The Penn's Grove record., 1894-02-02
THE R0ME0F ASIA.
DELHI, THE INDIAN CITY OF
THRONES AND PALACES.
A Chair OF state Worth So, 900. ooo,
The Venerated Pillar of Asoka-
An Ancient Princes Tomb
Guarded by His Ancestors

Rome Of Asia for many centuries, ruling
over millions long before tho dawn OF
the Christian era. Dslhi was from time
immemorial the city of Indian poten'
tates, a seat OF great strength and power
whose treasures were at once the pride
aud envy of the oriental world. 1t was
a city of thrones and palaces, containing
the famous giittering peacock throne IA
chair of state which in its gorgeous dis
play of gold, silver and precious stones
surpassed, probably, anything OF it
kind ever known before or since. IT.
value Is placed at So, 900, 900. Upon
this magnificent throne, placed on
carved and inlaid marble platform in the
magnificent marble audience chamber,
sat the most powerful rulers OF the orr
emit, dealing out favors and penalties tc
their subjects as they lay PROSTATE be.
fore the august sovereigns. The fame oil
this chair alone eventually created Gu
pidity enough to wreck the kingdom.
Delhi, with Its wonderful fort, mosque
aud temples and the ruins of ancient
tombs, gardens, serais and palaces,
covers an area of about forty.fve square
miles, and presents a remarkable con-
trast between the old and the new Delhi.
Here on the banks of the sacred Jumua
are the remains of seven great cities,
built In the olden times by as many
powerful rulers. The Hindu scriptures
declare that a city inhabited for a longer
period than q thousand years is sure te
be visited by disaster if not destruction,
hence the invariable practice of building
new cities and forsakipg the old about
each ten centuries.
According to this computation Delhi
or ancient Indraprestha, should be 700t
years old, and perhaps it is, for we find
that Yudhishthira, one of the first king
of whom we have any %recorl, was sue.
cceded by thirty generations OF his
family; the next dynasty held the throne
for 500 years; then came the G%autamas,
who ruled through the lifetime of fifteen
sovereigns. These were followed by the
Mayuras until nine of them had occupied
the throne, the last of whom, the Rajah
Pala. was conquered by Vikramaditya
of Ujjain, in Maliva, fifty-seyen years
before the birth of Christ. How ole
the first city of Delhi really is has not
been determined. The fourth or fifth
city contains the famous pillar Of Asoka,
upon which is an authentic inscription
dated the third century before Christ.
1t is of interest to note how well pre-
served these ancient tombs aud temple
are in Delhi. The dry atmosphere seems
to preserve the f~aintest trace on thu
chiseled stone. Remarkable Hindu sculp
turing several thousands Of years old
seems as fresh as though it were finished
but a few years ago. Many Of the IN.
scriptions in Sanscrit are legible to thi
day.
The ancient pillar OF Asoka stands ID
the middle of what was once a magnia!
cent three story building, rising nearly
forty five feet. 1t was brought from
Tophar, at the foot of the Siwalik hills,
where the Jumna enters the plains. 1t
is a monolith of pink sandstone, now
broken at the top in a serratei manner
and measures nearly eleven feet in cir
conference, where it issues from the third
story roof. Its great value lies in tht
fact that it bears the oldest Pail inscrip
ton aud the Oldest written character
found in India, dating as they do from
the middle of the third century B. G.
The characters are clearly cut and per
fectly legible to this day. The inscrip
tons are noteworthy, as they contain th'
edict of Asoka, which prohibits the tax.
ing of life. To think that this great ans
good man, living nearly twenty-thret
centuries ago, should have been SO fA
in advance of our boosted civilization
as to prohibit the taking of life undei
and all circumstances seems a remark:
able commentary upon civilization. We
are wont to look back 5000 years upo1
the people of India and pity their saw,
age state and untutored minds. W.
may we'll look back admiringly.
Among these ancient ruins at Delhi y
the Kadam Sharif or ''Holy Footstep.'
1t is near the tomb of Prince Fatei
Khan, built in 1874. The "Holy Foot
step" consists of a piece of marble with
the miraculous impress of Mohammed'i
foot. 1t is about eighteen inches long
by six inches wide, and was brought
from the holy city of Mecca by th'
Princes tutor. This piece of marble II
bowed to, prayed to, kissed and wor'
shipped as have been other pieces Of
marble in Christian lands with Christian
enlightenment.
The tomb of Mira Jehangir is pecu
liarly interesting, from the fact that 1t il
guarded by his descendants. Mfrs
Jehangir was the son of Albar II, and il
now a saint. In aud about his sacred
tomb one encounters fifty descendants o
the saints sister, for he never married.
The family are SUITS, and guard the So
cred resting place of their sainted rela'
tive as reverently and constantly as lie
within human power. For many hun
drei years these descendants hav'
guarded this tomb night aud day, and |
is probable that they will continue to dc
so for many hundred years to come
There is something touching in the self
sacrifice of these people.-San FRANCHISES
Chronicle.