Ghazepore--The Opium Trade--Marquis Cornwallis's
Mausoleum--Sand-banks--Buxar--Cossim-Ali-Khan--Sir
Hector Munro--Battle of Buxar--Nawab of Oude--Emperor of
Delhi--Revelgunge--The Sonus--The Ganges and Jumna--The Indus--The
Berhampooter--Arrian--Dr. Alexander Adam--Dinapore--Captain
Strachan--Bankipore--H.M. 16th Lancers--Deegah--Grain
Golah--Earl of Munster--Patna--Buildings of Patna--Population
of Benares--Magistrates--E. I. Company's Charter--Products of
Patna--Walter Reinhard--Snowy Mountains--Tirhoot--Juggernauth--Gyah
Proper--Cave of Nugur-jenee--Sir Charles
Wilkins--Futwa--Phoolbarea--Bar--Beggars.
ON the 25th of May we left Benares for Ghazepore. After steaming
rapidly along the low banks we came to Saidpore, which is distinguished
for a temple crowded with sacred monkeys; and lower down, also on the
left bank, passed Chochukpore, where there are two handsome temples.
At seven o'clock in the evening, we anchored off Ghazepore, the "Rose
Garden of India." It is a large and populous city, celebrated for its
fragrant rose-water, the cultivation of the poppy, and the manufacture
of opium. The commercial agent and his deputy reside here. At this
season of the year the people were employed in collecting the juice
which exudes from the poppy; it is kept in vessels, and when dry and
solid, is cut into cakes, a process which requires great care. The
Bahar or Patna opium sells at a higher price than that of Benares; the
value of each chest being about 300 rupees or £30 sterling. The opium
trade is an important monopoly in the hands of the government. It meets
with a ready sale in China, although by the laws of the Empire it is
a contraband article, and its importation stringently prohibited. In
the autumn of 1836 it was generally, and confidently believed that the
opium trade was about to be legalized in China; and advices to that
effect reached Calcutta prior to the commencement of the sales for
the season of 1837. This caused much higher prices to be paid by the
usual purchasers than formerly, indeed, much above the sum which the
capitalists, both of China and Calcutta, considered prudent, even had
the legalization been certain. To the great dismay of the merchants, it
was afterwards ascertained that so far from authorizing, the Chinese
government had determined to put a total stop to the importation of
opium; meanwhile the stock in Calcutta had been accumulating. What was
to be done? The above report had been circulated and credited, and
the opium growers had got rid of their stock. The sales of 1837 were
expected to yield 25,851,386 rupees; but certain influential merchants
represented that the higher prices could not be realized without great
loss and distress. The mode of payment was a deposit, a certain sum in
so many days, and the remainder in some given days after; but several
buyers had not even paid their deposits. After considerable demur it
was agreed that rather more than three lakhs should be taken off, so
that the total sales only yielded 22,789,986 Company's rupees (or at
the exchange of two shillings the rupee, £2,278,998) which was the
largest sum ever known to be realized. Soon after this the war broke
out in China, when the amount of sales decreased, both in the prices
and in the number of chests; but in 1841 it again rose, even during the
war.
Much has been mooted about the monopoly of the opium trade; but when it
is recollected that the land revenue is only about two-thirds of the
revenue of India, and that it is by the sole privilege of the sale of
this article, and that of salt, aided by that of the abkarry, or sale
of spirits, that the expenses of the country can be paid, we should
pause before we judge too harshly. If the people of England denounce
the opium trade, let them shut up their gin-palaces before they condemn
the growth and sale of opium. The people in China drink shamshoo,
which is even more deleterious. It is said that if the trade in opium
were thrown open, there would be an unlimited quantity manufactured,
which is prevented by its being in the hands of the Government. Opium
is eaten by many of the natives of Hindoostan, both Mahomedans and
Hindoos; and I may add, that lawyers and other professional men, nay,
even ladies, indulge in it. In China they smoke it, and it is whispered
that even the Emperor is addicted to it. Now, supposing the population
of China to be 360,000,000 souls, of which 125,000,000 are male adults,
there would not be above half an ounce yearly to each. In 1837-38,
there were 17,244 chests exported from Calcutta; if to this we add the
Malwa opium, of which 40,000 chests are now yearly sent to China,
still only half an ounce would be the maximum of each person. Many, no
doubt, commit excesses; but is not the same done in gin-palaces?
Most of the troops formerly stationed in the cantonments of Ghazepore
have been withdrawn to Benares. In 1805, on the raising of the 7th
and 8th Regiments of Light Cavalry, they were quartered in these
cantonments; but when the disturbances broke out at Benares, in 1809,
in consequence of the house-tax, a royal regiment of Infantry was
stationed at Ghazepore, which is about forty miles from Benares;
indeed, so late as the year 1838, the 44th Foot were located here, the
cavalry lines having been converted into barracks for the Europeans.
The East India Company have a branch stud at Ghazepore, for the breed
of horses, the head-quarters being at Buxar, lower down the river.
There is a magnificent mausoleum erected to the memory of the late
Marquis Cornwallis, K.G., who died here October 5th, 1805, whilst on a
visit to the Upper Provinces, a few months after his second arrival in
India. He had been Governor-General of India from the year 1786 to the
end of 1792. In 1805, his Lordship returned in his original capacity
of Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief, bent upon changing most of
the measures adopted by his predecessor, the Marquis Wellesley, when
his own plans were frustrated, by the mighty conqueror, Death, who
shows us how futile and insignificant are the vastest designs of man.
_L'homme propose, et Dieu dispose._
The mausoleum is a most costly building; and Bishop Heber laments
that so much money should have been lavished upon such an unmeaning
structure; indeed, he is very severe upon the subject, arguing that
a church might have been erected at but a little more cost, with a
monument to Lord Cornwallis placed within its walls.
The commander of our steamer having taken in three hundred maunds, or
nearly eleven tons, of coal, we got under weigh at half-past six on
the morning of the 26th of May. At two o'clock in the afternoon our
progress was arrested by the boat sticking fast on a sand-bank. We
remained in this awkward position till nine the following morning.
During that day and the 27th we were constantly on and off sand-banks,
making very little progress. About six hours after leaving Ghazepore
we were off Buxar, one of the Government stud stations, having passed
the palace of Cossim Ali Khan, once a fine building, as its ruins
indicate, lying on the very verge of the village.
Buxar is a small town, in the province of Bahar, in the district of
Shahabad, and is built on the south-east side of the Ganges. The fort
of Buxar, though of inconsiderable size, commands the river; but no
attention is now paid to keep it in repair.
On the 22nd of October, 1764, a celebrated victory was gained here
by the British forces, under Major (afterwards General Sir Hector)
Munro, over the united armies of Sujah-ud-Dowlah, of Oude, and Cossim
Ali Khan, of Moorshedabad. Major Munro had no cavalry, but taking up
a strong position with his right, close to the river, he allowed the
enemy, who had crossed over to Buxar by a bridge of boats, from the
Oude side of the river, to commence the attack. A native historian
says, "It was not an army, but rather a nation." The battle was of
short continuance; the allies were defeated; the power of the Nawab
of Oude destroyed; and the Emperor thrown on the protection of the
English.
The British army consisted of 856 Europeans, and 6,215 Sepoys, making
a total of 7,071, of whom eighty-seven Europeans, and 712 Sepoys were
killed and wounded. The combined troops were computed at 40,000, of
whom 2,000 are supposed to have been slain in the battle. Their flight
was so rapid, that hurrying to cross a small but deep river beyond
Buxar, many were drowned, or slaughtered in the attempt. The plunder
in the enemy's camp was very great, as they left their tents standing;
and their whole train of artillery, consisting of 133 pieces of various
sizes, fell into the hands of the English. Cossim made his escape to
the Rohillas, and the Emperor of Delhi signed a treaty of peace, highly
advantageous to the British government, which became henceforth supreme
in Bengal.
The Fort now comprises a station for several detachments of European
Artillery and Infantry Invalids; as also a portion of a Native Infantry
corps. The superintendent of the stud department has his head-quarters
on the other side of the river, at a village called Kurruntadhee; there
are several hundred horses and colts in the stables here. At Ghazepore,
as I have already remarked, there is a branch, and another at Poosah,
at the junction of the little Gundruk with the Ganges, which was
formerly the only stud in the central Provinces.
After passing Revelgunge, a very long town, extending for more
than a mile along the left bank of the river, and at a distance of
twenty-eight miles above Dinapore, we came to the spot where the river
Sone flows into the Ganges, seventeen miles from Revelgunge.
The Sone river, called by the Greeks "Sonus," has, with the Nerbudda,
its source in the table-land of Omerkuntuc (Omercote), in the Province
of Gundwana, 22° 53´ N. Lat. and 82° 15´ E. Long. It rises on the
east side, and flows through Pindarah, when, being joined by numerous
other streams from the north-eastern side of this mountain domain, it
proceeds in a northerly direction through Sohajepore and Bogulkund,
whence, turning eastward, it pursues its course to the Ganges, which
it joins in the Province of Bahar, after having performed a winding
course of about 500 miles. Near its source, this river is said to be
designated by the natives "the Sonabudda," to distinguish it from the
Nerbudda, by which, conjointly with the Ganges, the southern point of
Hindoostan is insulated.[102]
Under the head of Omerkuntuc, we find it styled "a celebrated place of
Hindoo pilgrimage, in the Province of Gundwana." There is no peculiar
sanctity attached to this river; the sanctity, such as it is, belongs
to Omerkuntuc. In Hindoo mythology, Gunga, or the Ganges, is described
as the eldest daughter of the great mountain, Himavata, and is called
"Gunga," on account of her flowing through "Gung," the earth. In the
Hindoo Pantheon, Himalaya is deified, and described as the father of
the Ganges. The Jumna and the Ganges have their sources in the Himalaya
mountains, at Jumnoutrie and Gangoutrie peaks; at no great distance
from each other. The Jumna enters Hindoostan Proper, in the Province
of Delhi, and proceeds south, nearly in a line with the Ganges, at a
distance of from fifty to seventy miles apart from each other, until
they gradually join at Allahabad. Its length, including its windings,
may be estimated at 780 miles. The Ganges and the Jumna may be
designated "Sister Rivers."
The Indus, too, takes its rise in the Himalayas, as do all the five
rivers of the Punjaub, and likewise all the rivers that enter the
Ganges on the left bank. The Berhampooter also rises in the same
mountains, and after a course of several hundred miles, enters the
Ganges near the sea. There are other rivers coming from the Himalayas;
but they are, comparatively speaking, insignificant. The three greatest
rivers are--
1. The Ganges, having a course of 1,500 miles.
2. The Indus, " about 1,000 "
3. The Jumna, " 780 "
It is believed that the Berhampooter was not known in the time of
Arrian. To return, _en passant_, to the subject of Palibothra, Arrian
says the Erannoboas was the _third_ river of India, which will be
the present Jumna. It has been shown that the length of the Sone is
only 500 miles. I think that those learned gentlemen who advocate the
Sone, as being the Erannoboas of the Greeks, are in error, first,
because Arrian distinctly mentions the Erannoboas and the Sonus as
two of the six rivers which flow into the Ganges. Now the Sone cannot
be the Erannoboas by any ingenuity whatever; for it is clearly called
the Sonus. Secondly, it is said that the ancient name of Patna was
Pataliputra, making an approach to the word Palibothra, which,
however, proves nothing. Thirdly, it is more probable that the Jumna
is the Erannoboas, because, having found the Sone to be the Sonus,
we require the third river in India to meet the Ganges; whereas the
Sone, not being so large as the Jumna, cannot be admitted even as
the fourth river of Hindoostan; besides, we expect to find a sacred
stream to represent such a river as the Erannoboas. Dr. Alexander Adam,
in his "Summary of Ancient and Modern Geography," says, "The Sone
(Sone-budda) joins the Ganges twenty-two miles above Patna." Patna is
seven miles from Dinapore, and Dinapore is now five miles from the
Sone; consequently, the Sone is about twelve miles from Patna, and not
twenty-two. But to proceed--
On the 29th of May, we anchored off Dinapore, at five o'clock in the
afternoon, having experienced rather stormy weather for the three
preceding nights. Dinapore is a considerable town, on the right bank
of the Ganges, and is situated in a kind of bay, formed by the river.
The cantonments are large, and the area comprised by the barracks and
lines of both Queen's and Company's troops, is unusually extensive and
imposing. The European barracks face the river, upon the immediate
bank of which are the wards or quarters for the officers, opposite
to those of the men. At right angles with these two ranges, are two
others, likewise for the officers, the four ranges forming a large
oblong. Beyond these, higher up the river, and close adjoining, is
a smaller oblong, formed of three ranges (one being the back of the
large oblong), and the fourth range, the bungalows facing the river.
The lines for the two corps of Native Infantry are on the left,
looking from the river front. The main guard is on the right of the
cantonments, near the town. There are also some bungalows for the
officers, in rear of the right, and nigh to these is a bridge over a
nullah.
Dinapore has long been a considerable cantonment, a large force having
been stationed here in 1786. The extension of the British dominion
northwards, gradually diminished the importance of this military
station; and under the rule of the Marquis Wellesley, it was intended
to do away with the whole of the cantonments, and to erect barracks on
the other side of the river. In consequence of this resolve, all the
buildings, those occupied by the Europeans, as well as those belonging
to the natives, were put up for sale, and purchased at a very low price
by an officer named Harriott. Government, however, soon after repented
of the step it had taken, and was very anxious to cancel the bargain;
but the fortunate purchaser demurred. At last, however, Mr. Harriott
re-sold to the Company a part of the cantonments at a higher rate than
what he had originally paid for the whole. The Government were forced
to rent from him whatever further accommodation was needed; and to this
day, a descendant of that gentleman receives a monthly rent of no less
than 2,000 rupees, or £200 sterling, for the buildings now occupied
by the troops. Besides this, a considerable sum is realized from the
numerous merchants and others, who rent various buildings included in
the first purchase. Thus Governments, like individuals, will sometimes
make mistakes.
Dinapore is the head-quarters of a Division of the army, and is capable
of being put into a tolerable state of defence. At present there are a
light field-battery of Artillery, a royal regiment of Foot, and three
corps of Native Infantry stationed here. The church is a very neat
building, and stands in the centre of the large oblong. It contains a
tablet to two officers of the 62nd Foot, who were unfortunately drowned
in company with a great portion of the right wing of the regiment, in
a storm which capsized their boats, near Bhaugulpore, on the 10th of
July, 1842.
The 39th Foot being quartered here, I called upon Captain Strachan,
of this fine corps, under whom I had acted as Adjutant, in 1844, to a
detachment of recruits, consisting of my own corps (the 9th Lancers),
the 3rd Buffs, 29th, 50th and 62nd Regiments of Foot.
Beyond the cantonments, and half way to Bankipore are many good houses,
some of them being occupied by officers, and others by merchants.
The view from the river is extremely pleasing, numerous budgerows,
and boats of all descriptions, constantly ply up and down the river,
and give great animation to the scene. Dinapore is one of the steam
stations; and the vessels coming up and down, stop here to take in
coals and wood.
Dinapore is also a place of some trade, and is celebrated for its
leather, linen, light hats, and paintings. I bought an excellent pair
of boots here, for a couple of rupees--quite equal to some I had
purchased at Calcutta for eight.
Having taken in 800 maunds of coals (one maund is 80lbs.), and 200
maunds of wood, there having been a scarcity of the former, we started
at five o'clock, on the morning of the 30th of May. During the day we
passed H.M. 16th Lancers, in country boats, who had been seven days
accomplishing what we had done in seven hours; the poor fellows made no
hesitation in complaining of the miserable manner in which they were
proceeding to Calcutta. It is a pity that the government should have
subjected a set of gallant men, to such unnecessary inconvenience and
discomfort, when so many steamers were at the time available for their
transport. It is only in the hour of need that a soldier's services
are duly appreciated, and thus with the 16th: no other Aliwal was in
prospect, or perhaps they would have fared better, and many a brave
soldier's life might have been spared from an inglorious death on the
river.
At a short distance from Dinapore is Deegah, which with Bankipore,
almost unites Patna and Dinapore. Bankipore is called a suburb of
Patna; and, as the opium agent for Benares resides at Ghazepore, so
the agent for the Bahar opium resides at Bankipore. Here is a great
grain Golah, or circular stone building something like a bee-hive.
It is black from age, and the effects of the climate. This novel and
somewhat absurd building was erected by Governor Hastings. In the year
1770 a terrible famine raged in Bengal and Bahar, and carried off
thousands. The Bengal government, in order to secure the inhabitants of
Patna and its neighbourhood from starvation, in the event of another
similar visitation, built this Golah, for the purpose of containing
rice, which is grown very extensively at Patna. But, large as was the
building, it was discovered that it would not hold a day's consumption
for the people of the extensive Province in which it is situated.
For, supposing that there were only two millions of souls, each would
require 2lbs. per diem, or about 1,800 tons of grain for the whole
population, which was far beyond the capacity of the building. The
engineer too contrived to make the entrance door to open _inwards_;
and at the top, an aperture surrounded by a parapet; hence it was
self-evident that when this granary was filled, or even if the grain
were raised but a few feet above the floor, the door could not be
opened; besides which, there was also a further danger that the
contents would ferment and explode the building. This first and last
attempt to build on such vague calculations, cost between £12,000 and
£15,000. It is now used as a store-house for arms, and other purposes.
Outside this Golah, are two winding staircases, one of which the late
Earl of Munster ascended on horseback for a wager; another gentleman,
a civilian, did more, for he rode down also. The walls at the bottom
of the granary are enormously thick, namely, twenty-one feet, but they
have given way.
There is a large range of buildings for the manufacture of opium;
making it into cakes, and packing them in boxes. The latter is a
very delicate process. Thus some of the opium of the year 1848 was
deteriorated, because the agent had used fresh planks, of a bad
description of wood, for the cases. The price of opium has fallen much
of late. In the year 1820-21, the Bahar (Patna) opium sold for 4,303
sicca rupees, or 4,589 Company's rupees; and the Benares opium for
4,276 sicca rupees, or 4,531 Company's rupees per chest. But at that
time the amount and value of sales was less, and of course the quantity
also. When the market returned to its usual state, Bahar opium sold
for 1,960 sicca rupees, and Benares for 1,860: but the sales produced
more revenue. Before the above period, in 1819-20, the Bahar opium sold
for only 2,463 sicca rupees, and Benares for 2,435. At the sales, the
buyers paid a deposit of ten per cent.: thirty per cent. in ten days,
and the remainder in one month.
Our next station was Patna, which almost joins Bankipore. It is a large
city in the Province of Bahar, of which it is the capital, in Latitude
25° 37´ N., and Longitude 85° 15´ E. It is situated on the south
side of the Ganges, which is here very deep, and in the rainy season
sometimes five miles across.
Patna is a city of great antiquity, and is supposed by some to be the
site of the ancient Palibothra. Among them are Rennel, Lord Valentia,
Colebrooke and Tennant. By the modern Mahomedans, Patna is named
Azimabad, which signifies "The Great City"; by the Hindoos it is called
"Sri Nugur." The town of Patna is one continued street, running along
the right bank of the river, to the length of four miles by one in
breadth. It is surrounded by a fortified wall, in bad condition. The
citadel is small, and is now used as a store-house. The contrast
between the lofty houses of Benares and this city is very striking;
here they are, generally speaking, only one or two stories in height.
The residences of the Europeans, chiefly of the civil service, are
built of brick, and are very handsome, and extend as far as Bankipore;
but the rest of the dwellings are rather mean, and for the most part
constructed of mud. There are likewise a few elegant mosques and
temples. There was formerly a college of Jews here, and also a Roman
Catholic College. The latter was of very early date, probably as
remote as the fourth or fifth century; for it is stated in the Asiatic
Researches, "That there was, in the fourth century a Christian College
at Sirhind, near the Sutlej." From this College, missionaries were sent
to the town of Bettiah, ninety miles NNW. of Patna.
The town is very prosperous and populous. Taking the population of
the city of Benares at something above 183,000, Patna can scarcely
have more than 130,000 souls. Among the inhabitants are several Nawabs
and native noblemen, whose income is as low as from 1,000 to 500
rupees a month. Many of them have been thus reduced in their worldly
circumstances, in consequence of the British having gained the
ascendancy over the former Mahomedan governments. Poor nobility are,
however, by no means confined to Patna or to any part of India, but may
be found in Poland and Germany; nay, on the Continent generally, and
even in favoured England.
There are two Nawabs at Bareilly and at Meerut, holding the offices
of Sudder Ameens or magistrates, on salaries of from 700 to 1,000
rupees monthly; and in the Bengal Presidency, there are five Pundits,
and several Baboos in the same position, besides forty-two Baboos,
one Pundit, and several learned Mahomedans (Moolvees), who are deputy
collectors. These are uncovenanted appointments, and are, in addition
to the civil servants on the establishment. From the printed lists,
it would appear that they are almost as numerous as the covenanted
appointments, for there are no less than 402 of the former, and 476 of
the latter. The uncovenanted appointments are divided as follows:--
Europeans. Mahom. Hindoos. Total.
The Deputy Magistrates are 67 6 8 81
Sudder Ameens 20 89 37 146
Deputy Collectors 61 45 69 175
--- --- --- ---
148 140 114 402
In the North-Western Provinces, the Mahomedans are less than one-sixth,
or 3,747,022, out of a population of 23,199,668 souls, so that the
Hindoos have not their share of the loaves and fishes. The Chairman
of the East India Company animadverted upon this subject a few years
since. The Hindoos are usually the most studious, and have often been
employed in some of the most responsible and critical posts. Chundoo
Lall, a Brahmin, was Prime Minister at the Court of Hyderabad, the
Nizam's capital, for many years; and a Hindoo was Prime Minister to
the Emperor Akbar. Possibly the Government of India may be desirous of
conciliating the Mahomedans, who were for so many years the rulers of
Hindoostan. The vacancies in the above appointments are most eagerly
sought for; and innumerable are the expectants for preferment. This
spirit of emulation has certainly improved the minds of the higher
classes, who now study English and the Company's regulations to good
purpose. In Calcutta a native has been a Commissioner in the Court of
Requests for many years. The subject of the extension of the system of
employing natives in high civil offices of responsibility, will very
probably be discussed at the end of the East India Company's Charter
in 1854; for the question is one of great importance, and immediately
connected with the scheme of native education.
Patna is not a large manufacturing town; but there are many cotton and
linen factories in the neighbourhood, where chintzes, and various kinds
of cotton diaper and damask, are made. There are also manufactories
of flannels, and a sort of canvas for sails and other purposes. Linen
can be procured in the neighbourhood, and is sent to the metropolis.
In fact, almost every article, whether Asiatic or European, may be
purchased in the bazaars.
The finest saltpetre and opium are produced in the vicinity; and
immense quantities of wheat, sugar, and indigo, are grown here.
Provisions are very cheap in Bahar, for instance, gram, a kind of
vetch for horses, used to sell at 100 seers, or 200 lbs. for a rupee;
but from 1805 to a late period, one or more native cavalry corps have
been stationed at Ghazepore, which has raised the market, and the same
quantity now costs three rupees. The establishment of the stud, and
its branches at Kurruntadhee, Ghazepore, and Buxar, has likewise had
an influence upon the price of grain. The opium and saltpetre trade
is here, as elsewhere, monopolized by the Government, and exported in
immense quantities to Calcutta. But a very considerable trade in all
other articles is carried on by merchants from every country. It has
always been a place of much commercial importance; and, at a very early
period, there were English, French, Dutch, and Danish factories. Patna
is the first station at which the East India Company established a
factory. This was in the year 1620.
We still see the remains of the old British factory, where the fearful
massacre of two hundred prisoners was perpetrated, in 1763, by the
German adventurer Summer, pronounced by the natives Somroo, but whose
real name was Walter Reinhard, then in the service of Mir Cossim. Much
as this atrocious event must be condemned, the English had themselves
to blame in the first instance; for the soldiers, who had been
stationed at the factory for its protection, scaled the walls of the
town, wantonly attacked the inhabitants, and plundered their houses.
The native garrison immediately turned out, and succeeded in taking the
English soldiers prisoners of war. They were confined in the factory;
but the Nawab Cossim, incensed at the various indignities which he had
received from the British Government, commissioned Somroo to kill all
his prisoners, two hundred in number. This charge the German executed
with the greatest barbarity. The prisoners were just seated at dinner,
in the hall of the factory, when the myrmidons of Somroo fired upon
them from the doors and windows, and butchered them all in cold blood.
In revenge for this atrocity, Major Adams stormed the city and captured
it. Since that period, Patna has owned the British sway; and it is
now the residence of the Provincial Court of Appeal and other civil
establishments. A monument to the memory of these wretched victims was
erected in the European burial ground, but without any inscription.
The road from Patna to Dinapore is excellent, and marked by
mile-stones. The snowy mountains are visible on a clear evening, during
the rainy season. I am told that the Himalayas, too, command the most
extensive view of the plains during the same period of the year, when
the rains prevent the dust from rising into the air.
Nearly opposite Patna, is the district of Tirhoot, famous for the
cultivation of indigo and sugar-cane; but the latter suffers greatly
from the destructive rats which abound there. Tirhoot is near the
Nepaul frontier.
About fifty-five miles south of Patna, in Lat. 24° 49´ N., and Long.
85° 5´ E., in the Province of Bahar, lies the city of Gaya, or Gyah.
This ancient city is one of the most holy places of Hindoo pilgrimage,
being held by tradition to have been the residence of Buddha, the
great prophet and legislator of the nations east of the Ganges; and
it is usually termed "Buddha Gyah." The temple is of course had in
great veneration. The following extract from an inscription on one
of the stones, will shew the estimation in which it was held: "This
place is renowned, and it is celebrated by the name of Bhood Gaya. The
forefathers of him who shall perform the ceremony of the Sraddha at
this place, shall obtain salvation. A crime of a hundred-fold shall
undoubtedly be expiated from a sight thereof; of a thousand-fold from
a touch thereof; and of a hundred thousand-fold from worshipping
thereof." The frightful image of the idol is placed in the temple, and
is open to the worship of all pilgrims. A vow of sanctity is often
taken here by women, and especially by widows, not unlike the Roman
Catholic vow of celibacy; for they shave their heads, and promise to
renounce the world. The Bengal government was wont to derive a net
annual revenue of £15,000, collected from the pilgrims, a sum even
exceeding that gathered from the pilgrims at the famous Juggernauth,
being levied at a fixed ratio according to the magnitude of the sins
which the individual had come to expiate, and, therefore, of the
ceremonies which he was to perform.
The town is divided into two parts, one of which, more holy than the
other, is the residence of the Brahmins and their families, called
"Gyah Proper"; the other inhabited by the merchants and tradesmen, is
called "Sahibgunge." The town lies inland at some distance from the
river.
About fourteen miles to the north of Gyah, is a hill, or rather rock,
in which a remarkable cavern has been excavated, called "Nugur-jenee"
("Nugur" a town, and "Jenee" the Jains). Being unable to visit it,
I will give the account of it as communicated to me by our Captain.
The cave, it seems, is about two-thirds distant from the summit of
the hill; and the entrance, which is about six feet and a half high,
by two and a half wide, leads to a chamber of an oval form, having
a vaulted roof: this room is forty-four feet in length, eighteen in
breadth, and ten in height in the centre. The whole cavity is dug out
of the solid granite rock; altogether the excavation extends full a
hundred feet. It was probably made for the purposes of worship by
the Buddhists, whose religion differs from that of the Brahmins, and
who were subjected to great persecutions on account of their tenets.
We know that this was the case with the early Christians, who, in
consequence of the ruthless tyranny of their heathen oppressors, were
compelled to take refuge in the caves of the earth. The cavern at
Gyah has two inscriptions, which have been translated by the late Sir
Charles Wilkins, and published in the first volume of the "Asiatic
Researches." From these inscriptions, it would appear that it is a
place of great antiquity, but no dates are given.
Passing Futwa, which lies near the confluence of the Pompon and the
Ganges, and is noted for the manufacture of its table linen, and
for the remains of an extensive saltpetre manufactory, we reached
Phoolbarea, and sometime after the little town of Bar. The whole place
swarms with beggars, many of whom afforded no little amusement to our
passengers, by their anxiety to pick up the coppers, which they threw
from the steamer to the water's edge.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 102: Vide Major Rennel.]