Daily Yellowstone journal., 1886-04-11
OEvoTEES IN A HOLY CITY.
Strange sights On the Banks Of the River
Ganges at Benares.

Ganges at Benares-
The most remarkable part of the spec
tacle presented by the river face Of Ben
ares is its population, resident and immi-
grant. Throughout the length of this
northern shore, where the flights of steps
and the slopes of the temples come down
to the Ganges, is seen all the day long an
immense crowd of devotees, of all ages,
ranks and raiments, and Of both sexes,
bathing in the sacred river or praying by
its edge, or washing their robes of pill
grimage, or bringing their dead to be
burned. Imagine what an artistic effect
results from such a fringe Of life and
color between the steep multi-colored
background of the steps and temples and
the shining waters Of the stream.
Throngs of brown-skinned men and
women, of boys and girls, stand waist
deep along the bathing stations, whisper
ing their supplications and pouring the
holy liquid over neck and breast and
loosened black hair. Groups of bright
clad women, led by their Brahman
gurus, come joyously down the stairs
from far-off towns and jungles to lay
their scarlet, saffron green, and rose-color
saris aside with the ghat-keepers, and
wash their innocent sins away in Gunga.
Big umbrellas are everywhere erected in
the sand or mud, inscribed with Ram,
RAM" and under them, shaded from the
sun, family parties sit and chatter, or
pray in silent accord, arrived, after i'm
mense marches, to be laved i'm and saved
by Gunga.
Sick people lie, wistful and wan, on
charpoys. brought to her beneficent side,
that they may hear the ripple Of the
Great Mother" and feel the healing
wind blow from her waves; while, at the
foot Of the burning Chats, where the
people who sell the ~death-wood' are
raking for white bones in the heaps of
hot ashes, and piling up fuel and cow
dung for their next batch of funeral
pyres, lie three still figures covered with
white and red cloths, from which pro-
trude only the fixed, cold feet. washed
by the outer edge of the tide. These are
dead of to-day, happy-thrice happy-to
have passed to the gate of Swarga close
to Gunga's good waves. Their friends
sit near, well satisfied even amid their
natural regrets; and, very soon, three
blue curls of smoke waited among the
temple-roofs from three cracking fires
upon the platform of the Chat will tell
where those votaries have finished their
pilgrimage for once and all.
Wonderful is the fervor of belief among
these gentle, metaphysical Hindoo
people. An orthodox British church.
woman will feel that she has done her
duty if, when she visits famous city,
she goes twice to its ancient cathedral
ON Sunday. What would she think of
these Indian wives and mothers bathing
with such rejoicing confidence of saliva
ton in crowd under the Dasaswanedha
Chat? Some of them are "purdah
women who would never lay aside
their wells and step outside the curtain
except under protection of the sacred
simplicity of pilgrimage. Some are old
and feeble. weary with long journeys of
life, emaciated by maladies, saddened
from losses and trouble; and the morn
ing air blows sharp, the river wave runs
chilly. Yet there they stand, breast
deep in the cold river, with dripping
cotton garments clinging to their thin or
aged limbs, visibly shuddering under the
shock OF the water, and their lips blue
and quivering, while they eagerly mutter
their indications. None of them hesitates;
;nto n,,uro thav rluuoa ON arrival III m,
well. robust or sickly, and ladle the holy
liquid up with small, dark, trembling
hands, repeating the sacred names, and
softly mentioning the sins they would
expiate and the beloved souls they plead
for! hope it is perhaps true, as Iwatch
these devout and shivering women. that
all the prayers which are uttered come
somehow TO the ears Of Keshar. &c. A.
Sala in London Telegraph.