The latter was erected by Aurang
Zeb, in memory of his vizier Ghasy-al dyn Chan, the founder of the
madrissa. It is as perfect in its execution as that of the saint
Nizam-ul-din, and appears to have been erected by the same artist.
The palace of Feroze Schah is near New Delhi. It is indeed somewhat
in ruins, but there is much to be seen in the existing remains of
the building. The fore-court of the mosque was a short time since
cleared with great labour of the rubbish and masses of stone which
covered it, by the untiring zeal of Mr. Cobb, the esteemed editor of
the English Delhi News. It is in very good preservation. In this
palace stands the third metal column - Feroze-Schachs-Laht. The
inscriptions upon it show that it existed a hundred years before the
birth of Christ, and may therefore be considered as one of the
oldest monuments of India. It was brought here from Lahore at the
time this palace was built.
The Purana-Killa, or the old fortress of the palace of Babar, is
much decayed. From the height and style of the remaining fragments
of gateways and walls, an idea may be formed of the magnitude of the
palace.
The ruins of Loglukabad are in an advanced state of dilapidation,
and do not repay the trouble of a journey of seven miles.
The other numerous ruins are little more than mere repetitions of
those already described, with which, however, they cannot be
compared in size, elegance, and beauty. They may be of great
interest to antiquarians and historians; but by myself, I candidly
admit, they were not much valued.
I must not neglect to mention the English military station, which is
situated upon some low hills near New Delhi. The peculiar formation
of the ground renders a journey there extremely interesting: a
district of enormous blocks of red sandstone, between which
beautiful flowers were growing. There are numerous ruins here, much
the same as in Delhi.
CHAPTER XIV. JOURNEY FROM DELHI TO BOMBAY.
THE THUGS OR STRANGLERS - DEPARTURE - CATTLE-MARKET - BARATPOOR - BIANA -
WELLS AND PONDS - GOOD-NATURE OF THE INDIANS - POPPY PLANTATIONS - THE
SUTTIS - NOTARA - KOTTAH - DESCRIPTION OF THE TOWN - THE ROYAL PALACE OF
ARMORNEVAS - AMUSEMENTS AND DANCES - THE HOLY VILLAGE OF KESHO-RAE-
PATUM.
In order to reach Bombay, I had two routes before me; the one leads
past Simla to the foot of the Himalayas, the other to the famous
rock temples of Adjunta and Elora. I would gladly have chosen the
former, and have penetrated as far as the principal chain of the
Himalayas - Lahore and the Indus; but my friends advised me not to
make the attempt, for the simple reason, that these mountains were
covered with deep snow, in which case I must have postponed my
journey for at least three months.
