Miserable
little huts are in some places built upon these ruins, and disfigure
the fine appearance of the town, for even the ruins themselves are
still beautiful.
At sunrise, a spectacle is to be seen at the river which has not its
counterpart in the world. The pious Hindoos come here to perform
their devotions; they step into the river, turn towards the sun,
throw three handsful of water upon their heads, and mutter their
prayers. Taking into account the large population which Benares
contains, besides pilgrims, it will not be exaggeration to say that
the daily number of devotees amounts, on the average, to 50,000
persons. Numbers of Brahmins sit in small kiosks, or upon blocks of
stone on the steps, close to the water's edge, to receive the
charity of the wealthy, and grant them absolution in return.
Every Hindoo must bathe at least once in the day, and particularly
in the morning; if he is pious and has time, he repeats the ceremony
again in the evening. The women bathe at home.
At the time of the festival called Mala, when the concourse of
pilgrims is innumerable, the steps are crowded with masses of human
beings, and the river appears as if covered with black spots from
the number of the bathers' heads.
The interior of the city is far less handsome than that portion
which extends along the Ganges. It contains many palaces; but these
have not the same beautiful gateways, colonnades, and verandahs as
those already described. Many of these buildings are covered with
fine cement, and others are painted with miserable frescoes.
The streets are for the most part both dirty and ugly, and many of
them are so narrow, that there is scarcely room for a palanquin to
pass. At the corner of almost every house stands the figure of the
god Shiva.
Among the temples in the town, the handsomest is the "Bisvishas:" it
has two towers connected by colonnades, with their summits covered
with golden plates. The temple is surrounded by a wall, but we were
allowed to enter the fore-court, and to go as far as the entrance.
We saw inside several images of Vishnu and Shiva, wreathed with
flowers, and strewn over with grains of rice, wheat, etc. Small
bulls of metal or stone stood in the porch, and living white bulls
(of which I counted eight) wandered about at liberty. The latter
are considered sacred, and are allowed to roam where they please,
and are not prevented from satisfying their hunger with even the
sacrificial flowers and corn.
These sacred animals do not remain in the temples only - they wander
about the streets; and the people turn reverently out of their way,
and frequently give them fodder. They do not, however, allow them
to eat the corn exposed for sale, as was formerly the case.
