The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1893-07-13
1T ISA CITY OFAMBER
a BEAUTIFUL BUT DESERTED PAL
ACE ~ NORTHERN lNCiA

Long. Long Before Modern Times.
The renowned and now deserted city
OF Amber, IN northwestern India, -four
tshed with its countless thousands Of IN
habitants and untold wealth and spIen-
dor in the time OF the Ptolemys.
Il Is situated n a mountain nook,
about five miles from tie present city Of
Jeypoor, and Is che Of midas jeweIed
possessions for antiquarians.
The great Amber palace Is built Of
solid red sandstone and variegated joy
poor marble and inIaid with costly gems.
It has stood for centuries as it now
STANDS, upon an elevated mountain slope
overlooking 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 Is q mastery structure OF
Eindoo architecture, solid and secure,
yet ornamental and beautiful. Entrance
Is gained through a massive and strongly
fortified gate which leads into a spacious
central court richly adorned with rare
carvings, mighty trees and Towering
shrubbery.
The grand diwan-i-am or audience hall
is reached from the spacious court BY
This hall Il & noble example Of Raj-ut-
art, with its double rows Of shining mar
BILE columns supporting a massive entail
lature, above which are latticed galleries
of marble worked in rare designs.
The ceiling is Of scuIptured freestone,
while the floor Is made up Of huge slabs
of polished marble
It was upon this floor that the ancient
ay-6 r-CTIa1 Cf fI1ia RIVAL OF
witnessed many gorgeous scenes of gayety
and cruelty. Here they applaGded The
royal tits and sports. and here they re-
viewed the many fierce conflicts between
men and beasts and between royal Ben
gal tigers and noble fighting elephants
in the grand courtyard below.
It 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 a living human being on that
huge. black. blood besnleaTed 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 victims, in order to appease
Ids buty QGFOAAL2f DEAACf ~tA e-A-tA CCAACFO "
this day the divine Shivas wrath.
1t is here that one may see every morn
ing in the year an innocent goat burned
alive as a substitute for human being
az an Offering to heaven to appease the
destroyer's anger How very like our
early biblical history.
From this hall, echoing with memo
ries both gay and sad, we wander
I
deliberately carved apartments, 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 terrace IN the palace.
This was exclusively devoted TO the
raiah's personal apartments, contrary to
our modern rules Of sanitary arrange
ments, for now we place our servants IN
the ARREST and best ventilated rooms and
remain ourselves in the lowest, dampest
and unhealthiest parts Of our houses.
These kingly apartments are beauti-
fully constructed with marble lattice
windows and pavilions, gilt and carved
ceilings and spacious arched porticoes.
On our left is the Joy mardir, or hall
OF victory. adorned by panels Of alabas-
ter inlaid with flowers in alto relieve
and ceiling glittering with mirrored and
spangled work. for which Amber was
long renowned, and for which Jeypoor.
its successor, is now justly celebrated.
Opposite this grand hall Of victory IS
the sukh n;lwas, or hall of pleasure, with
its doors Of sweet scented sanGalwOOd in
laid with ivory and its gorgeous paint /
ings of pleasures on earth and IN heaven.
g..
clear streams of pure mountain water,
which is perfumed and made to run IN
carved channels the whole length of the
marble floor to cool the heated atmos-
phere and the gay occupants of this hall.
Adjoining this beautiful hall are the
sumptuous bathing apartments and the
deep, cool pleasure caverns, surrounded
by ferns and rare flowers, where the
kings and queens OF this ancient castle |
babe defiance to old Soils burning rays
during midas hottest days. Y
Here they whiled away their happy |
days amid love and pleasure in an atmos-
phere rendered sweet by the aroma Of !
costly incense. listening to the strains of
Indian music, gazing now and then up
on the beautiful girls as they performed |
In scanty attire-as they do to this day
the famous nautch dance of India.
Next TO these pleasure halls and groves !
are the spacious apartments once occu- |
pied by the harem-an indispensable adj
junct TO all eastern palaces.
It was here that the mighty mahara-
jan, icy Singh, in the early part of the |
eighteenth century ruled supreme in |
this jeweleI spot on earth among his |
hundreds OF carefully chosen wives Ike |
King David Of old.
From every hall and terrace, from ev-
cry arched pavilion and cavern latticed |
window OF this wonderful old palace, we
got glimpses of this picturesque spot, this |
historic city, surrounded as it is by all |
that nature and art can DO to make it |
beautiful.
Mirrored IN that clear, blue lake be- !
low one sees the ancient gilded domes !
and shrines of many costly temples. |
There are the noble trees planted so |
many centuries ago.
Yonder are the strong old city walls /
with their frowning towers and ram |
parts, their massive gates and splendid |
Notifications built so long ago, and on |
each side tower up the castled and fOrti- !
fed crags so majestically, as If conscious |
of their own strength and pover-San /