Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-07-25
THE BURLINGTON, VT, FREE PRESS,

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! he RUNS "l one Ola iof'' ""'ii 'ii''' INV"
sand years ago, as near AS can lie determined
Ia. ~, .,,c;.,,, s,, d;aI Of ;u,mcns, MAGNITUDE
=. a., sun Una, -,
winch ueho'es also the PoSi''oh VI '''""
stars at the time it was built. In passing
among these rui,s We SAW old forts, palaces /
- IS ,ho,,, :, q,
anu '"'in's ihhuiiiefao'e' '''i''
good state OF preservation, anu presenting
specimens of stone work ornamented 10y the |
oh;saI Eron, so,,.. noi,,s of elevation We |
raaohoi ,haro ,yn,,. a, iaost \ Thousand within .
,ha c;rl1. of natural vision and with glass 1
.s r,any mora cnnid he colnted. They are
-, %; ,hn,, in &, ,,"aJ st,tr of preservation
-. onJ nrooort a romarkable similarity in !
their structure considering the many cen
,nr;.o ,h.t must have ELAPSED between
,t,a lu;ld;nr ri the first and last
n,'. The mr.. some ten or fifteen
ta., suuore and about the same in
ho;,,ht snrmountrd Inv a dome in the centre,
or Viii a minaret or cupola on each corner.
They present an arched opening on one side
W. visited the rims of the old temple OF II
Thousand pillars" scarcely perfect one,
,a,roror could lao mode out. 1t was
,no Eno,nh' W;nsr- ,Lot was our objcc-
tive noint a wonderful, futed column of
raI
inches in diameter at its base and nine
feet at its summit. towering upward TO the
bcight of o34 feet one inch Il stands alone
cxcept for the ruins surrounding. 1t is the
HIGHEST single shaft in the world, and CON
tains within if A circular staircase by which
!, : oummit ia reached The exact date of its
nrig;n ia unknown Int from the inscriptions
mon il and from lis architectural designs it
il considered TO he Pathm structure. The
traditional account of the purpose for which
it was built is that the daughter OF iiindo"
Raisb desired il that she might take her
morning walk nm $40 steps to view the
SACRED waters of the Jumna at sunrise. Not
far from the Kootub NInar stands another
column in the centre of court surrounded
by ruins which is as great a mystery. Ii is
| Of mixed metal five feet in circumference at
| lis base and tif,y feet in length it has occu-
MED its present position for more than
thousand wears it has engraved upon it
Platinum characters, yet its purposes arc I'M
known. Among the old ruins are two wells,
one 20 feet deep by about 30 long and ~
wild, with a fIirht Of stone steps at one end
WHICH reach to the water, which is about II
feet deep. For the amusement of visitors,
vonnc men gather there and for the sum OF
Two cents take leap from the top OF the
curbipr to the water, at least GO feet below.
They make the leaps in an erect position,
spreading their arms and legs widely apart
which they bring closely together as they
enter the water Soon reappearing they
Chamber up the stone steps, suggesting what
might be the appearance of young brood OF
black mermaids. The never forget to clam
their paw, and are not over bashful IN asking
for n piece or two more than is offered them
II is their only means of support if they re-
ceiye three cents per day it places them be-
yond want.
We pursued our way through a labyrinth
of streets, among tumbed walls, broken
columns, and crumbling domes; here
and there hollow sound under loot
told US of an underground passage from some
of the palaces to the river Jumna several
miles away. We came 10 temple in runs
AS ipconCruous in structure as of material OF
which il was composed When the Ma
homedans subdued the Hindoos, forty seven
temples were destroyed, and from their
ruins this strange structure was built:
Around large paved court are rows OF
arched colonades supported by columns two
or three deep. The caps ana bases Oh thc