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- } - .covernote { visibility: hidden; display: none; } - div.tnotes p { text-align:left; } - @media handheld { .covernote { visibility: visible; display: block;} } - @media handheld {.ol_1 li {padding-left: 1em; text-indent: 0em; } } - body {font-family: Georgia, serif; text-align: justify; } - table {font-size: .9em; } - .figcenter {font-size: .9em; } - .ph2 { text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; font-size: x-large; margin: .75em auto; - page-break-before: always; } - div.titlepage {text-align: center; page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; } - div.titlepage p {text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; - line-height: 1.5; margin-top: 3em; } - .section { clear: both; page-break-before: always; } - </style> - </head> - <body> - - -<pre> - -Project Gutenberg's Grand Moving Diorama of Hindostan, by Fanny Parks - -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: Grand Moving Diorama of Hindostan - Displaying the Scenery of the Hoogly, the Bhagirathi, and - the Ganges, from Fort William, Bengal, to Gangoutri, in - the Himalaya - -Author: Fanny Parks - -Release Date: July 29, 2019 [EBook #60006] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GRAND MOVING DIORAMA OF HINDOSTAN *** - - - - -Produced by Richard Tonsing, Chris Curnow and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class='tnotes covernote'> - -<p class='c000'><b>Transcriber’s Note:</b></p> - -<p class='c000'>The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.</p> - -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>Asiatic Gallery,</div> - <div class='c001'>BAKER STREET BAZĀR, PORTMAN SQUARE.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='titlepage'> - -<div> - <h1 class='c002'><span class='c003'>GRAND MOVING DIORAMA OF</span><br /> HINDOSTĀN,<br /> <span class='c004'>DISPLAYING THE SCENERY OF THE HOOGLY, THE BHĀGĪRATHĪ, AND THE GANGES,</span><br /> <span class='c005'>FROM FORT WILLIAM, BENGAL, TO GANGOUTRĪ,</span><br /> <span class='c006'>IN THE HIMALAYA.</span></h1> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c007'> - <div><span class='small'>BY</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_title.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><em>Visitors to the Diorama are allowed to inspect</em></div> - <div><span class='large'>THE MUSEUM.</span></div> - <div class='c001'>London:</div> - <div>PUBLISHED AT THE ASIATIC GALLERY, BAKER STREET BAZĀR.</div> - <div><em>Price One Shilling.</em></div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c008'> - <div>Entered at Stationers’ Hall.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='section ph2'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c008'> - <div>THE DIORAMA OF HINDOSTĀN</div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c007'> - <div>Has been Painted by</div> - <div class='c001'>Mr. PHILIP PHILLIPS;</div> - <div class='c001'>The FIGURES and ANIMALS by Mr. LOUIS HAGHE;</div> - <div class='c001'>The SHIPPING by Mr. KNELL.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>The whole of the Scenes of the Diorama have been arranged by Lieutenant Colonel <span class='sc'>Luard</span>, -from his own original and unpublished sketches, taken during a residence of fourteen years -in India; aided by the kindness of friends, who have placed at his disposal the original -sketches of</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>The late Sir <span class='sc'>Charles D’Oyly</span>, Bart.,</div> - <div class='line'>The late <span class='sc'>James Prinsep</span>, Esq.,</div> - <div class='line'>The late Captain <span class='sc'>Prinsep</span>,</div> - <div class='line'>The late Colonel <span class='sc'>Edward Smith</span>,</div> - <div class='line'>Major <span class='sc'>White</span>,</div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>William Prinsep</span>, Esq.,</div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>George Chinnery</span>, Esq.,</div> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Welby Jackson</span>, Esq.,</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'>and the Author of “Wanderings of a Pilgrim, during Four-and-Twenty Years, in the East.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c011'>LIST OF PLATES.</h2> -</div> - -<table class='table0' summary='LIST OF PLATES'> - <tr> - <th class='c012'><span class='sc'>No.</span></th> - <th class='c013'> </th> - <th class='c014'><span class='sc'>Page</span></th> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c015'>1</td> - <td class='c013'>Fort William, Bengal</td> - <td class='c014'><a href='#Page_9'>9</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c015'>2</td> - <td class='c013'>Prinsep’s Ghāt</td> - <td class='c014'><a href='#Page_11'>11</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c015'>3</td> - <td class='c013'>The Fakīr</td> - <td class='c014'><a href='#Page_16'>16</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c015'>4</td> - <td class='c013'>Barrackpore</td> - <td class='c014'><a href='#Page_24'>24</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c015'>5</td> - <td class='c013'>The Elephant Establishment</td> - <td class='c014'><a href='#Page_27'>27</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c015'>6</td> - <td class='c013'>Sīckrī-Galī</td> - <td class='c014'><a href='#Page_32'>32</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c015'>7</td> - <td class='c013'>The Foolish Fakīr</td> - <td class='c014'><a href='#Page_35'>35</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c015'>8</td> - <td class='c013'>The Minarets</td> - <td class='c014'><a href='#Page_42'>42</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c015'>9</td> - <td class='c013'>The Satī</td> - <td class='c014'><a href='#Page_58'>58</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c015'>10</td> - <td class='c013'>Hurdwar</td> - <td class='c014'><a href='#Page_62'>62</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c015'>11</td> - <td class='c013'>Simla—The Conical Hill</td> - <td class='c014'><a href='#Page_65'>65</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c015'>12</td> - <td class='c013'>Gangoutrī</td> - <td class='c014'><a href='#Page_67'>67</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_5'>5</span> - <h2 class='c011'>INTRODUCTION.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c016'>In the month of October, 1589, a body of English merchants addressed a memorial to her -majesty, Queen Elizabeth, requesting licence to equip three ships for the purpose of trading -to the East Indies: this request appears to have been favourably received, and in 1591 the first -English commercial voyage was commenced in three vessels. It proved a disastrous one; -but considerable experience was obtained, and the ardour of the English merchants was but -little damped by the result.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In 1599 an association of merchant adventurers was formed in London, with a capital of -30,000<em>l.</em>, for the purpose of trading “<em>to the East Indies and countries thereabout</em>;” and the -royal assent was applied for and obtained to this project, “<em>intended for the honour of their -native country, and the advancement of trade and merchandise within the realm of England</em>.” -The Charter was dated, 31st December, 1600. This association, which may be looked upon -as the foundation of the present East India Company, led to a succession of voyages more or -less fortunate, which, before long, resulted in the Company obtaining establishments at various -places on the coast of the Peninsula, as well as among the eastern islands. The Presidencies -of Madras and Bombay were first established; but that of Bengal, although the latest, was -soon rendered by circumstances the most important of the three, and is now the seat of the -supreme government of India.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On the 20th December, 1687, Mr. Job Charnock, the agent for the Kossimbazār factory -on the Hoogly, finding it no longer safe to remain at that place, moved down to the village of -Chuttanuttee, on the present site of Calcutta, with all the ships, troops, and property, where -they commenced to intrench themselves. They were afterwards forced to move down the -river to Ingellee, in which pestilential climate the whole force would have been carried off, had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_6'>6</span>not the Emperor Aurungzebe made overtures to Mr. Charnock and allowed him to return to -Chuttanuttee. In 1691 they were allowed to form a settlement there: it increased rapidly, -and was permanently fixed upon as the head-quarters of the Company’s establishments in -Bengal.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Chuttanuttee occupied the site of the present native portion of the city; Govindpoor stood -where the new Fort William is erected; and the European part of the city, including the site -of the old Fort, is built within the precincts of Kalleeghatta, hence originated the modern -appellation of Calcutta; and as the founder of that city, Mr. Job Charnock’s name will -probably be remembered as long as the British Empire in India shall exist. He died in 1692, -and was buried in the old Cemetery, where his tomb is yet to be seen in the old burying-ground -of St. John’s Cathedral, being one of the few allowed to remain when that building was -erected.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In 1695, a rebellion having broken out in Bengal, the local government applied to the -Nawāb for permission to put their factories in a state of defence, and on the request not being -positively refused, they hastened to erect walls of masonry, with bastions or flanking towers -at the angles, round their several factories, and thus originated the fortifications of Calcutta. -In 1699, Sir Charles Eyre was re-appointed to the charge of Bengal, which was then for the -first time raised to the rank of a Presidency. Orders were issued that the fortifications should -be strengthened and rendered regular, so as to afford a safe retreat for all their servants and -property; and it was recommended to give the outline of the buildings the form of a pentagon, -if possible, that being at the time considered the strongest figure of defence. In 1701–2, the -court issued orders that the Fort should be made a regular pentagon with bastions, and the -works be made extensive enough to accommodate all the establishments of the out-factories. -In the year 1707–8, the rival interests of the “Old London” and the new “English -Company” were merged into “The United Company of Merchants trading to the East -Indies.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>In 1742, the Mahrattas devastated the whole province, and sacked the town of Hoogly. -On this occasion, the English applied for and obtained permission to dig a ditch and throw up -an intrenchment round their settlement, which, if completed, would have extended more than -seven miles. When little more than three miles of the ditch were completed, finding that the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_7'>7</span>Mahrattas did not advance, the work was discontinued: it was, however, always known afterwards -as the Mahratta Ditch; some traces of which still remain—hence the people of Calcutta -are sometimes called the Ditchers.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Nawāb Sooraj-oo-Dowlah succeeded to the government of Bengal in 1756. He entertained -the greatest dislike to the English, and determined, if possible, to expel them from -the country. In June, 1756, he appeared before the factory at Kossimbazār, and the place -not being tenable, it surrendered. The Nawāb advanced with expedition and attacked Calcutta, -which surrendered on the 20th. Mr. Holwell, with a party amounting to 146 persons, were -thrown into the Black Hole—the history of which is too well known to need repetition. The -Nawāb having ransacked Calcutta, changed its name to Alīnuggur, and flattering himself he -had for ever extirpated the English power, thought it unnecessary to follow up the small party -of refugees assembled at Fultah. In December, 1756, an armament, under the command of -Colonel Robert Clive, arrived at Fultah, and recaptured Calcutta, where they found the -greater part of the merchandise that had been left there, it having been reserved for the use -of the Nawāb.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_8'>8</span> - <h2 class='c011'>DIORAMA OF HINDOSTĀN.</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c016'>The subject of the Diorama which we shall have the honour to explain, is the course of the -Ganges from its source to Fort William, Bengal:—its picturesque scenery, the towns and -temples on its banks, the religious ceremonies, and the customs of the inhabitants, both Hindū -and Musalmān, will be pourtrayed. This noble river, considered the most sacred in Hindostān, -takes its rise at Gangoutrī, in the Himalaya, and issues from the mountains upon the plains -near Hurdwar. It passes within a few miles of Meerut, flowing on to Furrackabad, Cawnpore, -and Allahabad; at the latter, it joins the Jumna, the first river of importance with which it -unites. Hence its course becomes more winding, its bed wider, and the united streams flow -past Mirzapūr, Chunar, Benares, and Ghazipūr. A little above Chupra, the River Ghogra -falls into the Ganges on the left bank; and below Arrah, on the opposite bank, is its junction -with the Soane. At Hājīpūr, the Gunduk increases the powerful stream, which flows on and -passes Patna, Monghir, Bhagulpūr, Colgong, and Rajmahal, until it reaches Gopalgunj, at -which place a branch of the Ganges quits the main stream, and flowing by Sooty and Moorshedabad -is called the Bhāgīrathī, until it reaches Nuddea. The main stream of the Ganges -running to the eastward, joins the Berhampootra, and after its union with that river, falls -into the Bay of Bengal. This, the main stream of the Ganges, is not looked upon with equal -veneration by the Hindūs as the branch before-mentioned, which, flowing by Sooty and -Moorshedabad, is called the Bhāgīrathī, until it reaches Nuddea, at which place it is joined by -the Jellinghy, and the united currents flow on, passing Calcutta, to the island of Sāgar, under -the name of the Hoogly. Prior to the commencement of the nineteenth century, the Ganges -had been traced by Hindū pilgrims from Hindostān into the snowy mountains that run in -a direction north-west to south-east on the frontiers of India. We will now ascend the -stream, stopping, as is the custom with pilgrims, at the junction of rivers, and other sacred -places, considered peculiarly holy by the Hindūs, until we reach the last shrine, Gangoutrī, -the source of the Holy River.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<span class='pageno' id='Page_9'>9</span> -<img src='images/i_009.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<h3 class='c017'>FORT WILLIAM.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>Fort William, the citadel of Calcutta, is situated on the left bank of the Hoogly, about a -quarter of a mile below the town; it is a European fortification, and was called Fort William -in honour of his majesty King William the Third. This Citadel was commenced by Lord -Clive soon after the Battle of Plassey, which was fought in 1757; it is capable of containing -15,000 men, and the works are so extensive, that 10,000 would be required to defend them -efficiently. The works do not make an imposing appearance from without, nor are they perceptible -until closely approached: this excites great surprise in the natives coming from the -interior, who always connect the idea of great strength with great elevation. It is of octagonal -form; five of the faces are regular, while the forms of the other three next the river are -according to local circumstances.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_10'>10</span>The Esplanade, Chowringhee, and the site of Fort William were, so late as 1756, a -complete jungle, interspersed with a few huts, and small pieces of grazing and arable land.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The view now presented shows a part of the rampart of Fort William; the Hoogly flows -beneath, Calcutta appears in the distance, stretching from Chandpaul Ghāt to Chowringhee -Road; the situation of the Ghāt is marked by the high chimney of the building, containing a -steam engine for raising water.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The next building in the back ground is the Bank of Bengal; the long colonnade is in -front of the Supreme Court of Judicature; and to the right is the Cathedral of St. John, which -stands partly on the site of the old Cemetery. In clearing away the ground for its foundation, -the tomb of Mr. Job Charnock, the founder of Calcutta, was discovered: he died in 1692. -The tomb of Mr. Hamilton was also found, and is now placed in the same building with that -of Mr. Charnock. Mr. Hamilton was surgeon to the embassy sent to the court of the -Emperor Furrookhseer, and the Company are indebted to him for having induced the -Emperor to grant them many privileges, and to confirm all former ones: he died in 1717. -Mr. Speke was also buried in the old Cemetery, and his tomb, with those before-mentioned, -is one of the few allowed to remain there on the erection of St. John’s Cathedral, where they -are still to be seen. The first stone of St. John’s Cathedral, in Council House Street, was -laid on the 6th of April, 1781. On a plate of copper, graved in the stone, is the following -inscription:—“The first stone of this sacred building, raised by the liberal and voluntary -subscription of British subjects and others, was laid, under the auspices of the Honourable -Warren Hastings, Esq., Governor-General of India, on the 6th day of April, 1784, and the -thirteenth year of his Government.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>The architect was Lieutenant James Agg, of the Engineer Corps. On the 24th of -June, 1787, the Church was consecrated and dedicated to St. John. Sir John Zoffani, the -celebrated artist, bestowed the altar-piece, representing the Last Supper.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Town Hall, a fine building, is rendered conspicuous by its Doric portico; it was -erected by the inhabitants of Calcutta in 1804: the Government Treasury succeeds it, and -in the distance is the spire of St. Andrew’s Church, in the Lall Bazār.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Government House, the principal building in Calcutta, was erected about the year -1804, during the administration of the Marquis Wellesley; the architect was Captain Wyatt, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_11'>11</span>of the Engineers. The entrances, or great gateways, are each crowned by a lion, and are continually -the resting-places of the <em>Hargīla</em>, the gigantic crane, commonly called the Adjutant.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Column on the right was erected to the memory of Major-General Sir David -Auchterlony, on account of his distinguished services. It is 160 feet in height, and stands -on the Esplanade in front of the town.</p> - -<p class='c009'><em>Hargīlas</em> or Adjutants are numerous in the Fort, and so tame, that they will allow -men to pass very near them and show no signs of fear; they stalk about the Esplanade, and -rest in the most picturesque manner on the highest buildings in the city.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The officer, with his bearer holding a <em>chatr</em>, or native umbrella, to protect him from the -sun, is watching some monkeys; and a <em>griffin</em>, as a young cadet is called for the first year, is -amusing himself with teazing one.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_011.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_12'>12</span> - <h3 class='c017'>PRINSEP’S GHĀT.</h3> -</div> - -<p class='c018'>The audience are now requested to imagine they have embarked upon the Hoogly, off -Prinsep’s Ghāt, the first landing-place of importance that is met with on approaching the -City of Palaces. James Prinsep, Esq., died in 1840, and his fellow-citizens in Calcutta -erected this ghāt to his memory, as having been one of the leaders of science in India, the -promoter of every good work, a faithful and useful public servant, and a warm and true -friend. The building in the distance is St. Peter’s, the garrison Church in the Fort, and the -vessel passing up the river is complimented by a salute from its battery. Beyond the flag-staff -is the Semaphore, or telegraph, a high tower from which intelligence is conveyed by signals.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>THE WATER GATE.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>The Water Gate of Fort William is now before you, and the horsemen are on the Esplanade,—a -road extending by the river side, from Chandpaul Ghāt, to Garden Reach. This is the -favourite ride and drive, during the early morning and in the cool of the evening, of all the -inhabitants of Calcutta. A <em>dinghī</em>, a native boat covered with matting, is going up the river, -filled with <em>gharas</em>, or jars of coarse, red earthenware, used for holding water.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Governor-General’s pleasure boat, called the <em>Sona makhī</em>, or golden fly, is moored -beyond; she has beautiful accommodations, and is perfectly suited to the river and the -climate. From this point is seen the Government House: the edifice is a noble one, and -particularly well adapted in its plan and interior arrangements to the climate. The external -view is grand and imposing, and it is a fit and proper residence for the supreme ruler of our -Indian possessions. Its two entrances or gateways are shown, and the line of houses, inhabited -by Europeans, in Esplanade Row, in front of which is the Auchterlony Monument.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The long line of vessels so closely moored off the bank, are boats, called Budjerows; -they are commanded by a native called a <em>Sarhang</em> or <em>Mānghī</em>, and carry 12, 14, 16, or 18 oars, -and are generally used by persons going to the upper provinces.</p> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_13'>13</span> - <h3 class='c017'>BĀBŪ GHĀT.</h3> -</div> - -<p class='c018'>This building was erected by a wealthy native gentleman, and therefore termed <em>Bābū</em> Ghāt—the -title <em>Bābū</em>, given by Hindūs, is equivalent to Mr. or to Esq., and is now as common as the -latter terms are among us. Numerous small boats are crowding by the steps, and a <em>dinghī</em> has -just put off. A ferry boat with passengers is crossing from the opposite side of the river, in -which a <em>chaukidār</em>, or native policeman, is conspicuous, with his sword and shield. The -Bengālīs generally carry <em>chatrs</em> (umbrellas) during the heat of the day, made of matting, or -covered with red calico.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The street now visible is Esplanade Row, which runs from Chandpaul Ghāt by the -Government House to Chowringhee Road; it is full of fine houses belonging to Europeans.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>CHANDPAUL GHĀT.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>The people are seen crowding on Chandpaul Ghāt; and the low, semicircular building at the -summit, is the Police Station. The octagonal building with its long chimney contains a steam-engine, -used for raising water from the river, for the supply of the town, watering the roads, -&c.; but the water used for drinking and culinary purposes, is brought from the tanks by -water-carriers. It is believed that this was the first steam-engine set up in Bengal. The -water passes from the engine-well into a large brick-built reservoir, and from it into aqueducts -constructed on one side of the road. The Bank of Bengal is on the other side of the road -called the Strand, and the high pillars of its verandahs face the Esplanade.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Colvin’s Buildings appear to great advantage; they are lofty and spacious. Three -merchant vessels are anchored off the Strand, and to each of their chain cables a piece of wood -is attached, in a manner that prevents the water-rats from getting up them into the vessels. -A native fishing-boat with her immense net fixed upon two bamboos, is making for the ghāt—perhaps -bearing a freight of <em>Tapsi Mach</em>, or mango fish (so called because they come in with -the mango season); hence the Hindustanī proverb, “Mangoes and fish meet of necessity.” -They are the great luxury of the Calcutta epicures, who make parties to Budge-budge down -the river to enjoy the mango fish, as those of London resort to Blackwall for white-bait.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_14'>14</span>From the Bankshall a red boat (No. 7) is going out with a pilot to some vessel in -the river. Bankshall is said to be a Dutch name for the chief landing-place, which was afterwards -converted into the East India Company’s marine and pilot depôt.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>THE STEAM MILLS.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>The fine buildings that now meet the eye are the Strand Mills, the property of the late -Mr. Smithson, who erected them for the purpose of grinding corn by means of steam engines. -It is said the speculation proved a failure, because the natives will not send their wheat to -be ground in a mill in which it is mixed with the wheat of people of another caste, and with -that sent by Europeans. It is the custom in Hindostan for each family to grind its own corn -at home between two circular stones called <em>chakkī</em>, and this work is usually performed by the -women. It was proposed to the King of Oude to erect steam mills for grinding corn in his -dominions; but he refused to comply with the request, because it would throw the old women -with their <em>chakkīs</em> out of work.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On the right is a <em>daunā</em> or donī, a country vessel, a coaster and trader, commanded by a -<em>Sarhang</em>;—the crew are natives; the vessel is short, thick, clumsy, and marvellously ugly.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>THE MINT.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>The <em>Taksāl</em>, or Mint, a fine edifice of the Doric order, was planned and erected by Colonel -Forbes, the present Mint master. The wide-ranging buildings of the new Mint, with their -tall chimneys, appear to great advantage when viewed from the river. The Bengal Government -set the first example of introducing extensive machinery, in the erection of the new -Mint of Calcutta, which is filled with the best specimens of the skill and genius of Messrs. -Watt and Co.; and the politeness of the Mint and Assay masters insures easy access to view -the fine and ample machinery.</p> - -<p class='c009'>A Chinese junk on the right adds greatly to the picturesque beauty of the river, on which -Arab <em>grabs</em>, and vessels from all parts of the world, are crowded together. An eye is painted -on each side the bows of the Chinese junk, to enable the spirit of the vessel to see her way -across the deep.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In the foreground is the hulk of a country ship under repair, beyond which are three -vessels from Malacca.</p> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_15'>15</span> - <h3 class='c017'>BENGAL COTTAGE SCENERY.</h3> -</div> - -<p class='c018'>The scene now changes to the right bank, the opposite side of the river, at sunset. On the -landing-place are natives bathing, and every where the margin of the water is studded with -human beings. One man is filling his <em>gharas</em> (earthen water vessels), which he carries suspended -by ropes from a bamboo poised on his shoulder. Bengalī women are bringing empty -water jars to fill at the river side, and in the shade a woman is returning from the holy stream -on her way to some idol, bearing on her hand a brass tray containing a small vessel filled with -water, and oil, and rice, and flowers for <em>pūjā</em>—that is, worship. A <em>Dhobī</em> is washing clothes -by dipping them in the river, and beating them on a rough piece of slanting board, the -custom of the washermen in the East.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The shop of a <em>Modī</em>, a grain merchant and seller of fruit, is now before you. Oranges, -melons, limes, jackfruit, pummelos, pine-apples, all that is offered for sale in such abundance -and at so small a price in this country are displayed at various seasons most invitingly. The -fruit-seller is a very pious man, if we may judge from the pictures of the Hindū deities -stuck on the wall of his shop, but which are too much in the shade to be very distinct. On -the bamboo support of his thatch is a painting of Hūnūmān, the monkey god, in which he is -represented bearing off on his shoulders the god Rām, and Sīta the beloved, from Ceylon: a -fac-simile of this painting is in the Pilgrim’s Museum, being one of 32 paintings of the gods -purchased at the Great Fair at Allahabad for one rupee!</p> - -<p class='c009'>The natives are particularly fond of pigeons: they roost during the day on a frame-work, -supported on a bamboo, as here pourtrayed; and the great delight of the pigeon-fancier is to -fly his flock against that of another, making his birds wheel and turn, ascend and descend, -and obey his every wish, by directing their course with a long thin bamboo. You continually -see men and boys of an evening standing on the house-tops, amusing themselves -with flying their pigeons.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<span class='pageno' id='Page_16'>16</span> -<img src='images/i_016.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<h3 class='c017'>THE FAKĪR.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>The group in the foreground represents a <em>Bābū</em>, a native gentleman, awaiting the cool of the -evening before he enters his palanquin; an attendant is supporting a <em>chatr</em>, or native umbrella, -over his head, and the bearers with the palanquin are in attendance.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In front is a Muhammadan <em>Fakīr</em> leading a white bull fancifully adorned with peacocks’ -feathers, cowrie shells, coloured worsted tassels, bits of brightly-coloured cloth, and brass bells; -the plume on the top of his neck is the tail of the <em>yāk</em>, the cow of Tartary, much used in -Hindostān in the adornment of holy bulls and of horses. In the back-ground is an Hindū -temple, gilded by the rays of the setting sun.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The portico or entrance to the house of an opulent <em>Bābū</em>, a Bengalī gentleman, now -appears; it is of native architecture, singular and handsome; the ornaments of some of the -pillars are most elaborate, and it is remarkable that each has a separate design.</p> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_17'>17</span> - <h3 class='c017'>THE NĀCH.</h3> -</div> - -<p class='c018'>The scene now represents the interior of the building during the celebration of the festival of -the <em>Dūrga-pūjā</em>, or <em>Dasera</em>, held in honour of the goddess Dūrga, and the performance of a -<em>nāch</em> by the dancing-girls of Hindostān. During the <em>Dūrga-pūjā</em> holidays, which last eight -or ten days, the Hindūs lay aside all kind of business, save what necessity renders indispensable -to pursue, and shops and offices are shut up while that great religious ceremonial is in -course of being observed.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The house, as is generally the case, is a four-sided building, having an area in the middle, -on one side of which the image of the goddess is raised on a throne, and some Brahmans are -in attendance. The area is open to the sky, and a temporary ceiling is formed by fastening -ropes across from wall to wall, over which a cotton carpet of native manufacture, called -<em>shatranjī</em>, is spread, thus forming a roof; the floor is also covered with a gay cloth of the -same manufacture, and a Persian carpet.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The goddess Dūrga, in whose honour this festival is held, derives her name from the -giant Dūrgŭ, whom she is represented in the act of slaying with a trident as he issues from -the neck of a buffalo, whose head she has cut off. The image is that of a yellow woman with -ten arms, which are stretched out and filled with instruments of war. This goddess has a -thousand names, and has assumed innumerable forms.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The bright half of the month <em>Aswina</em>, the first of the Hindū lunar year, is peculiarly -devoted to Dūrga. The first nine nights are allotted to her decoration; on the sixth she is -awakened; on the seventh she is invited to a bower formed of the leaves of nine plants, of -which the <em>bilwa</em> is the chief. The seventh, eighth, and ninth are the great days; on the last, -the victims which are immolated to her honour must be killed with one blow only from a sharp -sword or axe. The next day the goddess is reverently dismissed, and her image is cast into -the river, which finishes the festival of the <em>Dasera</em>.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The black figure at the side of the goddess is that of Krishnŭ, one of the most popular -gods of the Hindū Pantheon; he is greatly worshipped in Bengal, as well as in all parts of -Hindostān, a great proportion of the Hindū population being devoted to him, and he is especially -<span class='pageno' id='Page_18'>18</span>beloved by the women. A black marble figure of this popular deity stands in the -Pilgrim’s Museum, as well as a small brazen one of Dūrga; the latter is very ancient. Immense -sums are expended by wealthy Bengalīs during the <em>Dūrga-pūjā</em>.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The <em>Bābū</em> is conversing with his European guests, and offering flowers to one of the ladies, -who, seated on a sofa, is talking to those around her, and witnessing the <em>nāch</em>. The dancing-girls -wear a very full petticoat of fine-coloured muslin, trimmed with deep borders of gold and silver, -full satin trowsers which all but cover their naked and jewelled feet; and the <em>dopatta</em>, a large veil -worn over the head, is highly embroidered. Various ornaments of native jewellery adorn their -persons; their anklets are formed of numerous small brass bells that sound in time with their -steps in the measured dance, and rings adorn their toes. In the thumb ring, which is about -two inches in diameter, a bit of looking-glass is inserted, in which the nāch-girl often looks -to see if her tresses are in order, and to adjust her flowing drapery. They dance, or rather -move in a circle, attitudinizing and making the small brass bells fastened to their ankles -sound in unison with their movements. Several men, the musicians of the party, attend each -set of nāch-girls; they play on divers curiously-shaped native instruments.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In the hands of one of the native servants, standing near the steps, is a silver tray containing -a <em>gulab-dānī</em> (a gold or silver vessel used in sprinkling rose-water on departing -guests), and the smaller vessel at its side, of elegant form, contains the <em>’atr</em> of roses, which is -placed on their hands at the same time.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Before the temples of Dūrga thousands of animals are annually slaughtered and offered -to her image. In the portico is represented the sacrifice of a goat; the officiating Brahman, -after bathing it, either in the river or in the house, puts his left hand on its forehead, marks -its horns and forehead with red-lead, and repeats an invocation, in which he offers it up to the -goddess thus: “O goddess, I sacrifice this goat to thee, that I may live in thy heaven to the -end of ten years.” He then reads an incantation in its ear, and puts flowers and sprinkles -water on its head. The instrument with which the animal is to be killed is next consecrated; -the goat’s head is then put into an upright post, excavated at the top so as to admit the neck -between its forks, the body remaining on one side the post and the head on the other; -after which the executioner cuts off the head with one blow. After all the animals -have been thus killed, and some of the flesh and the heads carried before the image, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_19'>19</span>the officiating Brahman repeats certain prayers over these offerings and presents them to the -goddess.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The square pillars of the building are of pure Hindostānī architecture, very singular, and -elaborately carved.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>OFFERING OF LIGHTS TO THE RIVER.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>Having witnessed the <em>nāch</em> and some of the ceremonies of the <em>Dūrga-pūjā</em> festival, we now -quit the illuminated area, and pass into the beautiful, the delicious moonlight of the East. -Some Bengalī huts are beneath the trees; a <em>chaukīdar</em>, or native watchman, is standing before -his hut, formed of straw and bamboo, on which his shield is hung; and a native beyond is -cooking his evening meal.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The soft moonlight falls upon the river, and upon its bank several Bengalī women are -sending off little paper boats, each containing a lamp. With what earnestness they watch -these little fire-fly boats, in which they have adventured their happiness, as they float down -the stream! If at the moment the paper boat disappears in the distance the lamp is still -burning, the wish of the votary will be crowned with success; but, if the lamp be extinguished, -the hope for which the offering was made will be doomed to disappointment. With what -eagerness does the mother watch the little light, to know if her child will or will not recover -from sickness! At times, the river is covered with fleets of these little lamps, hurried along -by the rapid stream. Even when it is not in honour of any particular festival, natives may -be seen offering lamps to Ganga (the Ganges), the sacred river.</p> - -<p class='c009'>A <em>pataīla</em> (a country vessel), and two <em>oolāks</em> are now in view; the natives always moor -their vessels during the night, it being dangerous to proceed on the river during the hours of -darkness.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>THE MURDA GHĀT.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>We now cross to the opposite side, the left bank of the Hoogly, to a <em>murda ghāt</em>, a spot -where the funeral rites of the Hindūs are performed. The nearest relative, as is the custom, -is stirring up the body, and pushing it into the flames with a long pole; much oil and <em>ghī</em> -(clarified butter) is poured over the wood, to make it burn fiercely: in all probability the son -<span class='pageno' id='Page_20'>20</span>of the deceased is performing the ceremony. We read of the Romans burning their dead, -regard it in a classical light, and think of it without disgust; but when we see the ceremony -really performed, it is very painful: nevertheless, a sort of absurdity is mixed with it in the -mind, as “Stir him up with the long pole” flashes across the memory. On the conclusion of -the ceremony, the relatives bathe and return to their homes. The <em>charpāī</em>, or native bed, on -which the corpse is carried down to the river side, being reckoned unclean, is generally thrown -into the stream, or left on the bank. If a large quantity of wood and <em>ghī</em> be consumed, we -may imagine the deceased to have been a rich man; the relatives of the very poor scarcely do -more than scorch the body, and throw it into the river, where it floats swollen and scorched—a -horrible sight. The burning of the body is one of the first ceremonies the Hindūs perform -for the help of the dead in a future state. If this ceremony have not been attended to, the -rites for the repose of the soul cannot be performed.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Perched on the house-top are three vultures, and an <em>hargīla</em>, or adjutant, awaiting the -time that they may pounce upon the remains of the corpse, when it is consigned to the holy -river. These insatiate birds of prey perch upon the abutting walls, waiting their opportunity -to descend; whilst others, repulsed by the attendants of the funeral fires, fly heavily across -the river, passing across the native boats, through the tattered sails of which you might -almost mark their flight. It is a sickening sight, rendered infinitely more sickening by the -abominable effluvium which issues from the bank of death, in spite of the scented wood and -other odoriferous substances, that are placed upon the funeral pile of a rich Hindū, and burnt -with the body. This custom illustrates the text, “So shall they burn odours for thee.” -(Jeremiah xxxiv. 5.) The Hindūs believe, that persons for whom funeral rites have not been -performed, wander as ghosts, and find no rest.</p> - -<p class='c009'>An English gentleman travelling <em>dāk</em> is standing on the bank; he has just crossed -over, and is watching the bearers who are getting his palanquin out of the boat. <em>Dāk</em> -journeys are usually performed, during the hot weather, by night, and the traveller rests at -some house during the day. Of a moonlight night a <em>dāk</em> trip is far from being disagreeable.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>THE PĪPAL TREE.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>A Bengali village now appears beneath a group of cocoa-nut trees, beyond which the <em>Pīpal</em>-tree -<span class='pageno' id='Page_21'>21</span>(ficus religiosa) is seen, with its roots exposed, the earth having been washed from them -during the rains by the rising of the river. This tree is particularly venerated by the -Hindūs; they believe its sacred branches to be the residence of the gods, and will never -cut a branch to the injury of the tree. In front, a Hindū is sitting at worship by the -side of the river; a <em>charpāī</em>, on which probably a corpse has been brought to be burned, -is near the spot, also a skull and some bones: skulls are continually seen on the banks -of the river.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>PANHUTTĪ.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>The picturesque and singular group of Bengalī temples that now open on our view are at -Panhuttī—a spot well known to the English as the Grove; it is about half way between -Calcutta and Barrackpore.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Budjerow which is coming down the stream is apparently tenanted by a European -gentleman; his <em>khidmutgar</em> (a servant who waits at table) is in the forepart of the vessel, -and the cook-boat is astern—the sails of the latter in the torn and worn-out state in which -they are so continually seen.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>THE WELL, AND PALM TREES.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>The bamboo stage is erected for the purpose of watering the land. The river water is collected -in a deep pool, between two brick walls, across which a small stage is fixed, on which -a man stands, and his business is to empty the leathern skin which comes up full of water -into the reservoir above, prepared for its reception. A long bamboo, with a large weight of -earth attached to it at one end, is poised on a stage above, on which a native stands and -causes the end towards the river to sink by the weight of his foot; when the skin below, -which is attached to a thin bamboo from above, is filled with water, he removes his foot, -which causes the water-bag to rise to the height of the reservoir, when the man below empties -it and lets it fall again. In some parts, instead of a skin, a basket is used, which is rendered -waterproof inside by a coating of clay and mud. Water is thus conveyed to a very great -distance from the banks of a river. The fields in India are irrigated with as much care as -is bestowed upon a garden, and three harvests are often obtained.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_22'>22</span>The Bengalī <em>jantŭ</em> for watering the land happily illustrates this passage of Scripture, -“Where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs.” -(Deut. xi. 10.)</p> - -<p class='c009'>The palm trees next to the well are remarkably beautiful; they are portraits. The one -displaying the broad leaves is the fan-palm, from which the large <em>pankhas</em> are made—one -leaf alone forms the <em>pankha</em>, or fan, of which three specimens are to be seen in the -Museum.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>THE RATHJATTRA.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>The scene represents the <em>Rathjattra</em>, or festival of the chariot, as it took place near Serampore, -on the right bank of the Hoogly; and in this manner the ceremonies are performed in -innumerable towns and villages in Hindostān; but the place most celebrated for this worship -is the Temple of Jaganāth, in Orissa. In the scene representing a <em>nāch</em>, in the house of a -Bengalī <em>bābū</em>, you beheld the figure of “Krishnŭ the Beloved” playing on a flute, standing -by the side of the goddess Dūrga. At the <em>Rathjattra</em>, Krishnŭ is worshipped as <em>Jaganāth</em> -or lord of the universe. In some period of Hindū history he was accidentally killed by a -hunter, who left the body to rot under a tree where it fell. Some pious person, however, -collected the bones of Krishnŭ, and placed them in a box, where they remained: a king who -was performing religious austerities, to obtain some favour of Vishnū, was directed by the -latter to form the image of Jaganāth and put inside these bones of Krishnŭ, by which means -he should obtain the fruit of his religious austerities. The king inquired who should make -this image, and was commanded to pray to Vishnŭ-Kŭrmŭ, the architect of the gods. He did so, -and obtained his request; but the architect at the same time declared, that if any one disturbed -him while preparing the image, he would leave it in an unfinished state. He then -began, and in one night built a temple upon the blue mountain in Orissa, and proceeded to -prepare the image in the temple; but the impatient king, after waiting fifteen days, went to -the spot; on which the architect of the gods desisted from his work, and left the image -without hands or feet. The king was very much disconcerted; but on praying to Brŭmha, he -promised to make the image famous in its present shape. The king now invited all the gods -to be present at the setting up of this image: Brŭmha himself acted as high priest, and gave -<span class='pageno' id='Page_23'>23</span>eyes and soul to the god, which completely established the fame of Jaganāth. In the -Museum is a small fac-simile of this god, which was brought from Pooree, in Orissa; and at -its side is the seal with which the Brahmans stamp the worshippers on the breast and arms, -and also a figure in black marble of Krishnŭ, highly ornamented. The height of the <em>ruth</em>, or -chariot, is forty-two feet, supported on sixteen wheels, and the horses in front are of wood. -Ropes are attached to the bars below; and the car, with the monstrous idol within it, is -drawn by thousands of frantic devotees. Looking out from the top is seen the head of Jaganāth. -The Brahmans adorn him during the festivals with silver or golden hands—an offering -of a pair of golden ones is considered an act of great devotion.</p> - -<p class='c009'>One of the Hindū poets, in answer to the question, “Why has Vishnŭ assumed a -wooden shape?” (alluding to the image of Jaganāth) says, “The troubles of his family have -turned Vishnŭ into wood: in the first place, he has two wives, one of whom (the goddess of -learning) is constantly talking, and the other (the goddess of prosperity) never remains in -one place: to increase his troubles, he sits on a snake, his dwelling is in the water, and he -rides on a bird.” All the Hindūs acknowledge it is a great misfortune for a man to have two -wives, especially if both live in one house.</p> - -<p class='c009'>After many ceremonies have been performed, the god is drawn forth in his car, and at -the expiration of eight days he is conveyed back to the place whence he came. The natives -dance before the car, and the procession is accompanied with drums, tom-toms, horns, and all -sorts of discordant native music.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Dancing is considered a religious ceremony among the Hindūs. The Brahmans consider -it an act of devotion to the god.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>WATER CARRIERS.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>The natives of India carry water long distances in a couple of leathern bags prepared for the -purpose and hung across a bullock; the <em>behishtī</em>, or water-carrier, by the side of the stream, is -filling the skins from his <em>mashk</em>, or water-bag, and another man is bringing up his leathern -bag for the same purpose.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_24'>24</span>An Hindū girl is taking down a large net to the fisherman in the river, where he has -just spread his own net. On the top of his head a small basket is fixed, into which he puts -whatever he may catch; and floating on the water, attached to his waist by a long string, is a -<em>gharā</em>, an earthen vessel, also used as a depository for the fish.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The <em>oolāk</em> is floating timber to Calcutta, secured to her by ropes over the side. She is -ornamented by a border of impressions of the human hand in white paint on the side of the -stern, and has also an eye painted on each side of<a id='t24'></a> her bows; which the Hindūs, like the -Chinese, consider necessary, to enable the spirit of the vessel to see its way upon the waters.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_024.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<h3 class='c017'>BARRACKPORE.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>We now cross the Hoogly to Barrackpore, called by the natives <em>Achánuck</em>, corrupted from -Charnock, the founder of Calcutta, who lived here. In the park is the country-house of the -Governor-General; and the military cantonment affords accommodation to six regiments of -native infantry. There is nothing remarkable about the Government House; it is a plain -<span class='pageno' id='Page_25'>25</span>edifice of one story in height, with lofty rooms; the aviary, the menagerie, the garden, and a -pleasant promenade, where the society of the station assemble, are the most attractive features -of the place. The regiments here, with the Artillery at Dum-Dum (seven miles from Calcutta), -and the troops in Fort William, constitute the presidency division of the army, which -is commanded by a general officer, who resides at Barrackpore.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Governor-General having come up the river in his yacht, the <em>Sona-makhī</em>, towed by a -steamer, is represented as quitting the vessel to land at Barrackpore. The troops are drawn -out awaiting his arrival; the elephants are ready to convey him to the house; the aid-de-camps -are in attendance; and each of their horses is held by a <em>sāīs</em>, or groom, who carries in his -hand a <em>chaurī</em>, to keep flies from the animal.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In the back-ground is a <em>shutur-sawār</em>, a man armed, and mounted on a camel, for the -purpose of carrying messages express. This animal, of a much lighter description than the -camel of burthen, can trot exceedingly fast, and will go from sixty to eighty miles a day, -without distress: the pace is very rough, and the riders are not considered long lived. The -camel’s neck is ornamented with small brass bells—a common appendage to couriers in many -countries: it is also adorned with blue beads, cowrie shells, and gaily-coloured cloth and -tassels: a small piece of wood is inserted in the animal’s nostrils, to which is attached a thin -cord, by which it is guided.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Mausoleum in the Park, of the Corinthian order, to the left of the Government -House, was erected by Lord Minto, at his own cost, to commemorate the names of the officers -who fell at Java and the Mauritius.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>THE TRAVELLER’S PALM.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>Some cows and a buffalo are beneath a <em>pīpal</em> tree in the park. On the bank is the <em>sarput</em>, -or <em>sirkī</em>, high jungle-grass that often rises to the height of sixteen feet; the bloom waves -gracefully, bending to the wind, and elegantly recovers its position.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The next is the castor-oil plant (ricinus communis), much cultivated in Bengal; the oil -extracted from the seeds being used medicinally, as well as for burning in lamps.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The tree with the broad and singular leaves is called the Traveller’s Palm: if a knife is -stuck into the stem a pure water gushes out. It grows in the most sandy tracts where no -<span class='pageno' id='Page_26'>26</span>water is to be found; hence it is called the Traveller’s Palm. Dr. Wallich mentioned this -circumstance, and at the same time he struck his knife into the tree, of which the one before -you is a portrait.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The cart is the common <em>hackerī</em> of the country, and the natives belonging to it are -asleep beneath it; a <em>chadda</em>, or cloth, is drawn over their heads to protect them from the -musquitoes, and their slippers are laid on one side.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Muhammadan Fakīr, a religious mendicant, in front of the group, is a picturesque -personage; he wanders over the country, and supports himself on alms.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>PLASSEY.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>The high walls of the Nawāb’s hunting-house at Plassey are now before you, and we cannot -but regard the spot with feelings of the deepest interest, as it is the house in which Colonel, -afterwards Lord Clive rested for a short time during the engagement. The famous battle of -Plassey, which may be said to have decided the fate of India, was fought on the 23rd June, -1757, on the plains of Plassey, about thirty miles south of Moorshedabad; near the spot -selected for the Nawāb Sooraj-oo-Dowlah’s entrenched camp, the river at that period made a -remarkable bend, in shape like a horse-shoe. In a mango <em>top</em>, or grove, a little more than a -mile from the enemy, Colonel Clive had taken up his position: the trees were planted in -regular rows, as is usual in the country, and all around the <em>top</em> was a bank of earth, which -afforded a good breast-work for the troops, and also a ditch beyond. One detachment was -stationed at Plassey House, which was made use of by Colonel Clive during the conflict. -About eight o’clock <span class='fss'>A.M.</span> the battle commenced; and at eleven, Colonel Clive held a conference -with his officers at the drum-head, when it was decided to maintain the cannonade during the -day, and at midnight to make an attack on the Nawāb’s camp. The fate of Sooraj-oo-Dowlah -was sealed by his flight towards the capital, mounted on a fleet <em>sawārī</em> camel, accompanied by -about 2000 horsemen. By five o’clock the English had taken possession of the whole -intrenchment and camp, with no other obstacle than was presented by the enormous mass of -baggage, stores, camp-equipage, and cattle, scattered around them.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The lofty stage of bamboos in the field is erected sufficiently high to be a refuge from -wild beasts; it is thatched, and the native farmer places a servant there to keep watch, especially -<span class='pageno' id='Page_27'>27</span>during the night, at the time the corn is nearly ripe. When a buffalo, or wild hog, -comes into the field, the keeper takes a wisp of lighted straw in one hand, and in the other -a dried skin containing broken bricks, pots, &c., bound up on all sides; and in this manner -he approaches the animal, shaking his lighted straw and making a loud noise, on which it -immediately runs away. “The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the -field doth devour it.” (Psalm lxxx. 13.) The wild hogs and buffaloes make great havoc in the -fields of the Hindūs.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Below the stage is a domestic buffalo and a group of Bengalī cows. The buffalo is a -very useful beast of burthen, yields a rich but strong milk, which is generally made into <em>ghī</em> -(clarified butter). This animal has no hump—a fact not universally known by those who -have not visited India; on the contrary, the buffalo is generally supposed to have the hump. -Those sold under the denomination of buffalo humps are from the common bull or cow of -Hindostan.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_027.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_28'>28</span> - <h3 class='c017'>THE ELEPHANT ESTABLISHMENT.</h3> -</div> - -<p class='c018'>Not far distant from Plassey is the Company’s <em>Fīl-khana</em>, or Elephant establishment, whence -the animals are coming down to the side of the river. One of the elephants in the distance -is raising his <em>mahout</em>, or driver, with his trunk, to enable him to gain his seat on his neck: -another is drinking, taking up the water with his proboscis and pouring it into his own -mouth; a third is lying in the river enjoying the coolness, whilst his attendants are scrubbing -and cleaning him.</p> - -<p class='c009'>A group of natives, attendants on the elephants, are sitting round a fire, baking the large -cakes that form the repast of these animals, added to a small dinner of half a <em>pīpul-tree</em>, or -a hundred-weight of grass! A <em>mahout</em>, or driver, is very fond of whispering to his elephant -some superstitious tale; which, if the animal does not understand, it is amongst the few things -this most wonderful of God’s creatures does not comprehend.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>MOSQUE NEAR MOORSHEDABAD.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>A beautiful <em>Masjid</em>, or Mosque (a Muhammadan place of worship), which is on the bank -forms a picturesque object; beyond which is a <em>ghāt</em> and some houses, near Moorshedabad, as -also a long range of buildings, belonging to the palace of the Nawāb.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>MOORSHEDABAD—THE PALACE.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>Moorshedabad became the seat of the Bengal Government <span class='fss'>A.D.</span> 1704. It was transferred -to this place from Dacca, by the Nawāb Jaffier Khan, who was appointed Soubadar of Bengal -by Aurungzebe. The City of Moorshedabad continued to be the seat of the British Government -until <span class='fss'>A.D.</span> 1771, when it was transferred to Calcutta. During the reign of Aliverdi -Khan, a palace was erected at Moorshedabad, which was ornamented with pillars of black -marble, brought from the ruins of Gour; this building is still in existence. The new palace -of the Nawāb erected by the government, is a magnificent edifice, and reflects the highest -honour on the architect, General Macleod, C.B.: it was commenced in the time of Humaioon -<span class='pageno' id='Page_29'>29</span>Jah, the late <em>nizām</em>, who died in 1838, and was succeeded by his son, the present -Nawāb. This splendid building, which is in the European style, and of dazzling whiteness, is -a beautiful object from the river, of which it commands a fine prospect, rendered peculiarly -interesting by the variety and elegance of the native vessels, so numerous at this station.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The <em>Mor-pankhī</em>, as the Nawāb’s state-barge is called, is used during certain festivals at -Moorshedabad: boats of this description are numerous, and of different forms, some towering -very high, displaying all the colours of the peacock, and all are brilliantly painted and highly -gilt. A band of native musicians follow the state-barge in another tastefully-decorated boat, -and the scene on the river during the festival is highly picturesque.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Here also are seen the snake-boats: they shoot past you with great swiftness when rowed -by twenty men, from their amazing length and extreme narrowness.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Through the influence of Mr. Hamilton, surgeon to the Embassy sent by the local -government to the Emperor Furrookhseer, in the year 1713, the use of the Mint at Moorshedabad -was placed at the disposal of the Government of India.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The great object of dread to the Nawāb Sooraj-oo-Dowlah, in 1757, was the fire of the -English vessels of war, of the effects of whose broadsides he had received exaggerated accounts; -and, in the excess of his timidity, he conceived it possible that they might proceed up the -great branch of the Ganges, and then come down the Kossimbazar river to Moorshedabad; to -guard against which, he caused large piles to be sunk across that stream, opposite to Sooty, -about twenty miles above the city. A toll is now levied at Jungipūr for keeping open the -entrance of the Bhagirathī, as this branch of the Ganges is called.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>THE WRECK.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>The scene now opens on the right bank of the Ganges. We quitted the Bhagruttī (a branch -of the sacred river) at Sooty, and have now entered upon the main stream, at a point where it -is of amazing breadth, the view of it only terminating with the horizon: the waves roar, and -roll, and foam like those at sea; whilst a <em>tūfān</em> (one of the heavy storms of India) is blowing -fiercely, accompanied by thunder, lightning, heavy rain, and utter darkness. The impetuous -stream, rushing with the force of a torrent, undermines the banks of the river, and tears up -forest trees by their roots. A voyage at this time is particularly dangerous; native vessels -<span class='pageno' id='Page_30'>30</span>are swept along with amazing velocity, and when a <em>tūfān</em> is encountered, like the one now -blowing, they are frequently wrecked.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Three <em>dāndīs</em> (native boatmen) have been swept by the violence of the waves from the -mast of their sinking vessel; they are striving to regain their hold: the rest of the crew have -sunk to rise no more. These men are admirable swimmers; they may possibly be carried -along by the current and rescued on some turn of the river, unless from the violence of the -storm they are carried out into the middle of the stream, and swept onwards, until, overcome -by exhaustion, they sink beneath the waves.</p> - -<p class='c009'>During some periods of the year, a voyage on the Ganges is attended with great risk. -The natives quote the Persian saying as a consolation under misfortune, “‘What is the use of -taking precautions, since what has been ordained must happen.’ Truly saith the proverb, -‘If the diver were to think of the jaws of the crocodile, he would never gather precious -pearls.’”</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>A TŪFĀN.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>The Budjerow is taking in her sails; and the <em>sahib</em>, or gentleman on board, is likely to go -without his dinner, as his cook-boat, with her torn sails, will most likely be unable to come -alongside, and hand it over to the servants.</p> - -<p class='c009'>A voyage up the Ganges may be performed in boats, as various in shape as in size: a -Pinnace is a first-class vessel; the next is a Budjerow, which draws very little water, and is -divided into two commodious rooms, which may be furnished according to the taste of the -traveller: a complete establishment consists of a horse-boat, a washerman’s-boat, and a cook-boat; -in this country the cooking is always performed in a separate vessel.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The <em>dinghī</em>, or wherry, now making for the land, is generally manned by two rowers and -a steersman: these boats are of slight construction, with a circular awning of bamboo-work -and matting, under which a person can sit, and though in general well managed, are by no -means to be considered safe conveyances.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>RAJMAHAL.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>The ruins of the palace of Rajmahal are on the bank. During the reign of Akbar, about -1591, Raja Maun Singh fixed upon this city as the capital of Bengal, and changed its name to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_31'>31</span>Raja-Mahul—the Raja erected the palace, and surrounded the town with a rampart of brick -and other fortifications. In 1608, the seat of government was removed hence to Dacca, by -Islam Khan; but in 1639, the Sultan Shah Shuja brought it back again, and strengthened the -fortifications, of which, however, few traces are now to be seen.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Prior to 1638 this town was the residence of the Sultan Shah Shuja, the brother of -Aurunzebe; but few vestiges of its ancient magnificence now remain. The ruins of his palace -are still standing, but have been much injured by the encroachments of the Ganges. Cows -now ruminate quietly beneath the black marble arches that overlook the river, or seek for -shelter in its empty halls, which still present images of their former grandeur. The marble -floor of the Mosque remains, and a fine old <em>bāolī</em> (a large well). Around Rajmahal is a -beautiful <em>jangal</em> of magnificent bamboos, fine clumps interspersed with date-palm trees overshadowing -the cottages, around which are a number of small cows and fowls of a remarkably -good breed: every thing has an air of comfort, and the walks in all directions are cool and -pleasant. The steamers from Calcutta take in their coal a mile below, and therefore do not -destroy the beauty of the old ruins with their smoke, and noise, and Birmingham appearance. -The Rajmahal hills are distant about five miles inland.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Sooraj-oo-Dowlah, after his flight from Plassey, reached Rajmahal, and took shelter in -the buildings of a deserted garden, where he was discovered by a <em>Fakīr</em> named Dana Shah, -whose nose and ears he had ordered to be cut off thirteen months before. This man -recognized him, made the circumstance known, and the Nawāb was carried a prisoner back to -Moorshedabad, where he was murdered by order of Meerun, the son of the new Nawāb Meer -Jaffier Khan. His mangled remains were placed on an elephant, exposed throughout the city, -and finally interred. Thus perished Sooraj-oo-Dowlah, in the twentieth year of his age, and -the fifteenth month of his reign; a prince whose short career was connected in a most -important manner with the British interests in India, both for good and evil.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<span class='pageno' id='Page_32'>32</span> -<img src='images/i_032.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<h3 class='c017'>SĪCKRĪ-GALĪ.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>A country vessel is being towed by her crew round a rocky point; each man has his own <em>gūn</em>, -or track-rope, fastened to a short, thick piece of bamboo, which he carries over his shoulder. -A Pinnace, or budjerow, tracks, with ten or twelve men, upon one rope only.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Sīckrī-galī pass, during the Hindū and Muhammadan Governments, was the commanding -entrance from Bahar into Bengal, and was fortified with a strong wall; however, in -1742, a Mahratta army of cavalry passed into Bengal through the hills above Colgong. The -village of Sīckrī-galī is eighteen miles above Rajmahal at the base of a high rocky eminence, -commanding a fine view of two ranges of hills. There is here the tomb of a celebrated -Muhammadan Saint, Pīr Pointī, and a cave in limestone rock; and higher up, at a place -called Pīr Pointī, now a mass of ruins, is another tomb of the saint.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_33'>33</span>This pass is close upon the Rajmahal hills, and the only European inhabitant lives in the -<em>Bangla</em>, commonly called Bungalow, the house at the foot of the hill. Wild beasts sometimes -come to this place at night, and the footmarks of the tiger are often to be seen in the garden. -Jackals roam howling through the village; bears, tigers, rhinoceroses, leopards, hogs, deer of -all kinds, abound here, and feathered game in the hills. Elephants are absolutely necessary -to enable a man to enjoy shooting amidst the high grass and thorny thickets. The place is -so much disturbed by the people who go into the hills for wood, that the game retreat farther -into the <em>jangal</em>. When a gentleman goes out shooting on foot, the <em>dandīs</em> accompany him -with long poles, to beat the bushes. In the marshy plains under the hills of this pass good -shooting is to be found, but on account of tigers it is dangerous.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>THE RAJMAHAL HILLS.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>Beyond the heavy rain which is pouring down, the hills of Rajmahal are seen in the distance; -they are beautifully wooded, and full of game of every description. No scenes can be more -picturesque than those in the interior. The wild climbers hang from the forest trees in -luxuriant beauty, especially that magnificent one, the <em>cachnar</em> (bauhinia scandens)—a specimen -of its leaves gathered in these hills is in the Museum.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The <em>dandīs</em> from the boats that anchor at Sīckrī-galī go up the hills in gangs to cut wood -for firing, and bring it down in great quantities.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The <em>byā</em> birds hang their long nests from the extreme end of the slight branches of the -delicate <em>bābul</em>-tree pendant over a pool or stream for security. The Museum also contains -nests of this little bird suspended on the broad leaf of the fan-palm. The fable declares -that the “Old birds put a fire-fly into their nests every night to act as a lamp.” For -a further account of these interesting little creatures, see “Wanderings of a Pilgrim,” -(vol. I. 220, 221, and vol. II. 74). The marshes at the foot of the hills are full of leeches -the low-lands abound with wild fowl, hares, and partridges of a peculiar sort, said to be found -only at Rajmahal, and one other station in India.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The hill-men are a most singular race of people; they are about five feet high, very -active, remarkable for lightness and suppleness of limb, with the piercing and restless eye, said -to be peculiar to savages. They wear their hair drawn tight up in a knot on the very top of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_34'>34</span>their head, the ends fastened in with a wooden comb. They are good-natured, gay-looking -people. Their principal food is Indian corn, boiled and mashed. They kill wild hogs with a -poisoned arrow, taking the precaution to cut out the flesh around the wound before they eat -the animal. Their bows and arrows are rough and wild-looking; the strips of feather on the -latter are from the wing of the vulture. They assert that they procure the poison, into which -they dip their arrows, from a remote hill-tribe, and are ignorant of its nature: it appears to -be a carefully guarded secret. Three of these arrows are in the Museum. At the proper -season the hill-men descend into the plains to gather in the crops of uncut rice.</p> - -<p class='c009'>A country boat filled with bales of cotton is floating down the stream; and the crew of -a Dacca <em>oolāk</em>, which is aground, are striving to shove her into deeper water.</p> - -<p class='c009'>A native, sitting on the bank, is quietly watching the noisy scene, and smoking his -<em>nāriyal</em>, or cocoa-nut pipe, by the side of his <em>charpāī</em>, or bed, which is on the bank. -Native vessels are towed by the <em>dāndīs</em>, or boatmen, most part of the way, except during the -rains. These men work from daylight till sunset in the most laborious way, frequently in the -water for hours, up to their middles, towing the vessel or shoving it with their backs -over sand banks: their labour does not cease until the boats are <em>lugāo’d</em> (moored) at night; -then they cook on shore and eat their daily meal of boiled rice and curry, or flour cakes, -called <em>chappatīs</em>. Occasionally, when a fair wind blows, they get some rest; for then an immense -square sail is hoisted, tacks, sheets, and haul-yards are fast belayed: they all go to -sleep except the steersman, and the safety of the boat depends upon the rotten state of the -cordage and sails: frequently very strong and sudden squalls come on, and, before a single -rope is let go, every thing is blown to ribbons.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<span class='pageno' id='Page_35'>35</span> -<img src='images/i_035.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<h3 class='c017'>THE FOOLISH FAKĪR.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>Beneath a group of beautiful palm-trees, a half-witted young <em>Fakīr</em>, adorned with peacocks’ -feathers, is sitting and talking to the men around him, who regard as prophetic whatever his -wandering and unsettled mind induces him to utter, and look upon him as the favourite of -heaven—the natives treat persons thus afflicted with the greatest kindness, and supply them -with food. A leaf of the fan palm, here represented, may be seen in the Museum. The whole -group, as well as the trees, are portraits.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On the sands below and close to the edge of the river, is an Hindū in the last stage of -illness. His friends have carried him down to the sacred stream on a <em>charpāī</em>, (a rude native -bed,) and are in the act of making him drink the Ganges water, ere they half immerse his body -<span class='pageno' id='Page_36'>36</span>in the sacred stream. His wife, on the edge of the bed, is weeping, and her <em>dopatta</em> (or veil), -is drawn over her face; the Brahman is offering the prayers usual on this occasion.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Hindūs are extremely anxious to die in sight of the Ganges, that their sins may be -washed away in their last moments. A person in his last agonies is frequently carried on his -bed, by his friends or relatives, in the coldest or in the hottest weather, from whatever distance, -to the river-side, where he lies, if a poor man, without a covering day and night, until -he expires. With the pains of death upon him, he is placed up to the middle in water and -drenched with it; leaves of the shrub goddess, the sacred <em>tulsī</em> plant, are also put into his -mouth, the marks on the pebble god, the <em>Salagram</em> are shown to him, and his relations call -upon him to repeat, and repeat for him, the names of Rām, Hurī, Ganga, &c. In some cases -the family priest repeats some prayers, and makes an offering to Voitŭrŭnēē, the river over -which, they say, the soul is ferried, after leaving the body. The relations of the dying man -spread the sediment of the river on his forehead and breast, and afterwards with the finger -write on this sediment the name of some deity. If a person should die in his house, and not -by the river-side, it is considered as a great misfortune, as he thereby loses the help of the -goddess in his last moments. If a person choose to die at home, his memory becomes -infamous.</p> - -<p class='c009'>If these unfortunate people recover, after having been exposed by their relatives to die on -the banks of the river, they take refuge in the village of Chagdah on the left bank of the -Matabangah, forty-six miles from Calcutta, of which people who ought to be <em>corpses</em>, are the -sole inhabitants. They are considered to prefer a debased existence to a righteous end, -agreeing therein with the highest authorities. Pope’s Homer makes Achilles in the Elysian -fields say:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c019'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Rather I’d choose laboriously to bear</div> - <div class='line'>A weight of woes, and breathe the vital air,</div> - <div class='line'>A slave to some poor hind that toils for bread,</div> - <div class='line'>Than reign the scepter’d monarch of the dead.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Solomon deems it better to be a live dog than a dead lion; and Job, called by Byron “the -Respectable,” says, “Why should a living man complain?” to which Byron adds, “For no -other reason that I can see, except that a dead man cannot.” In the face of these grave -<span class='pageno' id='Page_37'>37</span>authorities the Hindostanī proverb is of a different opinion, which asserts “it is better to die -with honour, than live with infamy.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>The passage in the Psalms, “They shall be a portion for foxes,” appears obscure; but -give it the probable rendering, “they shall be a portion for jackals;” and then the anathema -becomes plain and striking to an Hindū, in whose country the disgusting sight of jackals, -devouring human bodies, may be seen every day. The dying who are left by the side of the -Ganges, are sometimes devoured alive by these animals in the night.</p> - -<p class='c009'><em>Lugāo’d</em>, or moored off a sand-bank, is a budjerow, her baggage, and her cook-boat. The -crews are cooking and eating their dinners on the sand-bank, and will not recommence their -voyage until daybreak, the river being too dangerous to allow of their proceeding further -during the hours of darkness. On a clean dry bank in the centre of the Ganges, covered -with the finest and most sparkling sand, it is far more agreeable to <em>lugāo</em> your vessel for the -night, than on the banks of the river: it is cooler, and you are better defended against thieves; -nevertheless a look-out must be kept during the night.</p> - -<p class='c009'>“Shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand,” &c., -(Matt. vii. 26.) The fishermen in Bengal build their huts in the dry season on the beds of -sand, from which the river has retired. When the rains set in, which they often do very -suddenly, accompanied with violent north-west winds, and the waters pour down in torrents -from the mountains, a fine illustration is given of our Lord’s parable: “the rains descended, -the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell.” In one night -multitudes of these huts are frequently swept away, and the place where they stood is, the -next morning, undiscoverable. On one of these occasions a Hindū child was carried down -the stream, seated on a part of the roof of a hut, and rescued from destruction at Allahabad. -The child could not tell whence she had been carried away by the force of the torrent, nor -could the little creature remember the names of her parents.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In some parts of Bengal, whole villages are every now and then swept away by the Ganges -when it changes its course. This river frequently runs over districts, from which, a few -years before, it was several miles distant. “A nation whose land the rivers have spoiled.” -(Isa. xvii. 2.)</p> - -<p class='c009'>The rocky islands of Colgong in the distance are singular and beautiful, there are four -<span class='pageno' id='Page_38'>38</span>of them, of unequal size. Rocks on rocks, covered with fine foliage, they rise in the centre of -the river which runs like a mill-sluice, and is extremely broad. They say that no one lives -upon these rocks; that a <em>Fakīr</em> formerly took up his abode there, but having been eaten by a -snake (an <em>ajgar</em>), one of enormous size, and an eater of human flesh, the people became alarmed; -and no holy or unholy person has since taken up their residence on these rocky islands. -Small boats fish under the rocks, and snakes, they say, abound upon them: when a gun is -fired the echoes awaken and startle the myriads of birds that inhabit them. The proverb -says, “The hypocrites of Bhagulpur, the <em>Thags</em> of Kuhulgaon (Colgong), and the bankrupts -of Patna are famous.”</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>SUNSET—A WILD SCENE.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>The Ganges now presents an extraordinary picture, the expanse of water is very great, interspersed -with low sand-banks; the sun is going down, and flocks of wild geese are passing to the -other side the river. No human habitations are to be seen, nothing but the expanse of the -broad river and its distant banks. After the heat of a day in India the coolness of the evening -is most refreshing: the traveller quits his boats, and wanders on the banks of the Ganges, -enjoying the wild, the strange beauty, and the quietude of the scene around him, until his -attention is aroused by the yells of jackals, and the savage cry of pariah dogs, contesting with -vultures, who shriek and flap their heavy wings, to scare the animals from their feast on some -dead bullock. Beasts of the forest and birds of prey</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c019'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Hold o’er the dead their carnival:</div> - <div class='line'>Gorging and growling o’er carcase and limb,</div> - <div class='line'>They are too busy to look at him!”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'>they eye the traveller askance: they are too busy to look at him: but when the shades of -evening fall, and the friends have left the dead, it may be the dying Hindū, on the banks of the -river, trusting, that Ganga will receive him to eternal beatitude, then, in that solitary, that -awful hour, the dying man may be awakened from his trance by the sharp tooth of the jackal, -and the fierce beak of the vulture! Such is the power of superstition, that the Hindū might -rejoice, even at this fearful moment, to end his days by the side of the sacred river, and escape -the infamy of seeking refuge at the village of Chagdah.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c019'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='pageno' id='Page_39'>39</span>“On Ganga’s brink it is fearful to tread</div> - <div class='line'>By the fest’ring side of the tombless dead,</div> - <div class='line'>And see worms of the earth, and fowls of the air,</div> - <div class='line'>Beasts of the forest all gathering there;</div> - <div class='line'>All regarding man as their prey,</div> - <div class='line'>All rejoicing in his decay.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>“Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles (or rather the vultures) be gathered -together.” (Luke xvii. 37.) The vulture is equally ravenous after dead bodies as the -jackal; and it is very remarkable how suddenly these birds appear after the death of an animal -in the open field, though a single one may not have been seen on the spot a long time before.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The jackal is considered an incarnation of Dūrga, when she carried the child Krishna over -the Jumna, in his flight from King Kansa. The worshippers of the female deities adore the -jackal as a form of this goddess, and present offerings to him daily. Every worshipper lays -the offering on a clean place in his house, and calls the god to come and partake of it. As -this is done at the hour when jackals leave their lurking places, one of these animals sometimes -comes and eats the food. In temples dedicated to Dūrga and other deities, a stone image of -the jackal is placed on a pedestal and daily worshipped. When a Hindū passes a jackal, he -must bow to it; and if it passes on the left hand, it is a most lucky circumstance.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Crocodiles are very numerous in this part of the Ganges: they show themselves continually, -swimming low in the water, peering over the edge of a sand-bank, or basking in the sun -upon it. Near this place is a village full of a caste of people who live on the flesh of the -crocodile; the <em>dāndīs</em> say they understand it smells rank and is very hard. In the evening -you sometimes hear a shrill peculiar scream, which the men declare is the cry of the crocodile. -When fired at, they slink quietly into the water. The long-nosed crocodile is not so formidable -as the snub-nosed alligator: it is said the latter will attack men, the former avoids them if -possible. Human bones and ornaments are sometimes found in the interior of these animals. -To disagree with a superior, under whose command you may be, is, the natives assert, “To -live in the river and be at enmity with the crocodile.”</p> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_40'>40</span> - <h3 class='c017'>BENARES—RAJ GHĀT.</h3> -</div> - -<p class='c018'>The appearance of Benares, from the Ganges, is very beautiful. It is covered with buildings -to the water’s edge: the architecture of some is Hindū, of others Muhammadan; many of -them are of imposing appearance and great picturesque beauty. The magnificent flights of steps -called <em>Ghāts</em>, which descend deep into the river, are thronged at all times with people; some -fetching water, others washing, and most performing their ablutions in the sacred stream. -The view is surprisingly picturesque, and so singular, that no city in Europe can convey an -idea of Benares.</p> - -<p class='c009'>For a detailed account of Benares or <em>Bunarus</em>, deriving its name from two streams, the -Burna and the Ussee, you may refer to a beautiful work by the late James Prinsep, Esq., who -states that the ancient denomination of this city was <em>Kashi</em>, “The splendid,” whereof the fabulous -wonders are fully detailed in the <em>Kashi-Khund</em>, one of the chapters of the <em>Skundu-Poorana</em>. -According to this mythological history, Kashi is a place of most profound antiquity, sanctity, -and splendour: it has survived in age a hundred lives of Brahma, each of whose days is equal -to 4,320,000,000 of years; it stands raised from the ground, supported upon the <em>trisūl</em> or trident -of Mahadēo, and is never shaken by earthquakes: the whole city was once of pure gold, but -has since degenerated into stone and brick.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Bunarus (Sanscrit, <em>Bàrànusee</em>) quasi <em>Burna-Ussee</em>, or from Raja Bunar, who founded the -town <span class='fss'>A.D.</span> 1000. It contains about 600,000 souls—one-fourth Musalmans. The city stands on -a high ridge of <em>kankar</em> (nodules of lime stone), free from the floods which sometimes cover all its -suburbs. The houses are of stone, from two to six stories high, with terraces on the summit, and -open interior courts. The streets are very narrow, from four and a half to nine feet wide, with -low doors on each side. The trade is in sugar, cotton, indigo, opium, <em>kimkhwab</em>, jewels, &c.</p> - -<p class='c009'>No building in the town now standing can be traced to a higher antiquity than the -time of Man Singh, who was Rāja of Jypoor in the reign of Akbar. Both the temple and -the <i><span lang="es" xml:lang="es">man mundil</span></i>, or observatory, described by Tavernier, were erected by him. The astronomical -instruments were not added until the time of Jy Singh, 1680, more than a century -later.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_41'>41</span>The scene now before you on the left bank of the Ganges represents the holy city commencing -from Raj Ghāt, the place at which the steamers from Calcutta are moored, as well -as pinnaces and budjerows. The distance from the latter place via the Bhagirathī is 696 -miles, and by land or <em>dāk</em>, 428. The civil and military station is about four miles inland. -Native merchants bring goods of all descriptions for sale to the steamers and vessels anchored -off this ghāt; jewellery, shawls, portraits of the natives, &c. Provisions of all sorts, with wine -and beer, are procurable in the city.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The house situated above Raj Ghāt is the hotel that was so recently destroyed, when the -fleet of magazine boats containing gunpowder was blown up, the vessels having been moored -off this ghāt.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Bruhma Ghāt is ancient, and of irregular form; it derives its name from a temple of Siva, -under the title of Brumeswur, “the Lord of Brumha.” The temple and ghāt were repaired -(perhaps built) 200 years ago, by the Marhattas, and again recently by the ex-Peshwa Baji -Rāo. From the number of Marhatta families residing in the neighbourhood, and the comparative -privacy of the spot, it is by courtesy set apart as a bathing-place for their women. -They resort hither in groups, with their children and female servants. Their wet garments -are shifted with dexterity under a large wrapper, which is also worn over their silk dresses, in -passing through the streets. The Brahman of the ghāt is of course a privileged person; he -receives a small gratuity for taking care of the clothes, and brass or silver water vessels; he -also affixes the <em>tiluk</em> (frontal mark) and pronounces the <em>muntra</em> or morning benediction upon -his spiritual daughters.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On this ghāt wood is collected in large piles for sale: “Our wood is sold to us.” -(Lamentations v. 4.) The poor Hindū, living in the country never purchases wood for fuel. -When such a person removes to a large town, he speaks of it as a great hardship, that he is -obliged to buy his very fire-wood.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Benares is considered as the most holy city of India, and it is certainly one of the most -picturesque. “A little to eat and to live at Bunarus” is the wish of a pious Hindū; but a -residence at this place is rather dangerous to any one inclined to violate the laws.</p> - -<p class='c009'>“Kala-Bhoirāva the Tremendous, is a naked Siva, smeared with ashes; having three -eyes, riding on a dog, holding in one hand a horn, and in another a drum. In several places -<span class='pageno' id='Page_42'>42</span>in Bengal this image is daily worshipped. Siva, under this name, is regent of Kāshī -(Bunarus). All persons dying at Bunarus are entitled to a place in Siva’s heaven; but if -any one violate the laws of the shastrŭ during his residence there, Kalŭ-Bhoirŭvŭ after death -grinds him between two millstones.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>The dog carries Kalŭ-Bhoirŭvŭ, a form of Siva, and therefore receives the worship of -many Hindūs, whenever his master is worshipped; still he is considered as an unclean -animal: every offering which he approaches is considered unacceptable to the gods, and every -one who touches him must purify himself by bathing.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_042.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<h3 class='c017'>THE MINARETS.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>The Madhoray Ghāt and <em>musjid</em> or mosque, are now before you—the mosque was erected by -Aurunzebe, on the site and with the materials of the temple of Vishnū. The mosque has little -architectural beauty to boast of, but the <em>minars</em> have been deservedly admired for their simplicity -<span class='pageno' id='Page_43'>43</span>and boldness of execution. They are only eight and a half feet in diameter at the base, -and the breadth decreases to seven and a half feet, while they have an altitude of 147 feet -2 inches, from the terraced floor of the <em>musjid</em> to the <em>kalsā</em> or pinnacle. The terrace is -elevated about eighty feet above the river at low water level.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The musjid and the minars were repaired by Mr. James Prinsep—a hazardous undertaking -as regarded the latter, for they were both found to incline outwards fifteen inches from -the perpendicular. One of them was struck by lightning the very day the scaffolding was -removed, but it escaped with the displacement of a stone in the upper cornice. Several -instances have occurred of men throwing themselves from the top of the southern minaret. -One of them, a man who had gambled away his money and his wife during the <em>Diwâlī</em>:—another, -a sailor, who was killed on the spot:—another, a <em>Fakīr</em>, who, falling through the -tiles and mat-work of a roof, scraping the flesh from his sides, alighted on the floor beneath, -with every bone safe. Such an escape was deemed miraculous; and crowds attended to -minister to one so favoured by heaven. The <em>Fakīr</em> disappeared immediately on recovering -from his bruises, and sundry solid moveables of his host disappeared with him.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Men, women, and children bathe together, uniting the worship of the Ganges or of the -gods with their ablutions, washing their long hair with mud, making clay images for <em>pūjā</em>, -(worship), or pouring out libations to their deceased ancestors, whilst the children gambol in -the water, or collect clay to assist in making the great image of Bhīm Singh the giant, which -is so frequently seen on the side of a ghāt, or that of Hunumān the monkey god. The -Hindūs pour out water to the sun, three times a day; and to the moon at the time of worshipping -her, which illustrates a passage in Scripture, “To pour out drink-offerings to the -queen of heaven.” (Jer. xliv. 17.)</p> - -<p class='c009'>Ghoosla Ghāt unites great solidity with a graceful and appropriate elevation: the double-arched -door case in front of the gate has a very rich effect under the strong shadows of midday, -giving an artificial magnitude to the entrance, in just proportion to the dimensions of the -front. The river rises above the top of the doorway, entering the staircase, and affording a -comfortable bath within, where there are convenient recesses on the sides of the steps for the -accommodation of bathers.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The ferry-boat is crossing the river laden with camels, buffaloes, and cows.</p> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_44'>44</span> - <h3 class='c017'>RAJRAJESWURREE GHĀT.</h3> -</div> - -<p class='c018'>On the sands in the foreground is the hut of a <em>Baniyā</em>, or grain merchant, from whom the -<em>dandīs</em> procure <em>chabenī</em>, the parched grain of Indian corn (maize), also flour for their <em>chappatīs</em>. -A group of pilgrims are seated on one side of<a id='t44'></a> the hut.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Rajrajeswurree Ghāt, which is seen in the distance, takes its name from an ancient -temple of <em>Devī</em>, under the appellation of <em>Rajrajeswurree</em> (“queen of queens”). The title <em>Devī</em>, -is usually applied to Bhawanī. The façade of this building is a good specimen of the mixed style -of Hindū and Moresque architecture; the former is observable in the lower half of the central -compartment; while the projecting stone gallery, with its parapet, <em>tukya mootukka</em>, and the -domed octagonal <em>buruj</em> at the two corners, giving relief to the rectangular pavilion in the centre, -are seen to be essentially Moorish, from the character of the pillar, and scalloped arch (<em>mehrab</em>).</p> - -<p class='c009'>The man in green is one of a very fine corps of men, called Gardner’s Horse; they were -raised by the late Colonel Win. Linnæus Gardner, a most highly distinguished and gallant -officer: they are such masters of their horses and weapons, that it is said, single-handed, -nothing can resist them; and one of these men, well known in the up-country, was considered -to be the finest horseman in India. For an account of Colonel Gardner’s romantic, adventurous, -and distinguished life, we refer you to a work lately published, the “Wanderings of a -Pilgrim during Four and Twenty Years in the East.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>The two men who next appear belong to Skinner’s Horse, a most efficient irregular corps, -taking its name from its gallant colonel, by whom it was raised and stationed at Delhi. -Skinner’s Horse rendered important services in the Mahratta and Pindaree campaigns. They -are well mounted and appointed, and are an intelligent, fine body of men: with a lance of -great length, they are exceedingly expert, and excellent shots with the matchlock, a most unwieldy -fire-arm.</p> - -<p class='c009'>A native carriage, called a <em>bilī</em>, drawn by two bullocks, stands in the rear: these decorated -carriages are principally used by women in the higher ranks of life; and within the curtains, -which are closely drawn and fastened down, a lady is completely protected from the profane -gaze of man.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_45'>45</span>In the distance you now behold the Dusaswumed Ghāt. The mythological legends -which give rise to the name of this ghāt and temple, are connected with the story of Divadas’s -usurpation of Siva’s kingly authority in <em>Kashī</em>. Siva having sent from heaven the <em>yoginis</em>, -or heavenly nymphs, and tried various other stratagems in vain, to turn the earthly monarch -aside from virtue, next deputed Brumha himself, who entered the place, disguised as an old -Brahman, and obtaining access to the king, received permission from him to perform ten (<em>dus</em>) -<em>aswumedha</em>, or horse sacrifices, upon the spot here represented. The horse sacrifice, as described -in the <em>purans</em>, is a very curious ceremony. A horse having peculiar colours and -qualities is selected, and after a course of <em>pūja</em> (worship), is turned loose upon the world, followed -by the sacrificing party, with an armed retinue: if stopped by the sovereign of another -country through which the animal may pass, war must be declared, and the interrupter of the -sacrifice subdued:—in this way, after traversing the world, the horse returns, and is put to -death by suffocation.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>THE SNAKE CHARMERS.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>The group of natives seated on the ground are a particular cast of Hindūs, who profess to -charm serpents, to reduce them to subjection, and to prevent their poison from proving fatal. -They roam about the country, carrying a boa constrictor in a basket, which they twine around -their necks and display to the passers by. They have also a number of the cobra di capello, -which, being placed on the ground, rear themselves up, and, spreading out their hoods, sway -themselves about in a fashion which the men call dancing, accompanied by the noise of a little -hand-drum. The snake charmers strike the reptiles with their hands, and the snakes bite -them repeatedly on their hands as well as on their arms, bringing blood at every bite: although -the venomous fangs have been carefully removed, the bite itself must be disagreeable; nevertheless -the natives appear not to mind it in the least. At the conclusion of the <em>tamāshā</em> -(fun), they catch the cobras and cram them all into <em>gharās</em> (earthen vessels), and carry the -boas off in a basket. The snake charmers remind us of the text, “They are like the deaf -adder, that stoppeth her ear; which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never -so wisely.” (Psalm lviii. 4, 5.)</p> - -<p class='c009'>The two men on the left are pilgrims with holy water. In the cold season of the year, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_46'>46</span>Hindūs from all parts of Upper India, perform pilgrimages to the sacred places on the Ganges: -although the stream throughout is considered holy, there are parts of peculiar sanctity, such -as Hurdwar, Benares, Allahabad, &c. The roads swarm with devotees; they proceed in large -groups, generally well dressed, carrying on their shoulders a large bamboo, supporting at each -end a covered basket, containing small stumpy bottles of the thinnest green glass, having long -necks: they are filled with Ganges water at the sacred places, and sealed with the seal of the -Brahman. These people travel all over the country, selling the sacred water at a high price -at the distant stations. Some of the bottles contain a quart; others are not above two inches -high; they are of all sizes, and the price varies accordingly. The salutation of these people -on passing is, “<em>Ram ram</em>,” or “<em>Bom bom Mahadēo</em>,”—a pilgrim of this class is called a -<em>Kanwar-wālā</em>. The men come for this water to place it in their houses for religious and -medicinal uses, and sometimes perform a journey on the occasion of five or six months; it is -also used in the English courts of justice, in administering an oath to an Hindū. The frames -in which the baskets are carried are decorated with feathers of the sacred peacock and small -red flags; and every party appears to have one amongst them more ornamented than the rest, -with a large arched cover, and numerous bells attached to it.</p> - -<p class='c009'>A <em>jumna-pār</em> goat, so called because these goats are bred on the other side the Junma, is -lying on the ground—they are of enormous size, with very broad, long, thin, and silky ears, -as soft as velvet. These animals are better adapted for marching than the small Bengalī goat; -but unless they can go into the <em>jangal</em> and browse, they become thin and lose their milk.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On the opposite side of the river is the Jellinghy flat and her steamer, returning from -Allahabad to Calcutta. The steamer herself is not the vessel in which passengers live; but -attached to, and towed by her, is a vessel as large as the steamer herself, called a flat, built -expressly to convey passengers and government treasure. It is divided into cabins, with one -large cabin in the centre, in which the passengers dine together. The deck is covered with -an awning.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The view on the left of the native vessel exemplifies the structure of the ghāts on the -water’s edge. The continuity of the line of steps is interrupted by hundreds of stone piers -of various forms, which may be classed under three distinct heads: some are merely intended -to give solidity to the masonry; others are built for the accommodation of the <em>ghātiyās</em> (ghāt -<span class='pageno' id='Page_47'>47</span>attendants), and <em>gangā-putras</em> (sons of the Ganges), who enjoy hereditary possession of most -of the ground between high and low water mark, and whose ancestors have resided on the -spot from time immemorial in hereditary attendance upon pilgrims; the third sort consists of -<em>mut’hs</em> or small temples, erected at the expense of pilgrims and others: they generally have a -flat roof, which serves the <em>ghātiyā</em> as a <em>chabūtāra</em> or terrace to sit and converse upon. The -large <em>chatrs</em>, or umbrellas, so numerous on the ghāts, are fixtures, to protect the people from -the intense heat of the sun in India.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On the river’s edge are seen one or two <em>murhīs</em>—chambers into which the sick are -removed when at the point of death, that their sins, to the last moment of existence, may be -washed away by the holy stream.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In the midst of hundreds and hundreds of temples and ghāts, piled one above another on -the high cliff, or rising out of the Ganges, the mind is perfectly bewildered: it turns from -beauty to beauty, anxious to preserve the memory of each; and the sketcher throws down the -pencil in despair. Each ghāt presents a study: the intricate architecture, the elaborate -workmanship, the elegance and lightness of form, and the picturesque groups of natives that -crowd to their devotions, form as fine a subject for a picture as an artist could select.</p> - -<p class='c009'>How soon Benares, or rather the glory of Benares—its picturesque beauty—will be no -more! Since the year 1836 many ghāts and temples have sunk, undermined by the rapid -stream which now sets full upon the most beautiful cluster of the temples on its banks: -some have been engulphed, some are falling; and ere long, if the Ganges encroach at an equal -rate, but little will remain of the glory of the most holy of the Hindū cities.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In the rains, some of the temples are submerged to the cornice; many Hindūs, notwithstanding, -are bold enough to swim through an impetuous current, and to dive under the -porch and doorway, for the honour of continuing their customary worship despite of perils -and personal inconvenience.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>JULSYN GHĀT.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>Julsyn <em>Ghāt</em> and Raj Bulubh Shīwala are now before you. On the terrace of the latter is a -brahmanī bull: these animals walk about the buildings with seeming indifference, ascending -the steps, mixing with the crowd, and constantly attending for their food. They are seldom -<span class='pageno' id='Page_48'>48</span>disturbed; but when molested they are vicious, and will use their horns. The rice and -flowers offered to the idols are swept up, and for the greater part eaten by the brahmanī -bulls. The proverb says:—“At Benares you should be on guard against the women, the -sacred bulls, the steps, and the devotees.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>The principal Hindū temples in Benares are crowded with people of both sexes and of all -ages, who daily assemble to pay their devotions to the deity of the place, from the hour of -eight in the morning until nearly four in the afternoon. The form of worship is very simple: -the votary enters the temple and prostrates himself, praying aloud; he then rises and strikes -a bell suspended over a form of <em>Mahadēo</em>, thrice repeating the word <em>bom</em>, or hail, at each -stroke; then putting a few grains of boiled rice, and a small quantity of milk or oil, or -Ganges water, on the Mahadēo, he strews a few flowers over it, and, repeating the same, -sometimes adorns the head of the idol with a chaplet of flowers. This ceremony being over, -the votary lays down a few cowries, and retires to make room for others. The women generally -enter with their garments quite wet, after having performed their ablutions in the -Ganges. The quantity of milk, oil, water, and flowers, thrown about the place, renders it -dirty and wet until the evening, when, the crowd retiring, the Brahmans clean the temple for -the next day.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The music and bells of a hundred temples strike the ear amidst the buzz of human -voices; at the same time the eye rests on the vivid colours of different groups of male and -female bathers, with their sparkling brass vessels, or follows the holy bulls as they wander in -the crowds munching the chaplets of flowers liberally presented to them. Then, as night -steals on, the scene changes, and the twinkling of lamps along the water’s edge, and the -funeral fires and white curling smoke, and the stone buildings lit up by the moon, present -features of variety and blended images of animation, which it is out of the artist’s power to -embody.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The large building that now appears is on Oomraogir’s <em>pushta</em> or <em>ghāt</em>. On the exterior -of the building is a <em>mut’h</em>, an Hindu temple, dedicated to Ganesh, the god of wisdom, and the -patron of literature. In <em>pūja</em> this idol is invoked ere any other god is worshipped. Ere a -pious Hindū commence any sort of writing he makes the sign of Ganesh at the top of the -page. With the simplicity of the child he unites the wisdom of the elephant: his writing is -<span class='pageno' id='Page_49'>49</span>beautiful, “Behold! he writes like Ganesh!” Who can say more? He is called two mothered, -uniting the elephant’s head to his natural body, therefore having a second mother in the -elephant. The worshippers pour oil and the holy Ganges water over the head of this god, -who is thus bathed daily; and offerings of boiled rice and flowers are made at the time of -prayer. Around the idol are placed the vessels used in <em>pūja</em>, brass bells, the conch shell, -the holy spoons, flowers, &c. In the Museum is a solid white marble image of Ganesh, -which weighs 3¼ cwt. For a further account of this idol, see the frontispiece, and -the Introduction to the “Wanderings of a Pilgrim during Four and Twenty Years in -the East.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Fākir seated on the ghāt is one in the highest stage of exaltation, in which clothing is -almost dispensed with, and his only <em>garment</em> is a <em>chatr</em>, an umbrella made of basket work: -his long hair and his beard, matted with cow-dung and ashes, hang in stiff straight locks to his -waist, his body is smeared with ashes; he always remains on the same spot, and when suffering -from illness, a bit of tattered blanket is thrown over him. Passers by throw cowries and -grains of boiled rice at his feet, he remains speechless, disregards all visible objects, asks for -nothing, but subsists on alms. He will not answer any question addressed to him, which -elucidates the proverb: “Talking to a man in ecstasy (of a religious nature) is like beating -curds with a pestle.” Persons in this state affirm that their minds do not wander after -worldly things, that they live in a state of pleasure, abstraction, and joy, and that they have -attained to that state of perfection required by the <em>shastrs</em>. His red flag is displayed from a -bamboo, below which is a small lantern made of coloured <em>ubruk</em> or talc; sometimes the -lamp is formed of clay, pierced through with fret-work in remarkably pretty patterns. The -Hindūs suspend lamps in the air on bamboos in honour of the gods during a particular month, -and in obedience to the <em>shastrs</em>. The offering of lamps to particular gods is an act of merit, so this -offering to all the gods, during the auspicious month, is supposed to secure many benefits to -the giver. Lamps suspended from bamboos are also indicative of the ceremony in honour of -Ananta, the great serpent.</p> - -<p class='c009'>On another bamboo is displayed the <em>trisūl</em> or trident of Mahadēo, and a small double-headed -hand-drum, shaped like an hour-glass, called <em>damaru</em>, used by <em>Fakīrs</em>; and in front -by the side of the Devotee, is an altar, or pillar, hollowed at the top, containing the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_50'>50</span>sacred <em>tulsī</em> plant (ocimum sanctum) purple stalked basil. This plant is worshipped in honour of -a religious female who requested Vishnu to allow her to become his wife. Lukshmī, the -goddess of beauty, and wife of Vishnu, cursed the woman on account of the pious request she -had preferred to her lord, and changed her into a <em>tulsī</em> plant. Vishnu, in consideration of -the religious austerities long practised by the enamoured devotee, made her a promise that he -would assume the form of the <em>shalgram</em>, and always continue with her. If one of these sacred -plants die, it is committed in due form to <em>Ganga-jee</em>: and when a person is brought to die by -the side of the sacred river, a branch of the <em>tulsī</em>, the shrub-goddess, is planted near the dying -man’s head, and the marks upon the <em>shalgram</em> are shown to him. This pebble god is a small -heavy black circular stone, rather flattened on one side, with the <em>cornu ammonis</em> strongly -marked upon it. Devotees walk round the sacred plant, pour water upon it, and make -<em>salām</em>. Of an evening a little <em>chirāgh</em>, a small lamp, is burned before it. In the courts of -justice the Hindū swears by the Ganges water on which is placed a branch of the <em>tulsī</em>.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>MANIKURNĪKA GHĀT.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>A brahmanī bull is going up to the idol Ganesh, expecting a share of the flowers that are -offered to the image. In the distance a band of pilgrims are coming down to fill their baskets -with holy water; and in the foreground is a picturesque figure, also a carrier of holy water, -which is put into small sealed bottles placed in baskets suspended from a bamboo poised on -his shoulder, over which is a covering of red cloth.</p> - -<p class='c009'>A tank of peculiar sanctity is now before you, on the steps of which men are ascending -and descending: it is called the <em>Chakra kunda</em>, and its history is as follows:—“After one of -the periodical destructions and renovations of the world, Siva and his bride were alone in the -<em>ananda-vana</em>, or happy forest, occupying the present site of Munikarniká, they found, as -man and wife may sometimes do, that their <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">tête á tête</span> was growing dull, and to vary the party, -Siva created Vishnu. After a while, the married pair wished again for privacy and withdrew -into the forest, desiring Vishnu to amuse himself by doing what was fit and proper; -which, after some consideration, he judged to be a supply of water for the irrigation of the -trees, and with his <em>chakra</em>, or discus, he dug a hole, which he filled with the ambrosial perspiration -from his body, induced by his hard work; and the pool so dug and filled, has remained -<span class='pageno' id='Page_51'>51</span>a spot of peculiar sanctity, termed, from the <em>chakra</em>, or discus, <em>chakra kunda</em>, or <em>chakra -puskkarnī</em>, discus-pond. When Siva returned and saw what Vishnu had done, he nodded his -head in approbation so energetically, that the jewel (<em>mani</em>) of one of his ear-rings -(<em>karniká</em>) fell off, and the place was thenceforth called <em>Manikarnika</em>.” (See <em>Kasi Khand</em>, -Part I. chap. 26).</p> - -<p class='c009'>A Brahman sitting beneath a porch is reading aloud, with his book on his knees, and -bending his body backwards and forwards as he reads.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Beneath the shade of a fine <em>pīpal</em> tree (ficus religiosa) is a four-headed and holy piece of -sculpture, with the bull (<em>nandī</em>) reposing before it; also another singularly sculptured stone -representing two heads, their bodies formed of snakes entwined. The <em>pīpal</em> is universally -sacred: the Hindūs are seen in the early morning putting flowers in <em>pūja</em> at the foot of the -tree, and pouring water on its roots. They worship the idols placed beneath it in a similar -manner, and they believe that a god resides in every leaf, who delights in the music of their -rustling, and their tremulous motion.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Near this place is the spot on which the dead are burned; it is dedicated to Vishnu, as -<em>Jalsāī</em>, or “sleeper on the waters;” and there, many a Hindu widow has devoted herself to -the flames with the corpse of her husband. In the Museum is a brazen image of <em>Jalsāī</em> -floating on Anantā, the great serpent.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>THE HINDŪ SCHOOL.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>In the Bengalī schools a boy learns his letters by writing them, never by pronouncing the -alphabet, as in Europe; he first writes them on the ground with a stick, or his fingers; next -with an iron style, or a reed, on a palm-leaf; and next on a green plantain-leaf. The Bengalī -schoolmasters punish with a cane, or a rod made of the branch of a tree; sometimes a truant -is compelled to stand on one leg, holding up a brick in each hand, or to have his arms -stretched out, until he is completely tired. Almost all the villages contain common schools. -The allowance to the schoolmasters is very small: for the first year’s education, about a -penny a month, and a day’s provisions; when a boy writes on the palm-leaf, twopence a -month; after this, as the boy advances in learning, as much as fourpence or eightpence a month -is given. There are no schools for girls among the Hindūs. “Jesus stooped down, and with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_52'>52</span>his finger wrote upon the ground.” (John viii. 6). Schools for children are frequently held -under trees in Bengal, and the children who are beginning to learn, write the letters of the -alphabet in the dust. This saves pens, ink, and paper. “The sin of Judah is written with a -pen of iron.” (Jeremiah xvii. 1). The letters are formed by making incisions on the palm-leaf: -these books are very durable.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The scene now represents the <em>gyan-bapī</em>, or the well of knowledge, which is regarded as -peculiarly sacred by the Hindūs, and it is related that it was dug by Isana with his <em>trisūl</em>, -or trident, when he was wandering about Kashī. One of the officiating Brahmans is seen receiving -the offerings of rice, &c. from a party of pilgrims, just about to commence the circuit -of the temples. If a rich Hindū present any thing to an inferior, the latter, as a mark of respect, -puts it on his head. An offering of cloth, for instance, received at a temple, the receiver not -only places on his head, but binds it there. The rice and flowers were formerly thrown into the -well; but they rendered the water so putrid, that a defence of planks has been since put up to -prevent it. The man near the <em>gyan-bapī</em> carrying a staff, is a <em>dŭndī fakīr</em>. This name is given -because these devotees receive a staff (<em>dŭndŭ</em>) when they first enter this order. The Brahmans, -on meeting one, prostrate themselves before him. The <em>dŭndī</em> shaves his head and beard -every four months. He travels with a staff in one hand, and an alms-dish in the other; he -does not beg or cook his food, but is a guest at the houses of the Brahmans. The ceremonies -to which this order attend, are, repeating the names of Vishnŭ, bathing once a day, and, with -closed eyes, meditating on the attributes of the god by the side of the river. When about to -bathe, they besmear themselves all over with the mud of the Ganges. The <em>dŭndīs</em> do not -burn, but bury their dead, repeating certain forms of prayer.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>THE BALANCING GOAT.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>In front of a beautiful Muhammadan Mosque a group is assembled around an Hindostanī -juggler, with his goat, two monkeys, and several bits of wood, made in the shape of an -hour-glass. The first piece he places on the ground, the goat ascends it, and balances herself -on the top: the man by degrees places another bit of wood on the edge of the former; the -goat ascends and retains her balance: a third piece, in like manner, is placed on the top of the -former two pieces; the goat ascends from the two former, a monkey is placed on her back, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_53'>53</span>and she still preserves her balance. The man keeps time with a sort of musical instrument, -which he holds in his right hand, and sings a wild song to aid the goat: without the song -and the measured time, they say the goat could not perform the balance. A grass-cutter is -looking on: he has just returned from cutting a bundle of <em>dūb</em>-grass: every horse in India -has his <em>sāīs</em>, or groom, and his grass-cutter. When a beautiful <em>begam</em> (a native princess) is -suffering from the pangs of jealousy, she often exclaims, “I wish I were married to a grass-cutter!” -because a man of that class is too poor to be able to keep two wives.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The man on the right is a religious mendicant, a disciple of Siva. When this portrait -was taken, his long black hair, matted with cow-dung, was twisted like a turban round his -head: he was dreadfully lean, almost a skeleton. His left arm had been held erect so long, -that the flesh had withered, and the skin clung round the bones most frightfully; the nails of -the hand, which had been kept immoveably clenched, had pierced through the palm, and grew -out at the back of the hand, like the long claws of a bird of prey. His skeleton arm was encircled -by a twisted stick, the stem perhaps of a thick creeper, the end of which was cut into the shape -of the head of the cobra di capello, with its hood displayed; and the twisted withy looked -like the body of the reptile wreathed around his horrible arm. His only garment was the skin -of a tiger, thrown over his shoulders, and a bit of rag and rope. He was of a dirty ashen -colour from mud and paint; perhaps in imitation of Siva, who, when he appeared on earth -as a naked mendicant of an ashy colour, was recognized as Mahadēo, the great god. This -man was considered a very holy person. His right hand contained an empty gourd and a -small rosary, and two long rosaries were around his neck of the rough beads called <em>mundrāsī</em>. -Acts of severity towards the body, practised by religious mendicants, are not done as penances -for sin, but as works of extraordinary merit, promising large rewards in a future state. The -<em>Byragī</em> is not a penitent, but a proud ascetic.</p> - -<p class='c009'>A very small and beautifully-formed <em>ginī</em> (a dwarf cow) was with him. She was decorated -with crimson cloth, embroidered with cowrie shells, and a plume of peacocks’ feathers -as a <em>jika</em>, rose from the top of her head. A brass bell was on her neck, and around her legs -were anklets of the same metal. Many <em>Fakīrs</em> lead these little dwarf cows about the country, -they are fat and sleek, and considered so holy that they will not sell them.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_54'>54</span>A barber sitting on a ghāt, is shaving an Hindū, he makes use of water, but not of -soap, while he shaves all round the head, leaving a tuft of hair in the middle of the back of -the head, which is commonly tied in a knot. Shaving is usually done under a small shed or -a tree, very often in the street or road.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We have now given as many views of Benares as it is possible to introduce within -the limits of our Diorama, and we take leave of the holy city with regret. The <em>Vedas</em> and -<em>Shastrs</em> all testify that “Viswaswara is the first of <em>Devas</em>, <em>Kashī</em> (Benares) the first of cities, -<em>Gangā</em> the first of rivers, and charity the first of virtues.” Vishveshvur, “Lord of the Universe,” -is one of the most exalted titles of Siva.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>THE FORTRESS OF CHUNAR.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>The scene now represents Chunar, a fortress of considerable natural strength, situated on an -insulated rock, about 150 feet high, forming the extremity of a low range of hills, on the -right bank of the Ganges, about eighteen miles from Benares. In December, 1765, the -Company’s troops, commanded by Major Pemble, stormed the place, and were repulsed with -severe loss. The defences were irregular, following the outline of the eminence on which -they were erected: several heavy batteries were mounted on the ramparts; but the native -garrison trusted more to the inaccessible nature of the approach, and to the facilities it possessed -for rolling down stones upon any assailants,—of which missiles, a large supply was always -held in readiness on the ramparts. The fortress was again invested, and on the 8th of February, -1765, the <em>Killadar</em> of the Fort surrendered the keys to Major Stibbert. It is an invalid station, -although not reckoned a healthy spot, owing to the great heat arising from the stone: it -completely commands the river, and is used as a place of confinement for state-prisoners. -Snakes are numerous, and boys bring the cobra di capello for sale to boats. In the Magazine -is a large black slab, on which the deity of the Fort is said to be ever present, with the exception -of from daybreak until the hour of nine <span class='fss'>A.M.</span>, during which time he is at Benares. -Tradition asserts, that the Fort would never have been taken by the English, but for the absence -of their god Burtreenath.</p> - -<p class='c009'>A little above the Fort is a temple: tradition states it to contain a chest, which cannot -<span class='pageno' id='Page_55'>55</span>be opened, unless the party opening it lose his hand—four thieves having so suffered once in -an attempt upon it. It is also recorded, that the deified giant Bhīm Singh, built the fortress -of Chunar in one day, and rendered it impregnable.</p> - -<p class='c009'>A native has just succeeded in crossing the river on a bundle of reeds; his clothes placed -on the top of his head are safe from wet, and with one hand he paddles along. On the outskirts -of the village is seen a remarkably ancient Banyan-tree, the Ficus Indica.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In front of the tomb of a <em>Pīr</em> (a Muhammadan saint), three followers of the prophet are -at their devotions. A <em>Shāmiyāna</em>, or awning, screens the tomb from the sun and rain: the -standards of Hussan and Hussein are displayed, and daily coloured lanterns are suspended -from the top of high bamboos.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>THE PERSIAN WHEEL.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>A woman is sticking cakes of cow-dung on the wall to dry for fuel. This article, called <em>oplā</em>, -is generally used by the poorer classes; 1280 cakes are sold for a rupee: when well prepared -and dried it blazes like wood. On the right is a fine Persian wheel: the water is brought up -in <em>gharas</em>, red earthen vessels fastened round its circumference; it is worked by two bullocks, -and gives an abundant supply. A wheel of this sort is perhaps superior to any other method -of drawing water.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>MIRZAPŪR.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>Mirzapūr is a military cantonment, famous for its beautiful ghāts, and noted for its carpet -manufactory and cotton mart. Some remarkably picturesque Hindū temples are on the -<em>ghāts</em>, with fine trees in the back ground. The cliff is abrupt, and the river is always -crowded with vessels full of merchandise: steamers having plenty of cargo to land are -generally detained here four or five hours. Mirzapūr is from Calcutta, <em>via</em> Bhagirathī, 748 -miles, and by dāk route, 455.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The scene before you is very singular; it represents the finale of the <em>Kalī-pūjā</em> festival: -the goddess is seen on a platform in the boat in the foreground, covered by an awning, and -adorned with flags: on the steps of the <em>ghāt</em>, a similar image is being put into a boat, and -from every part of the city the worshippers are bringing forth the idols. One of the boats is -towed by a <em>dinghī</em>, in which they are firing a <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">feu de joie</span></i> from a matchlock.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_56'>56</span>In the house of the Bengalī <em>babū</em> you beheld a <em>nāch</em>, and the worship of the goddess -Dūrga, a yellow woman, with ten arms. You have now before you another form of the same -Hindū deity, under the name of Kalī, the black, the terrific. When this goddess is worshipped -in the month of May, it is called the <em>Phuluharī</em> festival, on account of the quantity -of fruits and flowers offered to the idol at this particular season: animals are sacrificed in her -honour, and jack fruit and mangoes are presented to her in that particular month.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The day after the worship, the people carry the goddess in state to the river, and place the -image on a platform, between two boats; the worshippers, attended by the discordant music of -tom-toms (native drums) and horns, row the image out into the stream, and sink her in the -deep waters: the women weep and utter lamentations on parting with the idol.</p> - -<p class='c009'>This goddess is represented as a black woman, with four arms: in one hand she carries -a scimitar, one is bestowing a blessing, another forbids fear, and the fourth holds the head of -the giant whom she slew.</p> - -<p class='c009'>She wears a necklace of skulls, her tongue hangs out of her mouth, her jet-black hair -falls to her heels. Having drunk the blood of the giants she slew, her eyebrows are bloody, -and the blood is falling in a stream down her breast: her eyes are red, like those of a -drunkard: she stands trampling on her husband Siva. Kālī had a contest with the giant -Ravŭna, which lasted ten years: having conquered him, she became mad with joy, and her -dancing shook the earth to its centre. To restore the peace of the world, Siva, her husband, -threw himself amongst the dead bodies at her feet. She continued her dancing, and trampled -upon him. When she discovered her husband, she stood still, horror-struck and ashamed, -and threw out her tongue to an uncommon length; by this means Siva stopped her frantic -dancing, and saved the universe. “The Philistine cursed David by his gods.” A Hindū -sometimes in a fit of anger, says to his enemy, “The goddess Kalī shall devour thee; may -Dūrga destroy thee!”</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>THE TIMBER RAFT.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>The picturesque <em>ghāt</em> of Sirsya is in the distance, in front of which is an enormous boat, called -a <em>Kutcher</em>, or <em>Kutchuā</em>; the bows and the stern are both square. A vessel of this description -has frequently two rudders, like the one before you. It is laden with bales of cotton, which -<span class='pageno' id='Page_57'>57</span>extend, supported on bamboos, far beyond each side of the boat. The next vessel is a large -<em>patailī</em>, called a <em>ghor-daul</em>, or <em>ghora-wal</em>, because the bows are ornamented with a horse’s head. -She is laden with salt.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In the foreground is a timber raft, one of the most picturesque objects to be seen on the -Ganges. The men who accompany the raft have a strangely wild appearance; fresh from the -<em>jangal</em>, they come down with the floating timber for scarcely any payment, just enough to feed -them. They are small in stature, their skins are very dark, they shave the head completely, -and their bodies are all but naked. They direct the course of the raft with long bamboos; a -small thatch is erected upon her, under which they creep, and there they sleep. A picture in -itself is the wild, strange-looking timber raft, which is generally decorated with two or three -small red flags, and is always accompanied by a very small, narrow canoe, hollowed out of the -trunk of a tree.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>ALLAHABAD.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>The fortress of Allahabad was built by Akbar Shah in 1581. On the 11th February, 1765, -the governor of the fort, Alī Beg Khan, surrendered it to the Company’s troops, under the -command of Major Fletcher, and marched out with his garrison, under safe conduct. Thus -in one week Chunar and Allahabad, the two most important fortresses in Shuja-oo-Dowlah’s -possession, fell without loss into the hands of the English.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The fortress is erected upon a point of land, stretching out into the waters at the -junction of the sacred rivers. One of the holiest places on the Ganges is pointed out by -numerous flags at the spot where it joins the Jumna, just below the fort. The Saraswati is -supposed to unite with them <em>underground</em>, whence the junction is called <em>Trivenī</em>, or <em>Tribenī</em>. -This spot is so holy, that a person dying there is certain of immediate <em>moskh</em>, or beatitude, -without risk of further transmigration. The blue waters of the Jumna contrast strongly at -the junction with the muddy hue of the waters of the Ganges. On the sands below the fort, -the <em>Bura Mela</em>, or great fair, is held annually; it lasts about two months, and attracts devotees -and merchants from all parts of India. At that period, also, <em>lākhs</em> and <em>lākhs</em> of natives come -to Prag; they make <em>pūja</em>, shave, give money to the <em>Fakīrs</em>, and bathe at the sacred junction. -Suicide committed at the <em>Benī</em> is meritorious in persons of a certain caste, but a <em>sin</em> for a -Brahman! The ancient city of Prag, acquired the name of Allahabad from the Musalmān -conquerors of India.</p> - -<p class='c009'><span class='pageno' id='Page_58'>58</span>The buildings occupied by Shah Allum when he resided in the fort, still retain traces of -their former grandeur, and some of the apartments command a fine view of the Jumna that -flows beneath. An enormous pillar, formerly prostrate near the gateway in the fort, has -been set up on a pedestal, under the superintendence of the late Colonel Edward Smith. The -natives call it <em>Bhīm Singh ké lāt</em>, that is, Bhīm Singh’s walking-stick: some of the inscriptions -on the <em>lāt</em> are in unknown characters—those of the mighty dead, who have disappeared -from the earth, leaving records imperishable, but incomprehensible.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The steam vessels and tugs which navigate the Ganges from Calcutta terminate their -voyage at Allahabad.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_058.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<h3 class='c017'>THE SATĪ.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>The scene now before you represents a <em>Satī</em>, the burning of a Hindū widow with the corpse -of her husband. The event here represented took place on the 7th November, 1828, near -<span class='pageno' id='Page_59'>59</span>Raj ghāt, under the Mahratta <em>bund</em> (an embankment raised to prevent the encroachment of -the Ganges). The woman was the wife of a rich <em>buniyā</em> (a corn-chandler), and she determined -to burn on his funeral-pile. The magistrate sent for her, used every argument to -dissuade her, and offered her money. Her only answer was, dashing her head against the -floor, and saying, “If you will not let me burn with my husband, I will hang myself in your -court of justice.” If a widow touch either food or water from the time her husband expires -until she ascend the pile, she cannot, by Hindū law, be burned with the body; therefore the -magistrate kept the corpse <em>forty-eight</em> hours, in the hope that hunger would compel the woman -to eat. Guards were set over her; but she never touched any thing. A procession of people -accompanied the widow from her dwelling to the river-side; she walked in the midst, dressed -in a red garment, and the corpse, placed on a charpaī, fixed on long bamboos, was carried on -men’s shoulders. About 5000 people were collected together on the banks of the Ganges: -the pile was built, and the putrid body placed upon it.</p> - -<p class='c009'>After having bathed in the river, the widow lighted a brand, walked round the pile, set it -on fire, and then mounted cheerfully: the flame caught and blazed up instantly; she sat down, -placing the head of the corpse on her lap, and repeated several times the usual form, “<em>Ram, -Ram, sātī; Ram, Ram, sātī</em>;” <i><span lang="la" xml:lang="la">i.e.</span></i> “God, God, I am chaste.” As the wind drove the fierce -fire upon her, she shook her arms and limbs as if in agony; at length she started up, and -approached the side to escape. An Hindū—one of the police who had been placed near the -pile to see that she had fair play, and should not be burned by force—raised his sword to -strike her, and the poor wretch shrank back into the flames. The magistrate seized and -committed him to prison. The woman again approached the side of the blazing pile, sprang -fairly out, and ran into the Ganges, which was within a few yards. When the crowd and the -brothers of the dead man saw this, they called out, “Cut her down! knock her on the head -with a bamboo! tie her hands and feet, and throw her in again!” They rushed down to -execute their murderous intentions, when some English gentlemen and the police drove them -back. The woman drank some water, and having extinguished the fire on her red garment, -said she would mount the pile again and be burned. The magistrate placed his hand upon -her shoulder (which rendered her impure), and said, “By your own law, having once quitted -the pile, you cannot ascend again; I forbid it.” He sent her in a palanquin, under a guard, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_60'>60</span>to the hospital. The crowd made way, shrinking from her with signs of horror, but returned -peacefully to their homes; the Hindūs annoyed at her escape, the Musalmāns, saying, -“It was better that she should escape, but it was a pity we should have lost the <em>tamāshā</em> -(amusement) of seeing her burnt to death.” The woman said, “I have transmigrated six -times, and have been burned six times with six different husbands; if I do not burn the -seventh time, it will prove unlucky for me!” “What good will burning do you?” asked a -bystander: she replied, “The women of my husband’s family have all been <em>satīs</em>: why should -I bring disgrace upon them? I shall go to heaven, and afterwards re-appear on earth, and -be married to a very rich man.”</p> - -<p class='c009'>The woman was about 25 years of age, and possessed some property: had she performed -<em>satī</em>, her relatives would have raised a little cenotaph, or a mound of earth, by the side of the -river; and every Hindū who passed the place returning from bathing, would have made -<em>salām</em> to it—a high honour to the family. The <em>shastrs</em> say, “There is no greater virtue than -a chaste woman burning herself with her husband.” Mothers collect the cowries, strewn by a -satī as she walks round the pile, ere she fires it, and hang them round the necks of their sick -children, as a cure for disease.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The woman became an outcast: her own and her husband’s family would lose caste, if -they were to speak to her; no Hindū will eat with her, enter her house, or give her assistance; -and when she appears, they will point at her, and give her abuse. Many years after -this event took place, the woman regained caste by giving large feasts and donations to the -Brahmans.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In the Museum are five <em>kalsas</em>, or crowns of unglazed pottery, some of which formerly -decorated the <em>satī</em> mounds in Alopee Bagh, near Allahabad, and the rest were brought from -Ghazipūr. There are also two black stones, apparently very ancient, on which figures are -carved, brought from the <em>satī</em> mound of the widow of a Brahman, at Barrah.</p> - -<p class='c009'>About two years after this event at Allahabad, the practice of <em>satī</em> was abolished, by -order of government.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The fine building here represented is a <em>dhrum-sala</em>, or place to distribute alms, at Benī -Māhadēo Ghāt; it is dedicated to a form of Māhadēo, which stands in the <em>shiwālā</em>, or little -temple above. Under the arches in the lower part, by the side of the Ganges, is an enormous -<span class='pageno' id='Page_61'>61</span>figure of Ganesh; the worshippers pour oil and Ganges water over the image, with rice and -flowers, and hang chaplets of flowers around its neck: the idol is generally dripping with oil. -The red flag, at the end of a long bamboo displayed from the <em>pīpul</em> tree, denotes the residence -of a <em>Fakīr</em>. The temple is very picturesque, and the foliage adds to the beauty of the -scene.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>SULTAN KHUSRŪ’S MAUSOLEUM.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>The <em>sarā’e</em>, or caravansary, at Allahabad, built by Sultan Khusrū, is a noble one, and the -gateway through which you pass to the <em>bāghīcha</em>, or garden bearing his name, is very fine. The -garden is a large space of ground, enclosed by a high wall, containing three tombs and a -<em>baithakhāna</em>, or pavilion. These palace-like tombs, amongst which is that of Sultan Khusrū’s, -are splendid mausoleums. Tho first and largest monument is that of the Sultan, in which he -is buried; it is a handsome building, and within it is deposited a beautifully-illuminated kurān. -Sultan Khusrū married a daughter of the Wuzeer Azim Khan; he was the son of Jehāngīr, -and his mother was the daughter of the Rajpūt Prince Bagwandas, of Amber. The other monuments -are those of Noorjahān and the Jodh Bā’ī; the fourth building is a pavilion, in which -visitors are allowed to live for a short time, during a visit to the garden. Around the tombs -are some of the finest and most beautiful tamarind-trees. These trees, called by the natives -<em>imlī</em>, are generally found around or sheltering the tombs of revered or sacred characters. -The natives are impressed with a notion that it is dangerous to sleep under the tamarind-tree, -especially during the night.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Just beyond the gates of the <em>sarā’e</em>, is a <em>bāolī</em>, a magnificent well, with underground -apartments; it is a most remarkable and curious place, and the well is a noble one.</p> - -<p class='c009'>A company of pilgrims, carriers of holy water, are <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">en route</span></i> to the junction, to fill their -bottles at the <em>benī</em>, or bathing-place. They are passing some of the tombs of the faithful.</p> - -<p class='c009'>In the foreground are some aloes. In India the hedges are full of this plant, and it -flowers annually.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>THE GRAM GRINDER.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>In front of a native village a woman is spinning, and on the right is another Hindū -woman, a gram grinder. Gram (<em>chāna</em>, <em>cicer arietinum</em>, chick pea) is used for the food of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_62'>62</span>horses in India. It is ground in a <em>chakkī</em>, or mill, which is formed of two flat circular stones, -the lower of which is generally fixed in the earth, and from its centre a peg passes through a -hole in the upper stone, and forms a pivot on which the upper stone works. The gram is put in -through this hole in the upper stone, and the flour works out at the edges between the two -stones. When there is much work to be done, two women will sit on the ground and grind -the same mill, which is placed between their legs. This is the sort of mill spoken of in -Scripture: “Two women were grinding at the mill, the one shall be taken and the other left.” -Matt. xxiv. 41.</p> - -<p class='c009'>Two children are playing with some meal in a basket; one of them is adorned with a -number of charms, fastened on a string. The <em>ta’wīz</em>, or charm, is an armlet, to ward off evil -spirits, and all misfortune. The native beds, resting against the wall on the right, serve as -beds by night, and as resting-places by day.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_062.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<h3 class='c017'>HURDWAR.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>Hurdwar, on the right bank of the Ganges, a place of great sanctity, is celebrated as the -resort of Hindū pilgrims, in amazing numbers. Hurdwar, or <em>Hurīdwar</em>, (the gate of Hurī, or -<span class='pageno' id='Page_63'>63</span>Vishnū,) is also called <em>Gangū-dwāra</em>—as at this place the Ganges, having traversed 150 miles from -its secluded mountain birth-place, and having forced a passage through the last barrier or gate -(<em>dwāra</em>), emerges in a broad clear stream upon the plains. Hurdwar contains many fine -buildings parallel with the course of the river, some of which have their foundations in the -sacred waters. They are generally of brick, but many are of very fine white freestone. The -bed of the river is intersected with low woody islands, and is a full mile broad in the rainy -season.</p> - -<p class='c009'>A fair takes place annually at Hurdwar, in the month of April, lasting nearly a fortnight; -that being the period chosen by pilgrims, who flock from all parts of India to perform -their ablutions in the Ganges: it is held in the bed of the river, which at that period is nearly -dry. Two or three hundred thousand people are attracted to this fair, and every twelfth year, -it is supposed a million of people assemble at this place. The scene is interesting in the -highest degree. Merchants from Calcutta meet with others from Osbeck Tartary, and -Cabul; and thousands of Seiks attend the fair. Horse merchants from Bokhara and Cabul -occupy the central parts of the dry bed of the river; those from Tūrkistān encamp at the -back of the town. Elephant dealers traverse the roads of the fair with their animals, morning -and evening; and the place is crowded with camels, mules, and shawl and jewel merchants; -in fact, merchandise of every description is collected at the fair from every part of the Eastern -world, and it is difficult to convey even a faint idea of the swarms of living creatures, men and -beasts of every description, which occupy every foot of ground during the fair.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The Hindūs receive from the Brahmans a certificate of having performed the pilgrimage; -and carriers of holy water attend in great numbers to bring away the sacred stream in bottles, -carefully sealed and stamped.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>THE BATHING GHĀT.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>The principal bathing ghāt has been lately rebuilt in a most splendid manner by the Government -of Bengal, under the superintendence of an officer of engineers; it is now both elegant -and commodious, and will prevent the destruction of so many human beings, which so often -occurred by the sudden rush of the devotees through the old and narrow ghāt to reach the -water at the propitious moment, which was often at midnight. The auspicious moment is -<span class='pageno' id='Page_64'>64</span>calculated by the Brahmans, who aver that a great increase in the efficacy of the rite is -derivable from its performance, when Jupiter is in Aquarius, which happens every twelfth year, -or when the sun enters Aries.</p> - -<p class='c009'>A wandering mendicant in the foreground is playing on an <em>ektara</em>, a one-stringed -instrument, formed of a gourd, surmounted by peacocks’ feathers—the Paganini of the -East!</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>BARH.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>The scene before you represents the encampment of the Commander-in-chief at Barh, at the -foot of the hills, distant about thirty miles from Simla. Here the baggage elephants, and -camels, deposit their loads, a part of which are carried up the mountains by the hill men; the -remainder, with the carriages, palanquins, and tents, are either sent back to the plains, or -placed in <em>godowns</em> belonging to a Simla firm at Barh. The ladies of the party are sitting in -<em>jampāns</em>, ready to ascend “The Hills,” as these mountains are called, from being at the foot of -the Himalaya. The <em>jampān</em> is a sort of arm-chair, with a top and curtains to it, to afford -shelter from the sun or rain; long poles are affixed to it, and it is carried by four <em>Paharīs</em>, -singular-looking little black, hill fellows, harnessed between the poles after their fashion. A -group of them are sitting near the <em>jampāns</em>. They are little fellows, with flat ugly faces, like -the Tartar race, dressed in black woollen coarse trowsers, a blanket of the same over their -shoulders, and a rope round their waists; a black greasy round leather cap on their heads, -sometimes decorated all round the face with bunches of freshly gathered hill flowers. They -are very honest, and very idle; moreover, most exceedingly dirty. The women are good-looking -and strong. Polyandry is a common institution. Gentlemen ascend the hills either -in a <em>jampān</em> or on a <em>gūnth</em>, a hill-poncy, a most sure-footed, sagacious animal, who will carry -you safely round the most dangerous places, where you have a wall of rock on the one side, -and a precipice on the other. A <em>jumna-par</em> goat, with its long silky ears, is lying on the ground -near a shawl goat from Cashmere. Some men of a corps of irregular horse are in attendance -on the Commander-in-Chief, and the <em>tom-tom wālā</em>, with his drum, is seated on his blanket, -on which the people throw cowries, and sometimes <em>paisā</em>, small copper coins: a <em>tom-tom wālā</em> is -a constant attendant on every camp.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<span class='pageno' id='Page_65'>65</span> -<img src='images/i_065.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<h3 class='c017'>SIMLA—THE CONICAL HILL.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>The view now before you represents the conical hill at Simla; it was taken by Lieutenant-Colonel -Luard from his house, called The Craigs. Simla is about 7000 feet above the level of -the sea; it is not many miles from Rampore, the chief town in the valley of the Sutledge, -and is one of the favourite places of resort of Europeans during the hot season.</p> - -<p class='c009'>As the chosen retreat of Governors-General and Commanders-in-Chief, from the burning -plains of India, the place has enjoyed for some years past many considerable advantages. A -great number of residences have been built on the hills; the roads are good; there is -a church, a school, an observatory, an amateur theatre, &c. You have a glimpse of the -snowy ranges in the distance. The conical hill is crowned by Stirling Castle; and the house -<span class='pageno' id='Page_66'>66</span>below it was then inhabited by Colonel Birch, the Judge Advocate General. The flag-staff -points out the residence of his Excellency the Commander-in-Chief, and the houses below, on -the left, are those occupied by the Aid-de-camps. Two hill men are in the foreground, with -the baskets in which they carry provisions on their backs.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>SIMLA.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>The view is a continuation of Simla; and one of the residences now before you is that -of Mr. Gubbins, of the Bengal Civil Service.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The hills are covered with the finest vegetation, and the views are beautiful. The -evergreen oak flourishes in magnificence, the deodar fir rises to enormous height, and the -bright crimson-flowered rhododendron is a <em>forest tree</em>, not a shrub, as you have it in England. -Violets are under every rock, the wild notes of the hill birds are heard in every direction, -and health, strength, and spirits are imparted by the pure, delicious, and bracing mountain air.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>FAGOO.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>On the Hill of Fagoo, here represented, is a Traveller’s Bungalow, constructed of wood. A -group of <em>Paharīs</em>, or hill men, are on the right, and in the distance are the snowy ranges -of the Himalaya. Water is procured from the <em>khuds</em>, as the deep narrow valleys between -the hills are called, where it is found in little rills.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>THE GANGES.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>This mountainous and picturesque scene represents the force with which the holy river -rushes downwards from the deep recesses in the mountains, until it passes the last barrier of -rocks, and emerges on the plains near Hurdwar.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The <em>dēodar</em>, Pinus dēodara, rises to a magnificent height in these regions, sometimes -measuring 100 feet: its oil, called <em>dēodar</em>, is used by the natives as a powerful remedy -in rheumatic attacks. Leopards and bears inhabit the forests, and the musk deer is -sometimes, though but rarely found. The black and the golden eagles of the Himalaya -swoop over the precipices, and a great variety of remarkably beautiful pheasants are found -here. Specimens of all these birds may be seen in the Museum.</p> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_67'>67</span> - <h3 class='c017'>THE SNOWY REGIONS.</h3> -</div> - -<p class='c018'>As you approach Gangoutrī, you enter on the snowy regions; and in the scene before you, -the hill men, with baskets of provisions, are toiling up the steep ascent, for which their stout -and sinewy limbs are well adapted; and pilgrims are ascending the mountain. An English -gentleman, seated beneath a small tent, is resting, refreshing himself, and enjoying the -warmth of the fire his attendants have kindled, ere he re-commences the toilsome ascent of -the snowy mountains.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_067.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<h3 class='c017'>GANGOUTRĪ.</h3> - -<p class='c018'>Gangoutrī, the source of the most sacred river in Hindostan, is now before you. The -pious Hindū believes, that in this awful solitude Mahadēo sits enthroned in clouds and mist, -amid rocks that defy the approach of living thing, and snows that make desolation more -awful. Surrounded by gigantic peaks entirely cased in snow, and almost beyond the regions -<span class='pageno' id='Page_68'>68</span>of animal and vegetable life, an awful silence prevails, except when broken by the thundering -peals of falling avalanches. Cold, wild, and stupendous, the dazzling brilliancy of the snow is -rendered more striking by its contrast with the dark blue colour of the sky; and at night the -stars shine with a lustre they have not in a denser atmosphere. Gangoutrī (<em>Gangā avatārī</em>), -marked 10,319 feet above the sea, is the celebrated place of pilgrimage, near to which the -Ganges issues: its course has not been traced beyond Gangoutrī; for the stream, a little -farther, is entirely concealed under a glacier or iceberg, and is supposed to be inaccessible. -The <em>mandap</em>, or Hindū temple, built by a Ghoorka chief, is of stone, and contains small statues -of Bhāgīrath, Gangā, and other local deities. It stands on a piece of rock about twenty -feet higher than the bed of the Ganges; and at a little distance there is a rough wooden -building to shelter travellers. The last day of his journey the pilgrim fasts, and on his arrival -at the sacred spot, he has his whole body shaved; after which he bathes, performs funeral -obsequies in honour of his deceased ancestors, and makes presents to the Brahmans.</p> - -<p class='c009'>To perish by cold in the mountains during a pilgrimage, forms one of the methods by which -the Hindūs may meritoriously put a period to their existence; it is also one of the Hindū -atonements for great offences. The pilgrim must remain seven days at Gangoutrī: when -he is about to return, he obtains some of the offerings which have been presented to the idol -or idols, and brings them home to give to his friends; these consist of sweet-meats, <em>tulsī</em> -leaves, the ashes of cow-dung, &c. To obtain its full benefit, the pilgrimage must be -performed on foot. A trifle is paid to the Brahman for the privilege of taking the water, -which the Hindūs believe is so pure as neither to evaporate nor become corrupted by being -kept and transported to distant places. Notwithstanding the great efficacy attributed to this -pilgrimage, Gangoutrī is but little frequented, owing to the hardships to be endured, and the -great difficulties that are met with on the route; the accomplishment of it is supposed to -redeem the performer from many troubles in this world, and ensure a happy transit through -all the stages of transmigration he may have to undergo.</p> - -<p class='c009'>The snowy peaks of Gangoutrī rise in glittering whiteness high above the clouds. Look -on those mountains of eternal snow,—the rose tints linger on them, the white clouds roll -below, and their peaks are sharply set upon a sky of the brightest, clearest, and deepest blue. -Who may describe the solitary loveliness, the speaking quietude that wraps these forest -<span class='pageno' id='Page_69'>69</span>scenes? Who can look unmoved on the coronets of snow that crown the eternal -Himalaya?</p> - -<p class='c009'>“Our fathers worshipped in this mountain.” (John iv. 20.) In these awful solitudes, -where eternity is throned in “icy halls of cold sublimity,” the Hindūs think “men ought to -worship.” The pilgrim gazes with delight on the aërial mountains that pour down Gangā -and Yamunā from their snow-formed caves, and enjoys those solemn feelings of natural piety -with which the spirit of solitude imbues the soul.</p> - -<p class='c009'>We have now traced the course of the Ganges, from the branch called the Hoogly, -which flows past Fort William, Bengal, to Gangoutrï, its source in the Himalaya. The -Diorama is concluded, and we trust that satisfaction and pleasure have been experienced by -the audience who have accompanied us on the pilgrimage.</p> - -<h3 class='c017'>THE MUSEUM</h3> - -<p class='c020'>is open for the inspection of those who have honoured with their presence the <span class='sc'>Diorama of -Hindostan</span>.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c007'> - <div>THE END.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c001' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c008'> - <div>LONDON:</div> - <div class='c001'>GILBERT AND RIVINGTON, PRINTERS,</div> - <div class='c001'>ST. JOHN’S SQUARE.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c008'> - <div><span class='xlarge'>Prospectus.</span></div> - <div class='c001'>In the Spring of 1852 will be published, in One Vol., royal 8vo, handsomely bound in cloth,</div> - <div class='c007'><span class='large'>A HISTORY</span></div> - <div class='c001'>OF THE</div> - <div class='c001'><span class='xlarge'>DRESS OF THE BRITISH SOLDIER,</span></div> - <div class='c001'><span class='large'>FROM THE EARLIEST PERIOD TO THE PRESENT TIME.</span></div> - <div class='c001'>Illustrated with Fifty Drawings.</div> - <div class='c001'><span class='small'>BY</span></div> - <div class='c001'><span class='large'>LIEUT.-COLONEL JOHN LUARD.</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table1' summary='Price'> - <tr> - <td class='c013'><em>Price</em></td> - <td class='c013'>30<em>s.</em> 0<em>d.</em></td> - <td class='c021'><em>To Subscribers</em>, 25<em>s.</em> 0<em>d.</em></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c013'><em>On India Paper</em>,</td> - <td class='c013'>32<em>s.</em> 6<em>d.</em></td> - <td class='c021'><em>To Subscribers</em>, 27<em>s.</em> 6<em>d.</em></td> - </tr> -</table> -<p class='c022'>The object of this work is to describe the numerous changes, which have taken place in the Dress of -Military Men; first, during the time when armour was worn, but more particularly since it has been -left off; with a view, by accurately delineating the various changes, to induce British Officers to reflect -without prejudice on this important subject, and to form a just estimate of what is useful, desirable, and -ornamental for a soldier’s equipment, at the smallest expense, both for officers and privates,—taking into -consideration the best mode of ensuring freedom of action for the different arms of the service, and for -health and comfort, while enduring the various climates of our colonies.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c008'> - <div><span class='large'>Opinions of the Press.</span></div> - <div class='c007'><span class='xlarge'>WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM,</span></div> - <div class='c001'>During Four-and-Twenty Years in the East; with Revelations of Life in the Zenana.</div> - <div class='c001'><span class='small'>BY</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i_072.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c007'> - <div>THE ENGLISH REVIEW.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>“The tone of bold and careless frankness in which this interesting and instructive work is written, is -singularly attractive. ‘<span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Les Indoos peints par eux-mêmes</span>’ might be its title.”</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c007'> - <div>WESTMINSTER AND FOREIGN QUARTERLY REVIEW.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>“But we must here take leave of a work in which we have felt a more than ordinary interest; the -spirit with which the various events of a prolonged residence in the East are delineated, the beautiful -illustrations, and the graphic descriptions of scenery, will ensure for the book a favourable reception -from every reader.”</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c007'> - <div>NAVAL AND MILITARY GAZETTE.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>“If we admire the book much for its external beauty, we admire it still more for its internal merit—for -the infinite variety, curiosity, and interest of its contents.”</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c007'> - <div>THE COURT JOURNAL.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>“To the authoress of the twenty-four years’ ‘Wanderings’ has been reserved the honour of superseding -the vivacious correspondent of Alexander Pope, and of taking the first rank as the chronicler of -the scenes of the Zenana. Nothing of the kind can rival the portraiture of the ‘Pilgrim.’ It is fresh, -intelligent, and minutely interesting.”</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c007'> - <div>BLACKWOOD’S LADY’S MAGAZINE.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>“We affirm, without fear of contradiction, that so graphic, picturesque, and thoroughly <em>real</em> a -delineation of India as a country, and its inhabitants as a people, has never before appeared.”</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c007'> - <div>THE ASIATIC AND COLONIAL QUARTERLY JOURNAL.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>“This, in all its phases, is a very splendid, very attractive work, and amply meriting the exceeding -favour with which it has been received; exciting and achieving, as it assuredly has, an extended -interest and popularity throughout the reading communities of Europe and Asia; the while, receiving -Her Majesty of England’s gracious patronage, along with that, <em>to its fullest extent</em>, of those mighty -Kings of the East, the Directors of the East India Company.”</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c007'> - <div>THE BRITANNIA AND CONSERVATIVE JOURNAL.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>“Now, the great charm and recommendation of the ‘Wanderings’ is their clear and perfect <em>truth</em>.”</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c007'> - <div>THE WEEKLY NEWS.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>“She has gone forth with a determination of purpose which none of the perils of Life in India -could shake, and in a zealous pursuit of the truth which no sophistry could check; and grasping alike at -the loftiest and minutest objects, has contrived to accumulate a mass of information never before comprehended -in a single work.”</p> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_b_cover.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c001' /> -</div> -<div class='tnotes'> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c011'>TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES</h2> -</div> - <ol class='ol_1 c007'> - <li>P. <a href='#t24'>24</a>, changed “each side her bows” to “each side of her bows”. - - </li> - <li>P. <a href='#t44'>44</a>, changed “one side the hut” to “one side of the hut”. - - </li> - <li>Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling. - - </li> - <li>Retained anachronistic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings as printed. - </li> - </ol> - -</div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Grand Moving Diorama of Hindostan, by Fanny Parks - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GRAND MOVING DIORAMA OF HINDOSTAN *** - -***** This file should be named 60006-h.htm or 60006-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/0/0/0/60006/ - -Produced by Richard Tonsing, Chris Curnow and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - -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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