The Hickman courier., 1872-10-26
The Feast of Lnggernaut.

From Notes of a Tourist ia the LONDON liii'''
saw nothing at all like llcen-
tiousness during my tour; and 1t Is
curious fact that this IS the one
festival that empties all the zenanas.
The women srrive in crowds, num-
bering from thirty TO forty each' III
some cases from long distances, each
woman bearing her offering OF rice
flowers, fruit, etc, for the god. 10
good Hindoo dares TO refuse ms VIE
permission to assist in doing honor
to Juggernaut, and it is possible that
there may be improprietles 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 large enclosure,
and, when L saw it, was lighted up.
The enclosure was literally filled
with people, mostly, il 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
tho roads, highways and byways, for,
l am sure, two miles. The full moon,
shining from a cloudle 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 a ic ure to which
the practical life of Europe has no
counterpart, or anything at all ap-
proschiuG one.
For about half 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 chattering with a noise that re-
/ sembled nothing SO much as the dis
tant roar of the SEA. And still the
bands OF women came str olling IN
from every road that led to the tenn
pie aud the car; and right glud many
of them seemed when they bad re
/ lieved themselves of their loads, and
I thrown themselves down at the road
side to pass away the few hours be-
fore morning. They all-men and
women-c7urteously made way for
our horse, slowly led along the road.
( They made way also for each other
/ There was no drinking, no quarrel
/ ing, few erry-gO-rounds geing
/ round, a few peep-shOws open, books,
and u thousand other articles for
sale several native Christian preach
ers denouncing Juggernaut sturdily,
and no one interfering with them in
the least, but III many cases listening
/ quietly, and going away as quietly
That is the scene, roughly sketched,
of the night before the bathing of
Juggernaut.
do not think there is n people In
the world who would so patiently
have heard their god denounced un-
der the vely shadow Of his temple
on the sacred ground certainly-on
the night before his great festival.
It is a marvellous scene, and would
make the fortune OF a good artist
who could hit upOn such a night for
a sketch as a few friends and I had
for our view this year. am bound
to S " that / believe the festival to
have been oftener dreadfully carica-
tured than even passably, fairly por-
trayed in England. am sure that
if Dean Stanley had been present,
and master of the Bengalee tongue,
he would no more have preached to
that people than would.