Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-11-17
Fight ~ish q Giant.

The following account Of the Ram. Lila
festival in India. which has this year BEEN
tie occasion Of serious riOiing at Delhi ana
elsewhere, NAV be O. interest 20 our read
ers. IL was a brilliant, blazing day oariyin
October, and was the day OF The great r.
ligicus festival q the Hind0os. known ~
he Fam Lila. We we've az FvZabaJ. IN
Oudh, only six miles from one u the great
est ,trongholds Of HiDdooism, the 81
cred and ancient city Of Aiudhia. whose
antiquity dates from mythOiogical time>,
some thousand 81 years before our Carts
tan era. and whose sauct.ty u the birili-
place o. tie mon cy-g0d llUnum N. ana
sl.o that 81 the hero Rama. one oi tn'
sacred lire of Tie sun-hecOttea king, l. not
surpassed by any other OF the elites on the
eaIih.
We had been invited by the Mai lrajah
Man Sireh 10 20 and witness the comOh
h,tw,en Rams aud The demon giant havana.
ana when hsli way 30 Aiudhia found on
oi the Maharnjah's elephants Whiting f1i
us--a splendid fellow. with hisface and ear
and trunk painted elabOrate'y in brilliant
cOlOTs. lie was covered with q cloth 81
crimson and green and purple velvet reach
ing 10 within few inches Of the ground.
and heavy with gold embroidery, and on
mounted, We proceeded Ia state, With IA
tive servant percbed up behind Us. holding
over our honored beads huge red um'
brella. and were shorts met BY o number
Of native gentlemen on elephants nearly -
gorgeous - or own. who followed IA 10
tie ute.
Tie road was ihrongcd with dens'
crowds Of men. women. and children ld
bripbt. clean holiday clothes. with literal
shrinking Of fskIrs among t1cm, always
disnnguisheble toy their absence OF clothes
and extreme dIrtincss. Ascetics never
have helA that CLEANLINESS. was next 10 god
lincss. One holy man we passed WAC had
painted his whole body wnite-his coal oil
PAINT being his ooly garmeut-apd who was
apparentiy banging from a tree. Another
was Standing on bis head, with four large
fires Llazirg close round him. which scem-
cd supofuOus with such a blazing san
overhead. Bells were juggling, cym BAL,
cla>hing, tou-tOm> thumniug, all sCftencd
and harmonizcd hy the 9li.peFy1ding bum
of the mary-ihr0qted crowd. The scene
was one 10 lee remcmbercd-thc great sway-
ing dark masses oi the people, their white
iurlans standing as thick n ears ~ corn 10
a wheai-ii.ld; the elephants rising above
the level OF the crowd and mucsticall'
cleaving Il asuuder as they strobe silently
onward. the countless dOme> of mosques
and temples standing out sharp and clear
in The white sunlight again. the deep blue
>k,: The fist roof. and the tops OF the WALL
and balconies covered with sw1tmin-
crowds of women, brilliant aS 4 kaleido-
score.
And now We were close to the scene Of
action. and so tightly wedscd were The
people that the elephants could no longer
! force passage. Towering twenty feet or
more above ali surrounding objects we saw
tie huge. uuc0uth figure OF the giant
! Havana. made OF bamboo framework COW
/ cred with paper and calico, being drawn -
/ and fro, with arms OutSpre-d, on little
wheeled Ilalform, while two boys repre-
| scning Kama and bis brother attacked hin
! from an eieuhaut with bows and arrow.
| and crows OF BOYS With monkey masks AMI
tail>. representing Huuuman', monkey
! army. made onslaught VITA fierce shout,
| and blows. our elephant was nor N'rf
! -taunch. and wien the shouts oi battle r).e
| ,hrn ard saNa.e b. would turn sh'r,
/ around. ~prCgdlpg cons erection ann nearly
! d,wriisliug q sNecimeat stall that was un'
wisely pear bis heels. The interest OF The
| crowd i'm the combat WI, intense and
| hgihieSS, ana wen at i,~t tuf Eiaht Na'
| oytrtiTOWu, on Struggled Wildly 10 yet d
! blow M him, while mighty rolr OF triumph
flied the sir. mingled win the firing OF
Guns and the deep trumprting OF the eIe-
phants. who were thoroughly infected viii
The excitement Of the mOmea'. In mirac-
| uou,ly short time the giant was torn n
! shreds. and his mlngled remains scattered
far and wide with yeng0ul enc -gy. Hum
man aud their beloved Rama mad won tn
| victory.
| hi, !, the one great cirniyll0t the Hin
docs, ard when, a. sometimes happens, NJ
date cCIucides with that OF the great No
hanmedan feast Of the Mohurrum, there l.
always great risk OF collision.
The Ram Lila has another interest, con
nected with natural history, As being th'
date on which, according 10 natiye scientih
observation. bugs leave OF biting. In,
natives sly "they yet weaker for a montl
before the Ram Lila, but after that then
! iuorfh. are shut"