The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1878-10-03
A HINDOO FESTIVAL.

IN tue eyes OF every plOuS tlndOO
the Ganges is a sacred stream. Brazil
Minis make their most solemn oaths
upon the water of the Ganges, and
when they are thus bound to promise,
they are little likely to break it. Long
pilgrimages are undertaken to the
banks of the holy river, and it is con-
sidered a blessing to die within sight OF
its flowing current. Its tributary, the
Jumna, is scarcely less elevated in
character, and those who dwell along
its shores possess a sancti.y greatly en-
We'd by their less fortunate country
men. The Ganges and Jumna unite
their waters at Allahabad, and here we
ind one of the hottest spots of the land
of Nishnu and silva. The Hindoo writ
erS say that three streams unite here,
one of them coming from Heaven, and
being invisible to mortal eyes. The
deyout Indian accepts this statement
without a moments hesitation, and
there is not one in all the land who
doubts the existence of the triple river.
To doubt where his own religion is
concerned is not characteristic of the
Hindoo, however much he may be
skeptical concerning other faiths than
his own. The most astounding mir
scles are set forth in the Indian myth
ology with all imaginable gravity, and
the faithful will recount them with the
calm consciousness of the most COM
plete belief. 1t has been often said that
the slow progress of our missionaries
in India is due in some measure to tine
comparative tameness of our Biblical
accounts. Is that all your God has
done?' said Il Hindoo, after listening
to the story of Christ's life; "why, our
gods have done thousand times as
much. Krishna brought whole
mountain 500 miles in a minute to hold
over his head as an umbrella, and HUI
mayOon carried a hundred islands to
place in the channel between HindOstan
and Ceylon, so that another god might
walk across without wetting his feet.
When one of the gods was sick they
sent another to get some bark from a
tree on a mountain in the Himalayas;
he forgot the name Of the tree, and So
he took the whole mountain on his
shoulders. and carried it SO quietly that
all the villages on it were not disturbed
in the least They took the bark from
the tree, and then he went back again,
and though he had thousand miles to
travel each way, the mountain was
only gone four hours from its place. "
There is no use attempting to awaken
these people from their superstitions
by relating the miracles in our sacred
writings, tor for every one of ours they
have hundred at least.
The meeting of the waters at Alfalfa
bad is holy place, and many thou
sands of people go there annually to
battle in the sacred stream, and per-
form the ceremonies which shall secure
their happiness forever. January and
February are the great months of the
pilgrimage, and it was my fortune to
arrive at Allahabad early in the latter
month. The train dropped me at the
station, and in company with German
friend sought shelter in a neighbor-
ing hotel. Crowds of pilgrims were in
the third-class carriages of the train,
SO that when we issued from the sta
ton we found ourselves in dense mass
of the native population. When the
construction of railways in India was
first proposed, the Hindoo priests op-
posed it bitterly, as they saw that the
new mode of travel would be certain to
find favor in the eyes of pilgrims, as il
would greatly facilitate the perform
ance of pilgrimage. During the
mutiny the rebels destroyed every loco
motive that fell into their hands; they
were afraid to approach near the
"lightning dawk," as the locomotive
is called, and SO they stood off at dis
lance and battered it with artillery.
When the railways were opened, the
priests declared that pilgrimage per.
formed by steam would have no value
and that anyone who wished to be
saved must adhere to the old method
But somehow the people would not bt
persuaded that the innovation was al
together evil; they adopted railway
travel at once, and at this day nearly
all their pilgrimages are performed b!
it. The locomotive and its train hav,
struck heavy blow at the power of tn
priests in India.
Luckily for us, it was a special a!
well as a general feast-day. For twelve
DAYS in the month of February there il
worship at an altar inside the fort O
Allahabad,. and we arrived on one o
these occasions. Crowds of men ant
women, chiefly the residents of Alfalfa
bad, were vending their way to tn
fort. For HindOo crowd they ap
peared unusually well, as they were il
clean garments, which formed pleas
ing contrast to the shabby attire of tn
native when there is nothing to requir
him to be well dressed. Many of tn
men wore red turbans, and many Of tn
women were in red orpurple garments
SO that the uniform white which on
sees in Southern India was relieved TO
the better. The women had evidentl
taken much pains with their attire, an
sported such a profusion Ut ornament
that some of them seemed fairly lade
down. Their most prominent decors