for a poor guide or an indifferent travelling servant (also called
bearer) would mar the pleasure. Bedding and towels for each member of
the party must be looked after (mostly for night travel, as the hotels
now usually prepare the beds), the guides must also be supplied, and one
must be careful to have appropriate clothing for the journey. Your
travelling servant is, according to custom, not expected to do any
menial service (so considered), such as strapping your trunks, or
removing your hand luggage from your room. This work is performed by
so-called coolies; of course, a travelling servant may be so obliging as
to offer to carry your handbag (as was often done by ours), but you must
be duly appreciative of this show of favor.
* * * * *
JEYPORE, _December 10th_: On the morning of our departure from Bombay,
we each found a fat, brown, English "hold-all," enclosing bedding, which
was added to our luggage, the aggregate requiring much additional space
in our compartments. Our route to Jeypore lay through Ahmedabad, once a
place of much importance, and still of interest on account of its
artistic mosques. But the lack of hotel accommodations for a party
deterred us from stopping over, and also prevented our visiting the
celebrated Jain temples at Mount Abû, a ride of several miles to the
mountains in a jinrikisha. I would, however, advise all tourists to take
this trip, even at some personal discomfort, as the temples are said to
be marvellously beautiful.
[Illustration: _Entrance to one of the Caves of Elephanta_]
The arrival at Jeypore was in the chill of late evening; as we
approached the Hotel Kaiser-i-Hind (the best the place affords), a blaze
of light showed us a large open veranda, furnished with chairs, sofas,
and tables, and evidently the salon of the hotel. My room opened from
the end of the balcony, and it was large and cheerless, so all hope of
warmth vanished; a small, dark bathroom was at one side (with no light
except when a door was opened), furnished with the regulation high round
bathtub and a shaky washstand; neither of the outer doors would lock!
The floors on opposite sides of both rooms contained ominous-looking
square openings, suggesting the possibilities of certain reptiles which
we had been told existed, but which we had not yet seen. After viewing
all these "tranquillizing" influences, we retired, having first undone
the distasteful "hold-all" for extra bedding.
The next morning dawned without the door having been opened and without
the appearance of the dreaded lizards. The veranda salon presented an
animated appearance; several men in turbans and wearing camel's-hair
shawls (draped around the shoulders) were sitting on the floor,
displaying their many commodities, which included embroideries, shawls,
garnet beads (a specialty of Jeypore), necklaces of various kinds,
together with swords, daggers, and the like, all warranted to be
antique. "Memsahib" was heard in every direction, for the arrival of a
party of supposedly rich Americans had been duly heralded. Resisting
their importunities for the time being, we entered an inner room and
found comfort and a fairly good breakfast waiting us. Such persistency
and eloquence, nevertheless, as were later displayed by those dealers in
describing their wares are seldom heard! Fortunate for us that some of
the articles were attractive enough to be purchased, stilling the clamor
for a time! But as we had been told that this would be the usual
programme on our arrival at any place in the Orient, the future prospect
was not alluring.
While over a quarter of India's population as well as a third of its
area is under native rule, the "beaten track" is subject to English
régime. Hence the visit to Jeypore, the capital of the independent
province of Rajputana, is always regarded as a new experience. We found
indeed a unique city, situated on a plain, hemmed in by lofty hills,
with streets and buildings the color of old rose pink, and with broad,
regularly laid out thoroughfares, two long straight streets intersecting
each other at right angles near the palace, thus forming four corners.
Here is a fountain, and the point is a centre of life and action; crowds
of people surge back and forth, almost trodden underfoot by the
ever-present, ponderous elephants, camels, and bullocks, drawing the
little _ekkas_,--every one disputing the right of way. Proceed in any
direction and more unusual street scenes present themselves along a
single block than can elsewhere be found, and this in a city less than
two centuries old! It is due, however, to the barbaric character of an
environment where a gorgeous Maharaja, tigers, leopards, and elephants
all figure in the scene, where the crowds always seem happy and life is
one large "merry go round."
[Illustration: _Street scene in Jeypore_]
The Palace of the Wind is a peculiar structure; visitors are not
admitted, and it is usually reserved for the guests of the Maharaja on
State occasions, the ruler being very hospitable. It is said that a
polite intimation on the part of a tourist that he desires to visit the
interior, coupled with some slight credential, will cause one or two
elephants and a body-guard to be placed at his disposal for the
expedition.
Not much of the "Palace of Occupation" was seen; a large audience room
was finely proportioned, but looked uninviting, as the rugs were rolled
up and the furniture covered. The stables adjoining were, however, of
great interest, as three hundred horses were in the collection, some of
them of rare value. Later, we visited the elephant stalls and the
leopard and tiger cages. In another locality the observatory, covering a
large open space, was filled with the quaint old devices, now obsolete,
for studying the heavens.
The long streets are lined with bazars of the usual plan but much
larger; workers in brass predominated, that being a specialty of
Jeypore. There is a flourishing Art School where old forms of vases,
lamps, and boxes are reproduced, the original designs being loaned from
the Victoria and Albert Memorial Museum, which occupies an artistic
building in the centre of spacious grounds. There one may find a rare
collection of old brass, gold and silver enamel, wood carving, weaving
and embroidery, all classified and arranged in historical order.
A native school, or college, greatly interested us; there were groups of
boys in a number of rooms, all belonging to the best Rajput families.
There are special rooms devoted to Sanskrit, English (here the boys
recited a poem in unison), history, logic, philosophy, and the natural
sciences.
There were a number of unpretentious Hindu temples, and the Maharaja is
said to be quite punctilious in his observance of religious forms. He
was absent from the city, but several brothers of his were seen driving,
clad in long garments of gaudy-colored striped calico, and wearing small
turbans; the dress of the women was also peculiar, the skirt being so
full that as they walked they resembled balloons; they are noted for
wearing a profusion of jewelry,--necklaces by the half-dozen, bracelets
sometimes nearly to the elbow, anklets, heavy earrings, nose-rings,
and finger-rings without number.
[Illustration: _A Hindu woman of Jeypore_]
Animals and birds in large quantities added motion and color to the
street scenes, together with brightly caparisoned elephants, stately
camels, and white bullocks with their long horns and dreamy eyes,
drawing the little two-wheeled _ekka_, which sometimes carried four
occupants. Peacocks flashed in and out at every turn (they are
considered a sacred bird and are therefore protected), while
blue-breasted pigeons came in clouds whenever there was a prospect of a
feast.
There are processions of various kinds, the highest function of all
being a wedding procession, where the brilliancy varies according to the
amount of means that can be expended by the prospective bridegroom. In
one afternoon we witnessed eight of these spectacles; the first was
given by a man of wealth who was seated on an elephant, the palanquin of
which was gorgeous in its decoration; he himself was richly dressed, as
were the attendant friends. The procession was preceded by a band of
music, and in the group were six nautch, or dancing girls; at intervals
of about two blocks, the cavalcade stopped, matting was thrown down, and
the dancers came and executed a slow-measured dance, which continued for
about five minutes; then the procession moved on to the next point,
this programme continuing until the home of the bride was reached. All
of this we witnessed. The other seven wedding processions presented
variations; in one the principal actor was a boy of about fourteen who
looked terrified; two of the processions consisted of poor men;
sometimes carriages were substituted for the elephants, and the
dancing-girls were omitted, but there were always music and a crowd.
Elephants figured prominently in our trip to the old city of Amber, five
miles distant, and the former capital of Rajputana. We left our carriage
some distance away and were conveyed the remainder of the journey by two
elephants, named Munsie and Bunsie, with gayly painted faces and trunks,
furnished through the courtesy of the Maharaja. In this fashion we made
our entrance.
The old city of Amber is situated below the palace, which is on the side
of a mountain, with a long-stretching fort back of it; the situation,
together with the gray walls of the palace and the fort, all makes a
striking picture, reminding one of mediæval times; the palace is well
preserved, many of the rooms are artistic, and the fine public audience
chamber particularly impressed us. Here large gatherings are held in
connection with ceremonial occasions at Jeypore; the Prince of Wales
had been entertained here two years previous, at which time the city
of Jeypore was made resplendent with a fresh coat of the rose pink
preparation.
[Illustration: _Interior view of Amber Palace_]
Near the entrance to the Amber Palace was an exquisite little Hindu
temple, dedicated to the terrible goddess, Kali, who delights in
sacrifice; this was presided over by a revolting-looking priest, and
there were evident traces of the daily morning sacrifice of a goat. Once
a year one hundred goats are offered up, together with other animals;
formerly human beings were sacrificed to appease the goddess, but this
slaughter is now prohibited by law. In a well-kept garden back of the
palace there is a fine collection of tropical fruits and of unfamiliar
shrubs. This ruined city of Amber must have presented a wonderful
spectacle two centuries ago, before the pageants and old-time customs
were transferred to its modern prototype, Jeypore.
Another afternoon's experience in Jeypore seemed even more like a scene
from a comic opera,--only the curtain is never lowered in this most
spectacular city in India, if not in the entire world.
The pleasure of our stay in Jeypore was greatly enhanced by the
intelligence of the local guide, who was of the Brahman class and
broadly educated; he had an enlarged idea of the benefit to be derived
from a sojourn in the New World, but he seemed uncertain with regard to
securing a position in New York. One of the gentlemen suggested that he
might at first seek employment as a butler, but his reply was that it
would be impossible for him to engage in any menial work on account of
his caste; this is a mild illustration of the domination of social
lines.
A little wave of excitement was created on the morning of December 12th
by a slight earthquake; we were still further shaken up by the constant
presence of the persistent venders whenever we were at the hotel, who
even followed us to the station the hour of our departure for Delhi,
when articles were purchased by us at half their original price.
* * * * *
DELHI, _December 13th_: A greater contrast can hardly be imagined than
that between barbaric, pleasure-loving Jeypore, and Delhi, a city full
of old-time associations, whose triumphs of architectural skill and
sculptured devices have won for it the admiration of the world.
The fort and palace, together with the adjacent mosque, called Jumma
Musjid, are the chief centres of interest and the points we first
visited. The two places suffered greatly during the mutiny of 1857, and
the old Mogul capital has passed through so many vicissitudes that a
little historical setting seems necessary.
[Illustration: _General view of Amber Palace and fort near Jeypore_]
Of the city's early history very little is known before the Mohammedan
conquest, in 1193 A.D. There are, however, the ruins of two Hindu forts
of the eleventh century in old Delhi (covering many miles south of
Delhi), as well as the famous iron pillar of Kutub Minar, to be alluded
to later. Delhi was not favored by the greatest of Mogul rulers, King
Akbar, or by his son, King Jahangir; however, his grandson, Shah Jahan,
built the fort in 1638, and later the palace and great mosque--hence the
name, Shah Jahanabad, and in his connection with the Taj Mahal and
palace at Agra, he won the title of the "Great Builder"; he also
transferred the capital from Agra to Delhi.
A century later, the city was sacked by Nadir Shah, of Persia, and a
general massacre occurred. Although finally defeated, he took with him
many treasures, among them the priceless Peacock Throne and the valuable
Kohinur diamond; the latter is now in the possession of King Edward of
England.
Other changes followed, until, in 1804, British occupation was effected;
but even then the descendants of the Mogul monarchs were allowed some
show of royalty, until after the King's treachery and deposition at the
time of the mutiny of 1857. This must be briefly alluded to, as it is
truly said, "Delhi is steeped in mutiny memories!"
Various causes have been assigned for this great mutiny of the Bengal
troops, but it was probably due in part to a season of unrest, some
minor event precipitating the crisis. The revolt occurred on May 10th,
at Meerut, forty miles distant; at first there were but twenty-five
hundred men, then other regiments joined them, and, on their arrival in
Delhi, they attacked the civil offices, and the inmates were compelled
to flee to the fort, where they were murdered.
The Fifty-fourth Regiment marched to the relief, but most of the
officers were shot, and the native soldiers refused to act,--a precedent
followed by the natives of other regiments; thus the rebels were largely
reinforced, and they soon had complete possession of the fort, which was
then well garrisoned by native officers who were thoroughly trained in
English tactics. The mutiny was now complete, and English rule for the
time being ceased; disturbances also spread to Agra, Cawnpore, and
Lucknow, so the army was necessarily divided; however, the bravery of
the British forces at Delhi was such that by May 20th the fort and
palace had been regained. The King was captured before Humayun's tomb
(outside the city), and, the King's sons surrendering, they were shot in
front of the Delhi gate of the fort. The victory, nevertheless, was only
won through the sacrifice of many lives, the loss of officers being
particularly heavy; the city also suffered greatly from the siege, and
the beauty of the fort and palace was much impaired.
[Illustration: _A gateway built during the seventeenth century in
Delhi_]
[Illustration: _The Pearl Mosque at Delhi_]
There are two fine gates to the fort,--the Lahore on the west side, and
the Delhi on the south side,--both built by Shah Jahan, between 1638 and
1648. The fort is encircled by a massive red sandstone wall; we passed
through the grand archway of the Lahore gate, into a vaulted arcade
which Mr. Ferguson (the famous authority on architecture) considers the
noblest entrance known to any palace. The arcade ends in the centre of
the outer main court, measuring five hundred and forty by three hundred
and sixty feet; the inner court is somewhat larger and is surrounded by
cloisters or galleries. On the farther side of this inner court is the
fine Hall of Public Audience, Diwan-i-Am, one hundred by sixty feet,
where the proportions and the arrangement of columns and arches are
perfect. At one end of this hall is a raised recess in which the Emperor
used to be seated on the famous Peacock Throne, which Nadir Shah carried
to Persia; before the throne, and lower, was the seat occupied by the
prime minister, while above it were placed the inlaid panels by Austin
of Bordeaux.
The hall was restored under the direction of the late viceroy, Lord
Curzon, and we saw Florentine artists renewing the inlaid work in the
panels. The remarkable throne was six feet long and four feet wide; it
stood on six massive feet, which, with the body of the chair, were of
solid gold, inlaid with rubies, emeralds, and diamonds. The throne took
its name from having the figures of two peacocks standing behind it,
their tails extended, and the whole so inlaid with sapphires, rubies,
pearls, emeralds, and diamonds as to be lifelike in its color. All this
was surmounted by a canopy of gold, and supported by twelve pillars,
richly emblazoned with gems, while a fringe of pearls ornamented the
edge of the canopy. There were still more costly adjuncts, but these
details must suffice; it is needless to add that the loss of the throne
was considered a national calamity.
A gate on one side of this hall led to the inner court of the palace,
and to the Hall of Private Audience, or Diwan-i-Khas, which is among the
most graceful assembly rooms in the world. It is ninety by sixty-seven
feet, and is built entirely of white marble, inlaid with precious
stones; at either end of the hall is the famous Persian inscription:
"If heaven can be on the face of the earth,
It is this, oh! it is this, oh! it is this!"
Not far removed from here are the royal apartments, consisting of three
suites of rooms, with an octagonal tower projecting over the river
Jumna. These rooms are all finely decorated. Beyond them are the Rang
Mahal, or Painted Palace,--the residence of the chief Sultana,--and the
royal baths, consisting of three large rooms fitted in white marble,
elaborately inlaid. Opposite to this is the Moti Musjid, or Pearl
Mosque.
[Illustration: _The Hall of Private Audience in the Palace, Delhi_]
[Illustration: _Jumma Musjid, Delhi_]
There are more buildings that could be described, but some were injured
at the time of the mutiny, and others have since been removed,
presumably in the interest of modern requirements.
We made our exit through the Delhi gate; between the inner and outer
arches stand the Chettar elephants which were replaced by order of Lord
Curzon. The Jumma Musjid is raised on a lofty basement; it has three
gateways, four corner towers, two lofty minarets, and three domes. We
ascended one of the towers and had an extended view; inside there is a
spacious quadrangle, three hundred and twenty-five feet square, in the
centre of which is a fountain for ablution; and on three sides there
are sandstone cloisters. An immense concourse of people assemble here
for prayer every Friday; the mosque in arrangement is very similar to
the congregational mosques of Cairo.
The Kalun Musjid, usually called Black Mosque, dates from 1386. It is of
peculiar construction, having two stories, and is somewhat Egyptian in
appearance. A Jain temple was so hemmed in by streets that its
appearance was much impaired, but the interior was beautiful in design
and finish.
The street known as Chandni Chauk fully sustained its reputation as a
shopping centre; it is over a mile in length and is always a scene of
sparkle and commotion; on it were the usual bazars, but also many larger
stores, as Delhi is considered the finest shopping point in India,
particularly in precious stones,--jewelry being the commodity most
heralded, as we learned to our sorrow.
On arriving at Maiden's Hotel (under English management, but
semi-Oriental in its arrangement), we complacently viewed our rooms on
the second floor, opening upon a gallery and overlooking a large court.
Here at last, so we thought, was a haven of refuge from jewelry
intruders, but, alas! we were no sooner located than they appeared,--not
the impecunious class, but dealers with shops and a bank
account,--bringing with them a vast array of really beautiful gems,
which were tempting but high-priced. To say that, on an average, three
of these men knocked at our door during the morning bath, while as many
were waiting for us at the luncheon hour, literally camping out on the
balcony during the evening hours, is no exaggeration. Then the cards
they presented, the insinuations they indulged in with regard to the
other man's goods (who was waiting outside)! It really was amusing, but
it grew tiresome, and was demoralizing, because one was compelled to
"bargain" if anything was purchased at all, the first scale of prices
being purposely exorbitant.
A day's visit to old Delhi was most interesting; it is a ride of eleven
miles to Kutub Minar, through sand and debris, comprising a portion of
an area of forty-seven miles, covered with the remains of seven, once
prosperous, cities. Several of the ruins were of interest, and they had
a history, but I will describe only the well-preserved mausoleum of
Emperor Humayun, which gains in importance from having been the model of
the Taj Mahal at Agra. It stands on a lofty platform of red sandstone,
and consists of a large central octagon, surmounted by a dome with
octagon towers at the angles; the red sandstone exterior is artistically
picked out in relief with white marble. The windows are recessed, and
the lower doors are filled with beautiful lattices of stone and marble.
In the centre of each side of the main octagon is a porch, forty feet
high, with a pronounced pointed arch. The cenotaph of the Emperor is of
white marble, without any inscription; his wife and several other
persons, including two later Emperors, are buried here also. As was
quite the custom of the time, the tomb is surrounded by a garden of
thirteen acres. Farther on, was the Tomb of a Saint, a perfect gem! It
is built of white marble, is eighteen feet square, and is surrounded by
a broad veranda. Around the covered grave there is a low marble rail,
and over it a beautiful canopy, inlaid with mother-of-pearl; in the
walls are finely pierced screens. Near this tomb is a handsome red
sandstone mosque, called Jumat Khana, and in the vicinity are a number
of other important tombs of artistic design, two having elaborately
carved marble doors, the design being like lacework.
The culmination of the morning's trip was at the Kutub Minar enclosure;
the magnificent ruined Mosque of Kuwat-ul-Islam occupies a large portion
of the space, and dates from the latter part of the twelfth century. The
main entrance was through an arched doorway, the courtyard was
surrounded by cloisters formed of pillars purloined from Jain temples
and piled one upon another. Most of them are richly ornamented, although
many have been defaced.
[Illustration: _The tomb of Emperor Humayun_]
The famous Hindu Iron Pillar stands in front of the ruin; it is one of
the most unique antiquities in India, and is a solid shaft of wrought
iron, twenty-three feet, eight inches high and sixteen inches in
diameter; it has a deeply cut Sanskrit inscription, and is so individual
in its character as to prove a distinct reminder of a decayed past.
The most prominent feature of the landscape is Kutub Minar, rightly
named the Tower of Victory. Some have thought it of Hindu origin, but
the now accepted opinion is that it was built by the Moguls, after the
conquest. It is two hundred and thirty-eight feet high, and has five
stories with balconies, each story being decorated with bands of
inscriptions. The first three stories are of red sandstone and are
fluted; the two upper stories are of white marble and have been
restored. The diameter of the first story is forty-seven feet, three
inches; that of the upper story, nine feet; three hundred and
seventy-nine steps lead to the summit, and ninety-five steps lead to the
first gallery, from both points of which we obtained a fine view of
ruins in every direction.
Tughlakabad lies five miles east of Kutub Minar; the fort is so high and
massive as to be seen long before the point is reached. The enclosure
covers nearly four miles and contains a ruined mosque and palace.
Outside the wall is the tomb of Tujlak Shah; it is situated in an
artificial lake, and is connected with the fort by a causeway, six
hundred feet long and supported on twenty-seven arches.