to resume your immortal -forms and reveal to me my Nala, that I may in your holy presence choose -him for my pure and sinless husband."</p> - -<p>Kneeling there with her face turned up, her hands folded, the outlines -of her beautiful form made even more lovely by the half-softened halo of -light shed over her from above, she seemed like some beautiful vision, -and not a thing of flesh and blood. I never witnessed anything more -truly exquisite and tender in its simple womanhood than this rendering -of the beautiful Vèdic character of Damayanti.</p> - -<p>Again the voices of the musicians were heard interpreting for us the -thoughts and feelings of the gods: "We are filled with wonder at her -steadfast love and peerless beauty," etc., etc. Once more the curtain is -dropped, and presently it folds up again, revealing the forms of the -four bright gods as at first in all the splendor of their robes, crowned -and flashing with jewels, and fragrant with the garlands of fresh -flowers that hang around their necks.</p> - -<p>Damayanti rose from her bended knees. With pleased and childlike wonder -she gazed at the gods one moment, then turned to her own true Nala, who -stood before her in striking contrast to the gods, with moisture on his -brow,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span> dust on his garments, soiled head-dress and faded garland. But on -recognizing him as the true Nala she folded her hands in sudden rapture -and gave a cry of joy; then, removing from her own neck her garland of -mohgree-flowers, moved with quiet grace toward her lover, knelt and -kissed the hem of his dusty robe, arose and threw around his neck her -own fresh, radiant wreath of flowers, saying, "So I choose for my lord -and husband Nishádah's noble king." At this speech a sound of wild -sorrow burst from the rejected suitors, but the gods shouted, "Well -done! well done!" Then the happy Nala, turning to the blushing -Damayanti, said, "Since, O maiden, you have chosen me for your husband -in the presence of the gods, know this, that I will ever be your -faithful lover, delight in your words, your looks, your thoughts, and so -long as this soul inhabits this body, so long as the moon turns to the -sun till the sun grows cold and ceases to shine, so long shall I be -thine, and thine only."</p> - -<p>One more loud shout from the herald, the curtain dropped, the play and -the day were over, for it was just twelve o'clock.</p> - -<p>The Oriental and European guests took their leave of their amiable host -with much salââming and many expressions of delight, for the play had -been arranged by Ram Chunder himself.</p> - -<p>After a few minutes our host kindly conducted me to an inner apartment -of his dwelling to introduce me, as he had promised, to his wife, who -had already quitted her place behind the curtains, whence she and her -maids had witnessed the performance, and had retired to her own rooms, -which were (as in the case of all rich Hindoos or even Mohammedans) -separate from those occupied by her husband. Traversing a long and -narrow passage, we came to an arched doorway, with a dark silk curtain<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span> -hanging before it, guarded by two women seated on either side. They rose -and salââmed to us, and Ram Chunder, instead of walking in as any -ordinary European husband would have done, inquired of them if the lady -Kesinèh had retired.</p> - -<p>"No, your lordship," replied the ceremonious Hindoo maid-servant; "she -waits yours and the English lady's presence."</p> - -<p>On which Ram Chunder drew aside the heavy drapery and bade me enter, -saying, "I will return for you in a quarter of an hour or so."</p> - -<p>Left alone, I stepped into a dimly-lighted but spacious room, at the -farther end of which I saw seated a Hindoo lady surrounded by several -female attendants.</p> - -<p>As far as I could observe in the dim light, she was dark, but handsome -and dressed like the generality of Hindoo women, only that her veil, -instead of being drawn over her head, was thrown back, and trailed on -the floor beside her. She did not rise to greet me, but salââmed to me -from her place, and patted a cushion close by her as an invitation for -me to be seated. This was, as I soon found, owing to the fact that her -little daughter, lying half asleep in a little Hindoo cradle close by, -was holding her hand, and she feared to disturb her. I sat down and -looked over into the cradle; there lay a soft plump, brown child, a -little girl of about two years of age, perfectly nude, with a string of -gold coins around her neck and each of her arms. In the presence of such -perfect innocence and trust the narrow distinctions of races and creeds -seemed to fade away: I only felt here was another woman like myself, and -she a mother; and, in truth, I could not have long felt otherwise, in -spite of any prejudices I may have had; Kesinèh was too natural and -simple a creature for one to feel anything but at home with her.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span></p><p>The first words that she said to me, after satisfying herself that -little "Brownee" (as I always called her) was asleep, were, "How long -have you been married?" Then, "What does your husband look like? How old -are you? Where do you live?" etc., etc. My answers seemed to please her -very much, for she patted my knee and laughed softly, and said, "Oh, -heart! oh, heart! how happy you must be!"</p> - -<p>We then talked about her own life. She told me that she had been married -four years, that she had hoped "Brownee" was going to be a son, "but she -turned out a daughter after all," said poor Kesinèh with a sigh. "Do you -love her less for that?" I inquired. "Oh no, indeed," said Kesinèh -quickly; "I think I love her more, but my lord would have been better -pleased with me if she had been a son instead of a daughter." "But," -said I, trying to comfort her for her disappointment, "it was not your -fault that your child happened to be a daughter." "Oh yes," said the -lady with great energy, "it was my own fault. I committed the sin of -marrying my own brother in a former state of existence; thus I am now -doomed to have a daughter for my first-born child in this." I did not -know what to say to this odd explanation, and there was a pause, but at -length I ventured to suggest that whether it was so or not she must -admit that little "Brownee" was a treasure. "Oh yes," said Kesinèh with -joyful emphasis—"a lovely, bewildering little thing;" and she leaned -lovingly over the little sleeper.</p> - -<p>I noticed that in everything this Hindoo lady said or did there was no -affectation of voice or manner, no effort to please or entertain me, but -a simple and natural expression of herself.</p> - -<p>When it was time for me to go I put her one question which I longed most -to have answered: "Who is that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></span> very beautiful Nautchnee who danced the -cup-dance and performed the part of Damayanti this evening?"</p> - -<p>"I do not know," said the lady Kesinèh with great interest in her -manner. "Is she not beautiful? The Nautchnees were hired for this -evening. I would like to know who she is too."</p> - -<p>Then, turning to one of her attendants, who was listening to every word -we said with a smile on her face, she inquired, "Ummah, do you know the -owner of the Nautchnees who were here to-night?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, my lady," replied the woman.</p> - -<p>"If you hear anything about her you will let me know, for I have fallen -in love with her," said I, half in jest and half in earnest. "Mah mi! -mah mi!" laughed Kesinèh—"so have I. She is a heart-distracting -creature. Every one who saw her dance and act will dream of her -to-night. Mah mi! mah mi! how proud she must feel!"</p> - -<p>I wished her good-night in the strictest Hindoo fashion, taught me by -the pundit.</p> - -<p>"Ram, Ram," said I, "devâ Ram!"<a name="FNanchor_46_46" id="FNanchor_46_46"></a><a href="#Footnote_46_46" class="fnanchor">[46]</a> Putting my folded hands to my brow -and stooping, I lightly kissed the little sleeper in the cradle.</p> - -<p>The very next moment Kesinèh had sprung up, and, putting her arms around -my neck, she laid her brow against mine and repeated that tender Hindoo -farewell than which there is nothing more exquisite in human language: -"The gods send that neither sun nor wind, neither rain nor any earthly -sorrow, brush by thee too roughly, my friend."</p> - -<p>Content and pleased with my new acquaintance, we parted, but not without -my promise to visit her again.</p> - -<p>The dancing-girls of India may be divided into three classes: the -Nautchnees, who are actresses, or ballet-girls,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span> or both; the -Bayahdiers, or Bhayadhyas, dedicated by their parents in childhood as -votive offerings to certain temples, and consecrated to them at the age -of womanhood; and the common "Cusban," a grade even lower than either of -these, whose ranks are chiefly supplied from the abandoned Mohammedan -women, the Purwarees, the lowest of all castes in Central India, as well -as from the disaffected runaways of either of the two former and more -reputable professions. The Cusban, therefore, is the scum and refuse of -the lowest-caste females in India.</p> - -<p>One day, accompanied by Kesinèh, I visited a Nautchnee establishment of -which the beautiful dancing-girl who so much attracted me was an inmate. -It was kept by a native man and his wife, named respectively Dhanut and -Saineh Bebee. We drove to it in a Hindoo carriage, a round seat for two -or more persons placed on wheels, drawn by a pair of milk-white -bullocks, and covered with a curious conical structure of wickerwork -hung with crimson silk curtains. We took our places on two cushions -cross-legged; the driver sat in front, and with a sharp crack of the -whip started the bullocks at a brisk trot and sent us bumping up and -down. On our way we caught glimpses of a population even more strange -than those to be met daily in the parts of the island more frequented by -Europeans. The dirtiness of a low-caste, poverty-stricken Oriental -street is inconceivable. Filth reigned supreme in some of the lanes and -alleys through which we passed. A rank vegetation clothed everything; -trees hung with many-colored festoons of leaves and flowers formed thick -tapestries of foliage on the right and on the left.</p> - -<p>There is no country in the world (save the beautiful island of Ceylon) -that is kinder to the sluggard. The poorest soil will grow certain -qualities of fruit and cocoanut palms. The native population in some -parts here<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span> seemed almost too indolent to move out of the way of our -carriage-wheels, but they were peaceful enough. Stones, old broken bits -of earthenware, wheels, broken litters, impeded the way, and cows, dogs, -hens, chickens, pigs, ducks, and children less clad than any of these, -roamed idly about in the streets and gutters or narrow lanes. As a rule, -no refuse or rubbish of any kind whatever is removed, but is left to -accident and the action of natural chemistry. Burnt-down huts covered -over with the ever-ready parasitic plants, old wells and tanks filled -with stagnant water abounding in frogs, water-snakes, and all kinds of -reptiles, add to the sluggish appearance of the place. Gayly-dressed -native women, idle men—among whom may be seen some poor depraved -British tars—and male and female hucksters of fruit and sweetmeats, -complete the picture.</p> - -<p>The Nautchnees' establishment was a curious building surrounded by a -high wall. We entered through a gate, and were at once conducted by a -couple of old women across a paved courtyard planted all around with the -mohgree, oleander, and tall red and white rose trees. Passing this, we -were introduced into a great bare hall, with low seats ranged around the -walls, curtained all along the farther end of the room, into which inner -chambers seemed to open. Here we took our places. One of the old women -stayed by us, while the other went off to announce our visit to the head -lady of the establishment.</p> - -<p>The great slave-markets which we have all read so much about, where -tender young girls are bought and sold as if they were cattle, no longer -exist in British India, but the amount of traffic of the kind that is -still carried on everywhere is incredible, although the fact is -vigorously denied by both the buyer and the seller. In<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span> many cases these -Nautchnees are not bought, but hired for a term of years, for money paid -not to the girls themselves, but to parents or friends. In the course of -time the parents die or move away, and the girl, after having given her -best days to her employers, finds herself without money, friends, or -social ties, and is glad enough to spend the remainder of her life in -instructing the younger members of the establishment of which, with the -fidelity so natural to Oriental women, she considers herself a member, -and therefore bound for life to promote its interests.</p> - -<p>After a few moments Sainah Bebee came in to greet the lady Kesinèh. She -salââmed most deferentially to us, and took her place on the floor. She -was a woman about fifty and a native of Afghanistan, tall and finely -formed. She spoke of difficulty in procuring respectable young girls to -fill the places of those who ran away, were sold to certain rich -admirers for wives or concubines, or died. It would appear that the -lowest, or Cusban, class was largely increasing, whereas that of the -Nautchnees was fast diminishing. On my questioning the old lady about -the average life of the Nautchnees, she could give me no clear estimate, -but intimated very decidedly that they generally died young.</p> - -<p>At my especial request we were shown into the exercising-room and almost -over the entire establishment. There were over a hundred girls, of all -ages, and all shades of complexion from dark-brown to a pale delicate -olive, going through their exercises at the time. The hall was composed -of bamboo trellis-work, and was light, spacious, and airy enough. From -the roof hung all sorts of gymnastic apparatus, rude but curious—ropes -to which the girls clung as they whirled round on tiptoe; wheels on -which they were made to walk in order to learn a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span> peculiar circular -dance called "chakranee" (from "chak," a wheel); slipknots into which -they fastened one arm or one leg, thus holding it motionless while they -exercised the other; cups, revolving balls, which they sprang up to -catch; and heaps of fragile cords, with which they spin round and round, -and if any one of these snap under too great a pressure, they are -punished, though never very severely.</p> - -<p>Altogether, it was a strange sight. Most of the girls from ten to -fourteen had nothing on but a short tight pair of drawers; the older -ones had tight short-sleeved bodices in addition to the drawers; and -those under ten were naked. They were all good-looking; a few here and -there were beautiful. The delicate and refined outline of their -features, the soft tint of their rich complexions, the dreamy expression -of their large, dark, quiet eyes, added to great symmetry of form, made -them strangely fascinating.</p> - -<p>The teachers were all middle-aged women, some of whom looked prematurely -old. The girls are taught to repeat poems and plays, but no books are -used.</p> - -<p>The dormitories in this establishment were bare rooms; the girls all -slept on mats or cushions on the floor. Each had a <i>lota</i>, or -drinking-cup, a little mirror, and a native box in which to keep her -clothes. The more finished and accomplished Nautchnees had rooms to -themselves. I went into one of these. It was matted, and was very simply -furnished. A tier of boxes in which her jewels and robes were kept, a -cot, a few brass lotas, fans, cojas, or water-holders, with some tiny -looking-glasses ranged along the wall,—and this was all.</p> - -<p>I inquired for the beautiful Nautchnee who had interested me. Her name -was Khangee; she was a Soodahnee by birth. The Soodahs are a military -race or tribe inhabiting parts of the province of Cutch; they find -their<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</a></span> chief wealth in the beauty of their daughters, and for one of the -Soodahnees a rich Mohammedan will pay from a thousand to ten thousand -rupees.<a name="FNanchor_47_47" id="FNanchor_47_47"></a><a href="#Footnote_47_47" class="fnanchor">[47]</a> Rajahs, wealthy Mohammedan merchants, and proprietors of -dancing-girls often despatch their emissaries to Cutch, Cabool, -Cashmere, and Rajpootana in search of beautiful women. The fame of the -Cashmerian and Soodah women has spread far and wide, and often some -beautiful creature is picked up out of the hovels of Thur, Booly, or -Cashmere and transplanted to the gorgeous pomp of a royal harem. The -Rajpoots intermarry with the Soodah and Cashmerian women, and, being -naturally a handsome race, they have preserved by this means that -physical beauty of which they are so justly proud.</p> - -<p>Very little was known of Khangee's history beyond the fact that she was -a Soodahnee by birth. She was bought at an early age from her parents, -who were poor and occupied a hovel in the village of Thur in Cutch, and -sold to this establishment when in her seventh year, and was almost as -ignorant of her parentage as a newly-born babe. At the time of our visit -she had been hired with a party of Nautchnees to assist in the -marriage-celebration which was to take place at the house of a rich -Bunyâh, or Hindoo grain-merchant.</p> - -<p>These Nautchnees often marry well, and become chaste wives and mothers -of large families. The four requisites for a Nautchnee are bright eyes, -fine teeth, long hair, and a perfect symmetry of form and feature. A -small black mole between the eyebrows or on either cheek will enhance -her value to an extraordinary degree.</p> - -<p>The utter friendlessness, the quiet submission, expressed in the actions -and faces of the young girls, and even of the little children, we had -seen exercising and acquiring<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</a></span> their different parts that morning, were -very pathetic. There was none of the impetuosity of youth nor of the -joyousness of childhood. It is a sad and dreary picture, these -parentless children of the East living for some rich man's pleasure, and -dying as they live, often unloved and uncared for by any relative or -friend.</p> - -<p>"Bayahdier" is the name generally applied by the French and Portuguese -to the dancing-girls attached to temples.<a name="FNanchor_48_48" id="FNanchor_48_48"></a><a href="#Footnote_48_48" class="fnanchor">[48]</a> They are distinct from the -Nautchnees, and are held sacred as priestesses. In case of sickness, -famine, or other individual or social calamity Hindoo parents will -repair to the temple and there vow to dedicate a daughter, sometimes yet -unborn, to the service of Siva, provided the gods avert the threatened -danger. Such vows are also made by barren women, who promise, if the -curse of barrenness be removed, to dedicate to Siva their first-born -daughter; and all such vows are religiously performed. When the child -thus consecrated is born, the first thing that is necessary is for the -father to repair to the temple and register her name as a devotee of the -temple, break a cocoanut at the shrine of Siva, and take from the hand -of the Brahman priest a little holy oil, shaindoor, a sort of red paint, -and mud obtained from the Ganges; with which he returns to mark the -newly-born child. From this moment she is looked upon as a priestess, -and is exempt from all household or any other employment. At the age of -five she attends the temple daily, where she is taught by the priests to -read, chant, sing, and dance in the schools attached to it. When the -girl has reached womanhood she undergoes certain <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span>purifications. Holy -oil and grated sandal-wood are rubbed over her person; she is then -bathed, perfumed, fumigated, dressed in a robe peculiar to these -priestesses—a full petticoat with a handsome border, short enough to -show her feet and ankles, which are covered with jewels; a very short -boddice, and over this is thrown a spotted muslin veil; the hair is -ornamented with jewels of gold and silver, as are the neck, arms, and -throat. She then enters the temple, takes her place near the stone image -of Siva; generally her right hand is bound to that of the holy image, -her forehead is marked with his sign, and she confirms the vow made by -her parents to dedicate her body to the service and maintenance of the -temple. With some few advantages of education, this temple-service may -be regarded as one of the most corrupt and depraving institutions of the -Hindoos—injurious alike to the moral and physical welfare of the -community at large, and moreover debasing to the character of the -Brahman priests themselves in their open recognition and encouragement -of vice. These poor devotees often accept their fate with that stolid -indifference peculiar to the Orientals, and are taught to believe that -their immoralities are sacred to the god to whom they are dedicated.</p> - -<p>The services on the death of one of these priestesses are peculiar. When -at the point of death a mud idol of Siva is placed in her arms. Her -mouth, eyes, nose, and ears are rubbed with holy oil, and then touched -with flame obtained from a sacrificial fire, to purify from the taint of -her impure life; in her hands are placed the <i>toolsi</i><a name="FNanchor_49_49" id="FNanchor_49_49"></a><a href="#Footnote_49_49" class="fnanchor">[49]</a> <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</a></span>flowers, and -her body is robed in pure white; after which she is made to repeat a -hymn praying that as she has consecrated her body to the service of the -gods, so may her soul be freed from rebirth and reunited to the Infinite -Soul. If she is too feeble to repeat this prayer, the priests chant it -in her dying ear. When life becomes extinct she is carried to a quiet -spot in the vicinity of the temple, burned, and her ashes buried then -and there. Sometimes a fellow-sister will plant a toolsi or moghree tree -on the site, but no monument ever marks the spot where these poor -priestesses of passion are cremated.</p> - -<p>These devotees are never taken in marriage; they are looked upon as the -brides of their various deities; they are generally childless. If a -woman happens to have a child, however, she is sole arbitress of its -fate, and in no instance has she ever been known to dedicate it to the -life to which she has been doomed. She generally hands it over to her -parents or nearest relatives as a substitute for herself.</p> - -<p>There are hospitals and asylums for the sick, infirm, and aged of this -class of women, though from all I could learn very few arrive at old -age.</p> - -<p>The Cusban, or lowest class of dancing-women, is very largely recruited -from runaways from these Hindoo temples, and it is said that in course -of time they become the most abandoned and desperate of the native -community.</p> - -<p>Even the most intelligent people, unless they have made a special study -of India, can have no idea of the marked differences that exist between -the Brahmans and these different classes of women. The pure Brahman, -with the three other Aryan castes in so far as they have not -intermarried with the aborigines, are of Caucasian type. In the northern -provinces they are not brown, but of a complexion almost as fair as that -of many dark Europeans.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</a></span> Both the men and women are distinguished by -symmetry of form, fine soft hair, and beautiful eyes. Their ideal of -beauty is similar to ours, with this exception: that they have adhered -more closely in matters of dress to the original simplicity of form than -Europeans have done.</p> - -<p>Theatrical representations, such as that of Ram Chunder, are much in -vogue. The dramatic art in Hindostan about the period of the Christian -era was of a high and lofty character. It was the great school wherein -kings, warriors, and soldiers were taught the purest ideals of chivalry -and manly and womanly purity of character; but at the present time it -has greatly degenerated, although in many parts of India the more -enlightened Hindoos are trying to restore it once more to its true and -original place among the high arts. Everywhere theatrical exhibitions -are held, often in the open air or under temporary sheds. The actresses -are the Nautchnees, and a respectable Hindoo woman will rarely attend -these public places. The native Roman Catholics in Southern India and -Ceylon have also religious dramas, in no way superior to those of the -Hindoos; the overshadowing of the Virgin, the birth of Christ, the -crucifixion, and so forth, are very similar to the scenes represented of -Krishna and the Hindoo incarnation.</p> - -<p>Social dancing does not exist among the nations of the East, and it is -considered highly indecorous for a Hindoo woman of pure character to -dance. Even the Nautchnees, if they become wives or even concubines to -rich men, as often happens, abandon all such practices; and their -children are never allowed to know their mother's early profession, so -deep is the national sentiment with regard to the domestic relations of -a wife and mother.</p> - -<p>Public reading of popular poems, histories, and dramas<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</a></span> as a source of -amusement is very common all through Northern and Southern Hindostan. -The reading is always performed in parts. A wealthy Hindoo will engage a -number of professional readers to perform the task, and every one who -wishes to hear may do so. The readers always take their places in an -open verandah, and the people in large numbers seat themselves around -within hearing distance. The recitation is given; each person performs -his or her part in the prescribed order with a musical cadence. The -expositor gives a free translation for the benefit of the people, who -are thus made acquainted with the most celebrated Hindoo works.</p> - -<p>Chess is a favorite game among the Hindoos, and it is one of the most -ancient, alluded to even in their earliest productions, and quite common -among all classes and grades of society. This game is peculiarly adapted -to the Hindoo mind, in which quiet thought, perspicacity, and shrewdness -are so strongly marked. Cards with the figures of their gods and -goddesses are a source of great amusement; the women are much given to -this indoor recreation. The Ashta-Kasti is a game played on a board of -twenty-five squares with sixteen cowries or small shells. It is played -by four persons, and is finished when one of the pieces, traversing the -length and breadth of the board, enters first into the central square. -Mohgali<a name="FNanchor_50_50" id="FNanchor_50_50"></a><a href="#Footnote_50_50" class="fnanchor">[50]</a> Patan is a favorite game among the superior classes of -Hindoo women. It is a representation of a battle between the <i>Mohgals</i> -and Patans. The battle-field is accurately drawn; on one side is the -<i>Mohgal</i> army, and on the other the Patan. Hindoo ladies play it with -great skill. Another military game, the Pàshà, played on ninety-six -squares and with sixteen pieces, is played with great vigor and amid -peals of laughter. The moves are regulated by the throws of dice. Among<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span> -the outdoor sports are kite-flying, throwing the sling, bat-and-ball, -croquet on horseback, wrestling, running, boating, boxing, and hunting. -Itinerant jugglers are everywhere patronized.</p> - -<p>Musical recreations are most popular of all, and not only from the -temples and palaces, but from the humblest hut of the poorest peasant, -sweet sounds everywhere greet the ear. When an instrument cannot be had -the voice is substituted; men seated in clusters under trees by the -wayside beguile the evening hours with song after song. The common -bhistee at the water's edge, the farmer at the plough, the cart-driver, -the boatman, the shepherd, the warrior, the spinner at her wheel, and -the mother beside the cradle, all delight in song, giving great effect -to tender or spiritual sentiments by the measured or animated tones of -chant, psalm, or song as it may happen to be.</p> - -<p>Instrumental, and even vocal music, though held among the fine arts, has -not attained great eminence, yet no people are more susceptible to its -peculiar charms than the Hindoos. The word "sang-gheeta," or symphony, -implies not only the union of voices and instruments, but suitable -action.</p> - -<p>Musical treatises always combine "gána," the measure of poetry, "vadya," -instrumental sound, and "uritya," dancing. The most remarkable of their -musical compositions are The Ragar Navah, "The Sea of Passion;" -Sabha-Vinodah, "The Delight of the Assemblies;" Sang-gheeta-Derpana, -"The Mirror of Song;" Raga Nibhoda, "The Doctrine of Musical Modes." All -these works explain more or less the laws of harmony, the division of -musical sounds into scales, etc., enunciation, cadence, rising and -falling variations, long and short accentuations, and rules for playing -the vina and other musical instruments. The vina is the most common; it -is not unlike a guitar,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</a></span> five or six feet long, with seven or more -strings, and a large gourd at each end of the finger-board.</p> - -<p>Music, like almost everything else in India, is thought to be of divine -origin. The gamut is called swaragrama, and is uttered as <i>Sa</i>, <i>ri</i>, -<i>ga</i>, <i>ma</i>, <i>pa</i>, <i>dha</i>, <i>ne</i>. Little circles, ellipses, crescents, -chains, curves, lines, straight, horizontal, or perpendicular, are -employed as notes. The close of each strain is always marked by a -flower, especially the rose and lotus.</p> - -<p>The mode of dress of the Hindoo is both simple and suitable to the -climate. The men wear a cloth called dhotee bound round the loins, with -an upper vest, of cotton or silk according to the wealth of the wearer, -over it. This angraka, or coat, is very graceful, generally of pure -white, and descending to the ankles; it is bound around the waist by a -colored shawl or scarf called cumberbund. A white muslin turban -artistically wound around the head and sandals complete the attire. On -festive occasions a gay handkerchief is thrown over the right shoulder, -which adds very much to the picturesqueness of the dress.</p> - -<p>The women wear a cloth, or saree, some yards in length, often edged with -a rich and delicate embroidery of gold or silver, descending to the -feet. They gather this into a point in front, and fasten it around their -waists with or without belts, as the case may be. They then twist the -rest most gracefully around the entire person, after which it is thrown -over the head and made to serve both as a bonnet and a veil. It is very -becoming, and, wrought over with delicate Oriental devices of fine -texture, lends a peculiar charm to the most ordinary features. A bright -silk boddice is worn under the saree, and the whole dress accords well -with the sweet, modest grace and beauty which characterize the pure -Hindoo woman.</p> - -<p>They also wear a profusion of jewels, and ears, nose,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</a></span> arms, wrists, -ankles, toes, and fingers are often bedecked with them. In some -instances all their wealth is thus preserved. The hair, which is often -very luxuriant, is combed back in the ordinary European style, and is -tied in a knot behind. Rich women often fasten it with a band of gold -bound around the entire head and very expensive ornamental gold pins. -The Hindoo women possess in a far greater degree than Europeans an eye -for color. The most ignorant of them have the peculiar art of selecting -strong and brilliant contrasts in color, and so disposing them on their -persons as to make a perfect harmony.</p> - -<p>There is a marked difference between the moral and social character of -the Hindoo and the Mohammedan women of India. The Hindoo woman does not -occupy that position in society which she is so eminently fitted to -grace, and which is accorded to women in Europe and America; but she is -by no means as degraded as is so frequently represented by travellers, -who are apt to mistake the common street-women with whom they are -brought into contact for the wife and mother of an ordinary Hindoo home. -It is difficult for a stranger to find out what an Indian woman is at -home, though he may have encountered many a bedizened female in the -streets which he takes for her.</p> - -<p>The influence of the Hindoo woman is seen and felt all through the -history of India, and is very marked in the annals of British rule. -Though the political changes, the invasion, and despotism of Mohammedan -rule may have forced upon them the seclusion now so general, it is -evident that they once occupied a very different position in society, -from the testimony of their earliest writers and the dramatic -representations of domestic life and manners still extant.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</a></span></p><p>One of the most startling facts is, that among the Asiatic rulers of -India who have heroically resisted foreign invasion the women of -Hindostan have distinguished themselves almost as much as the men. -Lakshmi Baiee, the queen of Jahnsee, held the entire British army in -check for the space of twenty-four hours by her wonderful generalship, -and she would probably have come off victorious if she had not been shot -down by the enemy. After the battle Sir Hugh Rose, the English -commander, declared that the best <i>man</i> on the enemy's side was the -brave queen Lakshmi Baiee. Another courageous and noble woman, Aus -Khoor, was placed by the British government on the throne of Pattiala, -an utterly disorganized and revolted state in the Panjaub. In less than -one year she had by her wise and effective administration changed the -whole condition of the country, subjugated the rebellious cities and -villages, increased the revenues, and established order, security, and -peace everywhere. Alleah Baiee, the Mahratta queen of Malwah, devoted -herself for the space of twenty years with unremitting assiduity to the -happiness and welfare of her people, so that Hindoos, Buddhists, Jains, -Parsees, and Mohammedans united in blessing her beneficent rule; and of -so rare a modesty was this woman that she ordered a book which extolled -her virtues to be destroyed, saying, "Could I have been so infamous as -to neglect the welfare and happiness of my subjects?"</p> - -<p>In the historical notices of the rule of Hindóstanee women nothing is -more conspicuous than their fine, intuitive sense of honor and justice. -Clive, Hastings, Wellesley, and other governors-general of India, have -all acknowledged their high appreciation of the character of the Hindoo -women they have known, declaring that in many instances, under the -administration of Ranees and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</a></span> Begums, India has been more prosperous and -better governed than under the rule of the native rajahs.</p> - -<p>The present ruler of Bhopal is a lady of high moral and intellectual -attainments; both she and her mother, who preceded her as head of the -state, have displayed the highest capacity for administration. Both have -been appointed knights of the Star of India by the empress of India, -Queen Victoria, and their territory is the best governed native state in -India.</p> - -<p>Very recently the queen of England created her Asiatic sisters, the -queens of Oude and Pattiala, knights of the Star of India in -appreciation of their wise and beneficent rule over their respective -kingdoms.</p> - -<p>During the dreadful ravages of the French and English, or the Carnatic -War, the Hindoo women administered to the wounded and suffering European -soldiers of both nations with equal tenderness and impartiality, causing -one of the English generals to report to head-quarters, "But for the -Indian women, who better understand the qualities of love and tenderness -than we Europeans, I should have left half of my wounded soldiers to die -on the battle-field. They washed the toiling feet of the poor tired -soldiers, stanched their flowing wounds, and bore them in their united -arms from the strife of the battle-field to the quiet and shelter of -their own little huts."</p> - -<p>In that interesting narrative of occurrences at Benares during the -latter days of the month of June, 1857, furnished by a soldier of the -Seventy-eighth Highlanders, are several incidents characteristic of the -devotion and self-abnegation of the Hindoo women. This regiment or -company of soldiers, in its work of retaliation upon the Indian -mutineers, often set fire to whole villages in order to punish the rebel -sepoys sheltered by them. On one of these occasions a humane Highlander, -after having rescued<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</a></span> several persons from the fire, rushed into the -flames to save a young woman seated calmly by a dying man, whose lips -she was wetting with some siste<a name="FNanchor_51_51" id="FNanchor_51_51"></a><a href="#Footnote_51_51" class="fnanchor">[51]</a> while the fire was raging around -her. No inducement of self-preservation could prevail with her to quit -his side till they were both carried out.</p> - -<p>Tenderness and self-devotion, as I said before, are the chief -characteristics of the pure Hindoo woman. Her love for her offspring -amounts to a passion, and she is rarely known to speak hastily, much -less to strike or ill use her child. Her devotion as a wife has no -parallel in the history of the world. Marriage is a sacred, indissoluble -bond, which even death itself cannot destroy, and the patient, -much-enduring women of India took the terrible yoke of sutteeism upon -them in becoming wives as calmly as the young English or American girl -puts on her bridal veil, and have gone to the funeral pile for centuries -without a murmur.</p> - -<p>In the purer and more ancient period of Indian civilization it was not -customary to force a widow upon the funeral pyre of her husband. But the -fearful prospects of Hindoo widowhood, which made her future existence -appear to her a long, wearisome, and distasteful series of sad duties, -made her gladly choose death rather than life. Besides which, she died -honored and happy, having by her death redeemed her husband from a -thousand years of penance. By degrees, this fearful practice, fostered -by the priests and poets of India, became a sacred tradition carefully -handed down from mother to daughter, and at last came to be regarded as -a sublime sacrifice on the marriage altar. The practice of sutteeism has -been virtually abolished by the British government on British-Indian<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</a></span> -soil, but to this day women will perform painful journeys to places -still governed by native princes in order to burn themselves alive.</p> - -<p>In 1834, while Dr. Burnes was residing at Cutch, a very remarkable case -of sutteeism took place in that province. The only wife of Bhooj-Rhai, a -wealthy and intimate friend of the rao or king, had, during her -husband's illness, declared her intention of performing suttee at his -death. When the time arrived the rao, at the instance of the British -resident, expostulated with her, but all in vain. Protection was also -offered her in the name of the British government, but her determination -remained firm and unshaken. On the morning appointed for the burning of -Bhooj-Rhai's body a funeral pyre was erected immediately in front of Rao -Lakka's tomb. A spot was enclosed with a circle of bamboos, the tops of -which were bound together in the form of a beehive, covered with dried -grass and thorns; the entrance was a small aperture on the left side. -Crowds of gayly-dressed people flocked to the spot. The moment the -victim, a remarkably handsome woman about thirty, and most superbly -dressed, appeared, accompanied by the Brahman priests, her relatives, -and the dead body of her husband, the people greeted her with loud -exclamations of praise and delight, poured forth benedictions on her -head for her constancy and virtue, and showered flowers on her path as -she was borne along; women pressed to touch the hem of her garments, -hoping thereby to be absolved from all sin and preserved from all evil -influences.</p> - -<p>Dr. Burnes addressed the woman, desiring to know whether the act she was -about to perform was voluntary or enforced by the priests, and offered -her again, on the part of the British government, a guarantee for the -protection of her life and property. Her answer was calmly<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</a></span> heroic, and -she could not be dissuaded from her purpose: "I die of my own free -will," said she; "give me back my husband and I will consent to live." -Seeing that nothing could move her from her resolution, Dr. Burnes -despatched a message to the rao requesting his interference. He returned -answer that it was beyond his power to arrest the ceremony. Everything -was done, but in vain, to save the life of this infatuated woman, and at -length the ceremony began. Accompanied by the officiating Brahmans, the -widow walked seven times round the pyre, repeating the usual mantras or -prayers, strewing rice and cowries (small shells) on the ground, -sprinkling holy water over her friends and relatives and on the -bystanders. She then removed her jewels and presented them to her -nearest relations with a glad smile. The Brahman priest then presented -her with a lighted torch; taking it from his hand, she stepped through -the fatal entrance and calmly seated herself within the pile. The body -of her husband, wrapped in rich <i>kinkaub</i> (gold cloth), was then carried -seven times round the pile, and finally laid across her knees. The door -was left unclosed, in the hope that the deluded woman might yet repent -and escape. Not a sigh, not a whisper, broke the death-like silence of -the crowd. The intrepid woman held up her torch and ignited the pile. -Presently a slight smoke, curling from the summit of the pyre, gave -notice that the fiery ordeal had begun; then came a tongue of flame -darting with lightning rapidity toward the clear blue sky, announcing -that the sacrifice was completed, though not a sound betrayed that a -living victim was within holding a dead corpse in her arms. So far as -courage and silent, resolute determination went, she was more immovable -than the dead clay she held in her last fiery embrace. At the sight of -the ascending crackling flames wild shouts of exultation rent the air, -the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</a></span> drums beat, the people clapped their hands in delighted applause, -while the English spectators of the scene withdrew, bearing deep -compassion in their hearts.</p> - -<p>After the fiery consummation had taken place, on the ground where the -sadhwee, or "pure one," had expired three chatties, or earthen vessels, -full of consecrated balls of rice, were placed as offerings to the gods.</p> - -<p>The Bombay government notified the rao at once that the repetition of -such inhuman atrocities would not again be overlooked.<a name="FNanchor_52_52" id="FNanchor_52_52"></a><a href="#Footnote_52_52" class="fnanchor">[52]</a> This had no -doubt some effect on His Highness, but nevertheless some time after this -sacrifice the beautiful mother of the rao suddenly fell ill and died, -and one of her female attendants voluntarily buried herself alive near -her mistress, in order that she should be in readiness to attend her in -a future state.</p> - -<p>It is very difficult for the Western mind to comprehend this utter -self-abnegation on the part of Hindoos, and it can only be accounted for -by their deep faith in the universal metamorphosis of life and the -unreality of form. <i>Maya</i><a name="FNanchor_53_53" id="FNanchor_53_53"></a><a href="#Footnote_53_53" class="fnanchor">[53]</a> is illusion, the evanescent dream of life, -which is only a "sleep between a sleep," the constant flow of form into -form, of thought into thought, of life into other life. Even Brahm does -not recognize himself in the second person: "I know when I am I, but who -am I when I am thou?" It renders individuality illusive, intangible, and -uncertain, so that to the Hindoos life and possession assume a meaning -entirely different from that with which we are disposed to regard them. -It is true that life loses half its charms, but death is robbed of its -terrors. Life is valued only in so far as they are prepared to lay it -aside, or rather to change it for some other form; for life and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</a></span> death -are but the perpetual ebb and flow, the advance or retrograde, of soul -toward "the Soul." Under this ardent faith, that everything above, -below, beyond, God himself, is illusion, change, metamorphosis, is -hidden the secret that helps them to endure suffering not only without a -murmur, but with joy, and to count death itself a positive gain in the -presence of the eternal, immutable, and solid fact of life to be found -at last in the final reunion of the human with the divine life. This -faith so potent, so absorbing, so far reaching, has stamped a character -hereditary and almost ineffaceable on the Hindoo mind.</p> - -<p>To-day Brahmanism is so expansive in character that it takes in every -form and peculiarity of religious sentiment. The more earnest and -spiritual have grand and magnificent theories of God that supply ample -food for the imagination; the tender have laws that reach down almost to -vegetable life; the ignorant and vulgar have attractive festivals and -endless ceremonials suited to engage their attention; the vicious and -degraded have the loves and frivolities of the gods and heroes, whose -lives encourage pursuit of sensual gratifications; the devotee who -abandons all that is sensual for spiritual insight has text upon text -and example upon example, taken from the Puranas<a name="FNanchor_54_54" id="FNanchor_54_54"></a><a href="#Footnote_54_54" class="fnanchor">[54]</a> and from the actual -lives of saints, to support him in the effort of finding God at last. -The self-sacrificing only quits an illusion for a reality, and the -idolater who bows down before wood and stone believes that he sees -before him only the form of a divine life hidden everywhere in matter. -Thus highest religious thought and life and lowest sensual indulgence -meet together in the theology of the Brahmans.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_45_45" id="Footnote_45_45"></a><a href="#FNanchor_45_45"><span class="label">[45]</span></a> A new school of the Brahmanic order—"Brahmo-Somaj," -meaning an assembly in the name of God. This Church has connected itself -with every progressive movement in India. The originator of this social -and religious movement was Rajah Rammahun Roy, a very learned man. In -1818 he published, for the benefit of his own countrymen, selections -from the teachings of Jesus, taken from the Gospels, in Sanskrit and -Bengali, calling the book "The Precepts of Jesus, the Guide to Peace and -Happiness." He died and was buried in England in 1833. Rammahun Roy -built a church in Calcutta, where the Brahmo-Somaj still hold their -worship. The members belonging to this new school of religious thought -are estimated at ten thousand. The women have a separate prayer-meeting -from the men. Their form of worship is very simple—singing of hymns -adapted from the Vèdas or from the Brahmanasu, or Brahman Aspirations, -the Christian Bible, and extempore prayer, followed by an exhortation on -morality and purity of thought and character. The late Mr. Keshub -Chunder Sen was everywhere recognized as their chief leader.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_46_46" id="Footnote_46_46"></a><a href="#FNanchor_46_46"><span class="label">[46]</span></a> "Rama, Rama, the god Rama, bless you!"</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_47_47" id="Footnote_47_47"></a><a href="#FNanchor_47_47"><span class="label">[47]</span></a> The value of a rupee is about forty-five American cents.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_48_48" id="Footnote_48_48"></a><a href="#FNanchor_48_48"><span class="label">[48]</span></a> Their names vary with the language. I have heard them -called "Khoo mattees" in parts of Guzerat; also "Dhayahtees" in the -Deccan, and Bhaladhya in parts of Western India, from Sanskrit "bala," -youth, and "dhya," tenderness.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_49_49" id="Footnote_49_49"></a><a href="#FNanchor_49_49"><span class="label">[49]</span></a> Ocymum or sweet basil. This plant has a very dark-blue -flower, and hence, like the large bluish-black bees of India, is held -sacred to Krishna and his amours. A fable, however, is told in the -Purânas concerning the metamorphosis of the nymph Toolasi (by Krishna) -into the shrub which has since borne her name, because he could not -return her love.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_50_50" id="Footnote_50_50"></a><a href="#FNanchor_50_50"><span class="label">[50]</span></a> This word is generally pronounced <i>Mohgul</i> by the natives -of India.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_51_51" id="Footnote_51_51"></a><a href="#FNanchor_51_51"><span class="label">[51]</span></a> A peculiar little seed from which a cooling drink is -prepared. A preparation of rice and water, when cooled, is often called -"siste."</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_52_52" id="Footnote_52_52"></a><a href="#FNanchor_52_52"><span class="label">[52]</span></a> See <i>Cutch</i>, chapter vi., by Mr. Postans, 1839.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_53_53" id="Footnote_53_53"></a><a href="#FNanchor_53_53"><span class="label">[53]</span></a> The illusion or unreality of all created things, according -to Brahman mystics.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_54_54" id="Footnote_54_54"></a><a href="#FNanchor_54_54"><span class="label">[54]</span></a> The "Puranas," or Hindoo Antiquities, are by no means as -ancient as they are named. They are eighteen volumes in all, but -consisting of no less than one million six hundred thousand sacred lines -treating of creation, mythology, tradition, and legend.</p></div></div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER IX.</h2> - -<blockquote><p>From Bombay to Poonah, the capital of the Maha Rashtra, or the -great Indian kings.—Campooly.—The Ascent of the Bhor -Ghauts.<a name="FNanchor_55_55" id="FNanchor_55_55"></a><a href="#Footnote_55_55" class="fnanchor">[55]</a>—Khandala.—Caves of Carlee or Karli.—"Puja Chakra," -or the famous Wheel-worship of the Brahmans.—Poonah.—Kirki.—A -Visit to the Peishwa's Palace.—Temple of Parvati.—The Pundit and -the Brahman Priest at Prayer.—Sanskrit and English Colleges at -Poonah.—Suttee Monuments at Sangam.—Hindoo Bankers, etc.</p></blockquote> - -<p>From the island of the ancient goddess Bamba Dèvi to Poonah, the capital -of the great Indian kings, one passes through the most extravagant -contrasts of sights and scenes to be found anywhere in the wide -world—gorgeous temples of gods and squallid dwellings of men; fertile -plains and arid wastes; towering hills crowned with ancient forts and -temples, now lonely or deserted; deep cave-structures in the hearts of -isolated mountains, where still lie written in stone the romantic -culture of a long-past age.</p> - -<p>Our dâhk, which was simply a native carriage furnished with horses -instead of bullocks, trotted briskly along the magnificent "Lion -Causeway." Passing rapidly the eastern side of the island of Salsette to -Thannah, and crossing the great viaduct and round the promontory of -Parsek, we turned to the south, and emerged on a striking plain whose -attractiveness increased at every mile of the road until we began the -descent of the Bhor Ghauts on the other side.</p> - -<div class="center"><a name="i228.jpg" id="i228.jpg"></a><img src="images/i228.jpg" alt="Bullock Cart" /></div> - -<p class="bold"><span class="smcap">Bullock Cart.</span></p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</a></span></p><p>In some parts our road lay over a great green floor soft as velvet, -intersected with innumerable river-like channels, made in the lowlands -by the ever-encroaching sea. Palm trees fringed these salt-water -streams, dotted with hundreds of the fanciful sails of fishing-smacks, -bunder-boats, and brightly painted canoes, all moving to and fro swiftly -and silently under the shadows of the hills, which rise in fantastic -broken forms on one side. There is no sound far or near to break the -spell; the silent, forest-clad Ghauts and the whole sea-begirt valley -lie asleep in that enchanted atmosphere.</p> - -<p>At sunset we reached the village of Campooly, at the foot of the -Ghauts—a mean, dirty, and terribly unhealthy spot, situated immediately -under the lofty barrier-wall of rock called the Bhor Ghauts, which props -up the great table-land of the Deccan<a name="FNanchor_56_56" id="FNanchor_56_56"></a><a href="#Footnote_56_56" class="fnanchor">[56]</a>—an immense plateau, with -large rivers, innumerable hills covered with forts, magnificent towns, -cities, villages, and many millions of inhabitants.</p> - -<p>This enormous mountain-chain of the Deccan, the first of the steps that -rise one above the other till they terminate in the great plateau of -Thibet, the highest land of the Himâlayas, starts up almost -perpendicularly from the Konkan, or lowlands, and is securely fastened -together by huge buttresses of primeval granite, naked and frightful to -look upon in some places, and again singularly beautiful in others. A -railroad and a tunnel have since been built across this once almost -inaccessible barrier, and is said to be "a noble piece of engineering," -for the Ghauts extend over thirteen degrees of latitude and rise in some -parts to a height of five thousand five hundred feet above the level of -the sea.</p> - -<p>There was a fine bungalow, built by Bala Roa Angria for the -accommodation of European travellers, at <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</a></span>Campooly, where we passed the -first hours of the night to await some palanquins with their bearers -that had already started up the Ghauts. This bungalow is only occupied -by chance wayfarers. Here we took up our abode, and only a tribe of -monkeys showed the least inclination to prevent our doing so. There were -sixteen in all; they were evidently enjoying themselves running in and -out of the half-deserted building. A number on the roof were throwing -down into the verandah the peculiar nutlike fruit of the large and -graceful peepul trees that overshadowed the house. Some were peeping in -at the doors and windows, and some were swinging themselves from the -rafters. The moment we appeared they showed regular fight, screamed, -chattered, and no doubt swore at us hard and fast in monkey fashion; -but, what seemed to me most curious, there was not a man in our service -who would perform the unkind office of dispersing them from the -bungalow. We had to send for our driver, who, being a Musulman, had no -scruples of early ancestry or primitive divinities. He took off his -cumberbund, or scarf, twisted it into a whip with a knot at the end, and -despatched the bulk of the tribe back into the forest whence they had -come. Only one great black-bearded male monkey remained on the roof in -spite of the brandished rag; when we were at supper this huge creature -suddenly suspended himself downward by the tail, looked in upon us, and, -opening his hideous jaws, uttered some fierce imprecations, which, as -our pundit would say, "were perfectly intelligible, but not -translatable," and, having done this, he vanished, and we saw nothing -more of him for that evening.</p> - -<p>There is here a Hindoo temple, and a fine reservoir which occupies a -quarter of a mile of ground. This reservoir and the adjoining temple, -dedicated to Maha Dèo, were built by that most subtle of Mahratta -ministers, the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</a></span> famous Nana Furnaveez, whose real name was Balaji -Jahnardhan. It is exceedingly well built; the sides are lined and the -banks paved with fine stone; steps lead everywhere to the edge of the -water; a magnificent banyan tree overshadows the artificial lake, and -near it flourishes a fine grove of mango trees.</p> - -<p>On the opposite side of us men, women, and children were bathing, -swimming and disporting themselves in the water. Some of the young women -were symmetry itself, with exquisitely-proportioned, slender forms, -delicate hands and feet, finely-poised heads and necks. Their long hair -streamed behind them in the water as they swam merrily about. Others -were just stepping out of the tank arrayed in their graceful but -dripping sarees, which they allow to dry on their persons while they -proceed to fill their water-jars, and, piling them one above the other -on their heads, depart to their respective homes. These women seemed -very innocent and child-like, and a closer acquaintance with several -high-bred and true Hindoos proved that these were their distinguishing -characteristics.</p> - -<p>At three o'clock next morning we began the ascent of the Ghauts in -palanquins, or, as they are commonly called, palkees, with coolies to -transport our baggage and provisions. About sunrise we reached a very -remarkable point in these mountains, a deep and frightful-looking chasm. -We alighted from our palkees and went over this part of the Ghauts on -foot. At length we were directed as near as we dared to approach the -spot where the mountain was split in two.<a name="FNanchor_57_57" id="FNanchor_57_57"></a><a href="#Footnote_57_57" class="fnanchor">[57]</a> Not a sound was heard -anywhere. As we stood there the shadows of the crags brightened every<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</a></span> -moment, now shimmered along the sides, and shed flickering shafts of -light far down upon the midnight darkness below. It was a glorious -picture—the depth below and the height above, on whose summits the -plumes of the palm trees waved their branches to the rising sun.</p> - -<p>The atmosphere was remarkably clear, and this helped us to see a great -distance with the naked eye. On one side gently-falling slopes gave -place to abrupt precipices and innumerable peaks, and on the other far -below were smiling plains, each more beautiful than the other in form -and color, affording now and then most magical glimpses of green fields -dotted with great reservoirs that looked like silvery spots, and cozy -little Hindoo villages nestling amid charming groves and -palm-plantations.</p> - -<p>As the story goes, the duke of Wellington, then a simple colonel, cast -all his guns into one of these reservoirs when he found no means of -conveying them any farther, lest they should fall into the hands of the -enemy, as he marched over the same road to Poonah and there quelled the -famous Mahratta rebellion of 1802.</p> - -<p>Now on foot and now in palkees we at length ascended these Ghauts, -sweeping round and round, now ascending, now descending, passing by -dreadful precipices, drawing breath under quaint natural bowers, -following winding paths, and coming suddenly upon foaming cascades -leaping from rock to rock. So we went from beauty to ever-increasing -beauty, till we reached the village of Khandala, on the very top of the -mountain, near which a travellers' bungalow stands with open arms—or -verandahs—to receive us. And here was opened to us the full -enchantments of the fairyland through which we had been passing upward. -All of a sudden from this high peak we beheld a most beautiful and -varied picture—sharp peaks of every form and shape and size, -tremendous<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[Pg 213]</a></span> ravines, towering mountains, leaping waterfalls, sloping -hillsides, and waving palms and mountain-forests, clearly outlined -against a deep-blue sky, and over all these varied forms of nature the -sunlight floats and melts, a sea of gold. No artist, however gifted, no -pencil, however matchless, can catch and transfer to canvas the -entrancing beauties of the views as seen from the top of the Bohr Ghauts -and at such a moment.</p> - -<p>This lovely spot has for more than twenty years been the favorite -retreat of the wealthy and change-seeking inhabitants of Bombay, and now -that the railway is opened it is much more easily reached.</p> - -<p>The ravines in this neighborhood harbor many wild beasts, and it is said -that at night tigers, leopards, and bears are often seen prowling about -in search of prey. The natives raise wild shouts when they think they -hear or see them, and thus frighten them away.</p> - -<p>The travellers' bungalow at Khandala is most picturesquely situated on -the edge of a deep ravine. On the right is a small lake or reservoir -adjoining the residence of the late Parsee knight, Sir Jamsetjee Jeeboy. -To the east is a magnificent hill, called the Duke's Nose, from its -supposed likeness to that of Wellington. From this point there are -splendid views. The pretty little mountain-village of Khandala is close -by, and as we pass on to Karli we skirt the beautiful woods of -Lanauli,<a name="FNanchor_58_58" id="FNanchor_58_58"></a><a href="#Footnote_58_58" class="fnanchor">[58]</a> so often quoted in Mahratta song, once the hunting-grounds -of the rulers of the Deccan, and still abounding in wild boars and other -game.</p> - -<p>We spent four days at the bungalow here, and, what was more, saw every -sun that rose and set on these mountains. Each day was a counterpart of -the preceding one, clear and bright. We traversed some miles of the -<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</a></span>surrounding country to visit hill-forts, caves, and viharas, which -abound in this neighborhood.</p> - -<p>Our next halting-place was at the village of Karli, a cluster of Hindoo -houses hid amidst a fine grove of trees. There was a nice bungalow here, -and even barracks to hold about two hundred men.</p> - -<p>The most famous cave is that of Karli. It far surpassed those we had -visited on the islands of Salsette and Elephanta, and took us very much -by surprise. The caves are on a hill about two miles or more from the -travellers' bungalow. We entered seemingly into the heart of the -mountain, and found ourselves in the body of the temple or cave, which -is separated from the side-aisles by fifteen columns of magnificent -design and workmanship; on each side, on the upper part of each of these -columns, are two kneeling elephants, and on each elephant are two seated -human figures, sometimes a male and female, with their arms around each -other's shoulders sometimes the figures are both female. The effect is -remarkably striking. The <i>chaitya</i><a name="FNanchor_59_59" id="FNanchor_59_59"></a><a href="#Footnote_59_59" class="fnanchor">[59]</a> is plain and very solid, and -behind it are seven plain octagonal pillars without any ornamentation. -The interior of the temple seems to have been lined with woodwork. Right -in front of the arched roof or hall is a second screen, as at the great -cave at Salsette. It is composed of plain octagonal columns with -pilasters. Over these is a mass of wall crowned with a superstructure of -four dwarf pillars; the whole of this appears to have been covered with -wooden ornaments.<a name="FNanchor_60_60" id="FNanchor_60_60"></a><a href="#Footnote_60_60" class="fnanchor">[60]</a> These are thought to have been a broad balcony in -front of the plain wall, supported by two bold wooden brackets<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</a></span> from the -two piers. This balcony is thought to have served the purpose of a -music-gallery or nagara khánah, as are still found in the Jain temples -to-day. Everything here is executed in the finest style; the -bas-reliefs, the windows, the doors, the halls, roofs, vestibules, and -figures are each, one and all, beautifully executed. The colossal figure -of the Buddha perched on a lotos throne, with angels hovering around -him, his hands folded in everlasting repose resting on his knees, is -grand and imposing. On the walls are carved many a beautiful flower, -some not unlike those we passed in our morning's ride, with strange -characters and symbol after symbol replete with the wisdom of the -Buddhists. Rows of half-nude gigantic women, elephants, lions, birds, -and beasts relate in solid stone the triumphs of Buddhism over -Brahmanism. Dr. Stevenson dates the building of this temple at seventy -years before Christ; executed, according to him, by the emperor -Devabhute, under the care of Xenocrates or Dhennuka-Kati. There has -been, however, much doubt thrown by recent explorers on the dates given -by Dr. Stevenson. The inscriptions under the gateway are thought to -place beyond dispute the dates of these scattered excavations, so -similar in point of architecture, at the second century before Christ -and not long after the great Buddhist dispersion from North-western -Hindostan by the Brahmans.</p> - -<p>A number of queer-looking Brahman priests of the Sivite<a name="FNanchor_61_61" id="FNanchor_61_61"></a><a href="#Footnote_61_61" class="fnanchor">[61]</a> sect, who -take care of these caves and encourage pilgrims to them, came out to see -us, and, finding our pundit to be a countryman, though he was not of -their sect, invited us to witness their worship in a vihara adjoining.</p> - -<p>It was difficult to believe that the quiet, dark, handsome men who spoke -to us could be such dupes as they seemed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</a></span> while at worship. In the -largest of the caves was a huge, rude machine very like a common wheel, -in the centre of which was a round place for a fire, and another and -smaller fireplace on each of the seven spokes of the wheel. To the wheel -was attached a long pole, and to this pole was tied a large-eyed, -patient-looking Brahmanee cow with bells around her neck. To the cord -which fastened these bells was tied a long rope, and this rope was held -by a Yoghee, a sort of mystic Brahman priest, who had nothing on but a -wisp of straw around his loins, and a half-starved-looking dog at his -heels.</p> - -<p>The moment the sun sank behind the mountains a white-robed priest issued -from one of the smaller caves and placed a little earthen lamp, -containing a long wick and some cocoanut oil, in each one of the -receptacles for the fires. This done, the deafening sounds of -multitudinous drums were heard from the secret recesses of the -intermediate caves. At this, away went the Yoghee, the dog, the cow, and -the wheel, with the seven tiny lamps revolving around the larger one in -the centre. This furious dance continued, the dog barking, the cow -lowing, and the drums beating, for an hour, and then another Yoghee -stepped forward and relieved the first one. There were twelve priests, -or rather ascetics, for the twelve hours of the night, and this was the -celebrated "puja chakra," or wheel-worship, of the ancient Brahmans.</p> - -<p>We could not wait, of course, to see the end of this strange, wild, -deafening performance. I nearly fainted from the oppressive heat and -disagreeable odors of the cave, and was obliged to seek relief in the -open air. Here we found the Yoghee who had begun the dance seated on a -stone clothed in a long dusky mantle and evidently enjoying the evening -breeze. He answered me in pure Hindostanee, and told me that the central -fire or<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[Pg 217]</a></span> lamp represented the Surya, or the Sun, the smaller ones the -seven planets, naming each one—Soma, the Moon; Mangala, Mars; Buddh, -Mercury; Virhaspati, Jupiter; Sukra, Venus; Sani, Saturn; Deva Bheemi, -the Earth. The cow stood for Providence, or, as he termed it, the -All-giver; he himself for mankind; while the dog was the emblem of the -human family; his dance was in honor of the solar system.</p> - -<p>A look of supreme satisfaction overspread his face as he informed me -that the deep spiritual meaning which was conveyed to his heart was not -in the wheel or in the fires, but in himself as he thought of the -efficacy of the daily sacrifice which he offered to the gods, which -convinced me that he at least firmly believed that the return of the -sun-god to his place in the heavens every morning was due to his efforts -and that of his brethren in performing from one end of the year to the -other this self-imposed mystic night-dance in honor of the solar system.</p> - -<p>The moon had risen as we put our little tattoos'<a name="FNanchor_62_62" id="FNanchor_62_62"></a><a href="#Footnote_62_62" class="fnanchor">[62]</a> faces Khandala-ward -and trotted away from the Karli village and the Hindoo ascetics. We had -a very amusing half-broken and half-rattling talk with our pundit, who -insisted that there was nothing more holy in the way of worship than the -"puja chakra," which we had just seen. When my husband irreverently -inquired, "If the wheel-worship was not a gentle hint to the sun to be -up and about his business every morning," our good guide and teacher -became suddenly grave and silent, and not another word would he say to -us on the subject of this curious worship.</p> - -<p>Next day we climbed a hill to see the old fort of Lok-garha, which was -twice captured from the Mahrattas by the East India Company's generals. -It occupies a <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[Pg 218]</a></span>commanding position, and we enjoyed the view from it. -This grand old Mahratta fortress is full of historical interest. It was -here that the beautiful and astute widow of Nana Furnaveez, the most -famous of the Mahratta ministers, took refuge, and the killadhar, or -commander of the fort, obtained for her from General Wellesley not only -a guarantee of safety, but an annual pension of twelve thousand rupees. -On our return ride we passed through a wild but beautiful part of the -hills. We saw and heard the stately pea-fowl that are found in this -neighborhood; they added very much to the wild, luxuriant beauty of the -woods.</p> - -<p>On the following morning we bade adieu to the beautiful Bohr Ghauts. -There was a great deal more of loveliness to be seen for many a mile -until we reached the slope of the mountains, which is gradual rather -than abrupt, as it is on the opposite side, and after that it was of no -consequence at all where we looked. We were riding down a bleak, rugged, -desolate country, slightly inclined; this was that immense triangular -plateau between the Ghaut districts on the east and west and the great -Vindhiya chain on the north. As we approached Poonah we found the views -more interesting—fields of wheat, maize, orchards of fruit trees, -plantain-groves, and the peepul, tamarind, and palm waving above them -all. When we reached the bridge that spans the Moota River, it was near -sunset. A flood of light poured from the sky over hill and dale and -valley, gilding with unusual brilliancy the venerable roofs of Parbuttee -and the half-ruined turretted walls of the Peishwa's palace.</p> - -<p>Poonah, with the adjoining military station at Kirkee, where the -scenery, owing to the junction of the Moota and Moola Rivers, is very -picturesque, has a very respectable English population. But the majority -of the natives<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[Pg 219]</a></span> are almost exclusively Brahmans of the Deccan and -Hindoos from various parts of Hindostan.</p> - -<p>This spot is famous in Mahratta annals. In 1599 Poonah and Supah were -made over to Mahlaji Bhonsli, grandfather of the renowned Sivaji, by the -government of the Nizam. In 1750 it was made the capital of the -Maharashtra empire under Balaji Baji Rao. It was once more seized and -destroyed by the Nizam's forces, by Alih Shah, who had established the -Mohgul empire at Haiderabâd in the Deccan. And here again another battle -took place in 1802, when Jeshwant Rao Holkar defeated the combined -armies of the Peishwa and Scindhia.</p> - -<p>With our usual good-fortune we procured a house at Kirkee to stay in -during our visit to this neighborhood. It was the residence of a moolah, -a Mohammedan bishop, and must have been built many years ago. It is a -beautiful spot. A British cavalry regiment is stationed here, and here -was fought the battle in which the English gained one of their most -remarkable Indian victories over the last Peishwa.</p> - -<p>The native city is divided into seven quarters and dedicated to the -seven high angels or planets after whom the days of the week are named.</p> - -<p>The streets of the city of Poonah are more picturesque and far more -Oriental than even those of Bombay. The principal street is long, wide, -and furnished with sidewalks, with shops of all sizes and all kinds of -merchandise, having open fronts, and the goods are exposed on inclined -platforms. The lanes and thoroughfares are thronged with people of all -nationalities—the sedate and white-robed Brahman; the handsome Hindoo; -the refined and delicate-looking Hindoo woman in her flowing graceful -saree and pretty red sandals (for in this city Mohammedan influence has -not yet reached the point which it<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[Pg 220]</a></span> has in other parts of India, and the -women are not cooped up in harems, but are met everywhere in the -streets, temples, and bazaars); the pompously-dressed Musulman, Arab, -and Mahratta horsemen completely armed, prancing along on their splendid -chargers; Mahratta foot-soldiers with their lordly swagger, equipped -with sword and shield and buckler; emaciated devotees, fakeers, and -mendicants of all denominations, some wholly nude, others clothed in the -skins of wild beasts, and yet others covered with dust and paint and -ashes of cow-ordure; fat, lazy-looking Brahmanee bulls; Jews, Parsees, -native Portuguese Christians, and occasionally a British Mahratta sepoy -in his neat undress uniform. This moving picture, so strange and -incongruous, had the additional fascination of state elephants; splendid -cavalcades of the Peishwa's troops decked out in brilliant colors and -accompanied by richly-caparisoned led horses; camels trotting along at a -quick pace to the sound of merry little tinkling bells suspended from -their necks; fighting rams, kept for combats, one of the favorite -Mahratta pastimes, parading the streets in long rows, now leaping and -butting at dreamy Brahmanee cows. Add to all this that almost every day -in the week there are crowded markets, religious processions, passing -funerals with gayly-dressed corpses seated on the biers, looking ghastly -enough on this dancing bubbling current of human life, and some idea may -be formed of the sights and scenes to be met with in the capital of the -Mahratta empire.</p> - -<p>At my first arrival at Poonah I remember seeing some Hindoo children at -play in the square. They were playing at marbles in all respects like -the English game, save that the boys had nothing in the world on but a -sacred cord round their shoulders and some gold and silver ornaments. -New-born infants could not have been more <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[Pg 221]</a></span>unconscious than they were. -The boy who won, a lad about eight or nine, seemed the least elated of -the party. The one who lost had a better time; he clapped the winner on -the back and cheered him all the way across the square, crying, "Khoop! -khoop!" ("Fine! fine!"). There were thirty or more nude little fellows -watching the play with intense interest, and evidently having the most -enjoyment out of it, to judge from the wild shouts of applause with -which they hailed the victor, screaming at the very top of their lungs, -"Marliah! marliah!" ("Beaten! beaten!"). How many English or American -boys would behave so well?</p> - -<p>It would be simply impossible to enumerate all the places of historical -interest to be found here. The hillsides are everywhere crowned with -forts and religious and military strongholds, where many a battle has -been fought and won, and many a treaty formed only to be broken, both by -the servants of the East India Company and the contending Mahratta and -Mohgul forces, on this debatable land of the Hindoos, Mohguls, and -English conquerors.</p> - -<p>There are Bambura, or Bampoora, whence in former times an enormous gun, -the Mahratta curfew, boomed sunset warnings to honest men to betake -themselves home; and Dapooree, where Colonel Ford, C. B., built a -palatial residence, and raised and commanded a brigade of magnificent -Mahratta troops after the European fashion for the service of the -Peishwa Baji Rao.</p> - -<p>At Chinchore, near by, a boy is still worshipped as God by the credulous -natives. The originator of this curious deception was one Marâbo, who is -said to have restored sight to a blind girl, and who effected a like -miraculous cure for the great Sivaji.<a name="FNanchor_63_63" id="FNanchor_63_63"></a><a href="#Footnote_63_63" class="fnanchor">[63]</a> In order to prove his -divinity,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[Pg 222]</a></span> this Marâbo caused himself to be buried alive in a sitting -posture with a holy book in his hands. His son succeeded him as God. For -several miracles performed by the latter, especially the feat of -transforming a piece of cow's flesh into roses, the emperor of Delhi, -Alamghir, presented to this man-god Narayana eight villages in -perpetuity.</p> - -<p>Then there is another curious old fort, Chakhan,<a name="FNanchor_64_64" id="FNanchor_64_64"></a><a href="#Footnote_64_64" class="fnanchor">[64]</a> with its ramparts -and parapets constructed, according to Hindoo story, by an Abyssian -chief named Palighar, <span class="smaller">A. D.</span> 1295. In 1818 it was captured by the troops -of the East India Company. And last, but not least, there is the famous -Sing-garh, "the lion's den," a vast triangular-shaped fortress, where -the brave Mahwalee soldiers, headed by the braver Tanaji Mahisreh, -Sivaji's general, fought against the Rajpoots. The latter lost his life -after he had captured from the Rajpoots this stronghold of the -Mahrattas, causing Sivaji to exclaim, "The den is taken, but the lion, -alas! is slain."</p> - -<p>This fortress was finally captured by the English during the Mahratta -and English war. The ascent is made by palanquins. Splendid trees and -many a wild flower crown the hillsides, creeping over gate and tower and -moat, spreading beauty and gladness where once was heard the perpetual -war-cry of deadly combatants.</p> - -<p>We visited the Peishwa's palace. Our syce, or groom, looked like a -bedizened prince as he led the way with his gay turban and brilliant -sash. We kept close to his horse's heels, and the pundit, whose long -white robe gave him the appearance of a lady on horseback, brought up -the rear.</p> - -<p>The palace, temples, and pavilions of the late Peishwa<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</a></span> all cluster -about a most beautiful hill called Parbuttee, a corruption of the -Sanskrit word Pharvati, "Sacred Mountain." A magnificent garden called -"Hira Bâgh" ("the gem or diamond garden"), and a fine reservoir with an -old pavilion on its bank, are some of the features of this sacred spot. -The palace is in no way worthy of notice, and is fast crumbling away, -but it is approached by a magnificent staircase of stone steps cut out -of the mountain, and so gradual that we rode up it on horseback. The -hill is covered with temples. The view is very fine; seen over the lake -with its pretty little tree-covered islands and wide fields studded with -palm- and mango-plantations, it was one vast beautiful picture.</p> - -<p>Our syce pointed out to us the spot where a young Mahratta prince dashed -himself headlong from his pavilion because he was publicly reprimanded -for some breach of etiquette by his prime minister, Nana Furnaveez.</p> - -<p>There was much to interest us, however, in the temples, that are still -kept in good repair, filled with the monstrous idols of the Hindoos; and -here are held great annual festivals in their honor. Over two hundred -Brahman priests worship here, and are supported by the voluntary -contributions made to their shrines.</p> - -<p>We went into the temple of Parvati. Our pundit led the way, accompanied -by a singularly interesting Mahratta Brahman priest, but I noticed that -the sectarian marks on his forehead and those on the pundit's were very -different. The former wore the marks of Siva, two straight lines -crossed, and the pundit those of Maha Dèo, two concentric circles with a -straight line. Before our eyes had become accustomed to "the dim -religious light" of this temple, the power of which the Hindoos so well -understand, I looked and saw right in front of me, and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[Pg 224]</a></span>immediately at -the foot of the altar, the prostrate figure of the pundit, and the -Brahman priest beside him, their arms and hands stretched out, their -faces hidden on the pavement, their limbs stiff and rigid, and their -long white robes clinging to their persons.</p> - -<p>Within full sight and hearing of the beauty of Christianity, with all -the wonders and marvels of scientific discoveries taught hard by in the -public native school and in the Sanskrit college, here were these men, -neither of whom lacked intellectual training, bowing down to idols of -wood and stone. Surely, the more earnest and spiritual of these lowly -worshippers see something of the truth, beauty, and goodness of God, -denied to less ardent natures, and only discernible with closed eyes and -in moments of deep, silent emotion.</p> - -<p>There is a massive silver statue of Siva seated on the altar, holding on -his knees his wife Parvati and their son Ganesa. These smaller idols, it -is said, are of pure gold; a princely fortune in precious gems adorns -their headdresses, their necks, and gleams out of their eyes. There were -dusky arches and dingy, time-stained columns and all kinds of figures on -the walls, and over them all a smoky atmosphere and an odor of incense -mingled with that of burnt-offerings.</p> - -<p>We went out almost faster than we had gone in. Pundit and his guru, or -spiritual guide, were still going through some genuflexions. A Brahman -is a Brahman indeed, but are Christians always the followers of Jesus? -We sat down on the steps of the temple, and by and by the pundit came -out with his spiritual guide, looking calm and serene.</p> - -<p>We visited the English school for the natives in the Budhwar<a name="FNanchor_65_65" id="FNanchor_65_65"></a><a href="#Footnote_65_65" class="fnanchor">[65]</a> portion -of the city, also the Sanskrit college,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[Pg 225]</a></span> and saw there hundreds of -handsome, eager-looking students, and we were assured that it produced -men of very great learning, who could hold their own in Sanskrit, -Mahratta, Hindostanee, and English even, with some of the greatest -scholars in England, France, or Germany.</p> - -<p>A spot is shown at Sangam, not far from where we took up our abode, -where the devoted Hindoo widows formerly underwent cremation with the -dead bodies of their husbands. These monuments can only be seen when the -water at Sangam (the spot where the Moola and Moota Rivers meet) is at -its lowest ebb. They consist of flat stones or slabs laid in the -river-bed, with two female feet engraved on each of them. Even in this, -the most hideous and barbaric of Hindoo customs, is found lingering a -beautiful and tender sentiment. The feet engraved on the slabs prove the -willingness with which these unknown women followed their loved ones -through the ordeal of a fiery death into the world beyond, and the -meeting of the two rivers typifies the final reunion of their souls.</p> - -<p>We visited a banker's office in the native city of Poonah. This bank, in -which large sums are deposited and extensive business transacted, was -nothing but a mud house plastered over within and without. The counter -was an inclined platform reaching from the front to nearly the whole -length of the building; on it squatted, cross-legged, surrounded with -bags of all kinds of money, a Mahratta banker with his handsome -countenance and keen piercing black eyes, talking to his customers, -discounting bills, and counting money with astonishing rapidity and -ease.</p> - -<p>The bank where our pundit obtained his "hoondee," or money-order, was -managed, in the absence of his father,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[Pg 226]</a></span> by a young Hindoo boy who could -not have been over twelve years of age. This youthful cashier astonished -us with his accuracy and quickness in counting and discounting money. -His only account-book, as far as I could see, was a flat board covered -with fine white sand. On this primitive slate he made all his -calculations, writing them down with his forefinger. When he had -finished he blew away the sand and handed over the amount due to pundit, -with interest for odd days, etc., all calculated with the nicest -accuracy down to the smallest fraction. We wondered very much to see -these banking establishments left in the charge of such young lads, who -sit there demurely—and, what is more strange, securely—until late at -night, often amid heaps of gold, silver, and other coin left temptingly -in full view; but one rarely hears of any attempt to rob them.</p> - -<p>The bankers' checks are written on a thick country-made paper; every -check has a secret mark or sign that renders forgery difficult. It is -rolled up and fastened with gum-water, and thus laks<a name="FNanchor_66_66" id="FNanchor_66_66"></a><a href="#Footnote_66_66" class="fnanchor">[66]</a> upon laks of -rupees are circulated with ease and safety throughout the country.</p> - -<p>The European portion of the city of Poonah stands on a fine open plain. -There are here wide fields, handsome barracks for the European soldiers, -bungalows for their commanding officers, a hospital, a lunatic asylum, a -pretty little church with reading-room and library adjoining. In fact, -there is everything here to render the European comfortable and happy, -except the temper of the people, who still cling to the recollections of -old times, when Poonah was the capital of their own great kings and -warriors, filled with all the pomp and parade of Oriental splendor.</p> - -<p>The late Sir Jamsetjee Jeeboy has erected a fine residence<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[Pg 227]</a></span> here; near -it is a simple and unpretending Fire-temple for the benefit of the -Parsees in this vicinity.</p> - -<p>The last of the many bright hours spent here we drove about the native -town and enjoyed Poonah at night. Every house, fort, temple, palace, and -hut was illuminated, those of the poor by a dim light, those of the -temples and palaces by innumerable tiny flames that flickered and -gleamed in thousands of colors on the marbles and frescoes of the walls, -floors, and verandahs. It seemed like passing through some fairy scene -filled with the thousand and one pictures of the Arabian Nights.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_55_55" id="Footnote_55_55"></a><a href="#FNanchor_55_55"><span class="label">[55]</span></a> <i>Bhor</i>, a Mahratta word for the jujube tree, <i>Zizyphus -jujuba</i>, which is found among these mountains. The <i>Ghauts</i>, or -"Landing-Stairs," are the two ranges of mountains extending along the -eastern and western shores of the peninsula of Hindostan. The highest -peaks in the north-western part are found in the Mahablashwar Mountains, -the summer retreat of the Europeans of Bombay.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_56_56" id="Footnote_56_56"></a><a href="#FNanchor_56_56"><span class="label">[56]</span></a> From <i>Dakshina</i> (Sanskrit), "South Country."</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_57_57" id="Footnote_57_57"></a><a href="#FNanchor_57_57"><span class="label">[57]</span></a> This chain is now bridged over by a viaduct which once -crumbled down and disappeared into the depths below in the presence of a -brave English engine-driver, who had the good fortune to arrest the -train, that was speeding on its way toward it, just in time to save many -valuable lives.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_58_58" id="Footnote_58_58"></a><a href="#FNanchor_58_58"><span class="label">[58]</span></a> A small village on the Khandala Hills.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_59_59" id="Footnote_59_59"></a><a href="#FNanchor_59_59"><span class="label">[59]</span></a> An immense hemispherical altar of stone with a kind of -wooden umbrella spreading above, beneath which lies interred some relic -of the god to whom the temple is dedicated.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_60_60" id="Footnote_60_60"></a><a href="#FNanchor_60_60"><span class="label">[60]</span></a> See Fergusson's <i>Rock-cut Temples of India</i>, p. 27.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_61_61" id="Footnote_61_61"></a><a href="#FNanchor_61_61"><span class="label">[61]</span></a> Followers of the god Siva or Shiva.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_62_62" id="Footnote_62_62"></a><a href="#FNanchor_62_62"><span class="label">[62]</span></a> The Mahratta horses.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_63_63" id="Footnote_63_63"></a><a href="#FNanchor_63_63"><span class="label">[63]</span></a> Founder of the Mahratta empire, born at Junir, about fifty -miles from Poonah, in the year 1627.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_64_64" id="Footnote_64_64"></a><a href="#FNanchor_64_64"><span class="label">[64]</span></a> This fort is reputed to be of great antiquity, and was -constructed by Palighar, but as to who he was, or how he got there, they -do not pretend to know.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_65_65" id="Footnote_65_65"></a><a href="#FNanchor_65_65"><span class="label">[65]</span></a> The city of Poonah is divided into seven quarters, -corresponding to the days of the week. Budhwar, therefore, is the -Wednesday quarter of the city.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_66_66" id="Footnote_66_66"></a><a href="#FNanchor_66_66"><span class="label">[66]</span></a> A <i>lak</i> is one hundred thousand rupees.</p></div> -</div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[Pg 228]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER X.</h2> - -<blockquote><p>The beautiful Hindoo village of Wye.—The Mahabaleshwar Hills.—The -Temple of the Gods.—The Couch of Krishna.—The Stone Image of the -Cow from whose mouth the Five Rivers of this Region are said to -Spring.—The Holy Tank.—Satarah, the Star City of the Mahratta -Empire.—The Fort.—The Palace of Sivaji.—Jejureh, the famous -Hill-temples where the Dancing-girls of the Country are -recruited.—The Mad Gossain, and the Story of his Ill-fated -Love.—The Dancing-girl Krayâhnee.</p></blockquote> - -<p>We made a journey from Poonah to the Mahabaleshwar Hills in a common -bullock-cart, but through a country of unrivalled beauty. We spent a -night and a day at the rural village of Wye. I have never seen any place -where the charm of Oriental grace working through the pure Hindoo -imagination has more forcibly stamped itself. The soil, the climate, the -temples, the river, the wide-spreading trees, the sportive figures of -the gods and goddesses, are all calculated to bring out in strong relief -the characteristics of the adjoining mountains, which here assume a -multitude of beautiful shapes, rising heavenward like innumerable -battlemented towers, pinnacles, or spires, each loftier than the last -and endowed with a certain air of individuality peculiar to these hills. -One isolated rock near the village rears its flat-topped brow, crowned -with an old Mahratta fort, more than a hundred feet high, sharp and -abrupt, lending a singular picturesqueness to the smallest object under -it.</p> - -<p>Wye stands on the left bank of the river Krishna, which is shaded by -fine peepul and mango trees; <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[Pg 229]</a></span>handsome stone steps lead down to the edge -of the swift-flowing waters, and are crowded all day long with figures -of graceful men, women, and children sporting, bathing, drawing water, -or lounging idly around. There was an irresistible freshness and quiet -beauty about the gay, careless life of the people, which was passed -absolutely on the banks of the river.</p> - -<p>We had no sooner taken up our abode in the travellers' bungalow, which -here commands a fine view, than the patel, or chief of the city, -accompanied by several Brahmans, paid us a visit, bringing us presents -of fruit and flowers. I was much struck with the genial kindliness and -courtesy of these men.</p> - -<p>We rose at dawn next morning to see this Hindoo community perform in one -body, on the banks of the Krishna, the peculiar ceremony of worshipping -the sun. The people literally lined the banks of the river; their faces -were turned up to the sky, and as they stood in rows on the steps -leading to the water's edge the effect was very impressive. They then -simultaneously filled their palms with water, snuffed it up through -their nostrils, and flung it toward the north-east, repeating certain -prayers. After this they all proceeded to stand on one foot, then on the -other, each holding in his hand an earthen bowl filled with clarified -butter, with a lighted wick in the centre. Then they all together -saluted the mighty luminary with folded hands raised to their foreheads, -and then marched toward the west in imitation of his path through the -heavens; which terminated their sun-worship<a name="FNanchor_67_67" id="FNanchor_67_67"></a><a href="#Footnote_67_67" class="fnanchor">[67]</a> for the day.</p> - -<p>We also visited the garden and palace of the Rastias. Mohti Bagh, or -"pearl garden," as the entire palace and grounds are called, is only a -little distance from the village<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[Pg 230]</a></span> of Wye. The approach to the palace is -through an enchanting road formed of tall bamboos, mangoes, and tamarind -trees. Wye is a spot famed in Hindoo literature. Here the heroes of the -Mahâbharata spent their years of exile and expiation, and here they are -said to have built many wonderful temples. The river is almost gemmed -with beautiful temples in the finest style of Hindoo architecture, owing -to this historic fact or fiction, whichever it may be. The temples are -filled with idols of heroes and heroines, and the city with Hindoo men -and women of the finest type and utmost purity of character.</p> - -<p>We visited an old Brahman college here, which was once famous for the -clever pundits it furnished to the country around. There were some -students in one of the rooms; they were all young and good-looking, but -had about them an air of decorous restraint and an expression of old age -that were depressing to one's spirits.</p> - -<p>Passing through a luxuriant country full of venerable trees, groves, -gardens, and wide fields, we stopped at the little village of Dhoom to -see a famous temple. It was of fine stone, artistically built, but full -of strange gods. An arched door led to one of the shrines, where there -was an image of Siva. Vessels containing rice and flowers were before -him, and the basin in front of the temple is something peculiarly -beautiful. It is unique in form—like a huge tulip-shaped cup, of pure -white marble, with its rim most delicately carved into the petals of the -lotos-flower. It is impossible to give any adequate idea of this -exquisite bit of Hindoo sculpture. A pillar of white marble with five -heads of Siva, and the cobra de capello twisted round them, adds another -charming attraction to this insignificant Brahman village.</p> - -<p>The ride up the Tai Ghauts was one of great beauty. Here and there in -the dells and hollows were little patches<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[Pg 231]</a></span> of grass which looked at a -distance very like a green velvet carpet. Low-growing wild plants, tall -trees, and creepers were matted together in one network of green, -yellow, red, blue, and purple. The views looking back were lovely. The -noise of mountain-torrent and trickling waters in the midday heat was -most refreshing.</p> - -<p>The ancient village of Mahabaleshwar is perched on a high table-land, -and is said to be the most elevated portion of that interminable western -range of Ghauts forming some of the highest ground between the Southern -Ghauts and the Himâlayas. The temple of Maha Dèo stands close under a -projecting rock on the very spot where, according to Brahmans here, the -five sacred rivers of this region take their rise—the Krishna, the -Koina, and the Yena, which flow toward the Deccan, and the beautiful -Savitri and Gaiutri, which, after leaping down the mountain-sides in -many picturesque cascades and waterfalls, unite with other small streams -to form quite a large river, at whose mouth stands Fort Victoria. There -are no lovelier scenes than some of those formed by these two rivers, -and especially remarkable is the spot where they unite, flowing between -deep and wooded banks till they lose themselves in a broad, quiet, -placid stream.</p> - -<p>A large reservoir is excavated in front of the temple to receive the -waters of the Krishna and Koina, and in front is a huge stone cow, -through whose mouth the waters flow into it. All around this reservoir -is a fine stone walk, and farther on are several cells where saints who -have long abandoned the world still reside unseen, but not unheard, for -night after night their voices, like the feeble wail of infants, are -borne on the night air, imploring the gods in behalf of the lost, erring -human race. Fiends, angels, heroes, demons, and gods are all worshipped -here.</p> - -<p>The Brahman ascetics who have charge of these temples<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[Pg 232]</a></span> ring a bell to -give notice that the deified beings have taken up their abode in their -respective cells. Krishna, the last incarnation of the Hindoos, has also -a couch prepared for him here. When the sound of this bell is heard all -the inhabitants of this mountain-village betake themselves to a few -moments' meditation. We saw some remarkably pretty women who were -attached to this temple filling the lamps with oil and gathering flowers -and fruit to lay before the shrines; but they seemed to be shy of -Europeans, and would not notice us.</p> - -<p>The discoverer of this spot, so far as the English are concerned, for it -has long been inhabited by the Brahmans, was Colonel P. Lodwick, who, -when stationed with his regiment at Satarah, undertook the exploration -of these hills, and, pushing through forest, brushwood, and jungle, -found himself at the edge of a high projecting rock, when a sudden turn -brought him to the brink of a grand promontory formerly called "Sidney -Point," but now after the true discoverer. No sooner was the discovery -of this delightful and most accessible mountain-region made known than -Sir James Malcolm, then governor of Bombay, hastened to establish here a -convalescent hospital for European soldiers. In course of time good -roads were constructed, partly by the British government and partly by -the rajah of Satarah. Parsee shopkeepers soon made their appearance, and -in a few years a little British colony was transplanted here. There are -now a little Protestant church, reading-room, library, hotel, barracks, -handsome European villas and bungalows, with bridle-paths all along the -most picturesque points. There is no more beautiful and healthful -sanitarium to be found anywhere in the East. We spent two delightful -months, November and December, at the travellers' bungalow. The weather -was perfect—clear, cold, and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[Pg 233]</a></span>without any rain. With all the beauty -with which a tropical climate surrounds the hillsides the temperature -varied from 62° to 45° in the open air. The elevation, four thousand -seven hundred feet above the level of the sea, places it beyond the -influence of cholera and malaria, which are so deadly in many parts of -India. The soil is scanty in some parts, but in many portions a rich -mould of great depth is found, admirably adapted to agricultural -purposes. The finest strawberries I ever saw in India were brought me -one morning by the pundit, cultivated by the Brahmans on these hills as -offerings to their gods. The hills are also covered with fine trees—the -willow, the jambul with its dazzling green foliage, the iron-wood, and -the arrowroot plant. There are here several kinds of jessamines—one, -the night-blooming jessamine, a large and beautiful flower and -peculiarly fragrant after sunset. Ferns abound: one called by the -natives pryha khud, or "the lover's leap," is extraordinarily beautiful, -but not very abundant. A plant resembling the yellow broom is also found -here, but it far surpasses the latter in size and beauty of flowers. -Bulbous and parasitical plants abound, and their flowers are much larger -and far more beautiful than those found on the plains, and each plant -has its season.</p> - -<p>To the sportsman the Mahabaleshwar Hills are a treasure-trove. The -shikarees, or native hunters, are always at hand to lead the adventurous -into the very lairs of tigers, panthers, bears, wolves, and to the -resorts of all kinds of jungle-fowl. The monkeys in this neighborhood -are generally the first to give notice of the vicinity of a tiger by -their loud and reiterated cries resounding from tree to tree. The wild -bison, for which this region was once famous, is now found only -occasionally. A spot is shown where Lieutenant Hinds, a fine, athletic, -noble-looking<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[Pg 234]</a></span> young English officer, over six feet in stature, was -killed by one of these beasts. He and his shikaree had pursued the bison -for some distance. Lieutenant Hinds had just taken his aim, when, in the -twinkling of an eye, the infuriated beast suddenly turned upon him, with -one bound caught him upon his horns, and bore him thus wildly along -through the forest, and finally dashed him headlong over some rocks. His -mutilated body was found, and lies in the little Christian burial-ground -here.</p> - -<p>In returning from the Mahabaleshwar Hills we took the Satarah road, the -most picturesque of the three roads which lead up to the hills. It -commands extensive and diversified views of all the country around—the -wild tangle of the forests, the towering peaks of the mountains, the -bristling forts of the rock-bound city of the "Northern Star," the ample -fields dotting the landscape like huge green emeralds, and the Savitri -and the Gaintri struggling through brake and forest dingle and many a -deep shade to find each the other, till they meet at last just over the -wide brow of a sharp cliff, and leap together in gladness and beauty -down five hundred feet, dashing and tumbling over masses of rock, till -they gain the low-lying lands, then move on in quiet, dreamy -irregularity to lose each the other once more—one amid the waters of -the famous Krishna, and the other at Karar afar off.</p> - -<p>We turned off the road to visit a formidable towering rock on which -stands the old Mahratta fort of Pratapgarh. In the centre of it are -found two lovely Hindoo temples—one to Maha Dèo, the high god, and the -other to Bhawanee, who is at once the goddess of love and hatred—with -the attending Brahman priests officiating there. Somewhere under this -fortress lies the head of the simple-hearted Afzal Khan, the renowned -Bijapoor general. Here was enacted by the hand of Sivaji, the founder -of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[Pg 235]</a></span> the great Mahratta empire, one of the darkest of the many tragedies -with which the history of India abounds. Having induced, through false -pretences, Afzal Khan to visit him unarmed and attended by one sole -follower, Sivaji met the trusting foe with open arms and slew him when -in the act of embracing him. Sayid Bunder, the faithful follower of the -general, refused to surrender even on condition of having his life -granted to him, and suffered the same fate as his master. There and then -the signals agreed upon boomed forth from this old fort. The Mhawalis -rushed from their places of concealment all along the hillside on the -khan's retinue, stationed at the foot of the hill, and slaughtered and -dispersed them. Thus Sivaji defeated the enemy and acquired at the same -time great amount of treasure as well as reputation as a warrior.</p> - -<p>Satarah, or "the Star City," is full of antiquities and historical -associations; every rock and hill and fortress has its own deadly -secret—sometimes more than one—of murder, bloodshed, treachery, and -triumph on the part of the Mohguls, Mahrattas, or British, besides other -local interests. The town lies on a high slope or plain between two -ranges of hills, one on the east and one on the west. The western hills -have been occupied for many hundred years by the descendants of the -early Mahratta Brahmans. They are covered with temples, huge, ancient, -and solemn; gods and goddesses in ivory and stone, admirably wrought, -sit enshrined in each of these. The priests worship them merely for the -sake of their age and number. Tall, gray-bearded monkeys abound on these -hills, and while we stood gazing at one of the temples a troop of these -creatures assembled on the roof and showed signs and symptoms of great -excitement or displeasure.</p> - -<p>The Satarah bazaar is peculiar and well worth visiting. The Mahratta -women are as free and as unconfined in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[Pg 236]</a></span> their movements almost as the -English. They are darker and less good-looking than those at Wye and on -the hills.</p> - -<p>The flat-topped hills around absolutely bristle with forts that the -"Mountain Rats," as Aurungzebe called the Mahratta warriors, loved to -build everywhere. A zigzag pathway leads from the city up to the western -gate of "Azim Tarah," the most renowned of these strongholds. If -individual energy and vehement self-assertion indicate character, the -Mahratta soldiers possess it to an extraordinary degree, over and over -again proving themselves grandly capable of confronting the very dangers -they had brought down upon themselves. This fort is full of stories of -Mahratta exploits against their threefold enemies. It has been captured, -lost, and recaptured over and over again. It was built by a King Panalah -in 1192, and was once the state-prison of the great Sivaji. It was -defended against the emperor Aurungzebe by Phryaji Phrabu, a brave -<i>hawaldar</i>,<a name="FNanchor_68_68" id="FNanchor_68_68"></a><a href="#Footnote_68_68" class="fnanchor">[68]</a> who had learned the art of war under Sivaji. When the -Mohguls attempted to enter the "Star City" huge stones were rolled down -the mountain-sides, and were as destructive as the discharge of -artillery. Tarbhyat Khan, a Mohgul in the service of Aurungzebe, -undertook to destroy it by mining the north-east angle, one of its -strongest points. The mine was completed after months of severe labor; a -storming-party was formed on the brow of the hill. Aurungzebe, confident -of success, marshalled his men in brilliant array to see the attack. The -first explosion crushed many of the Mahratta garrison to death, and was -followed by another that rolled down great rocks upon the Mohguls, -destroying, it is said, two thousand men at once. Animated by this -disaster to the enemy, the garrison would have continued to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[Pg 237]</a></span> hold out, -but their supplies failed and they were obliged to capitulate.</p> - -<p>After the well-known rupture with Baji Row, the English troops marched -into Satarah, took possession of the fort, and installed as king Pra -Thap Singh, the eldest son of Shah Hoo the Second. He was deposed, -however, on account of a series of intrigues against the East India -government, and was imprisoned at Benares. Apa Saihib, the last of the -descendants in a direct line of the great Sivaji, was then placed on the -throne, but on his death the province, much to the indignation of the -princes and people of Western India, was annexed to the possessions of -the East India Company. It is but just to say that there were men among -the court of directors who remembered, with Sir George Clark, then -governor of Bombay, the treaty of 1819, and knew that the East India -Company had agreed to cede in perpetual sovereignty, to the rajah of -Satarah and his heirs and successors, the territories which he held, and -they protested, but all in vain, against the annexation of Satarah, -calling it "an act of unrighteous usurpation." Here, alas! was laid the -first seed of the "Sepoy mutiny," that terrible retribution which ten -years after overtook not the guilty, but the innocent and faithful -servants of the Company.</p> - -<p>On the west of the fort are a number of Hindoo temples dedicated chiefly -to Siva and to Bhawanee, the Indian Venus, who seems ever to have been a -favorite with these hardy mountaineers. The view from the fort is one of -the most charming in the world. The forms of the different hills are -quaint, and crowned with barbaric fortresses and temples that are fast -crumbling away to give place to a rich and tropical vegetation; the -great plain below, dotted with the houses and gardens of the European -and native residents; the lakes, the bazaars, the busy<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[Pg 238]</a></span> thoroughfares, -and, far away for many a mile, a road, leaf-canopied and cool in the -hottest midday sun, lined on each side with thousands of magnificent -mango trees. These mango trees were planted by one of the native rulers -in expiation of the murder of a noble Hindoo statesman, an envoy from -Barodah.</p> - -<p>On the south-western side of the old town stands the antiquated palace -of Sivaji. We were shown into an attractive chamber called the Jallah -Mandir, the "water pavilion." Surrounded by a variety of beautiful -creeping plants and almost encircled with water, it is cooled by quaint -little Oriental fountains that splash and spirt upward all day long. -This peculiar water-bound chamber is almost fairy-like. But the deity of -this place is the huge sword with which the treacherous Sivaji slew his -trusting foe, Afzah Khan, the general of Bijapoor. By a strange -contradiction, this sword is called Bhawanee, the goddess of love, and -the people believe that the sweet goddess has imparted to the old sword -a charm which is deadly to the enemies of the Mahrattas.</p> - -<p>As we went back through the town we peeped into one or two of the -temples. There were in them some curious old idols of heroes rather than -gods, but they were as hideous as possible. A little farther on the -ground was made lovely with immense numbers of wild flowers, red, -yellow, and blue.</p> - -<p>From the Star City of the Deccan we went back a few days' journey and -crossed the "Nira bridge," one of the fine old Mahratta works, to visit -the village and hill-temples of Jijuhre. The village was insignificant -enough, but the hill on which stands the temple of Khandoba, the -warrior-god of the early Mahrattas, was very striking. It is flat-topped -and rises abruptly from the surrounding plain, its entire surface -covered with temples, gates, <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[Pg 239]</a></span>pillars, stone monuments of every -conceivable object, and has the appearance of a huge cemetery. If it had -not been for the presence of our pundit I doubt if we should have been -allowed to visit this once-famous temple.</p> - -<p>We went up on foot through an odd mixture of gateways and pillars, all -curiously carved, and here and there were stone figures of mythological -birds and beasts, abundantly provided with shaindoor, a kind of red -paint, and offerings of flowers. The largest temple had an image of -Khandoba, a terrific-looking monster. In one of the upper chambers there -was a colossal drum that gave sunset warnings and served to call the -priests, priestesses, and other attendants to prayers, midnight -devotions, or revelries; which latter are held on certain days, or -rather nights, of the waxing moon. About two hundred women, all young, -many of them mere children, are attached to this temple, which is in -every sense one of the relics of the ancient Mahratta usages before the -introduction of Brahmanism. Many of these girls were scattered about in -groups or were seen reclining at their ease in a semi-nude costume about -the aisles of the temples, producing a charming Oriental effect, though -one could not help shuddering at the thought of their lives. And, in -spite of the doom laid upon them even before they were born, many of -them had singularly interesting, pensive faces. One girl who was pouring -water into the vessels around the shrine of Khandoba was a picture of -grace and adorned with glittering jewels. These strange priestesses of -passion live in cells attached to the temples or are scattered in the -service of their peculiar divinity around the temples in the -neighborhood, but here they are yearly recruited, and here they are -formally married as virgins to the idol of Siva or Khandoba, as the case -may be. There are here long corridors and intricate arrangement of -passages, with little<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[Pg 240]</a></span> stairs leading up and down and around, where the -girls are kept under the surveillance of old women who once were doomed -to the same service. How inexplicable is such a life, looking at it from -a Christian's point of view! But with these poor devotees the more -revenue they bring in for the temple the better their future life, in -which they dream of becoming loved wives and mothers of divine sons and -daughters in a heaven prepared for them.</p> - -<p>We noticed in our ramblings over this curious spot a strange-looking -man, naked as the day on which he was born, his hair, long and streaked -with gray, falling in masses around his naked shoulders, his hands and -feet emaciated, the nails on his fingers and toes looking like huge -claws, begrimed with dirt and masses of red paint, sitting alone, -muttering all to himself and twirling in his hands an old -battered-looking lota, or drinking-vessel, made of some dark metal. This -was the mad <i>gossain</i>, or devotee, of Jijuhre. When we approached him he -started up and took his place on the edge of a crumbling rock.</p> - -<p>This poor mad creature was an object of profound veneration and worship, -and his story was as pathetic as it was singular. The spot on which he -had seated himself had a peculiar interest to him, and he haunted it -even in his maddest moments. It was called Dewanee-garh, "the maddening -rock," because one of the priestesses of the temple leaped from it and -was killed instantly. This girl's name was Krayâhnee. It was said that -on her marriage with the god Siva and her installation in the peculiar -life of the temple it was found that she had conceived a strong passion -for the mad gossain, then a young Mahratta noble named Hotah Bhow. He -visited her frequently, and they were always seen together, and, as the -noble was rich, the priests humored the girl in her singleness of -devotion, for she brought large sums of money to the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[Pg 241]</a></span>temple. But after -a while Hotah Bhow ceased his visits to the temple, and Krayâhnee was -urged to take another lover. She pleaded a respite for one month, which -was granted. In the mean time, through a Sudra, a male attendant on the -temple, she sent Hotah Bhow a message, assuring him of her undying love -and entreating him to aid her in her escape from the temple, saying that -if he would do this for her she would willingly serve as a slave in his -household.</p> - -<p>The Sudra, who was himself enamored of the beautiful priestess, took no -pains to deliver the message, but brought back to the poor girl a -fabricated answer from Hotah Bhow, advising her to make herself happy -where the gods had placed her.</p> - -<p>Next morning Krayâhnee was missed, and on the following day her body was -found crushed and mangled at the foot of Dewanee-garh. Tying her lota, -or sacred vessel for ablutions, to her neck, she had leaped from the -rock at dead of night. Months after, Hotah Bhow returned from a -pilgrimage to Benares, and on hearing of the sad fate of Krayâhnee -became so melancholy that he betook himself to the severest course of -asceticism known among the Hindoos, called "Gala Naik." Standing for -hours on the spot whence the dancing-girl flung herself headlong, he -threw back his head and gazed at the sun, holding in his hand the sole -relic of his unhappy love, the battered lota. The priestesses of the -temple, pitying his sorrows, took him food and fed him at stated -intervals. But at length reason gave way under the severity of his -expiation; he forgot his vow to practise "Gala Naik" to the day of his -death, and is now found wandering over the hillside or perched on the -edge of Dewanee-garh, bereft of even the memory of his sorrows, but -still clinging to the battered lota of Krayâhnee, into which<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[Pg 242]</a></span> the -priestesses of the temple pour his daily food and drink.</p> - -<p>Weary of our climb and saddened by the recital of this story, we -retraced our steps to the "dharrum-sala" of the village, and on the -following morning started across the country of the Deccan from the Star -City of the ancient Mahrattas for Aurungabâd, the golden city of the -great Mohgul Aurungzebe, and thence to the caves of Elora.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_67_67" id="Footnote_67_67"></a><a href="#FNanchor_67_67"><span class="label">[67]</span></a> Hindoos also worship the sun every evening.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_68_68" id="Footnote_68_68"></a><a href="#FNanchor_68_68"><span class="label">[68]</span></a> A Mahratta officer, but not of very high rank.</p></div> -</div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[Pg 243]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER XI.</h2> - -<blockquote><p>From Satarah, the Star City of the great Mahratta Kings, to -Dowlutabâd, the Abode of Fortune, and Aurungabâd, the Golden City -of the Mohgul Emperors.—Tombs of Boorhan Ood Deen and -Aurungzebe.—Mausoleum of Rhabea Duranee.—Sketch of the Mohgul -invasion of India.—Manners, Customs, and Religious Ceremonies of -the Mohammedans of Hindostan.</p></blockquote> - -<p>Of all the places in the East, there is none more celebrated in Oriental -romance and song than the province which occupies the centre of the -great table-land of the Deccan, called the Nizam's Dominion. Here the -Mahrattas, Rajpoots, Mohguls, French, and English have struggled for -mastery. Here are the ancient Golkunda and Hyderabâd, the Abode of the -Lion. In the reign of Mahmood Shah, so great was the renown of the -Bahmani<a name="FNanchor_69_69" id="FNanchor_69_69"></a><a href="#Footnote_69_69" class="fnanchor">[69]</a> court that the celebrated Persian poet Hafiz determined to -visit it. "He embarked at Ormuzd, but the vessel encountering a tempest, -the Iranian Horace at once abandoned the voyage and despatched instead -an ode to Mahmood as his apology." From that time the songs of Hafiz -became the favorite melodies at the Bahmani court.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[Pg 244]</a></span></p><p>In 1401, Firuz Shah, who had succeeded Mahmood in 1397, sent from his -kingdom an embassy with magnificent presents to the great conqueror -Timoor Lâng (Tamerlane), who conferred on him, in addition to the vast -provinces he ruled over, the sovereignty of the kingdoms of Guzerat and -Malwah; which proved, however, troublesome acquisitions. It was he who -caused that famous observatory (the ruins of which may still be seen on -the Dowlutabâd Pass) to be built for his Brahman astronomer. The close -of his reign is said to have been disastrous. His armies, bent on -conquest, were defeated in a battle with Dèo-Rai-Vijya-Nâggur, and Firuz -Shah was not only deposed, but strangled, by his own brother in 1422. -The ruthless murderer and brother of Firuz Shah was both a warlike and -able monarch. He is known in Indian story as Ahmad Shah Bahmani. In 1432 -he built the famous fort of Ahmedabâd at Bidhar, still called after him; -and not only restored but beautified that ancient city, which more than -two thousand years before had been famed in Sanskrit drama as the -capital of the Rajah Bhima Selm, the loves of whose exquisitely chaste -and beautiful daughter Damayanti and of Nala, the rajah of Malwah, are -sung and acted to this day throughout Hindostan.<a name="FNanchor_70_70" id="FNanchor_70_70"></a><a href="#Footnote_70_70" class="fnanchor">[70]</a></p> - -<p>This province has been the most celebrated for the beauty and rare -accomplishments of its Bahyadiers. They formed a large part of its -population; so much was the profession favored that many of these public -dancers have become queens, and sons born to them have become kings and -learned men. A beautiful and romantic story is still sung here of a -Bahyadier named Aminah. Having attracted the attention of Burhan Nizam -Shah, she<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[Pg 245]</a></span> sent him word that she loved him, and, in spite of her -profession, was worthy to be his wife. Doubting the sincerity of her -assertion, Burhan Nizam Shah subjected her secretly, through a friend, -to the most painful trials, in every one of which she gave evidence of -an innate nobleness of character. Thus, having proved the sincerity of -her attachment, he married Aminah, who continued to be his favorite -queen and counsellor even after he had espoused (from motives of policy) -the princess of Bijapoor.</p> - -<p>The appearance of the country of the Nizam's Dominion, however, is not -as full of interest as its history. Without forests of any extent, and -with but few lakes, it is intersected by innumerable small streams or -nullahs<a name="FNanchor_71_71" id="FNanchor_71_71"></a><a href="#Footnote_71_71" class="fnanchor">[71]</a> and reservoirs, with occasional hills that rise in curious -detached blocks, as if accidentally dropped here and there by some -Titans at play.</p> - -<p>After many days of a painful journey through wide fields of desolation -and gigantic cities now crumbling away, we encamped at a -dhurrum-sala<a name="FNanchor_72_72" id="FNanchor_72_72"></a><a href="#Footnote_72_72" class="fnanchor">[72]</a> in the ancient city of Bidhar, once a place of great -renown and the capital of the Mahratta kings, who seem to have shifted -their capitals as the Bedouin does his tent. Attached to the -dhurrum-sala were long sheds, places of shelter for the cattle, side by -side with that of the human cattle. These had grass and fodder provided -for them gratuitously by the Brahmans in the vicinity.</p> - -<p>This old Mahratta town contains some very curious stone buildings carved -with the figures of Hindoo gods and goddesses. Its chief attraction, -however, is the beautiful Bidharee ware. We bought a little box and the -bowl of a hookhah, which were very gracefully <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[Pg 246]</a></span>ornamented with -silver-work. The metal of which these articles were manufactured is a -jet-black compound of copper and tin which is capable of a high polish. -The natives here seem happy and independent. We saw some very handsome -Hindoo women in the bazaars, but the Mohammedan women were those of the -lowest castes.</p> - -<p>The difficulties of the road very much increased after leaving Bidhar. -We were bumped and battered over a stony road, nor was there anything to -be seen but a great wilderness for many miles. When we inquired the -distance to the next halting-place our guide, who was very musical, -stopped his song and replied, "<i>Chulla joa oodhur hai</i>" ("Go along! it -is there"). But where we could not make out. Finally, we were obliged to -spend the night under a tree in our wagons not far from a great nullah -which was thought unsafe to cross after sunset. On the opposite side of -us was a large party of men and women, gossains and priests, -fellow-travellers, with four wagon-loads of dancing-girls, some of whom -were very interesting seen in the dusk. They were a troup of actors and -actresses returning from some village theatre to their head-quarters at -Oude Gera, a city in this vicinity.</p> - -<p>A little after dawn next morning we crossed the nullah, which was by no -means as dangerous as represented by our guide. Along the road we saw -some beautiful wild flowers and trailing vines, among them a little -hardy blossom like the anemone, and of a lovely rose-color. In the -afternoon of the next day we crossed the Godaveri, the famous Tyndis of -the ancients, rising in the Thull Ghauts and flowing through the length -and breadth of the great high plain of the Deccan to pour itself into -the Bay of Bengal. We found no difficulty in fording the river at this -season, when the rains were over. In some places its banks were high and -steep, and here and there were <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[Pg 247]</a></span>striking views of the country. We met -hosts of carts and natives on horses crossing the river at this point. -After another long day's journey we took refuge at last at the -dhurrum-sala at Aurungabâd. From the verandah of the dhurrum-sala at -this truly picturesque Mohammedan city is a most enchanting view—the -Dhuna River winding away through the plain; the leafy woods, not very -dense, but full of trees noble and stately; the lime-groves in full -blossom sweetly scenting the air, while with pertinacious grace the -full-blown leaves of many creeping vines droop over the verandah to fan -us gently in the evening breeze; in the distance the domes, the tall, -graceful minarets, the shining roofs of mosques and palaces of the -once-famous city of Aurungabâd amid eternally verdant gardens. Gradually -the sun sets on the charming scene, but we still linger and gaze; few -lights are seen, but now and then a rushlight or the glimmer of a fire -prepared for the evening meal.</p> - -<p>Twilight is deepening into darkness as we start for a walk, accompanied -by pundit. We see in the distance a tall square tower, dark in color and -crowned with half-ruined battlements, and behind it, far away, the -mighty Dowlutabâd, grim, silent and watchful, against the dusky sky. -Some strangely weird-looking figures of priests and fakeers are -returning from a mosque adjoining, and here and there a bright star -shines softly upon the tombs of the dead Mohammedans buried on the -summit of the far-off Piphlaghaut.</p> - -<p>Dowlutabâd, "the abode of fortune," with the fickleness of the goddess -after whom it was named, fluctuated between the Mohgul conquerors of the -Deccan, the Rajpoots and Mahratta kings, for several centuries, till -finally it passed into the possession of the East India Company. We -obtained permission from the governor of the fort to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[Pg 248]</a></span> visit this -remarkable fortress, which is built on a rocky hill, an isolated, -prodigious block of stone, with a perpendicular scarp of nearly a -hundred and fifty feet all round it. The summit is pointed like a cone, -and capped with a curious old tower, on which is mounted a heavy brass -gun. The only means of ascending the fort of Dowlutabâd is through a -narrow passage hewn out of the rock and leading to a large subterranean -chamber, whence a gallery, also excavated out of the heart of the hill, -leads to the top. After traversing this gallery the road passes by the -khilladar's (or governor's) house, a handsome building with an arched -verandah. The fortress is protected by a fosse and a circular wall -winding round the hill to the very summit; the lowest part of the wall -is made to enclose the little native town lying at its base, now -deserted and fast crumbling away. The view from the summit is very -inspiring; we could see the country around, far and near, though there -was a slight haze on the distant horizon.</p> - -<p>The revenues of the Soubah, or district of Dowlutabâd, including that of -Ahmed Nuggur, is said to have yielded the emperor Aurungzebe the sum of -two hundred and fifty-nine laks of rupees. In 1758 this fortress fell -for a short time into the hands of the French, but by the recall of M. -Bussy it was once more captured by the Mohgul rulers of the Deccan. The -Nizam's flag, that once floated so proudly over its summit, is now -supplanted by that ever-aggressive standard, the union jack.</p> - -<p>Aurungabâd, on the left bank of the Dhuna River, is one of the most -disappointing of the old Mohgul cities, and is fast crumbling to decay. -It was once the centre of Mohgul power in the Deccan. Aurungzebe removed -his capital from Dehli to this spot, whence its name the "Golden Seat," -owing to his chair of state being made of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[Pg 249]</a></span> pure gold. The town is -approached through a gateway which looks, like the rest of the place, -old and dilapidated; the streets, however, are broad, and some well -paved. The gardens and reservoirs are numerous, but the whole atmosphere -of the town is strangely depressing. The groups of grave-looking -Mohammedans pirs, or holy men, naked, filthy fakeers, and porters, who -parade the streets, make it seem odd and grotesque, but do very little -toward enlivening the town itself. It is surrounded by a wall flanked -with towers at regular distances. The minarets, mosques, and some of the -dwellings are still possessed of much architectual beauty. Among its -most famous manufactures are fine kinkaubs, or gold- and silver-wrought -silks, and dried fruits, which are sent to Bombay and other parts of -India for sale.</p> - -<p>The palace of Aurungzebe stands on the south of the Dhuna River, and is -only remarkable for its extent. It is full of dark chambers, narrow -passages, stained ceilings and floors, that might once have been -beautiful, but which now have an unwholsome look of mould and decay.</p> - -<p>Having devoted an entire day to Aurungabâd, we rode out on the following -morning to Rowzah, "the city or garden of tombs," but most celebrated as -the last resting-place of Aurungzebe. The town of Rowzah itself is a -charming spot. It stands on the brow of a gentle hill, and the views -from every part of it are very fine. There was an air of bustle and -activity too among the people, and elaborate culture was everywhere -manifest throughout its immediate neighborhood. Temples, mosques, holy -places, groves, and gardens for the dead abound here, and the shops -seemed well stocked. We had a beefsteak<a name="FNanchor_73_73" id="FNanchor_73_73"></a><a href="#Footnote_73_73" class="fnanchor">[73]</a> for lunch, cooked in a -Mohammedan "khanadhar," or <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[Pg 250]</a></span>restaurant. The houses are well built and -extremely picturesque with their low projecting balconies. Many of the -buildings are furnished with open courtyards in front. Sometimes a high -wall encloses, as at Aurungabâd, a group of buildings, the dwelling of -some wealthy Mohammedan merchant with his hareem. Groups of well-dressed -Musulmans, with here and there a Mahratta or a Hindoo, were passing to -and fro exchanging graceful salutations; water-carriers, porters, and -venders of fruit and cloth jostled one another in the streets; and from -the balconies there peeped out at us now and then coquettish-looking -young girls brilliantly attired, with here and there a face that -displayed great beauty.</p> - -<p>Finally, we came to the famous Mohammedan cemetery. Here we paused a -while at the tomb of the great Aurungzebe, which lies near that of a -saint called Bhooran Ood Deen. The mausoleum of the latter is more -costly, and is held in even greater veneration, than that of the Mohgul -emperor. It was covered with a handsome green velvet mantle, lamps were -burning within, musicians were beating their drums outside, and pirs, or -holy men, were standing around the tomb and reciting prayers for the -dead and prostrating themselves at certain intervals.</p> - -<p>Outside the walls of the city of Aurungabâd is the object best worth -seeing, the tomb of the loving and faithful Rahbea Dhoorane, the -favorite wife of Aurungzebe, though, at best, it is a poor copy of the -famous Taj-Mahal at Agra. Arriving at the farthest edge of a wide path, -the spires of the mausoleum rise before one amid a wide area of rich -dark foliage. It stands alone and immediately behind the wall that -separates it from the old palace of Aurungzebe. The approach is through -a gateway. In front is a canal with a number of fountains at play. At -the end of the avenue is the mausoleum itself. The windows are of very<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[Pg 251]</a></span> -exquisite workmanship, reminding one of Rahbea herself. The tomb is -quite low and unpretending, lying in the centre of the building, and one -has to descend a number of steps to look upon it. It is enclosed by a -light and elegant marble screen, fancifully chiselled, looking like -lacework. On the tomb itself is laid a covering of scarlet velvet. The -minarets at each of the corners are also full of beauty. To the left we -pass through a fine Gothic arch gracefully carved, and enter a noble -hall supported by fluted pillars and with handsome etchings along the -walls and ceilings. It is now used for the assemblies of Mohammedan -priests and bishops, who meet here from different parts of the country -twice every year to discuss matters bearing chiefly on the religious -disputes that arise among themselves.</p> - -<div class="center"><a name="i272.jpg" id="i272.jpg"></a><img src="images/i272.jpg" alt="Tomb of Rahbea Dhoorane, at Aurungabad" /></div> - -<p class="bold"><span class="smcap">Tomb of Rahbea Dhoorane, at Aurungabad.</span></p> - -<p>Above even the last resting-place of the dead queen, and far beyond all -the other features of interest in this mausoleum, is a little unique -chamber that stands apart, surrounded with fragrant orange and sweet -lime trees and clustering blossoms of rare tropical flowers. It is the -loveliest retreat that the heart of man could have devised, and is still -touched with the lingering romance of Rahbea's love for and power over -the proud Aurungzebe; for here he often sought the beautiful queen for -purposes of quiet meditation or relaxation from the cares of state, and -here, if we may believe all the reports, Rahbea often knelt for hours -before her husband pleading for the lives of men and women whom he had -doomed to death. Amid all the cruelty, avarice, and bloodshed that -stained the life of Aurungzebe, the tender picture which this little -chamber conjures up is pure and refreshing.</p> - -<p>Mohammedan priests and pirs, or saints, are in constant attendance upon -this tomb. Morning services are held here every Monday. Fahtiahs, or -prayers, are offered for<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[Pg 252]</a></span> the dead queen and all other dead souls, -portions of the Koran are read or chanted, and lamps are kept burning on -especial festal nights. As we were leaving the place a number of -Mohammedans entered the tomb to pray, and one of the pirs informed me -that certain cures and miracles are yearly effected by the prayers -offered up to the dead queen.</p> - -<p>We went to see the Friday "prayer-meeting" in the finest mosque of this -once-princely Mohammedan city. The Jummah Musjid, as the great mosque is -called, is a quiet, unpretending structure. From a distance it is -imposing, rather from the insignificance of the buildings in its -vicinity than from any architectural claims of its own. But the interior -is both simple and grand: the roof is exquisitely arched, and upheld by -pillars of elegant design and workmanship. At the extreme end there is a -raised platform whence the <i>moolah</i><a name="FNanchor_74_74" id="FNanchor_74_74"></a><a href="#Footnote_74_74" class="fnanchor">[74]</a> prays with his face turned -toward Mecca, and behind this pulpit were hung heavy kinkaub curtains of -native manufacture. The mosque was well filled, and the sight was both -solemn and inspiring. More than a thousand men (with a few women sitting -veiled and apart), all clad in flowing white robes, brilliant -<i>cumberbunds</i>, and variegated turbans, rose, knelt, folded their hands -and prostrated themselves simultaneously. The earnest voice of the -<i>moolah</i>, the deep responses of the assembled congregation, their -expressions of devotion and self-abasement, were sufficient to bring -Christian and pagan into sympathy.</p> - -<p>We rode next morning to the gardens and tomb of Shah Safid, "the pure -saint." The rose, the jessamine, and the <i>mohgre</i><a name="FNanchor_75_75" id="FNanchor_75_75"></a><a href="#Footnote_75_75" class="fnanchor">[75]</a> bloomed here in -great profusion; we noticed some beautiful birds hovering among the -cypress and other trees, and we passed two splendid reservoirs full<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[Pg 253]</a></span> of -fish, and enjoyed the quiet of this resting-place of the great friend -and spiritual adviser of Aurungzebe. The mausoleum itself is a simple -structure, without any architectural adornments. We did not see any of -the descendants of this famous Mohammedan saint, but some holy men who -did the honors of the gardens showed us all that was worth seeing, and -the cemetery was a very bright, cheerful place in the morning sun.</p> - -<p>There are four great eras in the history of India—the early dominion of -the Brahmans, the Turk and Moslem invasion, then that of the Mohguls, -and finally the rise of British sovereignty in Hindostan. Before -introducing the reader to the peculiar rites and ceremonies of the -Mohammedans of Hindostan, I have thought that the most important events -of Mohgul invasion and occupation of India would not be out of place -here.</p> - -<p>It was about the beginning of the seventh century <span class="smaller">A. D.</span> that first the -Turks, and then the Afghans, obtained by means of their superior -military discipline easy conquests over the Rajpoot chieftains. India -was at this time in a most prosperous and happy condition, governed -chiefly by the Brahmanic system of village communities. Each village was -in itself a little republic, providing for and administering its own -affairs through officers who were in all respects independent citizens, -subject to none but the jurisdiction of the village itself, save in the -case of war, when they volunteered to aid the Rajpoots in quelling such -disturbances as arose. The Rajpoots, on the other hand, comprised the -nobility and soldier-like chivalry of India. Romantic in their -attachments, tenacious of their honor, devoted in their attentions to -the softer sex,<a name="FNanchor_76_76" id="FNanchor_76_76"></a><a href="#Footnote_76_76" class="fnanchor">[76]</a> they<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[Pg 254]</a></span> were ready to engage in deeds of daring and -adventure. But, unhappily, they were divided into clans, each under its -own chief, as among the Scotch Highlanders, which not infrequently were -disturbed by internal feuds. They were easily subdued, one clan after -another being dispersed or destroyed, until the greater part of -Hindostan fell into the hands of the Moslem conquerors.</p> - -<p>The expedition of Sultan Mahmood, undertaken in 1024 <span class="smaller">A. D.</span>, is the one -most famed in Indian story. In the fair park-like province of Guzerat -stood a wonderful Hindoo temple, none other than the famous temple of -Swayan Nath, or "the Self-Existent," as the god was called. This god was -worshipped here under the shape of a gigantic man formed of black stone. -For his ablutions water was brought from the Ganjas, a thousand miles -distant. The priests, devotees, and ascetics of this temple were -numbered by hundreds; one thousand elephants belonged to it and were -maintained for the service of the god. Stationed about the temple in -superb trappings, they added an imposing feature to this shrine on -festal occasions; banners of cloth of gold, standards of -peacock-feathers gemmed with rare jewels, musical instruments of every -kind and shape, with hundreds of hired musicians, formed part of the -daily service here. Nor were these all: the dancing-girls attached to -the temple were composed of the most beautiful women that India could -furnish, and so great was the prestige of this shrine that kings -dedicated their most beautiful daughters to enrich its coffers, in -addition to the revenues of two thousand villages that were ceded to it -by the combined princes of Hindostan.</p> - -<p>Sultan Mahmood, who had seated himself on the throne<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[Pg 255]</a></span> of Delhi, heard -one of the boasts uttered by the priests of this temple, and there and -then vowed its destruction, placed himself at the head of his troops, -and, marching four hundred miles overland through a barren and almost -impassable country, advanced upon the environs of the temple, which were -strongly fortified and garrisoned by Rajpoot soldiers. Twice the priests -and soldiers of Swayan Nath beat back the Moslems, but in the third -onslaught the latter bore down everything before them. In vain the -Brahman priests implored them to spare the idol, offering the conqueror -large sums of money for its ransom. Mahmood, regardless of their prayers -and offers, gave the signal for its destruction. In an instant the huge -god of stone was battered to pieces, and out of its hollow sides there -rolled an immense treasure, jewels of inconceivable value. The spoils of -this temple alone rendered the Mohguls all but invincible in the East. -After sacking the temple they bore off in triumph its wondrous gates of -sandal-wood inlaid with gold, and at the death of Mahmood, in 1030, -these gates adorned the splendid mausoleum erected over his remains. -Eight hundred years after they were captured by the English troops and -restored to the temple of Swayan Nath by the order of Lord Ellenborough, -then governor-general of India.</p> - -<p>The Mohammedan capital in India was established at Delhi by Khottub, who -made himself master of that city, of which he had been governor, about -the year 1215. He was succeeded by Altinash, who, like Khottub, rose to -the state of an emperor from the condition of a slave. The capital was -now permanently fixed at Delhi, and it was in the reign of this king -that the beautiful round tower of Khottub Minar, the highest known -column in the world, was built. It is a minaret of fine red granite -inlaid with white marble and crowned with a magnificent dome. This<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[Pg 256]</a></span> -Altinash was succeeded by his daughter Rhezeah, a woman of great natural -ability, who administered the affairs of the kingdom with remarkable -wisdom. Dressed as a sultan, she gave audience to her nobles and -officers and heard and redressed the wrongs of her people. Nevertheless, -the authority of these Mohammedan kings over the Rajpoot chiefs was very -uncertain, for at every change in the government, which was very -frequent, the Hindoo princes attempted to recover their independence. -Thus when the Gheiyas Tooklak (or Toghlak) possessed himself of the -throne of Delhi, the greater part of India was in a state of revolt.</p> - -<p>Ferozee Shah, crowned emperor in 1351, greatly enriched and beautified -the city of Delhi, built the great canal through the province of Delhi -from the river Jumna to that of Caggar, two hundred miles of which have -been reopened by the British government, thus fertilizing a vast tract -of country which had long been a great desert. It was after the death of -this prince that the Mohgul Timoor Lâng (Tamerlane), who had conquered -Persia, captured and destroyed the city of Delhi. Years after Timoor -Lâng's death one of his descendants, named Baber, once more established -the Mohgul monarchy in India, about the year 1498, when the Portuguese -maritime discoveries began to make an important revolution in the -commercial world.</p> - -<p>Baber was succeeded by the great emperor Homayoun, whose remains are -marked by a magnificent tomb near Delhi. Akbar, his son, one of the -wisest of the Mohgul rulers, had the prudence to marry a Hindoo -princess, the daughter of Baharmal, the rajah of Jeypoor in the province -of Rajpootana. He conquered the beautiful kingdom of Cashmere, one of -the most enchanting spots in the world. He built the city and famous -palace of <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[Pg 257]</a></span>Fettihpoor-Shikri in the province of Agra; his palace of -white marble and a magnificent mosque are still to be seen in excellent -preservation. It was in the reign of Akbar that Christian missionaries -first received a hearing at a Mohammedan court. They were sent to Agra -by the bishop of Goa. On Friday evenings it was also the custom of this -prince to assemble all the learned men around him for the purpose of -holding free discussions, where Mohammedans, Christians, Jews, Brahmans, -and Fire-worshippers gave their opinions and discoursed about the most -interesting themes of the day without restraint or fear. He also -instituted free public schools for Mohammedan and Hindoo children.</p> - -<p>Akbar died at Agra in 1605, and over his remains there still stands a -splendid mausoleum of vast dimensions. He was succeeded by his son -Selim, better known under the title which he assumed of Jehan Ghir, -"conqueror of the world." The life and history of this king are the most -romantic in the annals of India.</p> - -<p>Noor Jehan, "the Dawn of Life," so well known by the name of Noor Mahal, -or "the Light of the Palace," was the daughter of a poor Persian -adventurer, a noble in his own country, reduced by a series of -misfortunes at home, which led him to seek better fortunes in India, -accompanied by his wife and little daughter. The distressed condition of -the poor father and mother and the beauty of the child attracted the -attention of a rich merchant of Candiesh, whose caravan these Persians -had been following in order to keep themselves from starving. It was -through this merchant's influence that the father of the little Noor -Jehan obtained the subordinate position of gatekeeper at the court of -Akbar. Noor Jehan, who was in the habit of playing round the -palace-gate, attracted the attention of Akbar. Struck with her beauty, -he at<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[Pg 258]</a></span> once introduced the little maiden to his Rajpootanee wife, with -whom she became a great favorite, and thus the little Noor Jehan became -the playmate and companion of the young prince Selim. A deep attachment -sprang up between the children. But at length, when Noor Jehan attained -the age of womanhood, her father suddenly withdrew her from the court -and consummated a marriage for her with Shere Afkhan, a rich nobleman of -Bengal, and thus removed the beautiful girl from her dangerous royal -lover Selim. Selim was also married about the same time by Akbar to a -foreign princess of Kabool. But the moment his father died, and Selim -had ascended the throne under the name and title of Jehan Ghir, he -determined to obtain the beautiful Noor Jehan for his wife. With this -end in view he wrote to the viceroy of Bengal to seek some pretext to -place Shere Afkhan in confinement that he might the more readily succeed -in his designs. Shere Afkhan, suspecting some treachery on the part of -the viceroy, repaired to his house fully armed, and, as certain hostile -steps confirmed his suspicions, he slew the viceroy as he attempted to -lay hands on him, but the guards in waiting, hearing the cry of their -master, rushed in and despatched Shere Afkhan. That very night the -emissaries of Jehan Ghir carried off Noor Jehan to Delhi.</p> - -<p>But Noor Jehan, prisoner as she felt herself at the court of her former -lover, refused to listen to his proposals of marriage until he should -prove himself innocent of her husband's murder. After several years -Jehan Ghir satisfied the beautiful widow that he had never intended -Shere Afkhan's death, but only his temporary imprisonment in order to -obtain her for his queen. Finally, the nuptials of Noor Jehan and Jehan -Ghir were celebrated with splendor. The power and influence exercised by -this beautiful woman at the Mohammedan court was <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[Pg 259]</a></span>unparalleled in the -history of the Mohguls of India. Her name was associated with that of -Jehan Ghir in the palace, in the council, on the throne, in the -judgment-hall, and even on the coins of the country. Noor Mahal, or "the -Light of the Palace," as she was ever after called, was more or less -influenced by the counsels of her father, who was raised to the office -of grand vizier, and is acknowledged to have been one of the best and -wisest ministers who ever ruled at the court of a Mohammedan king.</p> - -<p>Mohabat Khan, a noble in the service of Jehan Ghir, had somehow incurred -the displeasure of Noor Mahal, but being a man of great talents he was -employed to quell a rebellion entered into by Shah Jehan, the eldest son -of Jehan Ghir, to dethrone his father. Having defeated the son and won -him over to his cause, Mohabat Khan took the father prisoner. No sooner -did Noor Mahal hear of the captivity of her husband than she placed -herself at the head of her troops, and, mounted on an elephant, -proceeded to give battle to Mohabat Khan and to rescue her husband. She -was defeated, and fled to the court of Lahore for safety. But Mohabat, -who had resolved to put Noor Mahal to death, extorted from Jehan Ghir a -warrant to that effect, and through letters which he caused Jehan Ghir -to write he induced the unsuspecting and loving wife to join her husband -in captivity. Once in the enemy's camp, she saw that her death was -determined upon. Professing herself willing to submit to her fate, she -pleaded only a last interview with her husband, which Mohabat granted, -but took care to be present himself. On the day appointed for her -execution Noor Mahal quietly entered the presence of her unworthy -husband and her implacable foe. She stood before them in deep silence, -her hands clasped, her veil thrown back, and her beauty shining with an -additional lustre through her flowing<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[Pg 260]</a></span> tears. Jehan Ghir burst into a -passion of tears, and, throwing himself at the feet of his captor, -pleaded so eloquently for her life that the heart of Mohabat was -subdued. He not only granted her life, but, strange to say, became a -friend to Noor Mahal, and finally restored her and her husband to the -throne of Delhi.</p> - -<p>With but few exceptions, however, rebellions, assassinations, treachery, -and misrule marked the reigns of all the Mohammedan emperors of India. -Upon the death of Aurungzebe, the grandson of Jehan Ghir, the empire of -Hindostan was divided by his command between his three sons, which -partition led to a series of most disastrous civil wars, and, happily -for the country, almost terminated the Moslem power in India.</p> - -<p>In 1738 the Persian emperor, Nahdir Shah, took Delhi with little effort. -The night of the capture a report was raised that Nahdir Shah had died -suddenly, and the populace rose <i>en masse</i> and massacred over seven -thousand Persian soldiers. On the following day Nahdir Shah gave the -fearful command which almost decimated the population of Delhi, after -which he reinstated the humbled monarch, Mohammed Shah, on the throne, -and returned to Persia, carrying away with him treasure amounting to -seventy million pounds sterling and the celebrated peacock throne of -Shah Jehan. In 1760 the nominal king of Delhi, Alum Shah, became -tributary to the East Indian Company.</p> - -<p>The Mohammedans of Hindostan, like those elsewhere, are divided into a -number of sects, all more or less acknowledging the apostleship of -Mohammed, but differing in their estimate of the inspiration of the -Koran and other minor points of doctrine. The Sunnis, for instance, hold -that the traditions of the Prophet are of equal authority with the -Koran; they therefore venerate the successors of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[Pg 261]</a></span> Mohammed, Abu Bahkr, -Omar, Usman, and Ali, as divinely-appointed Khalifahs or teachers; the -Arabs, Turks, Afghans, and the Rohillas of India more or less belong to -the Sunni sect. These undertake long pilgrimages to Mekka, and are very -tenacious on points of doctrine, often putting to death the heterodox of -their own religion. The Shiahs, another very powerful sect of -Mohammedans, wholly reject the "Sunnahs," or traditions, and with them -the four successors of the Prophet. They perform pilgrimages, not to -Mecca or Medinah, but to the tomb of Husain at Kaibelah. The Koran is -their only guide. The Shiahs are found in the vicinity of Cabool, Oude, -and parts of Bundelcund.</p> - -<p>The "Hanifi," as another sect of Mohammedans is called, are the -disciples of Abu Hanifah, an Arabic theologian of great renown who -flourished about the year 80 of the Hejira. He denied predestination as -unworthy of a divine and merciful Creator, and declared fate to be -nothing more or less than the free will of the individual. He was thrown -into prison for his bold utterances, and died there. Years after, Maluk -Shah Seljuki erected a splendid mausoleum to his memory in Bagdâd, to -which spot his followers in Hindostan make special pilgrimages.</p> - -<p>The Shaffids, again, are quite a distinct sect, so called from their -leader Shaffid Abu Abdullah, another celebrated Arabic divine. He was -born in the city of Gaza in Palestine in the year 150 of the Hejira, but -educated in Persia, where he composed most of his works on theology and -jurisprudence. Some of his precepts are still taught in the Shaffid -Mohammedan schools. This sect is scattered over the province of -Najapatam and in the city of Nagpoore.</p> - -<p>The Maliki, still another of the Mohammedan denominations, follow the -teachings of one Malik Ibn Aus, a man<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[Pg 262]</a></span> of some learning, but whose works -are filled with astrology and mysticism. Many of his followers are to be -found among the mendicants and fakeers of Hindostan.</p> - -<p>The Hanbhali sect are not very numerous, but are said to be extremely -dogmatic in their own belief. They adhere to the precepts of the priest -after whom they are called, and deny the divine origin of the Koran, -holding only such maxims contained in it as are based on pure morality -and monotheism. These comprise the most advanced and enlightened schools -of Mohammedans to be found in India to-day.</p> - -<p>Last, but not least, are the Suffis, a refined, learned, and mystical -sect of Mohammedans. They are divided among themselves on doctrinal -points: some are pure rationalists, others materialists, and yet others -again pantheists; the latter promulgate theories about the soul that are -in form and idea similar to those of the high-caste and educated -Brahmans.</p> - -<p>Such are the most important sects to be found among the Mohammedans of -Hindostan. Their intermixture with the Hindoos has produced a number of -minor sects and classes of Musulmans, as well as a very marked change in -their manners and customs. The Hindoos seem to have very greatly -influenced the Mohammedans. The feeling of caste and defilement and -other Hindoo restrictions have gradually assumed more and more -importance in the Moslem mind in India. An Indian Mohammedan is hemmed -about with endless observances reaching down even to preserving the -sanctity of his pots and pans, as with the Brahmans. A Mohammedan will -as religiously guard his "lota," or drinking-vessel, from defilement as -if he were a high-caste Brahman, and superstition attaches to all his -surroundings and habiliments and actions—to his earrings, which are -worn as a charm,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[Pg 263]</a></span> his sandals, his <i>topi</i>, or turban, his beard, and -even his toe- and finger-nails, which can only be pared on certain days -of the waxing moon. Thus it will be seen that the Mohammedan on Indian -soil differs very greatly in his habits and feelings from the Mohammedan -of Persia and Arabia. As the early Aryan accommodated himself to the -deities and superstitions of the aboriginals, so the Mohammedan has -greatly conformed to customs, manners, and superstitions indigenous -almost to the soil of India.</p> - -<p>This social fusion is especially perceptible in the condition of the -women of Hindostan. The Hindoo woman has gradually borrowed the -seclusion of the zenana from her aristocratic Mohammedan sister (the -hareem and the zenana are but different names for one and the same -thing), while the latter in her turn has adopted many of the rules and -endless ceremonies of the Hindoos. Thus, for instance, marriage among -the Mohammedans must be contracted very early, and solemnized when the -youth is eighteen and the maiden thirteen. The courtship is always -carried on by some elderly females, who are instructed to find out and -report the charms of such young people among whose parents matrimonial -connections are deemed desirable. This done, the astrologer, who is very -often a Brahman, is consulted; he examines the horoscope of the young -couple and decides whether the marriage will be auspicious and when it -shall take place, etc. After this comes the betrothal, consisting of no -less than six different ceremonies: First, a present of betel-leaves to -the relatives of the young girl is given by the future bridegroom; these -leaves are often folded in fine gold tissue-paper and stuck with cloves; -each clove must be perfect, with the little blossom attached to the end -of it. The second is called "sweet solicitations." The young man<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[Pg 264]</a></span> -repairs to the young girl's house with attendants carrying presents, and -in returning to his own bears back with him large presents of -sweetmeats. This is followed by an important ceremony called "treading -the threshold." At dawn the young man stands before the door of the -young girl's home, repeats a prayer, and boldly crosses the threshold; -here the mother embraces him, ties a colored handkerchief around his -neck, puts a gold ring provided for the occasion on his finger, and -fills his palms with money—signs of her cordial acceptance of him as a -future son. This is followed by a three days' visit to the future -bride's home; on each day he partakes of a meal every dish of which is -some kind of sweetmeat; on the fourth day he joins the family at their -ordinary meal, where the ceremony of sharing the salt takes place. The -young woman, closely veiled, is seated by her lover; at the opening of -the meal he takes some salt on his platter and transfers a part of it to -her plate, and she does the same; this little act renders the marriage -contract sacred. The day previous to the wedding is spent in -purification, bathing, and anointing of the bride and bridegroom at -their respective homes. The ceremonies are much like those of the -Brahmans. The person of the young girl is rubbed over with a compound of -grain, flour, turmeric, ashes of rose-leaves, and fragrant gums mixed -into a paste with sweet oil. This preparation is laid on the person of -the young woman, and left to dry for an hour or two, after which she is -bathed with seven waters, four hot and three cold. This done, her -fingers, toes, tips of her ears, and all the joints of her body are -anointed with a mixture of sandal-wood powder, ashes of burnt rose-buds, -and sweet oil, after which she is sprinkled with rose-water, and -conveyed, all closely veiled, to the mosque, where she repeats seven -Kalimahs for herself and her future husband.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[Pg 265]</a></span> On this day a procession -in order to exchange wedding-garments from one to the other takes place.</p> - -<p>The marriage ceremony is always performed in the evening. I was present -at the marriage of the daughter of a moolah (or Mohammedan bishop) named -Allih Bashka Deen, and the ceremony derived its chief attraction from -the gentle loveliness of the bride and the beauty of her dress. She wore -a purple silk petticoat embossed with a rich border of scattered bunches -of flowers, each flower formed of various gems, while the leaves and -stems were of embroidered gold and silk threads. Her boddice was of the -same material as the petticoat; the entire vest was marked with circular -rows of pearls and rubies. Her hair was parted in Greek style and -confined at the back in a graceful knot bound by a fillet of gold; on -her brow rested a beautiful flashing star of diamonds. On her ears, -neck, arms, breast, and waist were a profusion of ornaments. Her -slippers, adorned with gold and seed pearls, were open at the heels, -showing her henna-tinted feet, and curved up in front toward the instep, -while from her head flowed a delicate kinkaub scarf woven from gold -threads of the finest texture and of a transparent, dazzling, -sunbeam-like appearance. This was folded gracefully about her person and -veiled her eyes and nose, leaving only her mouth and chin visible.</p> - -<p>While the guests, relatives, and friends of the bride were all assembled -at the bishop's house the bridegroom had started off to perform what is -called the "shaba ghash," or nocturnal visit. Gayly dressed, handsomely -mounted, the young Akbar Khanibni Ahbad, attended by his nearest -relatives and friends and accompanied by a host of musicians, rode to -the mosque at Kirki, where he offered up three distinct prayers—one for -the future wife, one for himself, and one for the happiness and success -of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[Pg 266]</a></span> all his undertakings, especially the one he was about to consummate. -This done, he and his friends mounted and approached the house of the -bride. The moment the cavalcade of the bridegroom appeared in sight a -number of well-dressed young Mohammedans rushed to the gate of the -courtyard, and with loud shouts most violently opposed his entrance, -whereupon he scattered money in handfuls among them, which was the -signal for them to give way. Here the youth dismounted, but was not -permitted to walk into the house, for a stalwart-looking man took him up -in his arms and attempted to rush in with him; here again he was once -more resisted by another party of friends and relatives, till he again -scattered a handful of gold coins among them, thus carrying out the -Oriental saying: "He lined the path to his love with golden flowers." -After this no further opposition was made. The bride and bridegroom, -both veiled, the latter with two coverings over his face, took their -places in the centre of the room, and every one stood up. The khazi, or -judge, then stepped forward, and, having removed the double veil from -the bridegroom's face, began the ceremony. The young man repeated after -him certain prayers—one deprecating his own merits and attractions in -comparison with those of the bride—after which came long repetitions -from the Koran treating of fervor, love, and devotion, followed by -repetitions of the Mohammedan creed and a general thanksgiving. At this -point all the assembly prostrated themselves, the khazi joined the hands -of the bride and bridegroom, the latter repeated word for word the -marriage-vows, and the whole was concluded with a benediction, after -which the bride, still veiled, was carried to the bridegroom's house, -and he followed in her train, accompanied with music, beating of drums, -and loud shouts of joy from his attendants and followers.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[Pg 267]</a></span></p><p>On the birth of a child, if it happens to be a male, all the female -attendants utter loud shouts of joy. The mother is kept on very simple -diet, and obliged to drink water made hot by a heated horseshoe being -plunged into it; this has the power of guarding against internal devils, -who are supposed to be very active on such occasions, lying in wait for -mother and child. The moolah is then ushered into the chamber: he takes -the child in his arms and repeats in his right ear the Mohammedan -summons to prayer, and in his left the creed. A fakeer is then -introduced: he dips his finger in some honey and puts it into the -child's mouth before it has tasted any of its mother's milk, which is to -ensure it all the luxuries of life. After these have retired an -astrologer casts the horoscope of the child, and there and then predicts -its future, which, good or bad, is accepted as fate and without a -murmur. Meanwhile, the nearest relatives assemble around the father and -dress his hair with blades of grass—a Hindoo observance, grass -typifying the fragility of human life and affections—and he in turn -makes them presents according to his circumstances.</p> - -<p>The naming of the child takes place on the eighth day after birth. If a -son, it is named after the father's clan or tribe; if a daughter, after -the mother's side of the family. The choice of the child's name depends -on the day of its birth and the appearance of the planet under whose -influence it is supposed to be born, as much as on the parentage. The -mother remains apart from the household till the fortieth day after -childbirth; then she is bathed, fumigated, and purified, and so prepared -to enter the mosque, where she offers up thanks for her safe deliverance -from the perils of childbirth, and either reads or has portions of the -Koran read to her, offering a sacrifice of two goats for a son and one -for a daughter.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[Pg 268]</a></span></p><p>On the same day, in the afternoon, another ceremony is held—that of -shaving the hair of the child. A priest and a barber attend to this -rite; prayers are offered, water is sprinkled over the head of the -child, and the hair shaved off is carried in procession to the water's -edge, and then launched on a little raft to float down the river. By -this ceremony all evil is guarded from the infancy and childhood of -Mohammedan children. Very often sacred locks are left on the top of the -heads of Mohammedan children, like those of the Brahmans, and these -locks are consecrated to some saint or noble ancestor.</p> - -<p>The other ceremony worthy of notice here is that attending the death and -burial of the Mohammedans in India. When a Mohammedan is thought to be -dying a priest is sent for, who prays before the family, then repairs to -the sick chamber, where he exhorts the dying man to attend to the -welfare of his soul, and proceeds to read the chapter on future life, -rewards, and punishments, and the two most important creeds—faith in -God and in Mohammed as his prophet. After death the body is placed on a -bier and conveyed with great pomp, beating of drums, wailing of women -and near relatives, to the Musulman cemetery, where there are always -tanks and utensils for bathing the dead before interment. Here the body -is carefully washed seven times, and then perfumed with powdered -sandal-wood, camphor, and myrrh. The forehead, hands, knees, and feet of -the dead man are especially rubbed; these parts, having touched the -earth at moments of prayer, are held more sacred than the rest of the -body. The two great toes are then tied together; a shroud or -winding-sheet, prepared by the dead man himself, on which he has caused -to be written from time to time the most beautiful passages from the -Koran, is folded around him very firmly and around each arm. After this<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[Pg 269]</a></span> -the body is replaced on the bier, every one salutes it, and the bearers -carry it to the grave. Here all the friends and relatives stand in three -rows, and at the head of every row is a priest, who solemnly begins the -chant, consisting chiefly of prayers and confessions for the dead. The -body is at length lowered into the grave with its face toward Mecca, and -each relative, taking a little earth in his hand, repeats the solemn -utterance of their Prophet, made in the name of God and his archangel -Gabriel: "We created you, O man, out of earth, and we return you to the -earth, and we shall raise you up again on the last day," and throws the -earth softly on the bier. The grave is then closed, and fatiahs, or -prayers for the dead, are offered on the spot at stated seasons -throughout the first year.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_69_69" id="Footnote_69_69"></a><a href="#FNanchor_69_69"><span class="label">[69]</span></a> So-called from Allahu Deen Hasain Shah Gangu Bahmani, who -was the first Mohammedan king of Deccan, 1347 <span class="smaller">A. D.</span> He was a native of -Delhi and servant of one of the most learned Brahman astrologers, who -was highly favored by the fierce conqueror Mohammed Tooghlak. Hasain -greatly distinguished himself in battle with the imperial troops in -storming Dowlutabâd. Finally, the emperor Naisirud Deen resigned to him -the crown of Deccan. He very greatly extended his dominions under the -advice of his early master the Brahman astrologer, Ganzu Bood, whom he -appointed as his prime minister.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_70_70" id="Footnote_70_70"></a><a href="#FNanchor_70_70"><span class="label">[70]</span></a> It was translated from the Sanskrit into Persian verse by -the poet Faizi of Iran, and acted, with all the Indian appendages of -dress and character, at the court of the great Akbar.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_71_71" id="Footnote_71_71"></a><a href="#FNanchor_71_71"><span class="label">[71]</span></a> Creeks or water-courses, found full to overflowing in many -places during the rainy season, but which often dry up in the hot -months.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_72_72" id="Footnote_72_72"></a><a href="#FNanchor_72_72"><span class="label">[72]</span></a> A free rest-house for travellers.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_73_73" id="Footnote_73_73"></a><a href="#FNanchor_73_73"><span class="label">[73]</span></a> Beef is never exposed for sale in a Hindoo city.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_74_74" id="Footnote_74_74"></a><a href="#FNanchor_74_74"><span class="label">[74]</span></a> Mohammedan bishop.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_75_75" id="Footnote_75_75"></a><a href="#FNanchor_75_75"><span class="label">[75]</span></a> A white rose, scented like a jessamine.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_76_76" id="Footnote_76_76"></a><a href="#FNanchor_76_76"><span class="label">[76]</span></a> The practice of female infanticide among the Rajpoots may -be traced to the conquest of India by the Turks and Afghans. Too haughty -to give his daughter in marriage to a conqueror and enemy, and unwilling -that she should marry an inferior without a large dowry, the Rajpoot -father got rid of the difficulties of his position by destroying his -female children at the moment of birth.</p></div></div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[Pg 270]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER XII.</h2> - -<blockquote><p>The Temples of Ellora, the Holy Place of the Deccan.—Nashik, the -Land of the Râmâyanâ.—Sights and Scenes on the Banks of the -Godaveri.—Damaun, the most famous of the Indo-Portuguese Towns.</p></blockquote> - -<p>We bade adieu to the old historical city of the great Aurungzebe just as -the first streak of sunlight was gilding the conical summit of the -fortress of Dowlutabâd, and, wending our way laboriously up the steep -Pipla Ghaut, we emerged on the other side on a fertile plain planted -with magnificent trees and covered with innumerable mausoleums and -tombs, through which our bullocks made straight for the western boundary -of the beautiful hill of Rauzah. Here we reached a spot of perfect -tranquillity and beauty, but which must have been at some ancient time a -scene of intense activity. The present little village of Ellora, -consisting of a number of Hindoo dwellings, is almost hidden among -groves of fine trees, and is only remarkable because it lies immediately -at the foot of a high wall of rock in which the vast cavern-temples of -this neighborhood are found and to which it owes its prosperity.</p> - -<p>We alighted from our wagons on the verandah of a well-built pagoda; near -it was a fine reservoir with flights of broad stone steps leading down -to the water's edge. On the bank or upper stonework of this reservoir -are a number of artistic little Hindoo temples or shrines, the roofs -supported by light delicate pillars, giving an airy and <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[Pg 271]</a></span>graceful -appearance to the whole village. As soon as Govind had gone through his -prayers and ablutions we started off, accompanied by a couple of -sage-looking Hindoo guides, for the cavern-temples. We followed our -guides for some little distance, when they left the highroad and struck -a narrow, steep path, and all at once, when we were least expecting it, -a sudden turn brought us into the presence of the great "rock-cut -temples" that render this spot the holiest of all places in the Deccan. -Down went Govind and our guides prostrate on their faces and hands.</p> - -<div class="center"><a name="i294.jpg" id="i294.jpg"></a><img src="images/i294.jpg" alt="Rock-Cut Temples of Ellora" /></div> - -<p class="bold"><span class="smcap">Rock-Cut Temples of Ellora.</span></p> - -<p>The solitude, the quiet stillness of the spot, with the bright morning -sun flooding hill and plain and penetrating the depths of these -excavations, were impressive. The temple before us was a large open -court and deep vaulted chamber, massive and elaborately carved, and -chiselled from the heart of the mountain itself, and rising up nearly a -hundred feet. There were many other temples in the hillside, with -doorways, arches, pillars, windows, galleries, and verandahs, supported -by solid stone pillars filled with figures of gods and goddesses, -heroes, giants, birds, beasts, and reptiles of every shape—quite enough -to baffle the most careful student in anything like a thorough -examination of their vast and intricate workmanship.</p> - -<p>We went in and out, climbing stone-cut steps up, down, and round about -the caves, not knowing which temple to admire most or on which to bestow -undivided attention. It would take weeks to explore them thoroughly. -There is a very fine cavern-temple dedicated to Pur Sawanath, "the Lord -of Purity," the twenty-third of the great saints of the Jains of this -era.<a name="FNanchor_77_77" id="FNanchor_77_77"></a><a href="#Footnote_77_77" class="fnanchor">[77]</a> An image resembling those<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[Pg 272]</a></span> that are seen of Buddha, stone -tigers, and elephants bear up the altar on which he is seated; from the -middle of the altar there projects a curious wheel on which is carved -the Hindoo astronomical table, and a seven-headed serpent is seen over -the head of the god.</p> - -<p>Another very beautiful excavation, consisting of three temples or -compartments, is dedicated to Jaggar-Nath Buddh, or "the Enlightened -Lord of the Universe;" these temples are best known, however, by the -name of Indra Sabha, or "the assembly of Indra." These caves are -two-storied, containing images of Indra—"the darter of the swift blue -bolt," as he is called—seated on a royal elephant, with his attendants -about him, and of Indranee, his wife, riding on a couchant lion, with -her son in her arms and her maids around her. The sacred trees of the -Hindoos—<i>Kalpa Vriksha</i>, the tree of the ages or of life—are growing -out of their heads; on the one overshadowing Indra are carved peacocks, -emblematic of royalty, and fruits resembling the rose-apple, sacred to -love, grow on<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[Pg 273]</a></span> the one sprouting from the head of Indranee. This temple -is unrivalled for its beauty of form and sculpture.</p> - -<p>The next temple we visited was the Dho Máhal Lenah, "the double palace." -It is full of figures and sculptured story celebrating the marriage of -the god Siva with Parvatee. It is an excavation of great depth and -extent, filled with countless gods and goddesses, among which the figure -of Yama, the judge of the dead, commonly called Dhannah, is especially -remarkable. Not far from this cavern-temple a lovely mountain-torrent -comes leaping down in beautiful cascades. Near a wide pool is a rude -cave with a deity in it called Dàvee, who draws multitudes of pilgrims -to her shrine yearly because of her reputation for performing miracles.</p> - -<p>There is also a temple famous in Indian song and story called -Khailahsah, or "highest heaven." The mountain has been penetrated to a -great depth and height to make room for this wondrous bit of sculpture. -Within an area stands a pagoda almost, if not quite, a hundred feet -high. It is entered by a noble portico guarded by huge stone figures of -men; towering above it are, cut out of the hill, a music-gallery of the -finest workmanship and five large chapels, and above all there is in -front a spacious court terminating in three magnificent colonnades: huge -columns uphold the music-gallery; stone elephants, looking toward us, -heave themselves out of this mass of rock-work, and right in front is a -grand figure of the Hindoo goddess Lakshimi being crowned queen of -heaven by stone elephants, that have raised themselves on their hind -feet to pour water over her head from stone vessels grasped in their -trunks.</p> - -<p>Everywhere we found fresh objects of wonder, and each new cave seemed -the greatest marvel of all. The entire hillside is perforated with -chatiyas, monasteries, pagodas,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[Pg 274]</a></span> towers, spires, obelisks, galleries, -and verandahs, all cut out of the solid rock.<a name="FNanchor_78_78" id="FNanchor_78_78"></a><a href="#Footnote_78_78" class="fnanchor">[78]</a> Nothing could be -wilder and more fantastic than the effect produced by these excavations, -situated as they are amid natural scenes very wild and -romantic—waterfalls, ravines, gorges, old gnarled forest trees, and a -dense undergrowth of brushwood.</p> - -<p>Naturally, freely, unexpectedly, as the tree grows, was the development -of early Hindoo art. Everywhere one sees an unrestrained imagination -breaking through and overleaping the bounds of judgment, reason, and -even that intuitive sense of refinement to which the Hindoo mind is by -no means a stranger.</p> - -<p>Our journey next was quite an adventurous one. We started straight -across the high plain of the Deccan for the Thull Ghauts. In some parts -the country is sandy and desolate, and in others well cultivated, but in -no way remarkable till we reached the rugged but grandly mountainous -country through which our road lay, circuitous and difficult, but wild -and beautiful, as far as Nashik, or "the City of the Nose," sacred to -the Hindoos for various local traditions, but above all as being the -spot whence the Godaveri takes its rise. The real source of this famous -river, however, is some eighteen or twenty miles distant, at Thrimbâk. -On our road lay a deep and dangerous nullah or creek, which we forded -with much difficulty, assisted by a number of natives whom we were -obliged to hire from a little village lying half a mile from its banks. -Passing this, we saw the Ghauts for the first time, with their fine -forests, and here and there a mountain-stream, not yet dried up by the -hot summer sun, tumbling down the mountain-sides or flowing over pebbly -beds,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[Pg 275]</a></span> sometimes gleaming into the sunlight and sometimes hidden in -verdure, and anon lying in deep eddying pools at the foot of the Ghauts, -that rise up grand and defiant on every side.</p> - -<p>With their forests of foliage and rich jungles the Thull Ghauts are a -perpetual wonder and mystery to the natives, and the spot on which the -handsome city of Nashik stands is a paradise to the Brahmans. Through it -the Godaveri, sometimes called the Gunga, flows, spreading gladness and -plenty everywhere. Here it was that Rama, with his beautiful wife Sita, -spent the first days of their exile near a dark and dreadful forest, out -of which issued the beautiful deer in pursuit of which he was obliged to -leave Sita, who became an easy prey to his enemy Rawana. Here Lakshman, -the brother of Rama, cut off the nose of the giantess Sarp Naki, the -snake-nosed sister of Rawana, from which event the city itself is named.</p> - -<p>There is doubtless an historical basis to all these local traditions, -for Nashik is a place of great antiquity, and is mentioned by Ptolemy by -the name which it bears to-day. This land was no doubt at one time -debatable ground between the advancing Aryan tribes and the aboriginal -settlers. Here the Buddhists took refuge from the persecutions of the -orthodox Brahmans, excavating the temples and caves that abound in this -region.</p> - -<p>Nashik is now a Brahman city in the fullest sense of the word. Brahmanic -power, influence, culture, and tradition are felt everywhere. Govind, -our pundit, was in his best humor. It seems he had long desired to make -a pilgrimage to this sacred spot, and here he was without any actual -expense to himself and at the right moment. Nashik is said to have a -population of from twenty-five to thirty thousand inhabitants, chiefly -Brahmans of great wealth and famed for their religious sanctity of -character.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[Pg 276]</a></span></p><p>At the jatras, or tribe-meetings, a great concourse of Brahmans, -Hindoos, Rajpoots, and Mahrattas from all parts of India pour into this -city, and our visit happened at this time, for the pilgrims were -arriving from all parts of the Eastern world. Most of the streets are, -like those usually found in Oriental cities, narrow, ill-drained, and -badly paved, but there are some that are well kept, and a fine broad -thoroughfare leads almost, but not quite, through the centre of the city -to the banks of the Godaveri. The lofty houses of the Brahmans, many of -which are three stories high and almost palatial in appearance, were -thrown open to the strangers. Pilgrims thronged the streets and were -encamped along the roadside in tents in the open air or under the shade -of huge trees. Highways lead everywhere down to the river, whose -sanctity may be conceived from the vast numbers and characteristics of -the temples that line its banks and dot the islands and rocks in the -river-bed, nearly all built of a hard black rock capable of high polish, -and some in the purest style of Hindoo architecture.</p> - -<p>As we were detained here a couple of days, being obliged to purchase a -fresh pair of trotting bullocks in order to prosecute the rest of our -journey, we determined to stay over and see the celebration of the -<i>Holi</i>, one of the most curious festivals among the Hindoos. We took up -our abode in the travellers' bungalow, some little distance from the -native city, and looking out upon the English burying-ground. It is a -charming spot, with a wild tangle of trees forming a sort of garden -around it.</p> - -<p>The native town of Nashik seems to be divided into three parts, the -handsome and well-built portion being occupied by the wealthy Brahmans, -<i>vakeels</i>, or lawyers, and <i>gurus</i>, or priests. The second division, -which bears marks of great age and is not very sightly, is inhabited by -<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[Pg 277]</a></span>merchants and traders in grain and other articles of Indian commerce. -The bazaars are remarkably well stocked with shawls brought from -Cashmere, silks and kinkaubs from Aurungabâd, <i>gowrakoo</i>, a native -manufacture of tobacco and used for smoking, and <i>jaggery</i>, a dark-brown -sugar from Bombay. In the jewellers' shops we saw some very pretty -specimens of gold and silver ornaments, such as are worn by Hindoo -women. The vegetable and fruit markets here are very fine. Among the -fruits large trays of beautiful flowers were disposed, of which the rose -of Nashik seemed to me the finest I had seen in India. Sheep, goats, and -cows wander about the streets of the bazaar unmolested. Indeed, I saw -cows putting their heads into the open grain-bags exposed on the -shop-windows of the <i>bunyas</i> or grain-dealers, and have a good feed, for -there was no one to hinder them.</p> - -<p>One day, as we were wandering about the streets of Nashik, we strayed -into an open court, and thence through an arched entrance, into a large -hall, where we suddenly came upon a company of men weaving a peculiar -and beautiful Oriental silk. The loom was of the old-fashioned Indian -type, set into the ground; the upper thread was of a pale-gold color, -and the lower of the most exquisite blue, and the fabric after it was -woven had a little knot of yellow left on the surface, which gave it the -appearance in one light of being woven of gold threads, and in another -light of pale blue. A number of women were seated close by preparing the -silk thread for the weavers by means of a very rude spinning-wheel.</p> - -<p>From the bazaars we set off to visit some of the most artistic temples -that embellish the banks of the Godaveri. There are five structures here -to-day in great repute: the temples of Maha Dèo, or the high god, Siva, -Parvati, Indra, and <i>Jaggar Nath</i>, commonly called Juggernaut.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[Pg 278]</a></span> Each of -these temples has a large number of laymen, priests, and priestesses, or -dancing-girls, attached to them. The dancing-girls were seen everywhere -in the temples, on the banks of the river, and in the booths erected -here and there, performing their various dances for the amusement of the -pilgrims, and some of these girls were of the finest type that I have -seen in any part of India.</p> - -<p>We went into the temple of Maha Dèo, which contains some very rich and -bold carvings. A figure of a god was seated on a stone altar, and all -over the shrine were scattered flowers, oil, and red paint, or -"shaindoor." At the door of this temple we saw seated a very old woman, -who, they told me, was once a famous beauty and a priestess of this -temple. She sat there muttering idly to herself and basking in the -sunlight. Age had very forcibly set its seal upon her. Her skin was -drawn into the most complicated network of wrinkles, her arms were -almost devoid of flesh, and her limbs were as feeble and tottering as -those of an infant just attempting to walk; but her eyes, large, dark, -and piercing, still retained a great deal of their original beauty. The -people, however, regarded her as one inspired, and the women attached to -the temple had a tender care for her, taking her into an adjoining -chamber every night to sleep, bringing her out to her accustomed place -every morning, and feeding her at regular intervals.</p> - -<p>On the banks of the Godaveri is shown a spot where women without number -have become suttees, or, as they called them here, Sadhwees, or "pure -ones." At a very gentle curve of the river are the cremation-grounds of -the Hindoos, and here the ashes of men burned at a distance are brought -and scattered in the holy stream, which is thought to have its source in -the heart of the great Maha Dèo himself.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[Pg 279]</a></span></p><p>Next morning, when we issued into the streets of Nashik once more, the -scene that presented itself to our astonished gaze was that of a vast -multitude gone mad. Crowds of women dressed in fantastic attire, -especially in white- and yellow-spotted muslin sarees, men in curious -garbs, boys dressed like sprites or wholly nude and besmeared with -yellow paint, fakeers, gossains, ascetics, Hindoos, and Brahmans, were -seen in the streets shouting, laughing, throwing red paint about; rude -jests were being passed; women were addressed in obscene or ribald -language; persons blindfolded in the streets were left to grope their -way until they removed the bandage from their eyes, friends sent on -bootless errands, etc. In fact, it was a complete saturnalia of the -rudest and most grotesque description. It was the festival of the -<i>Holi</i>,<a name="FNanchor_79_79" id="FNanchor_79_79"></a><a href="#Footnote_79_79" class="fnanchor">[79]</a> held in honor of Krishna's sportive character on the night -of the full moon in the month of February.</p> - -<p>That evening we went out on the banks of the Godaveri to see the -termination of the festival, and it is simply impossible to describe the -wild enthusiasm of this vast concourse of people. The banks of the -river, the steps of the numberless temples, the courts within courts, -the shrines, the altars, the great halls and music-galleries with -forests of carved pillars, were closely packed with countless throngs of -white-robed priests, half-naked gossains, or sparkling dancing-girls, -while thousands of men, women, and children lined the banks of the -Godaveri, eager and enthusiastic participants in the gay, bewildering -scene. As we stood gazing at the strange spectacle we heard the wild, -discordant sounds of various musical instruments, the shrill blast of -innumerable conch-shells, and the deafening beat of the tom-toms, -whereupon huge fires began<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[Pg 280]</a></span> to blaze almost simultaneously from shore to -shore at regular distances, and everywhere round them groups of -strangely dressed boys performed weird circular dances, holding each -other's hands and going around them; then, suddenly letting loose, they -darted and leaped round and round one another and round the fire at the -same time. This dance is ostensibly performed to commemorate the dance -of the god Krishna with the seven gowpiahs, or milkmaids, but there is -scarcely a doubt that this festival originally meant to typify the -revolution of the planets round the sun.</p> - -<p>The light from these blazing fires streaming out upon the moonlit river, -the wild discordant music, the hilarious shouts, the frantic dancers, -the sparkle of the dancing-girls, the white-robed figures of the -countless multitude, now flashing in sight in the glare of the -firelight, and anon vanishing in the deep shadows beyond, the piles of -black temples, the great trees with their arms bending down to the river -or stretching toward the clear sky,—all combined to render the last -night of the festival of the Holi at Nashik a most weird and singularly -fantastic sight.</p> - -<p>From the first to the last day of our visit here there was nowhere -perceptible the least trace of European influence on the people or in -the city. The people and the city were just what they might have been in -the days when Ptolemy wrote about the latter, purely and wholly Hindoo, -and full of a Brahmanic atmosphere of religious mysticism—a -civilization quite different from anything we had ever witnessed.</p> - -<p>There are a number of curious excavations in this neighborhood, about -five miles from the town, in the side of a hill that overhangs the -highway from Bombay. The hill as well as these cavern-temples is called -Pandulená. We rode out on fine horses hired from a native stable close -to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[Pg 281]</a></span> the bazaar. The ride out was delightful, the views of the country at -once grand and beautiful, but the excavations were much less interesting -than had been reported to us by Govind, and in no way comparable to the -wondrous structures of Ellora. There is one cave here, however, that has -a superior finish. The roof is finely arched; the dogaba, or memorial -structure, stands at the end and is well executed. Another cave with -idols of seated figures has a flat roof, and is not very interesting, -save that near it is carved in a niche a huge figure of Buddha. The -chief idol here is called Rajah Dhanna—<i>i. e.</i> "judge of the dead"—and -is held most sacred by the pilgrims, who were now beginning to arrive -here in strong numbers. The odors of the stuff with which the filthy -gossains rub themselves and their altogether disgusting appearance sent -us hastily back to our quiet lodge, and early next morning we bade adieu -for ever to Nashik.</p> - -<p>From Nashik to Trimbak, eighteen or twenty miles, the country is one of -unrivalled beauty. Trimbak is a very sacred spot, where the Godaveri -really takes its rise, and is wholly given up to the Hindoo and Brahman -pilgrims, who were pouring into the place from all the country round. It -is filled by a class of priests whose sole duty it is to instruct -pilgrims in the right way to worship and to receive the gifts bestowed -on the temples. The houses of these priests adjoin the temples; they -lodge the pilgrims without any charge, but each person generally leaves -at the temple a gift which exceeds the cost of his stay. We had no time -to examine the temples here, for we spent only a night at Trimbak, and -started next morning, traversing circuitous roads, crossing some small -nullahs, and by dint of travelling all day and night reached the next -important halting-place, which was no other than Damaun, a famous old -Portuguese town.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[Pg 282]</a></span></p><p>The town of Damaun, with its ramparts, gateways, and bastions, is -picturesquely situated. There is on one side of it a fine old fortress -baptized after a Christian saint and called the "Castle of St. -Hieronymus," and on the other a deep, navigable river which still bears -the favorite Hindoo name of Gunga. The country all round Damaun is well -cultivated. The tara palm, the castor oil, the babool, or <i>Acacia -arabica</i>,<a name="FNanchor_80_80" id="FNanchor_80_80"></a><a href="#Footnote_80_80" class="fnanchor">[80]</a> were seen in the gardens and plantations. But the interior -of the Portuguese town struck me as gloomy and exceedingly filthy, and, -though it was full of people—Mohammedans, Hindoos, and Christians, with -even Jews and Parsees—it lacked that air of sprightliness and vivacity -so noticeable in a purely Hindoo population. It was neither one thing -nor the other—not wholly pagan, and only partially Christian. The Roman -Catholic chapel here was once a grand mosque.</p> - -<p>Through the kind introduction of a Portuguese friend we were most -cordially received in the home of a venerable native Portuguese named -Johnna Castello. The household consisted of himself and the families of -two married sons; one of the ladies was indisposed, but the other, Donna -Caterina, did the honors of hostess in a simple and unpretending manner. -Our pundit had an outhouse placed at his disposal. The establishment did -not boast of many rooms, and those in which we were lodged were rough -and poorly built of wood. Our meals consisted of rice and curry, fish, -<i>kabobs</i>,<a name="FNanchor_81_81" id="FNanchor_81_81"></a><a href="#Footnote_81_81" class="fnanchor">[81]</a> kid and fowl pillau, with a variety of fine fruits and -vegetables. Our meals were served apart and in European style, but the -quantity<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[Pg 283]</a></span> of onion and garlic with which almost every dish was seasoned -helped much toward shortening our stay here. Besides which, it seemed to -me that everything was pickled, from the pork (of which the native -Portuguese are very fond) to the young bamboo-shoots. At every fresh -course some half a dozen hot, biting pickles were handed around.</p> - -<p>My womanly curiosity led me into the kitchen of this very well-to-do -Portuguese family. It was in keeping with the rest of the place. It was -a low wooden structure, black with smoke and age; a long range of open -fireplaces, made of brick and mortar, ran along on one side; on these -earthen <i>chatties</i>, or earthen pots, were boiling away, some covered and -others uncovered; but hanging from the roof above these pots were long -lines of blackened cobwebs that looked as if they had remained -undisturbed for a hundred years. The servants were all men, native -Christians, and were overlooking the cooking or attending to various -culinary duties. They were filthy beyond measure, and so was every nook -and corner of the kitchen. The native Portuguese in this old-fashioned -city of Damaun struck me as peculiarly uninteresting in their manners -and appearance. We saw them in the streets, seated on the verandahs or -doorsteps of their houses, chattering or laughing or quarrelling with -their neighbors in shrill, harsh tones and with ungraceful gestures. In -some aspects Oriental Christianity seems even more degrading than the -worst form of paganism.</p> - -<p>In the afternoon of the same day, as we were walking about the town, we -passed a wedding-procession on its way to the Roman Catholic church, -which served in some slight degree to soften the unfavorable impression -produced by the people and the town. It was a gaudy sight. Sheets were -spread along the street leading to the steps of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[Pg 284]</a></span> chapel; flowers, -chiefly the oleander, the rose, and the <i>mohgre</i>,<a name="FNanchor_82_82" id="FNanchor_82_82"></a><a href="#Footnote_82_82" class="fnanchor">[82]</a> were scattered all -over these sheets by dark-skinned Portuguese girls dressed in long white -trousers and old-fashioned pink frocks. Presently the church-bells began -to tinkle merrily, and a company of dark-hued damsels issued in full -sight, dressed in tinsel and gold, with long white muslin veils, almost -like the Hindoo sarees, bound round their persons. The bride was closely -veiled from head to foot in something that looked like the <i>purdah</i><a name="FNanchor_83_83" id="FNanchor_83_83"></a><a href="#Footnote_83_83" class="fnanchor">[83]</a> -worn by Mohammedan women. We could not see her, but I pleased myself -with imagining that she was young and beautiful. Close to her were two -young women bearing lighted torches, and in the foremost rank were two -Portuguese priests, who led the way to the chapel (once a mosque), each -bearing a silver-mounted crucifix. The bridegroom brought up the rear -dressed as an English general, with a dark-blue embroidered frock-coat, -golden epaulettes, scarlet pantaloons, sword, and a cocked hat with -feathers, accompanied by at least twelve other native gentlemen -similarly attired; but many of these grand-looking officers were -barefooted. This grotesque procession rushed into the chapel in unseemly -haste, and we followed. There was nothing very remarkable in the -exterior of this chapel. But within, the principal altar was very richly -adorned with gilt images of Christ, the Virgin, and saints, with -handsome candlesticks and a great deal of gold and tinsel. There seemed -to be but few seats. Before the marriage ceremony began the bride -dropped her purdah, or veil, and, to my surprise, I found that she was -both ugly and old, and about to be married to the young fellow in the -general's <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[Pg 285]</a></span>costume, who certainly looked young enough to be her son. She -was a rich old widow, which explained the matter. We did not wait to see -the ceremony, as our stay here was limited to two days, and this was our -last one in Damaun.</p> - -<p>After nightfall, as I looked out upon this strange, semi-Christian, -semi-pagan city, old and weather-stained, poorly lighted, and upon that -river named after a Hindoo goddess flowing by so sluggishly, but which, -after the rainy season, often becomes a cruel foe to the peasant and -cultivator, I felt somehow that it was one of the most dismal places in -the world, in spite of its peculiar advantages of a rich soil and -sea-views. Next morning, through the kind offices of our host, who -assisted us in procuring a comfortable berth on board a native craft -called a patemar,<a name="FNanchor_84_84" id="FNanchor_84_84"></a><a href="#Footnote_84_84" class="fnanchor">[84]</a> we found ourselves sailing before a fine breeze, -bound straight for Surat, one of the most ancient and well-known -seaports of Western India.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_77_77" id="Footnote_77_77"></a><a href="#FNanchor_77_77"><span class="label">[77]</span></a> Pur Sawanath and Mah-vira, the twenty-third and -twenty-fourth pontiffs of the present era of the Jains, seem to have -superseded all the former saints in sanctity of character. They are -described by the Jains as having thirty-six superhuman attributes of -mind and body—beauty of form, fragrance of breath; curling hair, which -does not increase in length or decrease in quantity, the same qualities -being attached to their beards and nails; a white complexion, exemption -from all impurities, hunger, decay, bodily infirmity or disease of any -kind. The spiritual attributes are those of justice, truth, faith, love, -benevolence, freedom from all anger and all earthly desires, immense -power of devotion; hence of working miracles, of making themselves heard -at vast distances, speaking intelligibly to men, animals, and gods, of -materializing spirits and conversing with them, and the power of -scattering war, plague, famine, storms, death, sickness, or evil of any -kind by their immediate presence. The heads of these Jain saints are -always described as surrounded with a halo of light, whose brightness is -greater and more far-reaching than that of the sun. The Brahmans, it is -said, with great adroitness, in order to draw to these temples the Jain -pilgrims from Guzerat, Bombay, and other parts of India, take care to -represent their god Parshurama, an incarnation of Vishnu, to be none -other than the Jain saint, Pur Sawanath.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_78_78" id="Footnote_78_78"></a><a href="#FNanchor_78_78"><span class="label">[78]</span></a> Those who desire to have a detailed account of these caves -will find an admirable description of them given by Col. Sykes in the -third volume of the <i>Bombay Asiatic Society's Transactions</i>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_79_79" id="Footnote_79_79"></a><a href="#FNanchor_79_79"><span class="label">[79]</span></a> A most popular Hindoo festival held all over Hindostan in -honor of Krishna.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_80_80" id="Footnote_80_80"></a><a href="#FNanchor_80_80"><span class="label">[80]</span></a> A genus of leguminous trees and shrubs, usually with -thorns and pinnate leaves, and of an airy and elegant appearance. It is -found in all the tropical parts of both the Old World and the New, and -also in Australia and Polynesia. A few species only are found in -temperate climates.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_81_81" id="Footnote_81_81"></a><a href="#FNanchor_81_81"><span class="label">[81]</span></a> Small pieces of meat seasoned and roasted on a skewer.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_82_82" id="Footnote_82_82"></a><a href="#FNanchor_82_82"><span class="label">[82]</span></a> A white flower very much like a double jessamine, with -much the same fragrance.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_83_83" id="Footnote_83_83"></a><a href="#FNanchor_83_83"><span class="label">[83]</span></a> A veil that covers the whole person.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_84_84" id="Footnote_84_84"></a><a href="#FNanchor_84_84"><span class="label">[84]</span></a> A patemar is a coasting vessel, built generally in Bombay. -It has prow and stern alike, double planked—a handsome craft of about -two hundred tons burden, with two masts and great wide lateen sails.</p></div></div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[Pg 286]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER XIII.</h2> - -<blockquote><p>The Taptee River.—Surat and its Environs.—The Borahs and Kholees -of Guzerat.—Baroda, the Capital of the Guicowars.—Fakeers, or -Relic-Carriers, of Baroda.—Cambay.—Mount Aboo.—Jain Temples on -Mount Aboo, etc.</p></blockquote> - -<p>The views along the Western Ghauts and the coast are very grand. We soon -lost sight of all their varied beauty, and in a couple of days entered -the splendid river Taptee, which flows broad and deep immediately under -the walls of the city of Surat.</p> - -<p>Almost at the mouth of the Taptee stands a lovely little island; -opposite to this is a little town called Domus, a quaint, -homelike-looking place, where Europeans spend the hot months. The river -flows for miles through a richly-cultivated suburb of gardens, -plantations, and beautiful houses, till it reaches the city, which is -walled with bastions at certain points, but the walls and towers are -fast crumbling away. At one extremity stands the famous old castle of -Surat, about three hundred years old, looking older and more stained -with time and age than even the fortress of Damaun.</p> - -<p>Surat has a double wall and twice twelve gates, inner and outer, -communicating with one another. But its history is even more varied and -complicated than its "world-protecting" walls and wooden-leaved gates. -It is written in the ruins found everywhere in the gardens, palaces of -the nawabs, rajahs, and peishwas, as well as in the factories of the -Dutch, French, Portuguese, and English,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[Pg 287]</a></span> most of which are now -transformed into hospitals, lunatic asylums, hotels for European -travellers, or pleasure-houses and grounds for wealthy natives.</p> - -<p>Here are also grand English and Dutch cemeteries, where many noted -English and Dutch lie magnificently entombed in stately mausoleums, in -order to impress the Oriental mind, which is always disposed to attach a -certain kind of sanctity to piles of brick, mortar, and stone, whether -priest, prophet, or knave lie interred beneath.</p> - -<p>We tried to visit the "Pinjrapoore," or hospital for sick animals, here; -it seems to be arranged much on the same plan as that in Bombay, but -this place was too filthy to enter, and in that respect much inferior. -Attached to it are large granaries, where all the damaged grain of the -bazaars is piled up for the use of the sick animals in the hospital; and -this it is which has rendered this place a perfect pest-house of insects -and vermin of all kinds.</p> - -<p>Fire-temples and towers of silence are numerous here, as Surat has a -large Parsee community, who have been established in this region ever -since the eighth century. The most curious and interesting people in -this part of the world are the Borahs, the Jains, and Buniahs.</p> - -<p>The Borahs are divided into two classes, the traders and the -cultivators. They are Hindoos converted to Mohammedanism; they form the -most active and industrious cultivators of the soil, as well as cotton- -and cloth-merchants. Their dress, manners, and language are the same as -those of the Hindoos. Cotton is the chief staple. The Borahs occupy an -entire street in Surat, and it is especially distinguished as being the -cleanest in the native town. Their houses are spacious and well built, -with fine open balconies. Their women are well treated. They support -here a number of Mohammedan priests, a bishop—have a fine mosque -wherein to worship, and one of the best <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[Pg 288]</a></span>colleges in this part of the -country, where the Borah youths receive a thorough commercial education.</p> - -<p>The Buniahs are almost identical with the Borahs in their trading and -commercial qualifications. They are the great grain-merchants here and -everywhere. They are also divided into three classes—the cultivators, -the wholesale merchant, and the petty retailer, who travels from village -to village with his grain-bags on his shoulders. The Buniahs, however, -are Hindoos in religion as well as by birth.</p> - -<p>The Jains, of whom mention has already been made, are seen in great -numbers in the streets and bazaars. Their dress is a long white robe -descending in full folds from the shoulders to the feet, and over the -shoulders is thrown another long loose piece of white cloth; the head -and beard are closely shaven. But the most striking peculiarity is a bit -of white cloth of fine texture which they wear over the mouth to prevent -them from destroying, by inhaling into their lungs, the minutest insect -life. They are always found with a little broom in their hands, no -matter where they go, so as to sweep the ground before seating -themselves, with the same end in view—the preservation of all insect -life; for this purpose they walk very slowly with their eyes cast on the -ground. To destroy life, even unintentionally, is the inexpiable sin, -and a Jain will not drink any water until he has strained it, nor will -he take any meal or drink of any kind after sunset, lest he should -happen to devour some living thing. The Jains have some fine temples in -this city.</p> - -<p>Surat was long in the possession of the Mohgul emperors. In 1842 the -last nawab died, and it passed into the hands of the East India Company. -It is still a great trading city; the surtee rassum, or manufactured -silk of Surat, is very beautiful; the gold and silver ornaments<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[Pg 289]</a></span> sold in -the bazaars are unique and of fine workmanship. Surat is also famous for -the weaving of many varieties of cotton cloths; these are usually woven -in small chequered patterns with bright and elegant borders. Potteries -are not only numerous, but some pottery of very fine form and quality is -sold in the bazaars and is said to be of home manufacture.</p> - -<p>The last day we spent in Surat was passed in driving through the suburbs -in a native wagon drawn by a fine pair of humpbacked white bullocks -(zebus), who carried us rapidly over the ground. We alighted at the -palace of the last nawab, called at once the "gift of God" and the "seat -of oppression." Of its being the former there is no trace, but the -shadow of the latter name seems still to fall upon the partially -deserted place. Apart from the collection of Persian and Arabic -manuscripts to be seen in a room adjoining the palace of the nawab, -there is nothing to interest the curious visitor. With the removal of -the Moslem flag that once waved so proudly over the citadel of Surat the -glory of the Mohgul conquerors departed.</p> - -<p>The Mohgul quarter of the city is gradually falling into decay; ruin and -desolation mark the spot where many a noble pile of Moslem dwellings -once stood. The very name of the Mohguls is almost a thing of the past, -save that in household song and story their deeds will ever cast behind -them a dark and terrible shadow.</p> - -<p>We left Surat, or rather <i>Soo Rashtra</i>, "the pleasant country," seated -in a dhuinee, a native wagon on two wheels with a cloth canopy overhead, -and drawn by a pair of large, handsome humped oxen, with a Bheel guide, -the pundit, and two servants. We had traversed a large extent of -country, halted under trees by the roadside and at mean little -dhurrum-salas, without fear or molestation of any kind, with but few -detentions, and only one<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[Pg 290]</a></span> accident to our wagon, which was repaired -almost at once by applying to the headman of a village near by, who not -only sent us a blacksmith, but came out to see the work done himself. -The plan adopted in our travels through the Deccan we carried out in our -entire journeyings through Guzerat and back—<i>i. e.</i> to send the pundit -to the governor of the town or to the headman of the village to ask -escort and guide for the place itself as well as to the next station; -and in no instance were these unfaithful to the trust reposed in them. -When they quitted us at the appointed station we generally made them a -small present, which brought down upon us showers of blessings and -unqualified praise. I did not doubt, however, that our good-fortune in -this respect was owing to the dignified bearing and sanctified presence -of our Brahman pundit. For the first few miles from Surat to Ratanpoore, -"the Jewel City," the road was deep and heavy, and our wagon dragged -slowly along, but it was not long before we came out on a magnificent -park-like country, which is the characteristic of almost the whole vast -province lying west of the Deccan. It was delightful to hear our Bheel -guide singing in his deep sonorous voice as he trotted on by our side, -in which music he was joined occasionally by our driver. One of his -songs was intended to gratify European hearts and ears (with the "inam," -or present, in prospect, I suppose), the chorus of which was as follows:</p> - -<div class="center"><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<div>"Bur, bur, nashanee oorta hai,</div> -<div class="i1">Ingraje Bhadhar ki,</div> -<div>Mar lia rah Tipoo Sultan,</div> -<div class="i1">Wo kaya lurta, hârâm ki."</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<div>("Behold proud England's flag unfurl</div> -<div class="i1">And wave on every height.</div> -<div>Beaten low lies Tippoo Sultan;</div> -<div class="i1">With England who dare fight?")</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[Pg 291]</a></span></p><p>This chorus was kept up with great animation until we reached the Jewel -City, which is named after the extensive carnelian-mines in its -neighborhood. Our measure of sleep at the miserable halting-place was -stinted, for we started at dawn to visit the mines, situated some -distance from the village along the slope of a picturesque hill. The -road was literally covered with discarded pieces of carnelian. The mines -were neither high nor deep. The entire face of the hill is perforated -with galleries or pits that run in every direction. The gems are found -imbedded in a slimy black clay holding numerous organic remains. In some -parts the pits are carried down thirty feet before the peculiar deposit -in which the carnelian abounds is reached. It is also found in many -other places here still unknown to Europeans, as the natives keep the -secret, as far as it is possible, to themselves and even from one -another. It was interesting to see the men working at the mines. They -were very poorly clad, with only a <i>langoutee</i>, or waist-cloth, round -them, and each division was superintended by a number of better-dressed -men called <i>sirdhars</i>, or "head lords." The stones are collected in -great quantities, then tried by means of another sharp stone prepared -for the purpose. If they chip easily they are discarded, but if they -have a firm, compact texture and a deep-black color, they are selected, -cleaned, and exposed on strips of rough straw mattings to the sun's rays -for the space of a year or more, since the longer they are thus exposed -the brighter the color and polish after baking. The process of baking -these stones is both curious and original. The rough stones are piled in -small heaps on the ground, which is slightly hollowed out to receive -them. Small earthen pots with holes in them are placed over each pile; -then a quantity of goat- or sheep-ordure is heaped up on each pot; it is -then kindled and allowed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[Pg 292]</a></span> to smoulder all night. On the following -morning the stones are carefully examined, and if they have acquired the -deep bright tint peculiar to the carnelian known to commerce, they are -ready for the jeweller's polish; if not, they are once more subjected to -the fire. The shops in Baroda, Cambay, and Ahmedabâd have great -varieties of these stones for sale; for they are not only carved into -rings, beads, bangles, boxes, vases, bowls, and mouthpieces for pipes, -but idols for the Jain, Hindoo, and Buddhist temples are also fashioned -out of them.</p> - -<p>Our journey from Ratanpoore to Baroda was through a very beautiful -country, and, though it is said to be infested with Kholee and Bheel -robbers, we passed through it without the least molestation. At one -point of the road not far from Baroda we espied a thick wood above which -towered the slender spires of some Hindoo temples. The moment these were -seen our pundit, driver, and Bheel escort craved permission to retire -for <i>puja</i>, or worship, for a few moments. The oxen were fastened to the -branch of a tree by the roadside, and we alighted and walked about until -our pious attendants had finished their devotions to the goddess -Bhawanee, enshrined even here as the favorite of the reigning Mahratta -kings.</p> - -<p>Baroda, or Varodah, "the good water country," is now the capital of the -Guicowars, which name means, literally, "owner of heads of cattle." It -is the quaintest, the most densely populated, and independent city in -this province.</p> - -<p>The first Guicowar, a peasant by the name of Pullahji, was employed as a -domestic in the service of the Peishwa Baji Roa. He soon raised himself -by means of his extraordinary military talents to the rank of a -commanding officer of the Peishwa's troops. Shortly after, having won -over the army, he declared his independence and established himself on -the throne of the Peishwas in Guzerat.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[Pg 293]</a></span> Having sprung from the hardy -Khumbis, or cultivators of the soil, he was justly proud of his race, -and assumed the ancient title of Guicowar. Whenever opportunity offered, -Pullahji, bent on conquest, invaded the Peishwa's territories, carrying -pillage and disorder through the richest provinces of Nagpoor -Rajpootana. His successors, however, have been obliged to employ the aid -of the British troops to hold their own in these provinces, which are at -best but partly subjugated.</p> - -<p>We crossed an old Hindoo bridge of curious structure consisting of -arches placed one over the other, and spanning an impetuous but -extraordinarily beautiful river still bearing the polished Sanskrit name -of <i>Vishwamitra</i>, or "the friendly preserver." It flows strong and swift -for many miles through a deep rocky channel. Its banks are singularly -striking in some parts, rising on either side from fifty to sixty feet. -Its waters, instead of appearing friendly, seemed dark and turbulent, -not unlike the barbaric city which stretched along its banks. Temples, -mosques, tombs, mausoleums, and dark, sombre-looking fortresses are seen -everywhere; great flights of stone steps lead to the fast-flowing river, -and all day long these are crowded with men and women washing, bathing, -or filling their water-jars. The suburbs of Baroda extend for miles, and -in the most densely crowded part of the capital the streets are narrow -and crooked, the houses mostly of wood, but built with a view of -architectural effect. Some are almost like pretty Swiss châlets, and -others not unlike Italian villas. At the cross-roads and in various -parts of the streets and lanes are seen queer little temples with the -oddest of gods and goddesses enshrined in them—deities of the woods, -fountains, streams, and even of the streets—and over these fluttered -the gay-colored flags of the Guicowar. As for the inhabitants of Baroda, -as seen in the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[Pg 294]</a></span> streets, verandahs, and shops, they are quite -characteristic. Specimens of every Eastern nationality may be seen here, -and, what is more, in the martial atmosphere of the place they seemed -more like freebooters, murderers, and warriors than like the simple -citizens of a great agricultural district such as Guzerat presents -outside of her cities and towns.</p> - -<p>The city proper, or rather the citadel, is walled. It is entered by huge -gateways guarded by soldiers, and made even more imposing by the lofty -round towers that crown it on either side. It is divided into four -portions, three of which are occupied by the nobility of the court of -Guzerat, and the other by the palaces and buildings of the Guicowar -himself. The antechamber of the palace is a huge stone structure -supporting a many-storied wooden balcony, from the centre of which rises -a lofty pyramidal clock-tower painted in various colors and looking -fantastic beyond description. Here we saw the Guicowar going to worship -at some temple; he was preceded by a number of led horses and elephants -splendidly caparisoned; then came his standard borne on a great -elephant, followed by the Guicowar himself. After him came men on foot -in scarlet dresses, and more elephants. The elephants here are trained -for riding, hunting, war, and even as executioners and combatants.</p> - -<p>The English station is very picturesquely situated, and is purely -European in appearance. The contrast is all the more striking after -seeing the citadel of the Guicowar. It is on the north bank of the river -Vishwamitra, and not far from the great highway are the British -residency and travellers' bungalow, where we were most comfortably -lodged.</p> - -<p>One of the most ancient and curious temples to be seen here is situated -at the west end of the suburbs of Baroda. It is called Ghai Dawale, "the -cow temple." The front is imposing. A portico with granite pillars -admits you<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[Pg 295]</a></span> into a series of vaulted chambers, and there are numberless -idols of gods and goddesses enshrined in niches, with offerings of -flowers before them and red paint sprinkled over their persons. A great -many corridors lead to other chambers, cells, vaults, and mysterious -retreats that have sprung up round it owing to the vast number of -priestesses called Páthars attached to it. Another feature of Baroda are -the magnificent <i>bowries</i>, or wells, that are found here; some are in -themselves most exquisite pieces of architecture, and may be called -temples built over reservoirs. The entrance to these well-temples are by -five or more pavilions; thence a flight of stone steps leads to a second -dome, which is arched, and under the outer dome, which is in its turn -supported by lofty pillars and is pyramidal, then more steps and more -pillars, until the level of the water is reached, which is again covered -by a last and beautiful dome supported by innumerable short pillars. The -largest of these wells in Baroda is called <i>Nou Laki</i>, or "Nine Laks," -from its having cost that amount in building. It was erected by -Suleiman, the governor of Baroda in <span class="smaller">A. H.</span> (Mohammedan) 807. The water is -very delicious, and here people from all parts of the country assemble -to drink—mendicant Brahmans, gossains for alms, and fakeer carriers of -relics to trade. The latter is not a mendicant, but a religious trader, -whose chief claim to sanctity consists in the marks he wears on his brow -and nose. These men go from place to place carrying their curious relics -in curtained baskets slung across their shoulders; their shirts and -cumberbunds are filled with balls, beads, and pins made from the wood of -the <i>toolie</i><a name="FNanchor_85_85" id="FNanchor_85_85"></a><a href="#Footnote_85_85" class="fnanchor">[85]</a> and other sacred trees. They have beads of sandal and -other woods strung into necklaces, bracelets,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[Pg 296]</a></span> armlets, and anklets, mud -figures of gods and goddesses made of the sacred clay of the Ganges, the -Godaveri, and the Brahmapootra, precious bones of saints and prophets -carved into amulets, and any quantity of yellow threads as a -preservative against the evil eye. Women and children flock round these -relic-carriers, and in return for grain, cloth, silver, and gold they -will fasten a small yellow thread, a bead, an amulet, or a precious bit -of some dead saint's bone—these, however, they part with only for gold -or silver—around their wrists, arms, neck, and feet, to preserve the -wearer not only from the evil eye, which is much dreaded in the East, -but from all diseases and from sudden death.</p> - -<p>Once more in our native wagon, with a fresh guide and escort we started -for Cambay, the Khambayat of the ancients. We passed through a luxuriant -country, for Guzerat is indeed the garden of the East. The thriving -villages enclosed with great hedges of prickly pear; the pretty little -wooden houses of moderate size, all built on the same plan, with farms, -or cotton-plantations, or fruit-orchards of mangoes, tamarinds, etc., -attached to them; the two-storied houses of the priest, the village -schoolmaster, and the headman, with their high verdant hedges shutting -off the house from curious eyes and separating it from its -neighbors,—this all makes up a pretty picture. In the centre of these -Guzerat villages there is generally a Hindoo temple, and a space fenced -or hedged in where all the villagers assemble for prayers, celebration -of holidays, and other festival gatherings.</p> - -<p>The Guzerati women are handsome, well-formed, and remarkably -industrious; many of them do all their weaving and spinning at home. -Their chief food consists of eggs, fowls, milk, cream, and cheese: some -of the Guzerat Brahmans will eat fowl and even game. The men are<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[Pg 297]</a></span> -well-formed, athletic, and of fairer complexion than the natives of -Southern India.</p> - -<p>Cambay is a city of great antiquity and well known to early European -travellers. In 1543, Queen Elizabeth of England sent a mission to -Khambayat, with instructions to proceed thence to China. The Hindoos -state that on the site of Cambay stood twelve hundred and eighty years -ago an ancient Brahman city—according to Forbes, the Camanes of -Ptolemy. It derives its present name, however, from a copper pillar, -called "Khamb," dedicating it to the presiding deity of the place, the -earth-goddess Dèvi; the date on this pillar is a little before the -eleventh century of our era. Cambay has an air of extreme sluggishness -and rapid decay, and one cannot fail to see its changeful history in its -numerous foundations. Everywhere are remnants of many cities and many -kinds and styles of architecture, built one above the other.</p> - -<p>The travellers' bungalow here comprises the upper stories of a spacious -stone building, once the English factory. It overlooks the entire city, -which is built on an eminence, with its old walls perforated with holes -for musketry, its fifty-two towers and ten gates guarded by soldiers, -and also looks out upon the great Gulf of Cambay, than which I know -nothing more formidable in nature. At low tide for miles out one sees -only a vast plain, moist, strewn with shells, and intersected here and -there with deep hollows and shifting sandbanks; but when the tide -changes, and long before the waters appear in sight, are heard -tremendous sounds, crash after crash, thunder after thunder, of the -advancing tide, which comes in leaping like a huge monster, thirty to -forty feet high, and breaks with terrific violence against the shore, -carrying everything before it. Ships and native vessels anchor at a -point some miles down the gulf, where the tides are less strong.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[Pg 298]</a></span></p><p>Cambay has witnessed many a dreadful scene of carnage by the Mohguls, -Hindoos, Persians, and Rajpoots. The only objects of real interest here -are subterranean Jain temples; they are situated in the Parsee district. -The exterior, or rather upper part, of the temple would be insignificant -but for the imposing statue of Parswanath, sculptured in white marble, -surrounded by a host of smaller images, many of which are jewelled and -are sold as household deities. Our guide pointed to us a queer narrow -opening at the side which led by means of steep steps to the underground -temples which the Jains, like the early Christians, built for purposes -of midnight assembly and worship in order to escape the persecution of -the Mohammedan conquerors of Guzerat.</p> - -<p>Emerging from one of the gates of Cambay, we wended our way through -ruins which are scattered all about the neighborhood. Now a broad paved -pathway, now crumbling tombs, anon ancient structures, a broken archway, -a cluster of roofless pillars, or, again, dilapidated temples, mark the -sites where stood rich and quaint habitations, temples, or pavilions of -the ancient Hindoos. The richness and luxuriance of nature seems to have -vanished also from these ruinous suburbs, and our road was no longer -beautiful, but lay through a deep sandy plain until we entered the -ancient capital of the great sultans, Ahâmâdabâd or Ahmedabâd, one of -the unrivalled cities of the East.</p> - -<p>The travellers' bungalow is a pleasant place, and everything in the way -of living is as cheap and good as one could possibly desire. We engaged -a very intelligent guide, who spoke Hindostanee well, to take us to the -places best worth seeing.</p> - -<p>Our first drive was to Mirzapoor to see the Ranee-Ki-Musjid, or "the -Queen's Mosque," an enchanting spot.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[Pg 299]</a></span> The moment we alighted in front of -it a very old fakeer, with a multitude of necklaces round his neck, came -out to greet us, and for a rupee showed us about the place. The mosque -and mausoleum here are both beautiful marble structures, erected to the -memory of a princess, Rupavati. Her tomb, which is richly ornamented, is -of a mixture of Moslem and Hindoo style of architecture. The dome is -magnificently fretted, and pillars standing at each tower form a -graceful colonnade around the tomb. But perhaps the chief and peculiar -beauty was the situation of these partially ruined monuments, amid a -wild tangle of fruit and other trees where birds, squirrels, and monkeys -find a pleasant home. The second mosque and tomb are not far off, -dedicated to the memory of a Mohammedan queen called Ranee -Sipra-Ki-Musjid, "the Queen Sipra's Mosque," one of the favorite wives -of Ahmed Shah, the founder of the city. These are exquisite buildings -too, and in the finest Saracenic style; the pillars and minarets have an -air of wonderful loftiness and beauty.</p> - -<p>The Kanch Ki-Musjid, or "Glass Mosque," and the Jummah-Musjid, are both -remarkably beautiful structures. The Glass Mosque, so called from the -whiteness and purity of the marble of which parts of it was built, has a -graceful dome after the Turkish style, terminating in a crescent. The -Jummah-Musjid is in the vicinity of the great street, "Manik Chouk," -which contains the chief bazaars and markets of Ahmedabâd. It is an -oblong building, with a fine open courtyard containing a reservoir for -washing the feet of the worshipper before entering the precincts of the -temple. The light elegant domes of this building are supported by -graceful pillars, and its open arches, minarets, and façades are most -exquisitely ornamented.</p> - -<p>The grand royal cemetery of Sarkhej lies several miles<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[Pg 300]</a></span> from the city of -Ahmedabâd—a wondrous ruin, the ancient summer residence of Ahmed Shah. -To approach it one is obliged to cross a fine pebbly stream fordable at -points, called the <i>Saber-Muttee</i>, properly <i>Safer Muttee</i>, "pure sand." -The road leading to these vast ruined structures of palaces, hareems, -mosques, tombs, and gardens is still paved in some parts.</p> - -<p>We were admitted by a saintly custodian, who became affable the moment -silver coins were dropped into his half-open palm. Gury Baksh, or "the -bestower of virtue," the spiritual adviser of Ahmed Shah, lies interred -here beneath a splendid monument which attracts crowds of pilgrims -annually. The tomb and mosque were completed by Khouttub-ood-din, the -grandson of Ahmed Shah. The city is founded on the site of a very -ancient and populous Hindoo town dedicated to and called after the -goddess Ashawhalla, and is built out of the materials of one or more -Hindoo cities which Ahmed Shah sacked and plundered, carrying away the -stones, pillars, and monuments bit by bit.</p> - -<p>Ahmedabâd was given up to the East India Company in 1818, and has been -held by it ever since. It is impossible to do anything like justice to -the beauties and attractions of this magnificent Mohammedan city. It -abounds in stately monuments, mosques, mausoleums, palaces, great -reservoirs, and gardens, in a more or less ruinous condition, but which -show a high degree of civilization and point to a period when the Mohgul -occupation of India was at its highest prosperity.</p> - -<p>Leaving Ahmedabâd, we started for Mount Aboo, a place very little known, -but one of the most beautiful spots in the world. The magnificent -province of Guzerat is separated from Marwar on the north-east by a -range of mountains in which are Mount Aboo and a beautiful<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[Pg 301]</a></span> -mountain-lake called Aboogoosh. Passing through Desa, a military station -for European troops, and across the Bhanas River, our road lay for many -weary days through patches of jungle more or less dense until we found -ourselves at the pretty little Marwar village of Andara, which lies at -the foot of Mount Aboo. There is a good path from the village to the -summit of the mount, and here a beautiful lake, called after the saint -"Aboo," who is said to have excavated the basin in which it lies with -his nails, and it is therefore called Nakhi Taloa, "Nail Lake." It is an -exquisitely shaded bit of water, and in its vicinity are found wonderful -Jain temples built of pure white marble. Not far from this spot is the -sanitarium for travellers, where we took up our abode, barracks for -convalescent European soldiers, and a quiet, unpretending little -Protestant church.</p> - -<p>The most important of the cavern-temples in the neighborhood are the Tij -Phal and the Veinahl Sah. One is dedicated to a Jain saint, -Vrishab-Deva. It stands alone in a square court, and all around it are -little cells with deities enshrined in them. A number of strange-looking -priests worship here, making offerings of saffron, lamps fed with ghee, -and incense in small brass pots. One priest deliberately asked us for -some <i>brandy</i>, and, as we had none to give him, proposed instantly to go -back with us if we would give him some, because he suffered from pains -in his stomach.</p> - -<p>The temple dedicated to Parswanath, the great Jain teacher and saint, is -an exquisite bit of architecture built of the purest white marble. From -one of the vaulted roofs is suspended a cluster of flowers resembling -the half-blown lotus, sculptured out of the rock; its cup and petals are -so beautifully carved that they are almost as delicate and transparent -as the flower itself. Everywhere<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[Pg 302]</a></span> the flowers, fruits, birds, and -animals indicate that the artists must have taken their models from -nature. There is also a fine Rajpoot fortress here. The dog-rose, a -beautiful Indian flower called <i>seotee</i>, the pomegranate, the wild -grape, the apricot, are among the indigenous products of Mount Aboo. The -mango tree also abounds here, the white and yellow jessamine, the -balsam, and the golden champa, which is sacred to the gods; but the -rarest and most beautiful of all the plants is a parasite called by the -natives <i>ambathri</i>, with lovely blue and white flowers, creeping, -entwining, and blossoming around the largest forest trees.</p> - -<p>It was a beautiful morning on which we returned to Andara. It was not -without deep regret that we bade adieu to this charming mountain-region -and the Jain temples enshrined within its heart. We turned again and -again to take a last look at the bas-reliefs and the ornaments wrought -here with such grace and delicacy of design as to become the despair of -our more impetuous artists, before we could make up our minds to quit -those extraordinarily beautiful monuments for ever.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTE:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_85_85" id="Footnote_85_85"></a><a href="#FNanchor_85_85"><span class="label">[85]</span></a> A native name for a tree which is found in great abundance -in this part of India, and held very sacred.</p></div></div> - -<div class="center"><a name="i328.jpg" id="i328.jpg"></a><img src="images/i328.jpg" alt="Native Passenger Boat on the Hoogly" /></div> - -<p class="bold"><span class="smcap">Native Passenger Boat on the Hoogly.</span></p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">[Pg 303]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER XIV.</h2> - -<blockquote><p>Calcutta, the City of the Black Venus, Kali.—The River -Hoogley.—Cremation-Towers.—Chowringee, the Fashionable Suburb of -Calcutta.—The Black Hole.—Battles of Plassey and Assaye.—The -Brahmo-Somaj.—Temple of Kali.—Feast of Juggurnath.—Benares and -the Taj Mahal.</p></blockquote> - -<p>After eight or nine days' steaming from the fair and picturesque island -of Bombay our captain announced that we were about to enter the Hoogley, -a river made famous in Indian song and story as "the strong arm of the -beautiful goddess Gunga, the compassionate daughter of the proud -Himâlayas," but which is in reality a great muddy estuary. The burning -sun poured down upon its heavy waters as they loomed out of the distant -plain and rolled sluggishly toward the sea, every wave seeming to bear -on its troubled brow an impress of the dark history of the land through -which it has flowed for centuries.</p> - -<p>Late in the same evening the pilot-boat came out to meet us, and not -long after we cast anchor at a place called Saugor, where there is a -lighthouse. I remember distinctly the oppressive night we passed here, -owing no doubt to the combined impurities rising out of the turbid waves -and the fetid odors of the adjoining land. Early next morning we were -again in motion, sailing up the dusky Hoogley. Its low, muddy banks were -dotted with wretched-looking mud huts, relieved only by the -ever-graceful palm trees that waved above them. What a contrast this -river was to the clear, limpid, and joyous Krishna, the high-banked<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">[Pg 304]</a></span> and -proudly isolated Godaveri, the genial, broad-breasted Taptee, and the -grand, impetuous Vishwamitra of Western India!</p> - -<p>Another day was nearly gone before we reached our moorings. We cast -anchor once more amid a dense forest of masts, funnels, and native craft -in the harbor of Calcutta. We were met at the Champhool Ghaut, or -landing-place, by kind friends. Ascending a magnificent flight of stone -steps and passing under a great archway, we hurried into a European -carriage, and were driven rapidly from the strange conflicting mass of -humanity that always abounds at a great seaport, but especially at the -seaports of all the British settlements in India.</p> - -<p>The house of our friends here was in many respects furnished like a -European dwelling, and one might almost fancy himself in an English home -but for the pillared halls; the spacious chambers, with long punkahs or -fans suspended from the ceilings, some of which are kept going night and -day; the dark, silent barefooted domestics, robed in pure white, who are -seen gliding noiselessly to and fro, which lend a powerful magic charm, -a flavor of the Arabian Nights, to the interior of even the most -ordinary of British homes in the East.</p> - -<p>Calcutta, the capital of British India, still bears the name of the -black goddess Kali, who is supposed to spread pestilence, famine, and -death over the land of which she is the presiding deity whenever her -altars are neglected and her thirst for vengeance unappeased. Unhealthy -as the spot is, it was rendered infinitely more so by the innumerable -corpses that were until within a few years cast upon the waters of the -Hoogley: the poverty-stricken inhabitants of the land, unable to pay the -expenses of a funeral by cremation, committed their dead to these waters -in the belief that its mystic current would purify them from<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[Pg 305]</a></span> all taint -of sin. This, however, has been prohibited by the British authorities. -Huge cremation-towers now receive all bodies cast upon its waters, -whence the never-dying flames are seen constantly ascending, dark and -lurid, toward the tranquil blue sky.</p> - -<p>The town of Calcutta lies on the eastern bank of the Hoogley, which is -the eastern arm of the old Ganges, and held almost as sacred as that -river; the natives daily repair in great numbers to its banks to offer -up prayers and praises. Here also, amid the din and noise and hurry of -native craft, trading vessels, and all manner of river commerce, may be -seen at any hour of the day or night the sick and dying of the Hindoo -population stretched on the edge of the river's banks, half immersed in -the sacred stream, their faces turned to the sky, convulsed or calm, -breathing their lives away.</p> - -<p>At high water the Hoogley is nearly a mile broad in front of the town, -and is very pleasant to look upon. Fine ships and steamers of all -nations and countries lie here within sight and sound; -picturesque-looking craft of every kind are seen gliding swiftly hither -and thither. But at low water the scene suddenly changes; the river -becomes a shrunken and muddy ghost of itself, with filthy borders, -whence myriad floating particles of miasma are wafted on the air to the -poor humanity who are doomed to live and labor in its vicinity.</p> - -<p>After passing the triumphal archway you emerge on a spacious open area -called the Meidân, or plain; here all the principal roads part and meet, -and here on either side one sees a grand display of really stately -architecture. This is the handsome and fashionable suburb of Chowringee, -and in every respect worthy of being called, as it is, "the City of -Palaces." The houses are all European, three and four stories high, some -detached, others<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">[Pg 306]</a></span> connected by handsome terraces or open sunny -balconies, many with shady verandahs, high carriage-porches supported by -stately pillars, while not a few are rendered still more attractive and -home-like with gay flower-gardens and fine forest and fruit trees, which -latter are not as fine as those found in the gardens of Bombay, owing to -the destructive influence of the periodical cyclones that sweep over the -valley of the Ganges.</p> - -<p>Our first drive was through this the European part of the city, which -extends about five miles along the river. A noble and much-frequented -esplanade divides the town from Fort William. On one side stands the new -Government-house, said to have been erected by the marquis of Wellesley. -It is a noble pile, an Ionic structure on a simple rustic basement. A -flight of stone steps leads to the north entrance. The south part of the -building is ornamented with a circular colonnade surmounted with a lofty -dome. There are spacious corridors at each of the four corners, with -circular passages leading to the private apartments of the family. This -princely building contains magnificent chambers, some of which are -richly decorated and filled with valuable portraits of the great -viceroys of India. Near the Government-house stand the Town-hall, -Treasury, and High Court; opposite is Fort William, commenced by Clive -soon after the famous battle of Plassey in 1775, the most -systematically-constructed fortress in India. It is said to have cost -the East India Company the immense sum of one million pounds sterling. -In shape it is an irregular octagon, with bombproof quarters for a -garrison of no less than ten thousand men and with room for six hundred -pieces of cannon. Toward the front it presents a regular massive -appearance, and is not unlike most European fortifications, but on the -side overlooking the river it is strikingly varied and picturesque, -owing to the <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">[Pg 307]</a></span>extremely irregular and broken character of the structure. -It was designed to bear upon objects that might approach the town on -either side of the river, and is eminently effective in warding off -danger. Immediately beyond the fort the fine steeple of the cathedral is -seen rising pure and high above the surrounding foliage. There is also -here a palatial residence for an Anglican bishop, and in 1844 the Rev. -H. Heber was the first Christian divine appointed to this see, with a -salary of five thousand pounds per annum.</p> - -<p>Here in this spot is found the secret of the marvellous success of that -small band of intelligent Englishmen who first set out for India under -the name and protection of trade. Here only a few years after their -arrival they laid aside their intention of simple traders; here they -mounted their guns, enrolled armed bands of natives to assist them in -their new position, made laws, punished evil-doers, rewarded the -industrious and such as made no opposition to their pretensions; and -here from one step to another they finally became the legislators and -rulers of the land. The city of Calcutta does not date farther back than -the famous battle of Plassey. The old fortified English factory was -erected on a low marshy plain in the middle of a few straggling native -villages, bordered on three sides by dense jungles infested with tigers. -At that time it had a garrison of only three hundred men; nevertheless, -that insignificant English stronghold became in a short time the -depository of all the rich merchandise of the Gangetic valley, which -excited the cupidity of many of the rajahs. In 1756, Nawab Surajah -Dowlah attacked it with an immense army, and after a desperate -resistance from the English merchants and soldiers of the fort he -finally succeeded in capturing it. Then followed the famous Black Hole -tragedy, which Macaulay has so graphically described: "One hundred and -forty-six persons were<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[Pg 308]</a></span> thrust into a dungeon twenty feet square; driven -into this cell at the point of the sword, the door was shut ruthlessly -upon them. When they realized the horrors of their position they strove -to burst the door. They offered large bribes to the jailers, but all in -vain. The nawab was asleep, and none dared to awaken him. At length the -unhappy sufferers went mad with despair. They trampled each other down, -fought for the places at the windows, fought for the pittance of water -with which the cruel mercy of the murderers mocked their agonies, raved, -prayed, blasphemed, implored the guards to fire among them. The jailers -in the mean time held lights to the bars and shouted with laughter at -the frantic struggles of their victims. At length the tumult died away -in low gaspings and moanings. The day broke. The nawab had slept off his -debauch, and permitted the doors to be opened. But it was some time -before the soldiers could make a lane for the survivors by piling up on -each side the heaps of corpses on which the burning climate had already -begun to do its loathsome work. When at length a passage was made, -twenty-three ghastly figures, such as their own mothers would not have -known, staggered one by one out of the charnel-house. A pit was -instantly dug. The dead bodies, one hundred and twenty-three in number, -were flung into it promiscuously and covered up." Such was the terrible -nature of the affair of the Black Hole. But the day of retribution was -not far distant.</p> - -<p>In order to understand the position of the East India Company at this -time we must go back a few years. The jealousy that had sprung up -between the French and English trading companies broke out into open -hostilities at the moment of the declaration of war by Louis XV. in -1744. The English were the first to receive <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[Pg 309]</a></span>reinforcements from home. -Four English vessels, having previously captured three richly-laden -French vessels on their voyage from China, appeared off the coast of -Coromandel in July, 1745. Dupleix, the governor at Pondicherry, -apprehensive that, owing to the incomplete state of the fortifications -and the insufficient garrison, the place would be taken, prevailed on -the nawab Anwar Ou Deen to threaten to revenge upon the English at -Madras any injury that the squadron should inflict upon the French -possessions within the limits of his government. The Madras officials, -intimidated by the authoritative language of the nawab, took immediate -measures to prevent the English fleet from attacking Pondicherry. The -English squadron, in obedience to the orders received, confined their -hostile operations to the sea.</p> - -<p>In the following year an indecisive action took place between the -English squadron and a French fleet under the command of La Bourdonnais; -after which the latter, having reinforced himself at Pondicherry, -proceeded to attack the English at Madras. The town was bombarded for -several days; a few of the inhabitants were killed by an explosion of a -bombshell. The English, knowing that the nawab, with all his countless -forces, was on the side of the French, capitulated, on which the -assailants entered the town and took it without the loss of a single -life.</p> - -<p>Robert Clive, then only a writer in the East India Company's service, -was among the persons who agreed to submit to La Bourdonnais, on the -express condition that the settlement should be restored on easy and -honorable terms. At the time when Madras had reverted to the English, -Clive had already exchanged the pen for the sword, and had risen to the -rank of a colonel in the East India Company's service. On hearing of the -atrocity of the Black Hole the English at Madras immediately <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">[Pg 310]</a></span>despatched -a naval and military force, the one under Admiral Watson, and the other -under Colonel Clive, to punish the nawab and protect the English at -Bengal.</p> - -<p>The bravery and "duplicity" of Clive, who believed in the adage, -"similia similibus curantur," enabled him to succeed beyond the most -sanguine expectations. Victory was followed by victory, and at length, -at the battle of Plassey, Clive at the head of three thousand men, of -whom less than one-third were English, and in the course of a single -hour's conflict, routed the entire army of Surajah Dowlah, consisting of -fifty-five thousand armed men. Surajah Dowlah vanquished and deposed, -his prime minister, Meer Jaffer, was appointed in the place of the -master, whom he had not only deserted, but betrayed, and thus Meer -Jaffer became at once the subject and tool of the English.</p> - -<p>The directors of the East India Company, on receiving the news of -Clive's success, appointed him governor of their possessions in Bengal, -and in 1760 Clive was raised to the peerage with an income of forty -thousand pounds a year.</p> - -<p>Warren Hastings was the next Englishman who from the position of a clerk -in an office at Calcutta rose to be the governor-general of British -India.</p> - -<p>The kingdom of Mysore, whose lofty table-lands are swept by the cool -breezes of the Indian Ocean, has always been inhabited by a more hardy -and manly race than that which occupied the lower plains of Hindostan. -Hyder Alee, an illiterate common soldier, impelled by a daring spirit of -adventure, seized this kingdom of Mysore and seated himself on the -throne of Seringapatam. The next step taken by this daring adventurer -was even more startling. In the month of June, 1780, and when in his -eightieth year, he led an immense army into the Carnatic,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">[Pg 311]</a></span> carrying -slaughter and destruction wherever he appeared. Two small English -armies, headed by Colonel Baillie and Sir Hector Munro, tried in vain to -check his course; they were not only overwhelmed, but compelled to -retreat, and it seemed as if the British empire in Southern India -trembled on the very verge of destruction. It was this critical juncture -that brought out the great genius of Warren Hastings. He at once took -upon himself the supreme direction of affairs, superseded the incapable -council at Madras, and without loss of time despatched the brave veteran -Sir Eyre Coote with a small but resolute force to the assistance of the -English at Madras. At once the forces of Hyder Alee were checked, siege -after siege was raised, until at length the English and Mohammedan -armies met on the plains of Cuddalore, whence, after a desperate fight, -the latter was driven in wild and disorderly confusion. Hyder Alee died -two years after this defeat, bequeathing to his son, the famous Tippoo -Saihib, his throne and his hatred of English domination.</p> - -<p>Very shortly after Warren Hastings, impeached by the House of Commons, -resigned his office as governor-general of India. Then followed that -famous trial which not only extended over seven years, but, when -dismissed from the bar of the House of Lords, left Warren Hastings a -ruined statesman and an insolvent debtor. The East India Company, -however, came to his aid with an annuity of £4000 a year, and a loan, -half of which was converted into a gift, of £50,000.</p> - -<p>During the administration of the next governor-general, Lord Cornwallis, -the implacable Tippoo Saihib suffered a signal defeat. Sir John Shore -followed Lord Cornwallis, and was succeeded by the earl of Mornington, -the elder brother of the "Iron Duke." He no sooner arrived in India than -his attention was called to the intrigues of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">[Pg 312]</a></span> French with Tippoo -Saihib, who were planning, with the assistance of fresh European troops, -to drive the English out of Hindostan. The treachery of Tippoo was -anticipated by a declaration of war. On the 5th of March, 1798, a -British army, commanded by General Harris, with the aid of several -native powers, entered the territory of Mysore, stormed the city of -Seringapatam, overthrew the dynasty of Tippoo Sultan, and annexed that -magnificent province to the British dominions.</p> - -<p>The British had no sooner gained possession of the lofty table-lands of -the Mysore than a new and more formidable enemy, the warlike and -predatory tribes who inhabited the table-land of the Deccan, opposed -their further progress. The most renowned of these kings, the rajahs of -Berar, Scindia, and Holkar, formed the famous northern confederacy under -the leadership of a still more powerful chief, the Peishwa, whose -government was at Poonah, the capital of the Deccan. The British were -soon plunged into an extensive war with these wild and fierce northmen. -On the 4th of September, 1803, the fort of Alleghur was taken by storm, -and on the 11th of the same month General Lake met twenty thousand of -these intrepid warriors, headed by able French officers, and defeated -them, capturing Delhi, one of the most ancient capitals of Hindostan and -the seat of the intolerant and luxurious Mohgul emperors. Triumph -followed triumph; Agra, Ahmednug-gur, and the golden city of Aurungabâd -surrendered.</p> - -<p>At length the united powers of Scindia and the rajah of Nagpoor made one -more desperate attempt to oppose the English power in the Deccan. The -armies of the Mahratta kings were marshalled at the small village of -Assaye to meet the British troops. On ascending the rising ground to -reconnoitre the enemy's forces, the English commander, who was no other -than General Wellesley,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_313" id="Page_313">[Pg 313]</a></span> perceived a vast host extending in a line along -the opposite bank of the Kelnah River near its junction with the Jewah. -Their right consisted entirely of cavalry, and their left was formed of -infantry trained and disciplined by De Boigne, with over one hundred -pieces of cannon, which rested on the fortified village of Assaye. These -were completely overthrown by Wellesley with a force not exceeding eight -thousand men, and of whom not more than fifteen hundred were English.</p> - -<p>The power of the Mahratta kings, once shaken at Assaye, was at length -completely humbled on the plains of Argaum. They were compelled to sue -for peace, which was only granted them at the expense of enormous -territory. From this time British influence became paramount through the -whole of Northern Hindostan, and these were the last and most famous of -General Wellesley's conquests in India. He returned to England in 1805 -to win for himself greater fame than even that which he achieved on -Indian soil.</p> - -<p>Magnificent as is the city of Calcutta architecturally, it was -considered at one time one of the most unhealthy of spots. The entire -country is flat; here and there are extensive muddy lakes, breeding -under a tropical sun malaria and all manner of diseases; a line of dank, -tangled forests still stretch across the land, and is not very distant -from the town. In former times this jungle was the abode of innumerable -wild beasts, and it is even now infested with jackals, who immediately -after nightfall howl in sudden accord, uttering the most demon-like -yells. These local disadvantages have been partially removed. The -streets have been well and carefully drained; many of the stagnant, -muddy pools have not only been filled up, but converted into blooming -gardens; and the magnificent Botanical Garden with which Mr. Hooker has -enriched<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_314" id="Page_314">[Pg 314]</a></span> Calcutta, is said by good judges to be the finest in the -world. Nevertheless, the air is still impregnated to a certain extent -with the impure exhalations arising from the low jungles in the vicinity -of this city, called the Sunderbunds.</p> - -<p>From the palaces of the conquering Anglo-Indians the drive to the "Black -Town," as the native portion of the city is still called, is enough to -discourage the most enthusiastic of Christians in the world. This -quarter of Calcutta stretches for some miles toward the north, -presenting at once a sad contrast to the stately and grand portion -occupied by the English. The transition is all the more marked because -of the architectural pretensions of the one and the rude mud habitations -of the other. Here reside at least three-fourths of the entire -population of Calcutta. The streets are more or less narrow, filthy, -unpaved, and unswept. The houses are built principally of mud, bamboo, -or other coarse woods, swarming with an excess of population. Within -this wretched vicinity are found no less than twenty entire bazaars -extending from one end of the "Black Town" to the other, well stocked -with goods from all parts of the world, rare and valuable products of -the Indian loom, shawls and paintings from Cashmere, kinkaubs from -Benares, teas and silks from China, spices, pearls, and precious stones -from Ceylon, rupees from Pegu, coffee from Java and Arabia, nutmegs from -Singapore; in fact, everything that the wide world has ever produced is -displayed in shops that are nothing but miserably patched mud or bamboo -dwellings. Through these native bazaars the teeming population seemed to -flow and gurgle unchanged through all changes of governors, -constitutions, and rulers—the same to-day, in type, character, feeling, -religion, and occupation, as it was before the beginning of the earliest -known history. Here,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_315" id="Page_315">[Pg 315]</a></span> assembled from the four winds of the heaven, were -all the elements of an unspeakably motley crowd—nut-brown, graceful -Hindoo maidens tripping daintily with rows of water-jars nicely balanced -on their heads; dark-hued young Hindoo men, all clean and washed, robed -in pure white, laughing, talking, or loitering around; -handsomely-dressed baboos—as the native gentlemen of Bengal are -called—in Oriental costumes, but with European stockings and shoes, -sauntering carelessly along; dancing-girls brilliantly attired; common -street-women jewelled and bedizened with innumerable trinkets and in -their distinctive garb; bheesties with water-skins on their backs; -Borahs, brokers, Brahmans, Musulmans, sepoys, fakeers, and gossains, in -their peculiar costumes, shouting in manifold tongues and various -dialects; and, above all, there may be seen strolling jugglers, -snake-charmers, and fortune-tellers plying their curious arts and -completing the picture of an Oriental bazaar.</p> - -<p>In some of the streets a small stream of water, a rivulet of the sacred -Ganges, flows bright and clear through artificial channels. Many of the -native shops open on it, and all day long hosts of men, women, and -children may be seen seated beside it, busy or idle, but always grateful -for this truly precious gift of the gods.</p> - -<p>Calcutta boasts of a Sanskrit college of high repute, a Mohammedan, and -an Anglo-Indian college, supported by the English government. The -College of Fort William, founded by the marquis of Wellesley, is chiefly -used by Englishmen, who, having been partially educated at the College -of Haylesbury, England, are instructed here in the Oriental languages -and other branches of study necessary for their respective professions -and callings in India.</p> - -<p>The government system of native education was <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_316" id="Page_316">[Pg 316]</a></span>established on the -foundation of the Hindoo schools already in existence. These schools are -divided into two classes or grades, the upper and lower schools. In the -upper, by means of Sanskrit, the peculiar philosophy, literature, and -religion of the Hindoos are taught; the lower schools are to be found in -every village, and may be numbered by tens of thousands; in these the -teaching varies and is more or less dependent on the ability of the -persons—<i>i. e.</i> Brahmans—who are employed to teach. Most of these -village teachers are induced for about six pounds per annum to attend a -normal school for a year; after having passed the required examination -they are invited to take charge of some village school.</p> - -<p>There are eight great centres of education in British India, and each is -wholly independent of the others. These are the three great presidencies -of Bengal, Madras, and Bombay, Scindh, the North-western Provinces, -Oude, the Central Provinces, and British Burmah. Each of these has its -own special director of public instruction, with a staff of inspecting -officers. Among the institutions that are wholly supported by the -government may be classed the village school, in which the vernacular of -the district is taught with a few other studies; the zillah, or district -school, in which the higher classes are often educated in English and -prepared for the universities; the talook schools, which also are -preparatory schools; colleges with European professors, in which a -thorough English education is imparted to the students, as are now found -in the chief cities of Benares, Delhi, Agra, Lahore, Poonah, Madras, and -Calcutta; and the Elphinstone College at Bombay. Normal schools, -technical colleges for medicine, engineering, and surgery, mission and -other private schools abound, besides which there are thousands of -purely native schools scattered throughout the vast territory of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_317" id="Page_317">[Pg 317]</a></span> India, -still existing under the old Brahmanic village system of education.</p> - -<p>Native female education is hardly begun by the government, and the task -is very difficult, owing to the peculiar social restraints still imposed -on the better class of Asiatic women. The Parsee female schools in -Bombay are said to be the best supported and the most efficient in this -respect. About twenty-five years ago Mr. Bethune opened in the city of -Calcutta a school for native women. It was liberally supported by Lord -Dalhousie, and since his death by the state. This was the beginning of a -movement which has found great favor not only in Bengal, but in the -North-western Provinces and the Punjaub. There are now in Bengal two -normal schools for teachers and two hundred and forty-four schools for -girls, with 4844 pupils. There are no fewer than six hundred and fifty -schools in the Punjaub, with an aggregate of 20,534 pupils. These -elementary schools in the Punjaub, Lahore, and Umritsur are -superintended solely by native gentlemen. In addition to these the -zenana mission-work, carried on so successfully by American and European -missionary ladies, is slowly but surely preparing hundreds of women and -children for a day that may ripen into better things; like a grain of -mustard-seed once cast into the right soil, it will stretch out strong -boughs to the four corners of the earth for the birds to lodge under.</p> - -<p>Another school of religious thought, already mentioned, called the -Brahmo-Somaj, "assembled in the name of God," is even more closely -allied with the dawning freedom and emancipation of the Hindoos from the -priestcraft and spiritual tyranny of the Brahman hierarchy. From this -new school of religious thought a large party of about five thousand -souls seceded some few years ago. They chose for their leader the able -and astute philosopher, the late<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_318" id="Page_318">[Pg 318]</a></span> Keshub Chunder Sen, one of the most -talented and spiritual men among the Hindoos of to-day. This association -has a church in Calcutta, where the members meet once a week or oftener -for the purposes of meditation and worship.</p> - -<p>Various means of improvement are now open to the British subjects of -India. The English residents in Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay are among -the most kind and liberal people in the world. Quite independent of the -government establishments, they privately support a vast number of -charitable institutions, and there is no end of societies for religious -and other educational objects; and although the changes effected in the -religious and social condition of the majority of the peoples since the -occupation of India by the British are hardly perceptible, nevertheless -some very important steps have been taken toward ensuring the good of -the people at large, especially in the prohibition of sutteeism, -infanticide, the terrific sacrifice of life that at one time -characterized the festival of the god Juggernath, not to speak of the -tortures of maddened fanatics and self-condemned ascetics, the horrible -practices of the Thugs and that of the Meriahs of Orissa. All these -savage practices are more or less repressed by the constant and vigilant -operation of protective laws instituted by the British rulers.</p> - -<p>Before leaving Calcutta we paid a visit to the Khali Ghaut, and alighted -before a great hall with a towering but ungainly roof above it. This was -the famous temple of the black goddess Kali. There was something more -entangled, enchanted, and demon-like about this building and its -interior than any other that I had ever entered in India. It was the -festival of Juggernath. A number of white-robed priests were preparing -to place the grim goddess in a car and to lead her forth to grace the -festival. The temple consisted of a vast number of low<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_319" id="Page_319">[Pg 319]</a></span> pillars; it was -dimly lighted, and, although light was flooding the earth everywhere in -great splendor, it was not allowed to enter here, but it worked its way -hither and thither and quivered dubiously in unearthly tints on the face -of the black goddess dimly visible in the distance. A more hideous and -repulsive image can hardly be conceived by the heart of man than this -veritable female fiend after whom the city of Calcutta is still named.</p> - -<p>No one seemed to object to our entering the temple, so we walked down -the dim aisles and stood face to face with the grim and terrible Kali. -It would be impossible to give utterance to the sense of horror that -crept over me as I looked at this strange, enigmatic deity of the -Bengalees. The black face was surmounted by long hair which had the -appearance of innumerable serpents; a red tongue protruded from the -hideous mouth; the expression of the eyes was strange and fierce, almost -to madness; she was furnished with four arms, in one of which she -grasped a knife and in the other the head of a man; in another pair of -hands higher up she held a lotos and the <i>chakra</i>, or the wheel. Round -her neck hung the skulls of murdered victims, and she stood on the body -of a prostrate man, who is represented trumpeting forth her praises even -while she is in the act of crushing him to death.</p> - -<p>The pundit explained to us the meaning of this horrible figure; no -further text was needed. This grim idol is to the Hindoos a fearful -warning against sensuality. The lotos in the upper hand, which is the -emblem of purity, and the wheel of retribution, are transformed in the -lower hands into a knife and a bleeding human head. She puts out her -tongue derisively, and crushes her victim—all indicating, as plainly as -our Bible, "The wages of sin is death." Human sacrifices were offered to -her at no very remote period, but now, by order of the British -<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_320" id="Page_320">[Pg 320]</a></span>government, the sacrifices to her are limited to goats and kids, which -are offered to her every morning.</p> - -<p>As we were standing and looking at this strange idol, a number of -barefooted priests came through a narrow court, entered the temple, and -took their places beside the shrine. Two men very handsomely dressed -approached from an opposite direction bearing a fine goat, which was -tied by the feet, and laid it at the foot of the altar. Then one of the -priests took from the altar a vase containing some red paint mixed with -oil, with which he touched the forehead, fore feet, and breast of the -goat; he then sprinkled some consecrated water on it. This done, a -low-caste man stepped up, took the poor palpitating beast, inserted its -head into a curiously-fashioned guillotine, secured it there by means of -a wooden pin, and then dealt it one blow; the head was severed, and was -presented to the officiating priests, and the executioner carried away -the body. Such offerings are made by both men and women as an atonement -for personal offences. Thus the wrath of the black goddess of Calcutta -is supposed to be appeased. Goats are also sacrificed to her by Hindoo -women when they have had bad dreams or when they anticipate any -calamity, in order to avert the coming evil.</p> - -<p>On the next day was the procession of Juggernath. A wilder and more -incongruous scene I never witnessed. We spent several hours in watching -the procession, which, issuing from the native town, traverses a large -circuit round the principal thoroughfares, pauses at the bank of the -river, and then retires to the country-seat of the idol, some few miles -from the temple. The idol is made of wood, is about six feet high, with -a grim human countenance—very unlike the carvings of Krishna to be -found in other parts of India—painted blue, and seated in a lofty -chariot borne aloft on sixteen high wheels. It was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_321" id="Page_321">[Pg 321]</a></span> drawn by long ropes -held by thousands of enthusiastic men, women, and children, who often -bribe the priests for the privilege of conducting the god to his -country-house. A number of priests and gayly-dressed priestesses, -standing on the platform of the chariot, chanted the praises of the -"lord of life," while the people shouted, screamed, and clapped their -hands amid the wild beating of drums and din of hundreds of native -musical instruments. The air was heavy with the incense offered to the -idol, while nature around seemed to be steeped in repose, myriads of -bees murmured softly their idyllic hum among the wayside flowers, doves -were seen nestling together among the shady leaves of huge pepul trees, -and around the cool recesses of huge tanks and reservoirs numbers of -peacocks sat or strutted quietly about, unfurling their glories to the -noonday sun. More puzzling than even the festival of Juggernath is the -curious state of things still existing in British India, for side by -side with the Church of the Brahmo-Somaj, the advanced thought and -intelligence of the educated baboos and other highly philosophic and -cultivated natives of Bengal, are the temples of the goddess Kali and -the strange festival of Juggernath.</p> - -<p>With regard to European influence, it must be admitted that it is -hardly, if at all, felt by the majority of the native population. The -viceroy and the great English grandees are separated from the natives -for whose interests they are there by law and custom which nothing can -overcome, and the officials around whom the whole Indian empire revolves -are often ignorant of the Indian languages, races, religious and social -prejudices, and mode of life of the hundreds of provinces that lie -within the railways, while those beyond are to them, as the wilds of -Africa, an undiscovered country. I have often heard gentlemen of great -intelligence in other respects speak of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_322" id="Page_322">[Pg 322]</a></span> people of India with -profound contempt, classing in one indistinguishable mass Brahmans, -Hindoos, Parsees, Mohammedans, Arabians, Persians, Armenians, Turks, -Jews, and other races too numerous to mention.</p> - -<p>Our next visit was to Benares, the far-famed ecclesiastical metropolis -of Hindostan. We rested full two hours just outside this sacred spot to -enable our pundit to perform the prescribed observances before entering -this holy of holies. When he appeared before us he was bathed, shaved, -anointed, and clothed in pure white, and even to his sandals he was a -new man. He kept his eyes half closed, so that his thoughts should not -be tempted to stray from the object of his deep contemplation. Presently -we were joined by a crowd of pilgrims who passed into the city, some -prostrating themselves full length as they drew near. In the morning -light Benares presented a most imposing appearance: the buildings are -lofty and mostly in the Hindoo style of architecture, stretching for -several miles along the edge of the Ganges, from which ascends a long -line of stone steps. Next morning we visited several of the Hindoo -temples, especially the temple of the monkeys, which was one of the most -ludicrous I have ever witnessed. A number of tame monkeys played about -the temple even while the most solemn services were being performed -within. The large area for the cremation of dead bodies sent hither from -all parts of Hindostan was the most astonishing thing I have ever seen, -and the huge funeral pyres ever burning here produced on my mind an -ever-memorable effect. We were glad to turn our steps from the revolting -sights and scenes of the cremation-ground to a beautiful mosque which -stands as a symbol of Moslem power in the very heart of this Brahmanic -city, towering up above the surrounding buildings on the site of a once -magnificent Hindoo temple which was torn<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_323" id="Page_323">[Pg 323]</a></span> down, by the order of -Aurungzebe, to give place to the present graceful structure. We remained -for an hour or more within the walls of this mosque, and came away -charmed with the glistening mosaics, the capitals of the columns, the -vaults, ceilings, and arches, and the thousand and one mysterious -optical illusions of light and shade caused by the wonderous -architecture of the Moslems. Our next visit was to the Hindoo Sanskrit -College, the most famous institution of learning in Hindostan, and well -worth seeing. The students often assemble here at sunrise, and even -after sunset, to continue their studies, and in no part of India do I -remember meeting so many noble-looking young Hindoos as were assembled -in these halls on the morning of our visit.</p> - -<div class="center"><a name="i350.jpg" id="i350.jpg"></a><img src="images/i350.jpg" alt="The Munikurnika Ghat—One of the Burning Ghats of -Benares" /></div> - -<p class="bold"><span class="smcap">The Munikurnika Ghat—One of the Burning Ghats of -Benares.</span></p> - -<p>From Benares we made a long and tedious dâhk-journey—<i>i. e.</i> by -changing horses at different stations—to Agra, in the upper plains of -India. The country we passed through was beautiful. The picturesque -native villages of immemorial antiquity, their names, their fields, -their hereditary offices and occupations, have come down to them out of -a dim past and through countless generations, and everywhere we saw -fields of millet and wheat, the flaming poppy, and the tall luscious -sugar-cane plantations; cream-colored, dreamy-looking oxen moving -sleepily about in the fields or drawing water from the wells and tanks; -men, women, and children basking under the shade of huge trees or -bathing languidly in the cool tanks, giving one the feeling of passing -through dreamland.</p> - -<p>The great sight of sights at Agra, as every one now knows, is the famous -Taj-Mahal, and hither we repaired the morning after our arrival; and I -must confess, though I had heard of it and read the many elaborate -descriptions of it, I had no idea of its matchless beauty till I stood -under its roof surrounded by its pillars and walls. It would<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_324" id="Page_324">[Pg 324]</a></span> take pages -to describe the wonderful outlines of the windows, the ornaments of the -walls, arches, domes, and minarets, or even the exquisite carvings and -arabesques of a single frieze; so that I will not attempt here what has -already been so often done. The impression left on the mind is very deep -and solemn. When I first caught sight of the Taj through the noble -gateway at the entrance to the grounds, I experienced feelings of -mingled awe and wonder, which increased in proportion as we examined it -more closely. Even the enormous platform on which the Taj stands is of -white marble, inlaid with precious stones, and all the lower parts -outside of the building are also most elaborately and tastefully carved. -The dome is perfect in its proportions of pure white marble, with an -exquisite minaret of gold. In the centre is the tomb of Noor Mahal, also -called by her proper name, Mamtaz Mahal, the favorite wife and queen of -Shah Jehan, built to her memory two centuries ago. Above the tomb is a -mass of the most delicate inlaid work, and the screen-like wall which -surrounds it is entirely composed of leaves and all sorts of flowers -containing innumerable precious stones. The echoes of our voices -produced the most wonderful reverberations, impossible to imagine or -adequately describe. We visited the Taj also by moonlight, and found it -a hundred-fold more enchanting. The gardens in which it stands are -purely Oriental, and recalled to my mind many passages from the old -Persian poets. There are lovely white marble fountains and tanks and -promenades with inviting seats here and there for rest, while a -profusion of fragrant flowers, shrubs, and the dark silent cypresses -which stand like muffled mourners around the monument add a pathetic -beauty to the lovely spot.</p> - -<p>Having seen the Taj, there was nothing left to do but to return to the -"Aviary" on Malabar Hill.</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_325" id="Page_325">[Pg 325]</a></span></p><p>And now, as I close these brief sketches of life and travel in India, -the romance, antiquity, the song, and story still stir the memory with -the powerful enchantment of a land where all nature seems to lie -dreaming in its glory of perpetual sunshine, warmth, and color.</p> - -<p class="center space-above">THE END.</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Life and Travel in India, by -Anna Harriette Leonowens - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIFE AND TRAVEL IN INDIA *** - -***** This file should be named 52896-h.htm or 52896-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/2/8/9/52896/ - -Produced by MWS, Adrian Mastronardi, Martin Pettit and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net -(This file was produced from images generously made -available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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