Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1871-01-12
Burning OF an Indian Prince at Flor
Florence Cor. Cincinnati Gazette

Yesterday an affair of unusual occur
renee took place, which was no less than
the burning of an Indian prince. His
Highness Rajah Murahaja, of Kolapore,
came to Florence forhis health, but nm
fortunately for him and luckily for those
who had never seen q Buddhist funeral.
he died or Tie 30th of November. He
was prince over six hundred thousand
inhabitants of Hindostan, and was tray
cling with sixteen Indians and four
EnglishInen. 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 place at the
end of the Casino" the park adioin-
ing Florence, was assigned to the
swarthy applicant, 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 was
to take place by the side of running
stream, so that the spot chosen was III
reality at the confluence of tie Arno
and the Mugnane. Soon after pa. m.
the body of his Highness arrived.
A pile Of wood had been erected
about six feet long, three wide and
three high. The body was then laid
upon the ground and plain gold coin
placed In the mouth. He was dressed
in red satin and silk. A long tlnic or
toga reached nearly to the knees, while
red stockings and leather boots COM
pleted the dress. On his breast there
was an immense number of jewelled
orders, and around his neck there was
necklace of very large pearls, each
worth 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
! 1T requires that the BODY shall
be burned with many of the
jewels of the person. His head was
covered by black and red turban.
The body was then wrapped in large
sheet of red silk, with quantities of
perfumes, and laid upon the funeral
pile with the feet to the east. The at.
tendants then commenced series of
unintelligible motions, putting on their
turbans and taking them of, bowling
and stretching their arms in every i'm
aginable direction, and repeating mum
erous short prayers in Indian, which
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 viii also omit;
and finally the torches were applied,
and the whole burst into 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 8 q. m. water was
poured on the pile, and the ashes of the
body were religiously collected in por-
celain vase, while all the restof the ma
terials that remained were thrown into
the river by two Indians who waded
out to the middle. Earth was
then laid over the spot in the shape of
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 thousand years
of happiness. Thus the necessary rites
were performed, but if the Prince had
not been so obliging as 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 host of
more Hindostanee emblems. G..