Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1886-11-16
.SE .sNfuf Sacrssicc

In Reuters telegram Of the DIST Of Oc-
tober read a. repetition OF the Johur
ordeal has occurred il a Branm;n village
near Neemuch, iii Bengal, the object being
10 avoid the Tonk Durbar assessment. The
| two victims calmly assembled the funeral
! pyre, and bravely met death The villagers
afterwards took their charTed heads 10
Odeypore. Neemuch is town and British
cantonmcnt in the territory OF Gwallor, ana
Is situated at a short distance from the
boundary separating that tract OF country
from the State Of Odeypore, in Rajpootana.
II Is just where one would expect the sohur
to lake place, if anywhere; for it is essen
TALLY Rajpoot rite: like the sacrifice Of
widows and iufunts. The present caae is q
remarkable one; for Johur, III past history.
was never nsed TO avoid assessment, and
the telegram does not say whether tho vic.
tins are male or female.
Johur is en- awful rite. 4 whole tribe NAV
become extinct by it, as is seen BY several
instances recorded ii the history Of the Raj
poot States. What 1t signifies is the burn
ing OF women 10 save their honor The Nni.
poot is profoundly jealous Of the honor OF
bis women, and to prevent thci. falling
into the hands of conquerers then 10 be
dealt with as was often the case il the wars
with the Mahomelans, ho has recourse 10
the Johur-that is 10 say, the ilnmo!a!iou Of
every female cf the family had the Raj.
poot woman gladly embraces anch Il refuge
from polluLion CT even If shD were not IN
fear OF being forced away as y captive, she
would prefer it TO living on as g widow
The loss ofa battle or the capture Of a city
II ~ ipty hn Mol
ly the time when this dreadful rite was
practiced. AT the end OF the famed siege Of
Cheetore, the ancient capital Of the Rama OF
Odeypore, by Ala-uddin, IN 1903, the Raj.
poot Chief, after au arduous day, passed the
night in ponderiug the means by which he
might save from the general destruction Que
at least OF bis twelve sous. Eleven OF them
fell during the next few days, and wher Gll.
one son remained to the Rama he proclaimed
the JohGr. Tho funeral pyre was lighted
within Subterrarean chambers where Ike
suna rays had never entered, aud the de-
tenders Of Cheetore beheid the queens, and
their OWE wives and daughters to The mum
Der OF several thousands, pass in procession
30 the fire. The beautiful Pudinaui, the
consort OF the Rama. who was believed to bu
the chief object Of attraction for the conquer.
ing Tartar, came last in the thsong ';he
door Of the caverns closed; tic Ercs ragged
within; and the homer Of the Raipoot womsn
WIS saved. When afterwards Ala udIn
entered the capital on the death of The Rana
and his surviving suil, who fell in !ka .:otl-
Hict. ho found it atrewu with he bodies Of
its defenders, while smoke yet Issued from
the recesses where the women had persisted.
Again during the second siege Of Ch .cturc
by Bahaaoor. Shan Of Gujret in 1880, when
tho braTest had fallen in defending the
breach caused BY bis artillery (iG was served
by Hortugese aGveuturersl, the .IoItnr was
proclaimed. There WAS little time 10 build
the pyre. Combustibies we're heaped un in
hurriedly made holowa in the around and
magazines were placed around them. The
mother OF the infant prince led the procaa
sion Of willing victims TO their doom and
lo,OO0 females were thus inundated at ouce.
In the Johur, on the occasion OF Firox
Shah's attack upon Jsssuimir. some years
after tle event above described, 5000 re-
mslcs were destroyed
The Johur was practiseG Hot only when
the Ioe %as the lustful and bloodthrsty Tar
tar, but there are also Instances Of it in the
intertribal wars of the Rajpoots. Numerous
Inscriptions on stone and on brass, accord
ing to the archnologists, record as the first
token of victory the captive wives OF the
foe. and the lew of Manu- with regard to fs.
male captives in war is analogous to those
OF 3loses and Mahomet on the same point.
IA HiRd0o letter IN Pail Mall Gazette.