The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1879-02-20
THE LOST CITY OF BENGAL.


Among the marked peculiarities of An
glo Indians is one we have never heart
fully explained. As rule the know moth
ing about India. They know their work
often admirably, and sometimes know the
section of the people with whom the,
come in contact; but as a rule, with, O.
course, some brilliant exceptions, they
know as little of India as an ayerag,
frenchman knows of foreign countries
Ihey are not interested In it, and do moi
study 1t, do not take even the trouble 70
see the wonderful things of which the con.
tinent is full.
We should like to know how many An
gio. Bengalees know anything of the mar
vellous city of which the name stands al
the head Of this article, Gour. the ruined
capital OF Bengal the Ganga Regia OF
Ptolemny, where Hindoo kings are believ-
ed to have reigned 1000 years ago; where
.emi-dependent Mussvlman rulers un-
doubtedly governed Bengal before Rich
ard Ceur de Lion died. and where Kai
kau-Shah in 1921 founded a sovereignty
which, under different dynasties, one o;
them, Abyssinian endured to 1887. These
oOuI w utgTCcs Ollt Ol the
greatest cities in the world-greater. as
tar as mere size is concerned, than Baby
Ion or London. Mr.. Ravenshaw, a civil
ian, who took photographs of every build
ing he could reach, photographs publish
ed since his death, believes the ruins to
cover a space Of from fifteen to twenty
miles along the old bed of the river. by
three miles IN depth. space which. after
allowing for the rich native method of
life. with its endless gardens and necessi-
ty for trees, must have sheltered a popu-
lation of at least two millions. These
kings must have been among the richest
menarchs Of their time. for they ruled the
rice garden of the world, Eastern Bengal,
where rice yields to the cultivator 100 per
cent; they controlled the navigation Of
the Ganges, and their dominion stretched
down to Orissa. where the native princes
how strange it sounds now. where Orissa
is a province forgotten, except for an
| awful famine!-were always defeating
their troops They spent their
wealth necessarily mainly on a mercenary
army, often in revolt, for their Bengalees
could not fight the stalwart peasants who
entered the army of the kings of Behar.
and their feet could not protect the weak
side of the capital; but they covered the
street with great structures, opened
broad. strait streets, lined with trees"
and built IL ner and outer entertainments Of
this kind.
1.-The boundary embank nents still exist;
they were works Of vast labor. and were.
on the average, asout forty feet in height.
being from $50 to 200 feet thick at
at the base. The facing throughout wa.
of masonry, and numerous buildings and
edifices appeared to have crowned their
SUBMITS; but the whole of the masonry
has now disappeared. and the embank-
ments are overgrown with dense Jungle.
lmpenetrable to man. and atfording safe
retreat for various beasts Of prey. The
eastern embankment was double, deep
moat, about 80 yards wide, separating
the two lines. A main road ran north
and south through the city, ITS course be-
ing still traceable by the remains Of
bridges and viaducts. The western face
OF the city is now open, and, probably al
ways was SO, having been well protected
by the Ganges. which, as already observ-
ed. ran under its walls. In the Gentry Of
the north and south entertainments are
openings, showing that these Notifications
had been perforated. 10 afford ingress to
and egress from the city. Atthe northern
entrance there are no remains, but at the
southern still stands the kutwali gate.
beautiful ruin. measuring 81 feet IN
height, under the archway. Within the
space inclosed by these embankmepts ;ad
the river stood the city of Gour proper.
and In the southwest corner was situated
the fort, containing the palace, of which il
Is deeply to be regretted that so little Is
left. Early in the present century there
was much to be found here worthy of no
tice. including many elegantly carved
marbles; but these are said TO have te-
come the prey of the Calcutta under
takers and Others for monumental pur-
poses. On the roadside between
the palace and the Biragirathl river,
there now lies, split In twain, a vast block |
OF horn-blende, which, having been car
ried thus far, has been dropped and left |
as broken on the highway, to bear its
testimony against the spoilers. Surround |
ing the palace Is an inner embankment of 4!
similar constitution TO that which sur
rounds the city, and even more overgrown |
with jungle. A deep moat protects it on |
the outside. Radlating north. south and |
east from the city, other enbankments are |
to be traced running through the suburbs |
and extending in certain directions for |
thirty TO forty miles. These include the |
great causeways or main roads leading 10 |
the city. which were constructed by Sui |
tan Ghivasuddin. The greater part of |
them were metaled, and here and there |
are still used as roads. but most Of them |
are. like those within the city, overgrowu |
with thick jungle"
Within the embankment, ten miles l., |
three. the king constructed splendid mo-.
cues 10y the dozen. palaces, public bud.
lngs, deep and huge reservoirs. and so
many houses. that after three centuries Of
-poilation there is not village, scare.
a house, in the district of Maldah (which
IS as big as an English county, or in the
country which does not bear
evidence of having been partially con-
from ITS ruins. The cities OF
MurshIdabad, Maldah, Rsjmahol and
Rangpur have almost entirely been built
With materials from Gour, and even Its
ew remaining edifces are being daily de-
'poIled." The kings built IN brick and
'tone. and used for many mosques a ma
.criai which Mr.. Bayenshaw calls marble.
put IT Is more Ike what hard free stone
you'd be if il could be a deep coal-bacs.
lhe GuarTIes from which this material
sas obtained are still a. far as We know
Uncertain; but 1t must have existed in
quantities: If took thechisel per
ectly, aad Il appears inaccessible, even
n that destructive climate, 70 the etfec, \.
4 time. We have seen a man;el-piece Of ,
t, engraved with the Mohammedon pro- ,
eSsion OF faith, known 70 be Qoycars old. :
md the letters. cut 20 the depth of line. |
IRE a. clear a. If the work had been done :
ssterdsy. The Gour architects built
plendid Soracenic arches, gate~ays and !
ZONES, and spared no tine OF expense on !
Elaborate decoration. IN a style which de- {
erves separate study. for ]. marks the .
eep influence Of Hindoo antiquities or /.
zen who were certainly Nuszulmeng. and !,
'robably Moors from SPAN There i
4 = IL l.. L =