The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1864-11-12
A Juggernaut Festival at the Present
Time.

A Juggernant Festival at the Present
Time.
The letter of the correspondent Of the London
Times, dated Calcutta. July 9Th, contains = pain
fully interesting description of the Snan Jattra
and the Ruth Jattra-two of the greatest festivals
of Hinduism, forming the great Juggernaut
saturnalia, so widely celebrated of which the
writer was an eyewitness. The festival (within
twenty miles Of Calcutta) began on Sunday, the
18th of June, by the priests bringing forth the
god to be bathed. It ended on the 9th of July,
when the cars were drawn back by thousands Of
people, and the idol was replaced in his home.
Human sacrifices are prohibited by the Govern
Inent, but it seems the prohibition Is disregarded
by some wTetched ~devOtees, with the conniyance
of the priests of this Baal. The account opens
with u description OF the enormous crowd, the
great heat Obs degrees and so forth.
The centres of attraction were the two Jug
geFnaut cars These are immense numbering
masses of wood, about 60 feet in height, carved
into all sorts OF angles, and decorated on every
square inch with figures of the deities. They are
constructed in four stories, so 10 speak, and upon
each of these a crowd of Brahmins and their
friends were collected. Large idols were placed
at each corner, and two robes of great length
were attached to the front of the car. They
moved upon six heavy wheels, and the entire
weight of the pOnderous fabric must have been
enormous. Hour after hour the multitude stream
ed past the cars, which were ut some distance
from each other, or they turned aside TO Il shed
Dcuciln WHICH were pluctu IL NUMBER OF indecent
ly painted idols, afterwards decorated with Il
little drapery, and hoisted on TO the car. 1t was
not till nearly four In the afternoon that 4 big
gong was beaten on the topmost division OF the
first car, and with a great shout Juggernaut him
self, swathed in red cloth, was brought to the
spot. A rope was fastened to him, and with
much exertiOn he vas hOisted from stage to stage
by the Brahmins-for by himself the god seemed
rather helpless. They dragged him up and I'M
covered him, and the crowd salaamed to him in
their usual fashion. \ huge ugly thing he was,
with enormous eyes, painted black with Il broad
white rim round them. Then Gnother god was
brought, and hOisted up in the same way, but to
a lower division, and SO on till all were full. The
crowd meanwhile kept throwing garlands and
donations to the Brahmins-dirty common-look-
ing men, with nothing whatever to distinguish
them from the common mass, except the white
thread over their shoulders. When
the gods were all in their places, two large wood
EN- horses were brought out, one blue and the
other white, each with a thick tail sticking up at
an angle of ninety degrees. These CAV steeds
were fastened to the car, and a Brahmin stood
upon the back of each, holding by q rope.
At this time the scene was extraordinary.
Close by the side of the car was a large native
house, broken and crumbling, like most native
houses. Through iron bars in front of this house
some were peering, and on the roof there were
more women of the zenana, with an old crone
keeping watch and guard over them. On the
other side of the road was Il Juggernaut temple,
crowded with women. The road itself was quite
impossible for the crowds of people, whose oily
bodies and dirty ways did not improve the flavor
of the heated atmosphere. Far as the eve could
reach this throng extended, and when a thousand
gongs were set beating, and the Brahmins called
upon the people, u thrill of wild excitement ran
through this enormous living mass. The ropes
were fixed, and multitudes rushed to them. eager
tor the honor of pulling them deity along. On
the car itself there could scarcely have been less
than two hundred men. Perhaps there were one
thousand pulling ~ the ropes, but they pulled
for i long time i'm vain. The car had been
in ono place for a whole year, and had made a
deep hole for itself by Its great weight. Again
and again the Brahminsshouted and gesticulated,
laughing among themselves. At last the mob
happened to pull together. instead of one after
the other, and the huge mass moved forward a
few yards, grooming as if it had been living crea-
ture. -It stopped, and for a few minutes the
crowd stood in almost perfect silence. Then the
Brahmins again gave the signal, and this time it
out a life with every revolution of its
hideous wheels, covered rs they We're with human
flesh and gore.
- The vast multitude seemed suddenly possessed
with a fit of delirium. They foughtand struggled
with each other to get near to the car, which had
as if by magic. They stopped down. and
peered beneath its wheels, and rose with scared
faces to tell their friends OF the sight. | made
way 10 the hack of the car, and there saw
lpon the ground = very old woman, all wrinkIed
md puekered up, with scarcely Il lineament of
lcE ~ EeCOEuiLtDtc ~ DiOOu 1uu uuSt. Tier
light foot wa hanging by a thread, the wheels
nd passed over the centre of her nearly naked
lOdy, and a faint quiver Of anguish ran through
ler frame as she seemed 10 struggle 10 rise. Not
me IN the crowd offered TO move her, or raise
Ter miserable gray head from the ground. but
hey stood looking on with vacant stare. while
he Brahmins from the car gazed down with as
ouch unconeern as could well be written upon
human cOunterance. The mob cried that
here were more under the car, and when | look
a harAnNI .L..- - q
d with dusky bodies. Two OF three chokey-dars
ere made their appearance, and compelled the
rowd TO move back. Upon getting closer to the
'heels, | saw that one of them was half over the
Ody of n man, and that it had crushed out his
Owels, and fastened it,elf like some Unsuitable
In his blood. Close by him there Law .
mother man crushed 10 death-he was bat a
cap OF mangled flesh. The Brahmins still
rOked down from the car upon these POOR
retches with perfect uncOncern, and were even
for fhs crowd 70 null aoliu Lut the