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 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 (_Gangā avatārī_), 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 _mandap_, 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.
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, _tulsī_ 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.
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 scenes? Who can look unmoved on the coronets of snow that crown
the eternal Himalaya?
“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.
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.