The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1872-11-01
The Feast Of Inggernaut.

The Feast Of JuggeFnaut.
From Notes OF a Tourist IN the London Times.
I saw nothing at all like licen-
tiousness during my tour; and it is
a curious fact that this is the one
festival that empties all the zenanas.
The women arrive IN crowds, num-
boring from thirty to forty each, IN
some cases from long distances, each
woman bearing her offering OF rice,
flowers, fruit, etc, for the god No
good Hindoo daTes to refuse his wife
permission to assist in doing honor
to Juggernaut, and it is possible that
there may be improprieties in some
way before the mass Of the people
reach home, though I am convinced
that there is nothing of the kind on
the scale supposed by many good
people in England, and what there
is must be apart from the festival.
The temple is a large enclosure,
and, when I saw it, was lighted up.
The enclosure was literally filed
with people, mostly, if not entirely,
women and children, all stretched
on the ground, asleep or trying to
sleep. Not a foot of the enclosure
was unoccupied. In front of the car
there is much larger space of ground
open to the road, and it was similar
ly crowded, and so were the sides Of
the roads, highways and byways, for,
I am sure, two miles. The full moon,
shining from a cloudless sky through
the picturesque bamboo, plantain,
and cocoanut palm on the white Gov
erings-I can hardly say dress-and
upturned faces (the latter the very
picture of placid serenity supplied
light and shade for picture to which
the practical life of Europe has no
counterpart, or anything at all ap-
preaching one.
For about half a mile on each side
of the car the centre of the road was
densely crowded with men of all
casts and positions in life, laughing
and ehattering with a noise that re-
sembled nothing so much as the dis
tant roar of the sea. And still the
bands of women came strolling In
from every road that led to the tenn
pie and the car; and right glad many
of them seemed when they had re-
lieved themselves of their loads, and
thrown themselves down at the road
side to pass away the few hours be-
fore morning. They al-men and
women-courteously made way for
our horse, slowly led along the road.
They made way also for each other
There was no drinking, no quarrel
ing, a few merry-go-rOunds going
round, few peep-shOws open, books
and a thousand other articles fol
sale !; several native Christian preach
ers denouncing Juggernaut sturdily
and no one interfering with them il
the least, but in many cases listening
quietly, and going away as quietly
That is the scene, roughly sketehed
of the night before the bathing O
Juggernaut.
I do not think there is a people IL
the world who would so patientl,
have heard their god denounced IN
der the very shadow of his temple
on the sacred ground certainly-ol
the night before his great festival
It is marvellous scene, and would
make the fortune of a good arts
who could hit upon such a night 70
sketch as a few friends and I hat
for our view this year. I am bount
to say that believe the festival t.
have been oftener dreadfully carica
tured than even passably, fairly POI
trayed in England. I am sure tina
if Dean Stanley had been present
and master of the Bengalee tongue
he would no more have preached t
that people than I would.