The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1877-02-23
A Visit to the Amijhara, the Famous
Perspiring Statue.

MY success was partly luke and
partly owing to management. had
confided to the wild Kooshal my desire
to the see Amijhara, and promised him a
small reward if we succeeded on
which his protruding, luminous eye
literally blazed with delight, and he
promised to give me every support,
though not, think, so much because
of the reward as for the fun itself
When people visit the Jain temples it is
usual to send round with them few of
the priests, or other custodians. and
also some of the Arab guard. whose
ruffianly appearance has already been
noted. The entrance to the concealed
temple, beneath which is the Amijhara
cave, is in the inner south side of the
inclosure of the first temple which the
visitor enters-great temple dedicated
to Neninatha, the twenty-second Tir-
thankara. No one who did not know of
it beforehand would suspect the exist
ence of this concealed temple for the
door is part of the latticed stonework
which forms that part of the enclosure,
and there is nothing-except a small
key-hole, which might easily escape
even close observation-to indicate that
there is any door at all. Having been
infinitely instructed as to the position of
this secret entrance, l only just privately
through the courtyard of the temple,
made no allusion whatever to it, and
passed on to an examination of the tenn
pies. In each of these 1 fingered as
long as possible. examining everything,
asking interminable questions, and dis
playing knowledge of all the twenty
four Tirthankaras, and an interest in
them, which surprised even myself, and
made the Man of Pleasure, who was not
in the secret of my plan, to regard me
with establishment aud respect. The
consequence of this was that the Arab
guard dropped off one by one in disgust
before I was we'll done with the first
temple-probably deeming it more in
teresting and more lucrative to bully
pilgrims than to hang in attendance
upon Sahib who would evidently do
no harm. AS we passed through the
other temples, the priestly and other at
tendants also began to get tired and
dropped off one by one, and shortly
before began to retrace my steps only
the man carrying the keys and two
others were left. No harm could be ex-
pected from visitor who never asked
about the concealed temple who had
made no demur about taking off
his shoes who never offered to intrude
into any shrine an inch beyond the
point where he was asked to stop, and
who displayed such respectful inter-
est in Parashvantha, Abbinandanatha,
and all the other saints The three at
PENDANTS who remained never suspected
what l was after, when, on our return
to the courtyard of the great temple of
Neminatha, expressed wish to have
another look at the outside of that
splendid edifice, and, in order to do so,
backed toward the secret door of the
concealed temple but no sooner was l
there than l turned suddenly upon
them, threw off the disguise of the
third Tirthankara, Shambhavanatha,
which l had hitherto been using, and
suddenly said "And now we shall go
and see the Amijhara." Had Adinatha
himself risen from the ground they
could not have been more Thunderstorm.
and they Immediately raised cry of
dismay. The man with the keys, which
were only two or three bars of bent
steel, attempted to run off, but the gilt
tering eye of Kooshal was upon him,
and before he had withdrawn three steps
the KEYS we're in the latter's hand.
There was no torture, threat or violence
of any kind simply the keys passed
into Kooshal's hand the secret door of
the concealed temple was opened, and
found myself at the entrance OF the ex-
cayation below. There was not mo-
ment's time to be lost for the priest
had run off to the Khengar palace call
ing loudly on the Arab guard and |
knew that il waited for their arrival
should never see the Amijhara. So I at
once lighted small piece of candle
which l brought with me and proceeded
to descend into the cave or underground
chamber, by steps cut in the rock, and
going down from small aperture in
the stone floor of the temple. On this
the remaining attendants begged me to
allow one of them to go down with me,
also with light. in order to see that no
proclamation occurred, which, OF course,
was at once assented to. l heard after
ward that this servitor was secretly put
to death for his share in the business,
but trust and believe that this statement
was one of those numerous inventions
which are added on to any unusual &C.
currence by the natives of India, and
not by them alone. At all events, l did
rot ask the man to conduct me, or to
GO down with me at ali, though, as will
appear. il was well for me that he did
40. The jams tenderness for life OF all