_The temple of Sumboonath--View from the platform of the temple--The
valley of Nepaul and its resources--Tradition respecting it--Entrance of
the Prime Minister into Katmandu--The two kings--A brilliant reception_.
The temple of Sumboonath, which we next visited, is situated on the
summit of a woody eminence; it is approached by a long flight of steps,
the trouble of ascending which is amply compensated by the lovely view
which the platform of the temple commands, as well as by an inspection of
the curious construction of the building itself.
Sumboonath is looked upon as one of the oldest temples in Nepaul, and was
erected, according to Kirkpatrick, when Nepaul was ruled by a race of
Thibetians; its possession was at one time claimed by the Dalai Lama, or
Sovereign Pontiff of H'Lassa, but he has since been obliged to abandon
the claim.
The Dagoba resembles the temple of Bhood, but is only about half its
size; the spire is covered with plates of copper, gilt. It is surrounded
by pagodas, as well as numerous more modern shrines of a bastard Hindoo
class, to which Bhootyas and Bhamas, a tribe of Newars, resort in great
numbers. Occasionally the Ghorkas visit these shrines; the thunderbolt
of Indra, which is here exhibited, being, I suppose, the object of
attraction to them, as they pride themselves on being orthodox Hindoos.
This collection of temples is surrounded by rickety old houses, inhabited
by Bhootyas and priests. All around small images sit upon wet stones,
holding in their hands everlasting tapers, and look out of their niches
upon the dirty worshippers who smother them with faded flowers. Turning
our backs upon these little divinities, we obtained the first panoramic
view we had yet had of the valley and city of Katmandu.
The valley is of an oval shape; its circumference is nearly 50 miles, and
the hills by which it is enclosed vary from one to two thousand feet in
height. Sheopoorie, the most lofty of these, is clothed to the summit
with evergreen jungle, and rises abruptly behind the town. Behind it the
fantastically shaped Jib Jibia shows its craggy summit thickly powdered
with snow, while the still loftier Gosain-Than, at a distance of about 30
miles, rears its ever white and glittering peak to a height of 25,000
feet, and seems majestically to preside over this glorious scene.
The town of Katmandu, situated at the junction of the Bhagmutty and
Bishmutty, and containing a population of 50,000 inhabitants, lay spread
at our feet, and we could discern the passengers on the narrow fragile-
looking bridges which span the two rivers, at this time containing
scarcely any water. Innumerable temples, Bhuddist and Hindoo, and
mixtures of both, occupied hillocks, or were situated near the sacred
fonts or groves with which the valley abounds, and which adds much to the
beauty of its appearance. The number of the edifices affords strong
proof of the superstition of the people, and warrants the remark of
Colonel Kirkpatrick, who says that there seem to be in Nepaul as many
shrines as houses, and as many idols as inhabitants.
A tradition is current in Nepaul that the valley of Katmandu was at some
former period a lake, and it is difficult to say in which character it
would have appeared the most beautiful. The knolls, wooded or terraced,
with romantic old Newar towns crowning their summits,--the five rivers of
the valley winding amongst verdant meadows,--the banks here and there
precipitous, where the soft clayey soil had yielded to the action of the
torrent in the rains,--the glittering city itself,--the narrow paved ways
leading between high hedges of prickly pear,--the pagodas and temples
studded in all directions, presented a scene as picturesque and perhaps
more interesting than would have been afforded by the still lake embedded
in wild mountains, and frowned upon by snow-capped peaks; while the
richly cultivated knolls in the valley formed fertile islands, the
luxuriant vegetation of which would have softened the scene into one of
exquisite beauty.
Whether the rich and wonderfully prolific soil of the valley is the
alluvial deposit of this lake, I cannot say, but there is no doubt that,
whatever may be the cause, the valley of Nepaul is almost unrivalled in
its fertility, supporting as it does in comfort and plenty a population
of 400,000 inhabitants, being 300 persons to the square mile.
There is not, I conceive, any other mountainous country in the world that
can boast of possessing so favoured a spot. Throughout its whole length
and breadth, not a stone is to be found: it is well watered; its
temperature is delightful, the thermometer in the hottest month seldom
reaches 75 degrees, in the coldest never falls below 30 degrees; it is
sufficiently near the tropics to rejoice in the presence of the warm
bright sun even in the depth of winter, while the proximity of the ever
snow-capped "Himaleh" prevents the heat being too severely felt in the
middle of summer. It rarely freezes in the valley, and never snows,
although the hills around, some of which do not exceed 1000 feet, are
frequently powdered.
It is impossible to conceive a more enjoyable climate, and the numerous
productions of which the valley can boast betoken its genial influences.
I am sorry that I cannot from my own observation testify to the rich
variety of its vegetable productions, as the time of year during which I
was in Nepaul was unfavourable, but many English forest-trees flourish
here,--amongst them, oaks, chestnuts, and pines; rhododendrons also
abound, and I observed almost every species of English fruit-tree: in the
residency garden all the European vegetables are raised to perfection.
But to return from this digression on the advantages of soil and climate
which the valley possesses. The lovely view before us comprised in a
glance the grand and majestic scenery of the mountains, with the softer
but still animating view of the luxuriant plain, bearing evidence of that
large and industrious population whose habitations were so picturesquely
grouped throughout it.
We had not nearly satisfied our desire to gaze upon so much that was new
and interesting, when we were informed by our attendants that the
astrologers had announced the auspicious moment at which the Minister
Sahib, or, as we must now call him, Jung Bahadoor Comaranagee, should
leave the camp outside the city walls and make an imposing entry into
Katmandu.
This lucky hour was now close at hand; and as the entrance of the prime
minister into the capital was a scene not to be lost, we hurried down to
be in time for the ceremony of his reception.
In a few moments we were rattling in one of the only carriages in Nepaul
over one of the only carriage-roads of which it can boast, and soon
reached the bridge, near which was pitched a spacious tent. On our way
we passed a square lined with soldiers, and the streets were crowded with
a motley population, such as it would be vain to endeavour to describe,
but which increased in density as we approached the centre of attraction,
near which we were obliged to leave the carriage, and were conducted
between rows of soldiers by various members of the royal household, each
of us being led by the hand in the most affectionate manner. My
conductor was a brother of Jung Bahadoor's, who distinguished himself
about a week afterwards by a base attempt to assassinate the minister. I
was unfortunate in my friends in other instances besides this: one old
man, who had accompanied the minister to Europe, and was an especial ally
of mine on board ship, was implicated in the same vile plot against the
life of the man towards whom he had every reason to feel gratitude, if
such a sentiment is known amongst Orientals. Poor old Kurbeer Kutrie was
a venerable-looking dignified old man, bigoted to an excess, and
thoroughly disgusted with his trip to the land of the beef-eaters, though
he could not but admit that what he saw was wonderful! The ignominious
punishment which was inflicted upon him for his share in the conspiracy,
and by which he lost caste, was doubtless more severely felt by him than
death would have been. Not that it signifies in the least in Nepaul
whether a man is a fratricide or prefers making away with more distant
relatives. If you do not associate with assassins, you must give up the
pleasures of Nepaul society. Among the natives assassination is not
looked upon as a crime, but as a matter of course; the minister, however,
with those of his suite who accompanied him on his recent mission, have
become more enlightened in this respect, and have found to their
astonishment that indiscriminate murder is not the usual mode adopted in
the civilized world for bringing about political changes or accomplishing
private ends.
Jung Bahadoor, no doubt, now wishes that more of the Durbar had made the
same trip, and profited by it in like manner, since the custom above
alluded to must be highly inconvenient to him, more particularly since he
has eight brothers, most of whom cast a longing eye towards the
premiership; a man's chance of filling this office not depending upon his
power "to form a ministry," so much as upon his accuracy in taking aim
and his skill in seizing any opportunity offered by his rival of showing
his dexterity in a manner more personal than pleasant. Jung Bahadoor may
well exclaim, "Save me from my brothers!" Already has one of them
attempted his life; but the Minister has learned mercy in England, and,
to the astonishment of every one, Budreenath Sing and his fellow
conspirators are only banished for life. It is said that the minister
resisted all the representations of his friends as to the propriety of
executing the conspirators, by the argument of "What would the 'Times'
say?"--which must have appeared to the majority of the members of the
Nepaul Durbar to be a very extraordinary reason for leniency.
Bum Bahadoor had acted as prime minister during the absence of his
brother in England, and had just learnt to value the possession of power
when the return of the minister put an end to his short-lived greatness,
and he would have sunk at once into comparative insignificance, had not
Jung, who knew enough of human nature to guess the sentiments of a man in
such a position, judiciously gilded the pill by making him Commander-in-
Chief of the Forces.
Grasping the friendly hand of my conductor, in happy ignorance of his
fratricidal intentions, I followed immediately behind the Minister, whose
return to Nepaul, after he had encountered the perils of land and sea,
and paid a visit to the Queen of the greatest country in the world, not
even excepting China, was a matter of so much importance, that the Rajah
himself came from his palace to the spot where we were now assembled, to
meet one who had been favoured with an interview with so mighty a
monarch, and who had in his possession the letter from her majesty of
England to his majesty of Nepaul. We were, therefore, prepared to see
the king seated on a divan, and arrayed in gorgeous attire; but who the
old gentleman was who was sitting with most perfect sang froid next him
on his elevated seat, I was at a loss to conceive. Whoever he was, he
seemed most perfectly at home, and I found on inquiry it was natural he
should be so, for the old man was sitting on his own throne, which had
been usurped by his son, he having been dethroned on the score of
imbecility. Such being the case, why he was allowed to occupy the place
he did was inexplicable, unless it were to prove that he really was unfit
to sit upon the throne alone, since he was content to share it upon grand
occasions with his son, whenever this latter precocious young gentleman,
who was, as it were, the representative of "Young Nepaul," chose to give
his venerable father a treat.
But it would be useless to speculate on the cause of this proceeding,
since it is impossible ever to understand, and hopeless to attempt to
discover, the motives or secret springs which actuate a native Durbar;
and no doubt Jung himself, who is the real manager of everything, had
some good reason for the present double occupancy of the throne. It
struck me that it would answer one purpose at any rate: it would show the
people that the young king looked as imbecile as the old one, while his
countenance was far less prepossessing, as he seemed only to have just
sense enough to be able to gratify the brutal and sensual passions to
which he is a prey; whether the stories of wholesale executions of slaves
taking place in his court-yard merely for his amusement are true or not,
I cannot say, but he looked capable of any wickedness, and, though not
more than twenty-two or twenty-three years old, had already rivalled the
atrocities of Nero. His countenance was not unlike those depicted on the
walls of Indian towns, with the same large staring eyes, thin twisted
moustache, sensual lips, and thick bull neck. His dress was handsome,
and his jewels were magnificent; but in dress, in carriage, and in
dignity of manner, the prime minister was unquestionably the most
distinguished-looking man in Durbar. He wore a magnificent robe of white
silk embroidered with gold, and tight pantaloons of rich brocade, which
set off his slim figure to advantage; his turban was a mass of sparkling
diamonds, and his whole person seemed loaded with jewels. His sturdy
body-guard, all armed with double-barrelled rifles, stood close behind
his chair, and were the only soldiers in the tent; the nonchalant way in
which he addressed the rajah, with folded arms and unbended knee,
betokened the unbounded power he possesses in the state. Perhaps it is
not very politic in him to arrogate so much to himself in a land where
every man's hand is against him, in proportion as he is feared by every
one from his majesty downwards.
On each side of the tent stood a row of grandees of the realm, amongst
whom the eight brothers of Jung Bahadoor held conspicuous places, while
kasies and sirdars continued the line, until they were lost in the crowd
of minor officers.
The blaze of jewels, and the glitter of gold and silver, were calculated
to strike an European spectator with astonishment, and he might well be
startled at so magnificent a display in a highland court.
I observed a few English and French uniforms, covered with a great deal
more of gold and silver lace than they were entitled to; all which gaudy
array was the more striking to me when I remembered that I had on a plaid
shooting-coat and felt hat. I had no opportunity of explaining to his
majesty that plaid shooting-coats and felt hats are the court costume in
England, but no doubt he thought it all correct. It is, moreover, the
prerogative of Englishmen to sit in the presence of Oriental potentates
with their hats on, which prevented my secreting my shabby old wide-awake
as I had intended.
As I sat next but one to the minister, I was under the immediate
protection of the rifles and pistols, which latter implements protruded
in a most formidable manner from the belts of the body-guard. As various
Nepaulese nobles of doubtful politics sat in front of his Excellency, he
felt these gentlemen-at-arms were peculiarly valuable additions to his
retinue, as being ready to act either on the offensive or defensive at a
moment's notice. Everything, however, went off with the most perfect
harmony; a few compliments were exchanged between himself and his
sovereign, and the meeting broke up after the usual ceremony of giving
and receiving pawn. This consisted in the presentation by both the
kings, to every stranger present, of a small pyramidal packet of leaves,
which, when opened by the favoured recipient, was found to contain a few
other leaves, stuck together by slimy substances, of unpleasant
appearance and aromatic odour. Fortunately, you were not compelled to
partake of this in the presence of the royal donor, and means were found
to dispose of it slily on leaving his majesty's audience-chamber.
As we were driving back to the Residency, it struck me that the history
of a man who, at so early an age, had raised himself from being an ensign
in the army to the powerful position which the grand display at his
reception had just proved him to hold in his own country, would be
interesting, if it were possible to gain any information on the subject
that could be relied upon. I therefore determined to collect the best
that it was in my power to obtain; and the following particulars,
gathered partly from himself, and partly from one who has had many
opportunities of becoming acquainted with his history, form, I believe, a
trustworthy account of a career which, from its tragic nature, is
invested with a thrilling interest, while it faithfully portrays the
eventful changes usually attending the life of an Oriental statesman.