The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1871-01-13
Burning Of an Indian Prince at Flor.
Torrance Oar Cincinnati Gazette.

renee took place, which was no less than
the burning of an Indian prince. His
Highness Raiah Murahaja, of Kolapore,
came to Florence for his health, but IN
fortunately for him and luckily for those
who had never seen a Buddhist funeral,
he died on the Both of November. He
was prince over six hundred thousand
inhabitants Of Hindostan, and was trav-
cling with sixteen Indians and four
Englishmen. He left his own country
to travel for the purpose Of education
and pleasure. After his death imme-
mediate application was made to the
city authorities for permission
to burn the body. After a few
of the inevitable red tape objections
had been smoothed away, the permits
sion was obtained, and a place at the
end of the "Casine," the park adjoin-
ing Florence, was assigned to the
swarthy applicants, on condition that
the ceremony should be conducted by
night, and with the utmost secrecy
However, the ~clairvoyant reporters,
correspondents and about five hundred
other persons heard of the affair, and
went to see the show. According to
the Indian religion, the ceremony wa
to take place by the side of a running
stream, so that the spot chosen was IN
reality at the confluence of the Arno
and the Mugnane. Soon after 2 a. N.
the body of his Highness arrived.
A pile Of wood had been erected
about six feet long, three wide and
three high. The body wa then laid
upon the ground and a plain gold coin
placed in the mouth. He was dressed
in red satin and silk. A long tunic or
toga reached nearly to the knees, while
pleted the dress. On his breast there
was an immense number of jewelled
orders, and around his neck there was
o necklace of very large pearls, each
worth q fortune in itself. Our Protest
ant idea is that we cannot carry any
thing into the next world with us, but
the Indian doctrine seems to differ, for
it requires that the body shall
be burned with many of the
jewels of the person. His head was
covered by a black and red turban.
The body was then wrapped in a large
sheet of red silk, with quantities of
perfumes, and laid upon the funeral
pile with the feet to the east. The at
PENDANTS then commenced a series of
unintelligible motions, putting ontheir
turbans and taking them of, bowling
and stretching their arms in every i'm
aginable direction, and repeating num-
erous short prayers In Indian, which 1
will omit for several reasons. Then
they threw more perfumes on the wood
and much fat. Then they put more
coins on the breast and in the hands;
then, came more turban shifting, more
prayers and pounds of camphor; then
sandal wood and fat, interspersed with
gestures; then straw, then wood, then
more fat, then more gestures; then a
short sermon, which I will also omit;
and finally the torches were applied,
and the whole burst into q fierce flame.
At the same moment the plank on
which the body had been borne was
thrown into the Arno. The Indians
continued to throw perfumes into the
fire during the burning, and to offer
more prayers. At 9 a. m water was
poured on the pile, and the ashes of the
body were religiouslycollected in a por-
celain vase, while all the rest of the ma
terials that remained were thrown into
the river by two Indians who waded
out to the middle. Earth was
then laid Owe the spot in the shape of
a heart, and little vases of rice were
placed around it. All the Indians then
prayed with their faces turned toward
the earth; after which they went away,
bearing the cinerary urn. The bones
will be thrown into the Ganges, so that
the Prince may enjoy a thousand years
of happiness. Thus the necessary rites
were performed, but if the Prince had
not been SO obliging rs to die in Flor
ence, but in his own country, the cere-
monies would have been most magnifi-
cent, accompanied with music, a cow
adorned with flowers, and a host of
more Hindostanee emblems. G.