The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1864-10-19

don Times. on the 9th of July, gives long
and graphic description of scenes at the
Su4na Jatra and the Ruth Jatra--the two
esS14 Festivals of Juggernaut, which are 90
widely celebrated in Hindoostan. Com.
mencing on Sunday, the 10th Of June, by
the priests bringing forth the god to be
bathed, it terminated on the 9Th ult, when
the cars were drawn back by thousands Of
people and the god was placed in his hamc.
The writer attended both these ceremonies,
and the details into which he enters will
speedily dispel any idea as to the Hindoos
having abandoned the horrible practice Of
throwing themselves under the wheels Of
taSksJu6gernaut car. Passing over the
y1Akmg business, which seems to have par.
taken Of the character Of farce. we will
cone at once TO the closing part Of the fes.
tival, which ID said to have been most
sickenine and revolving tragedy. and one
which it was impossible to witness without
horror and disgust: 4as,.n-
=, The crowd seemed infinitely more dense
than it had ever been on former occasion
and all along the road were booths filled
with sweetmeats, hideous masks, trumpery,
Birmingham ware and images Of Jugger.
naut, Kirshua, and other deities of the Hin
doc mythology. It was q barbarous copy
Of country fair. There were whistles and
tom. toms, shell.fish, smelling horribly in
the sun, huge TACK fruit, some damaged
pine apples, and here and there rudely
contrivsd "mcrry- 60 round," with stout ba.
boos enjoying the sport which that machine
is capable Of furnishing. There was nautch
girls, hideously ugly, chanting their drawl
inkmonotonous strains to the music Of an
old fiddle and tom tom. There were lit.
tie acrobats, who made "Cathrine Wheels
like the boys who run, or used to run, by
the side of omnihnses in y esdn- views ol
ueshst great exhibition, on show at one
priece each person. The confusion was in.
describabIe, and when a shower of rain
came on, as happily it did once or twice,
the throng seemed to get tied up in knot
and 70 be incapable of disentangling itself.
erof doing anything but roll hciplessly
from one side Of the road to the other. The
centres Of attraction were the two Jureer.
naut cars These are immense lumberinp
masses Of wood, about sixty feet in height
carved INTO all sorts Of angles, and decorat-
60 on every square inch with figures Of the
ae'ues. ihey arc constructed in four
stories, 80 to speak, and upon each of these
crowd OF Brahmins and their friends were
collected. Large idols were placed at each
corner, and two ropes Of great lengths were
attached to the front Of the car They
moved upon six heavy wheels, and the en-.
tire weight of the ponderous fabric must
have been enormous. Hour after hour the
multitude streamed past the cars, which
were at some distance from each other. or
they turned aside to shed beneath which
were placed number of indecently painted
idols, afterwards decorated With little
drapery and hoisted on to the car.
1t was not until four in the afternoon
that Z big gong was beaten on the topmost
division Of the first car, and with great
shout Juggernaut himself, swathed in red
cloth, was brought to the spot. A rope
was fastened to him, and with much excr.
ton ne was hoisted from stage to stage by
the Brahmins--for by himself the god
seemed rather helpless. They dragged him
up and uncovered him, and the crowd sa.
laamed to him in their usual fashion. A
large ugly thing he was, with enormous |
eyes, painted black with broad white rim |
around them. Then another god was
brought, and hoisted up in the same way,
but to lower division, and SO on until ali
were full. The crowd meanwhile kept
throwing garlands and donation to the
Brahmins--dirty, common looking men.
With nothing whatever to distinguish them
from the common mass except the white
Brahminical thread over their shoulders.
When the gods were in their places, two
large wooden horses were brought out, one
'Iue and the other white, each with thick
aaA ssssaaia6 - >A-s~-~'gsOv " sssu0-y nc
lrees- Theaa gay stseds we're fastened to
he car, and Drahmin stood upon the
back Of each, holding by rope.
AT this time the scene was extraordinary
Close by the side of the car was a large ma.
i've house, broken and crumbling like most
native houses. Through iron bars in front
oil, this house some women were peerinp.
and On the roof there were more women OF
the zenana, with an old crone keeping watch
and guard over their. On the other side
OF the road was Juggernaut temple,
crowded with women. The road itself was
quite impossible fer the crowds of people,
whose oily bodies and dirty ways did not
improve the flavor Of the heated atmos-
phere. Far as the eye could reach this
throng extended, and when thousand
goRgs were set beating, and the Brahmins
called upon the people, thrill of wild cx-
element ran through this enormous living
mass. The ropes were fixed, and multi
tudes rushed to them, eager for the honor
ofpulling their deity along. On the car
itself there could scarcely have been less
than 200 men. Perhaps there were one
pulling at the ropes, but they
pulled for long time in vain. The car
bad been in one place for whole year, and
had made deep hole for itself by it's great
weight. Again and again the Brahmins
shouted and gesticulated, laughing among
themselves. At last the mob happened to
,ull together, instead of one after the other.
md the huge mass moved forward few ]
ards, groaning as if it had been living
reature. stopped, and for q few min.
ties the crowd stood in almost perfect
Hence.
Then the Brahmins gave the signal, and
his time it crushed out life with every
evolution of the hideous wheels, covered
s they were with human flesh and gore.
he vast multitude seemed suddenly pos /.
essed with fit of delirium. They fought 81
nd struggled with each other to get near
he car, which had stopped as if by magic
hey stopped down and peered beneath the
wheels, and rose with scared faces to tell
heir friends Of the sight. made my way I,
the back OF the car, and there saw upon 4
be ground very cid woman, oil wrinkled :. !.
nd puckered up, with scarcely lineament 4
fher face recognizable for blood and dust.
Ter right foot Was hanging by thread, ,
be wheels had passed over the center Of
er nearly naked body, and faint CULVER
{ anguish ran through her frame as she
cemed to struggle to rise. Not one in the
rowd offered to move her, or to raise her
aiserable grey Lead from the ground, but
hey stood looking on with vacant stares,
rhilc the Brabmins from the car paxed