Daily Yellowstone journal., 1890-09-26
A JACkkl TEMPLE
A Feast Spread and Homage itne to the
Animals by Hindaa..

QDpNe lllt lSNti vi tilt r't III Iit io"'i
range of the Himalayas, to the north
of Barcilly, lie the lovely lake and live
" hill station Of Naini Tai. Besides the
usual floating population of visitors
there is in this earthly paradise a large
military depot, or hall sanitarium, where
officers and soldiers whose health has
suffered in the hot plains of Dude and
Rohilkund are sent up for a change OF
air. One winter day, having been or
dered to march a party down to Bareil.
ly, and after encamping for the day
started out to shoot francolin and hares,
which are very plentiful in the neigh
borhood. Before l started my servant,
an intelligent Hindoo Of higher caste
than usual, begged me to return before
sunset, as there was a curious Tam.
asha," the general expression in India
for any show or spectacle, TO be seen
rear camp.
Half an hour before sunset l returned
and asked my servant what the ''Tana-
sha" was. 1T is a forest temple, sahib,"
was the answer. II sounded quaint,
SO ] decided, though rather tired, TO 60
and see. 4 guide was at hand. and of
i started. calling to some of the sol.
diers to come. too. and ~cautioning
them To be silent and do nothing to Of
fend the natives in any way. After
crossing two or three fields we came to
a great hedge Of banboos, about 100
yards long and very dense. A narrow
and tortuous path pierced this wall,
which was about twenty yards thick,
and then We found ourselves in an OBJ
long quadrangle of high bamboos, at
one end Of which stood IA little Hindoo
temple.
1t was a simple, clay built, white
washed building, the tall peaked roof
Of straw being supported on IA few old
and massive beams. whose projecting
ends were quantity carved. A flight of
six or seven broken stone steps led up
to the temple, in front of which hung
On a little cross bar a beautiful old
bronze bell.
On either side of the building a little
row of very simply constructed cells or
cubicles occupied part of the longer
sides Of the quadrangle. Before each
cell SAT "A priest, naked. save the
waistcloth and sacred Brahman string,
and busy with the cooking Of chupat-
ties, of a singularly thick and coarse
kind.
The setting sun struck shafts of light
through the delicate foliage Of the top
most bamboo The priests sat silent
and stolid before their fires and cakes.
as II ignorant of our presence. Then,
as the last rays Of the sunset died off
the feathers os the mighty hedge
round lis, there issifel from the temple
a mar Of extreme age, clad in white
robes, and closely slnven as 10 his face
and head. Ii was the chief priest, and
he began to toll the bell, Very sweet
and sonorous was It's note. The whole
glade rang with the sound. the bam-
boo feathers seemed to toss in sym.
pathy, and the now dusky thiekets
caught up and repeated the solemn
tocsin.
Then all the priests arose, as IL for
vespers, and moved solemnly and in
dead silence round the quadrangle,
bearing with them their huge chupat-
ties, which they broke up and depos-
tied on stones and old tree trunks and
on the steps Of the temple. What
could il all mean: Just then a rustling
sound and "A startled exclamation from
a soldier behind me made me look
down. A jacmal, big and plump,
brushed past my leg. with an upward
curl Of his lips and an upward look Of
surprise and resentment in the red
bronze, cleaning eyes! Simultane-
ously from every lane and passage in
the darkling tlicSot came other jackals,
singly and in pairs and even IA whole
litter together, and filed the space be-
fore the temple,
Soon the feast was spread and the
head priest ceased to toll the bell, and
then every Iackal, on IA wave of the
arm and "A shout from the chief priest,
trotted, without rivalry or snarling or
confusion. to what was evidently his
allotted place and feast, seized the cake
in his Jaws. turned and disappeared
through the wood. There was no fon-
ding Of the wild animals, no sign of
worship Of them, no ceremonial, moth
ing but this silent. business like al.
monry.
The rite was over, the priestly Office
performed, aud one by one the soldiers
moved back to camp. In vain did |
fee and question the priests as to the
meaning Of this bounty. 1T had al
ways been So" was the answer-the
best argument and the most complete
raison d'ctre for anything in the EAST