The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1866-03-15
FROM INDIA.

A meng he EEimAImyas-Hi ndOo smuey-
SUTTON The Holy spring of the Gan
@ges-The iIst Camps HKeeIins insn-
dia-
The following letter from devoted Mis-
sionary-s wife, Mrs Jennie Shepherd Haul
ser, daughter@of our fellow citizen. j. T.
Shepherd, will be perused with interest by
many of our readers, who will remember
the writer as school girl amongst us, but
a few years since. 'S.sa0Sss saa8&
- - BADRlNATH, Snowy RANGE,
HEIGHT TO-, 900 #. Oct. l, 1865,
DEAR FATHER AND MOTHER:
Here sitwithin quarter -ofa mile of
the greatest heather shrine of the Hindoos
The snow covers the peaks, and far down
the sides OF all the mountains on every side
of us, and along the valley of the Ganges
for six miles below below us lie the rem
nants of glaciers which slid down from their
lofty birth places six months ago. We ar
rived here yesterday after nine days steady
travelling over roads tedious, and in many
places full Of dangers, often through scenery
wild, beautiful, grand, or terrible and ape
inspiring.
We intended to stay here several days,
but have concluded to start back to-mor-
row There is not a tree within many
miles Of this, and wood is very scarce.
Food is very dear. Coarse flour is cents
a pound, and everything in accordance =
The ground and our tent were covered with
frost this morning, SO you may judge it is
colo and expensive staying here, especially
for our servants. This morning we went
to see the temple of the great god. We
were not allowed to see the god, but we
saw the hot spring, which is the center Of
alteration, and in whose waters thousands
of pilgrims come every year to wash away
sin and the burden of troubled conscience
The rock from beside which the spring bub-
bles up is enclosed in a little shed of rough
boards Not more than three persons can
stand upright in it at once, and the door is
so low that one has to bend nearly double
to enter. The ground is floored with rough
bits Of board, and only space of about two
hands breadth is left open where the spring
comes up The water is nearly at boiling
point. / could only keep my hand in it a
moment. The water is carried in little
channels under the floors of sever
al rooms and houses near, and keeps them
quite warm. Not more than dozen steps
off is a large tank built into which the main
! body of the water is carried. In this tank
all the pilgrims battle. and there they think
they lose the stains of sin. A fat, lust y
brahmin sat on a little floor in one corner
close to where the water entered the tank
He lad quantity of pots aud brass dishes
from which he took preparations and put
in the stream to give it efficiency. | never
felt the missionary spirit of love and pity Sc
strongly as | did when | saw two ole
men bathing there, and seeming firmly IL
believe they were really being made pune
| never saw christians look more devoutly
happy than one of those white-headed men
The temple is built of white stone, and is
rather pretty but is much defaced by thu
snow which slides down and entirely cover.
it every winter. Every one leaves Badri
nath then as the valley is entirely filled
with snow. In May the pilgrims begin t.
visit the place; for two months the roads
are thronged. During the rains but few
60 About this time they begin again, ant
for month and half there will be grea
many here. Many leave their homes with
a dish or two for cooking, and half a dozer
yards Of cloth for clothing, and perhaps moi
rupee. Such beg their way, and Otter
they die on the way from exposure and hun
ger. As we came up yesterday we passed
the body of pilgrim. He must have beer
dead three or four days as the smell was
horrible. My husband gave me warning SC
l did not see it | hope it will be away
/ when we go down. At least hundred
persons have probably passed it, but it was
not their business to remove:t, and they were
not public spirited enough to report it. so i!
has remained. Priests and religious mendi
eants receive presents from the temple funds
which are supplied by wealthy pilgrims
gifts, and the revenue of villages belonging
to it.
TO BE CONTINUED.