The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1890-11-07
r,RupA1I reMpLe TREASURE.
A Most Remarkable Trial Before British
Court In India.

ut is by no means surprising" says
the Colonies and Indid, ''that the
strange case of the now famous THRU.
patti temple treasure should have excit-
ed such an extraordinary feeling of in
dignation rs it appears TO have done
among the Hindu population of India.
Tirupati is the Mecca of Hindostan, il,
indeed the comparison is ut all allow
able, seeing that the temple which has
just been so grossly defiled was erected.
\ in the first instance, close upon 5000
years ago.
''The trial in connection with the
robbery of the Tirupati treasure is pro-
badly the most remarkable which has
ever come before British court in ln-
dia. The sacred temple stands on the
Tirumalat range, some 1000 feet above
sea level, and commands tract OF
about 100 square miles. the whole OF
which. up to quite recent period, was
regarded in the strictest sense as holy
ground, nobody but Hindu being III.
lowed to ascend the ghauts. Even ut
the present time the collector and the
superintendent of police are the only
Europeans whom the government per-
NIT to invade the sacred territory, ex-
cepting, of course, on special occa-
sions, such rs that which arose the
other day when the services of civil
engineer were required within the pre-
cincts of the temple to superintend the
excavations.
1.-The temple itself has, in reality,
never been entered by white man,
and all its available entrances are jeal-
ously guarded by armed men, who
have Instructions to strike down and,
if necessary, to kill any unauthorized
person who attempts to invade the
sanctuary. The sacred editice Is ~.
closed by three stone walls, OF whic!
the outer one is twenty-three feet in
height. From the devotee's point of
view the sacredness of the place is
centered in II great flagstaff, which
penetrates from floor to roof and is 81
feet high, 3 feet in diameter ut the base
and 16 inches at the summit. The
staff is incased in copper OVERLAND with
gold and set in slab of granite nearly
three feet in thickness. In the immedi-
ate neighborhood of the flagstaff the
image of the god is preserved, while
the staff itself is actually supposed to
be the abode of the temple god-or its
'mentric essence.
.'Some seventeen years since, it
seems, certain coin treasure, valued
roughly at two lacs of rupees, was dis
covered in the temple and was duly
handed over to the mahunt as manager
and trustee of the edifice. In 1900 the
Mahunt Dhurma Doss died and was
succeeded by Sri Hathiramjee Muttam
Won Doss Jee. The new mahunt app
a.,
and responsible functions to the salts
e faction of everybody concerned and in
1887 it was resolved to replace the old
awjastu meum, or sacred flagstaff, by a
new one. Before the work was complet-
ed the idea appears to have suggested
itself to the mahunt to bury the treas
ure--the two lacs of rupees to which he
lad ucceeded-under the temple.
The treasure was placed in six cop
per vessels, the covers of which were
duly sealed up, and they were then
buried in the receptacle prepared for
them. Now it is found that the gold
has all been removed from them and
copper coins substituted. -Four temple
servants-by name Narasimha, Kusal,
(iopairao, and Harbban-were in 1887
tntiusted, after being duly sanctitied
by divers mysterious rites and cere-
monies, with the burial of the treasure
pots, and fact that appears to inter-
est the police and others good deal at
present Is that two of them-Kusal and
Haribbian-are now each worth lac
OF rupees, although the whole four
were discharged some time ago, and
none of them are known to have what
is sternly known as lawful visible
means of support
ION the other hand. an astonishing.
~ queer-looking case is made out
against the mahunt himself, who, it is
asserted, allowed his cupidity to over
and collared the swag himself. The
His Turn Now.
An English publication tells the fol-
lowing good story relating to n certain
magistrates: He is staunch total alb
stainer and cyclist, and his severity
toward drunk and disorderlies" is al
most proverbial. Not long ago he
sentenced brace of these gentry to a
fortnights salutary exercise on the
tread-mill, and, as the story goes, last
week met the men us he was ascending
"A pretty stiff hill on heavy tricycle.,
over a rough road, and in the face of a
stiff wind.
Why, Bill" exclaimed one to the
other, "blowed if this isn't the bloke
that sent us on the mill!'
'.Yus," was the response, "and now
he's a-gettin' upstairs hisself! Wonder
how he likes it! Go it, guv'nor! We're
out, it's your turn now"
question as to who has really appropri.
ated the treasure seems difficult one,
as far as the inquiry has proceeded. to
determine, and it is possible that the af.
fair may never be satisfactorily cleared
up. Probably the most natable feat
Cre in connection of the affair from a
Hindu point of view, at all events, j:
the peculiarly apathetic demeanor o.
the Tirupati god, who should have beer
deeply interested in the proceedings
The 'mantric essence which has cxer
cised such an omnipotent power ovel
the Hindu for centuries past, appear:
to have lain dormant while the temple