The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-12-29
A DESERTED CITY.
An Indian Metropolis That Was
Forsaken Many Years Ago.
Centuries Have Passed Since the Desc
late Mass Of Picturesque Ruinsi
Was . scene OF Barbarie
spiendor.

The renowned and now deserted city
of Amber. in northwestern India, -four
ished with its countless thousands OF
inhabitants and untold wealth and
splondor in the time of the Ptolemys.
It Is situated in a mountain nook, about
five miles from the present city of Jey-
pore, and is one of India's jeweled pos
sessions for antiquarians. The great
Amber palace Is built of solid red sand
stone and variegated Jeypore marble,
and inlaid with costly gems. 1t has
stood for centuries as it now stands,
upon an elevated mountain slope over
looking a picturesque lake and sur
rounded by steep and rugged fortified
peaks, with the walled and long since
doomed and ruined city below. The
palace, says writer in the San Fran
cisco Chronicle, is a masterly structure
of Hindu architecture, solid and secure,
yet ornamental and beautiful. Entrance
Is gained through massive and strong
ly fortified gate which leads into
spacious central court, richly adorned
with rare carvings, mighty trees and
Towering shrubbery. The grand diwan-
lam, or audience hall, is reached from
the spacious court by massive fight
of carved marble steps This hall is
noble example of Rajput art, with it's
double rows of shining marble columns
supporting massive entablature,
above which are latticed galleries Of
marble worked in rare designs.
1t was upon this floor that the ancient
kings and mobiles of this once royal city
witnessed many gorgeous scenes Of
gayety and cruelty. Here they ap-
plauded the royal tits and sports, and
here they reviewed the many fierce
conflicts between men and beasts, and
between royal Bengal tigers and noble
fighting elephants in the grand court
yard below. 1t was also upon this
spacious floor that the kings and queens
of this ancient realm gathered together
at sunrise every morning for many
centuries to witness the sacrifice of q
living human being on that huge, black.
od-besmeared stone altar in the
small royal temple just over there to
the right Of this marble hall. Here
they would sit on their gold-woven rugs
and hear the dying means and see and
smell the smoke of these sacrificed VIC
tins in order to appease (as they de-
voutly believed and believe to this day.
the divine Shiva's wrath. 1t is here
that one may see every morning in the
year an innocent goat burned alive as a
substitute for human being as an of
| fering to Heaven TO appease the de-
stroyer's anger. From this hall, echo
ing with memories both gay and sad,
we wander through spacious halls and
galleries, elaborately carved apart
ments, up and down long rows Of
splendid stairs, through sculptured
gateways covered with mosaics and
doors inlaid in ivory and precious
stones, until we reach the highest ter
race in the palace. This was exclu-
sively devoted to the rajah's personal
apartments. These kingly apartments
are beautifully constructed with mar
BILE latticed windows and pavilions,
! gilt and carved ceilings and spacious
arched porticos. On our left is the jeh
mandir, or hall of victory, adorned by
panels of alabaster inlaid with flowers
in alto-relievo and ceiling glittering
with mirrored and spangled work for
which Amber was long renowned, and
1 lOT WHICH pure, ibS ouCCSSSoi, ID INV
Justly celebrated.
Opposite this grand hall of victory In
the sulxh nawas, or hall of pleasure,
with its doors of sweet-scented sandal
wood, inlaid with ivory, and it's gor-
geous paintings of pleasures on earth and
I'm Heaven. Here are groves from which
Issue cool, clear streams of pure noun
tain water, which is perfumed and made
to run in carved channels the whole
length of the marble floor to cool the
heated atmosphere and the gay occu-
pants of this hall of pleasure Adjoin.
ing this beautiful hall are thesumptuous
bathing apartments and deep, cool
pleasure caverns surrounded by ferns
and rare flowers, where the kings and
queens of this ancient castle bid de-
fiance to old Soils burning rays during
India's hottest days. Here they whiled
away their happy days amid love and
pleasures in an atmosphere rendered
sweet by the aroma of costly incense,
listening to the strains of Indian music,
gazing now and then upon the many
beautiful girls as they performed in
scanty attire, as they do TO this day, the
famous nautch dance of India. Next "a
these pleasure halls and groves are the
spacious apartments once occupied by
the harem, an indispensable adjunct to
all eastern palaces. From every hall
and terrace, from every afched pavilion
and carven-latticed window of this
wonderful old palace we get glimpses
Of this picturesque spot. this historic
city, surrounded as it is by all that ma
ture and art can do to make 1t beauti-
full. The whole panorama gives evil
dence of the barbaric splendor enjoyed
by this noble race of powerful Hindu
kings so many centur les ago.