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. If one
of the sacred animals happen to die, it is either thrown into the
river or burnt. They receive in this respect the same honour as the
Hindoos themselves.
In the temple, there were men and women who had brought flowers,
with which they decorated the images. Some of them also laid a
piece of money under the flowers. They then sprinkled them over
with Ganges' water, and strewed rice and other corn about.
Near the temple are the most holy places in the town, namely - the
so-called "holy well" and the Mankarnika, a large basin of water.
The following anecdote is told of the former: -
When the English had conquered Benares, they planted a cannon before
the entrance of the temple to destroy the image of the god Mahadeo.
The Brahmins, greatly indignant at this, instigated the people to
revolt, and they hastened in numerous crowds to the temple. The
English, to prevent a disturbance, said to the people: "If your god
is stronger than the Christian God, the balls will not hurt him; but
if not, he will be broken to pieces." Of course; the latter was the
result. The Brahmins, however, did not give up their cause, but
declared that they had seen the spirit of their god leave the idol
before the cannon was fired, and plunge into the spring near at
hand. From this time the spring was considered sacred.
The Mankarnika is a deep basin, paved with stone, about sixty feet
long, and of equal breadth; broad steps lead from the four sides
into the water. A similar tradition, but connected with the god
Shiva, is attached to this place. Both deities are said to have
continued to reside in these waters down to the present day. Every
pilgrim who visits Benares must, on his arrival, bathe in this holy
pool, and, at the same time, make a small offering. Several
Brahmins are always present to receive these gifts. They are in no
way distinguished by their dress from the bulk of the better
classes, but the colour of their skin is clearer, and many of them
have very noble features.
Fifty paces from this pool, on the banks of the Ganges, stands a
remarkably handsome Hindoo temple, with three towers.
Unfortunately, the ground sunk in a few years since, and the towers
were thrown out of their proper position: one inclines to the right
and the other to the left; the third is almost sunk into the Ganges.
Among the thousand of other temples, there is here and there one
which is worth the trouble of a cursory inspection, but I would not
advise any one to go much out of their way on their account. The
place for burning the dead is very near the holy pool. When we went
there, they were just roasting a corpse - the mode of burning cannot
be described by any other name, the fire was so small, and the
corpse projected over on all sides.
Among the other buildings, the Mosque Aurang Zeb is most worthy of
the notice of travellers. It is famous on account of its two
minarets, which are 150 feet high, and are said to be the slenderest
in the world. They look like two needles, and certainly are more
deserving of the name than that of Cleopatra at Alexandria. Narrow
winding staircases in the interior lead to the top, upon which a
small platform, with a balustrade a foot high, is erected.
