Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-07-04
A SACRED RIVER.
THOUSANDS OF HINDOO TEN
Plies ALONG THE GANGES.
How This Mighty Stream Excites the
Superstitious Worship OF the Ma
tives-Religious Ceremonies
in Its Filthy Waters.

a letter from that city, is the Mecca of
the Hindoos, and the Ganges is to the In
dian more than the Jordan is to the
Christian. On the top of house boat,
with six red-turbaned, black-faced and
bare-legged roWers, slowly drifted past
the bathing CHATS this morning. The sun
was just rising, and over fields of green
extending for miles away on the left of
the river its rays came to gild the brass
jars which each pilgrim carried. 1t turned
the semi-bare brown skins of the men,
women and children to rich mahogany
and brought out the shadows in the fort
like walls Of the temples lining the other
side of the river. 1t was scene for
painter. The wonderful colors of Orien-
tai humanity mixed with the glorious red
of nature filled one almost with feeling
of worship, and the muttering of the
prayers of thousands with their strange
incantations and mysterious postures
threw an indescribable weirdness over the
scene.
Fantastic and foolish as some of the
actions seemed, 1 could not forget that
this spot is to one-sixth of the human
race the holiest place on the surface of
the whole world, that out of every six
men, women and children on Gods good
earth one believes that if he washes here
his sins float away on these waters to the
sea, and that if his ashes are here burned
his soul goes straight to heaven. If the
Hindoo in accents of prayer utters the
name of this river within one hundred
miles of its banks the act atones for the
sins of three previous lives, and if he has
his head shaved at point which lies two
hours ride by train from where am ROW
writing and the hairs fall into the stream,
for every hair that floats away he will
have million years in paradise. This
place is at Allahabad, where the river
Jumna flows into the Ganges, and here at
certain times of the year thousands of
Hindoos may be seen on the banks of the
river holding their heads over the water
and allowing BARRIERS to shave them, as it
were, into heaven.
And do the people really believe this?
I assure you they do, and their belief is
practical one, too. 1t is not faith
without works, by any means. This
town of Benares has a population as big
as that Of Cleveland, Cincinnati or Wash
ington. Just now the mornings are cold
and the air is raw and piercing. It is the
duty of every one of these people to come
before their breakfasts and bathe in the
Ganges. found the banks of the river
filed with them this morning. The city
lies close to the river, and for three miles
along its banks are great temples, from
the walls Of which stone steps lead down
into the Ganges, going under the water
and into the bed of the stream. Each
Of these temples has perhaps one hundred
of these steps from its base to the water,
and sthese three miles of such steps were
filed with worshippers. All were
Hindoos and none were clothed in any,
thing but the thinnest of cottons. There
were shriveled old men and women
wrapped around in the single breath of
dirty white cotton, standing up to their
waists in water and holding their long,
thin, bony arms upward while with
chattering teeth they muttered prayers to
the gods, silva and Vishun. Now and
then they ducked down into the water,
and as they came up they gasped and
looked colder than ever.
There were plump girls, whose bright
eyes flashed half rogulsh glance at me
between their prayers. AS they raised
their arms noted that each had gold and
silver bracelets upon them, and some of
the country maidens had bracelets one
after another from the wrist to the elbow,
and from thence on to the shoulders.
Many wore great nose rings, and as they
threw back their heads I could see that
their ears were punctured with many
holes, and that each hole contained bit
of gold or silver. Most of them, how
ever, hid their faces, and not few were
high caste Hindoo maidens. They did not
bathe with the men, and as a rule they
huddled up in little groups by them
selves. At many of the temples there
were lodges built out over the river, and
here men gathered up water in their hands
and muttered prayers over it. Each man
and woman had brass jar, and as they
left their bathing they carried some of the
holy water to aid them in their worship
in the temples. There we're thousands
of maid servants carrying great bowls of
Ganges water on their heads and steady
ing the burden with one brown, bare arm
as they walked up the steps. The CO.'S
tune of the Hindoo is picturesque one.
It is one long strip Of cloth wound shout
the person. Sometimes bright colored
shawls are added by the wealthier, and
bright turban or cap covers the head.
Mixed with this gaudy, splashing,
suffering throng just above the water
were square benches covered with UNI
brellas as large as the top of summer
house, and under these sat wrinkled I'D
priests with boxes Of red paint beside
them. Each worshipper came to these
priests as he finished his bath and the
priest, dipping his finger into the paint
box, made one, two or three marks upon
his forehead. These marks were to re-
main on until the next days bathing and
they were the signs Of the gods. Among
the bathers were peddlers of Ganges
water. These carry the holy fluid in
jars to villages far out in the country and
each pilgrim who comes takes load home
to his relatives.
Buffalo Bill'g Father.