Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1894-03-15
THE GREAT AMBER PALACE.
A WONDERFUL STRUCTURE Bunr M
INDIA CENTURIES AGO,

dec kings-BuiIt OF Marble and l.
laid with Costly Gems-An Ertroor-
binary Piece of Architecture.
The removed and now deserted citv =,
Amber, in Northwestern India, aou,.
ished with its countless thousands Of in.
habi ants and untold wealth and spen.
der the time Of the P,olemys. saws tho
San Fran e. CO enron Gle.
Ii Is situated in a mountain nool,
about I've mi.e from The present city ~
Jeypoor, and is one of midas ieweIed
rosse sons for antiquar.ans.
TEE great Amber palace is built of soid
red sandstone and variegatcd Jeynoor
marble and inlaid with costly gems. i
has TODD 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, nth the walled and long since
doomed and ruined city below.
/ The palace is a masterly structure Of
! Hindoo architecture, solid and secure
vet ornamental and beautiful. Entrance
1 IS gained through a massive and strongly
! fortified gate, which leads into a spaciops
central court, richly adorned with rare
I carvings, mighty trees and Towering
shrub cry.
The grand diwan-i-am or audience hall
/ is reached from the spacious court bva
MASSIVE flight Of carved marble steps.
4 This BAH is a noble example of Raj.ut
art, ith its double rows OF shining mar.
bic columns supporting a massive entab.
4 laturc, above which are latticed galleries
OF marble worked in rare designs.
The ceiling is OF sculptured freestone.
while the floor is made up Of huge slabs
OF polished marble.
1t was upon this Fl DOR that the ancient
kings and mobiles Of this once royal CITY
witnessed many gorgeous scenes of gal.
ETY. and cruelty. Here they applauded
the royal tilts and sports, and here they
reviewed the many fierce conflicts be.
tween men and beasts and between royal
Bengal tigers and noble fighting ele.
plants in the grand courtyard below
II 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 living human being on
that huge, black, blood 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 victims, in order to appease
las they devoutly 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 Offering to heaven to appease
the destroyer's anger. How very like
our early biblical history.
From this hall, echoing with memories
both gay and sad, we wandered through
spacious halls and galleries, deliberately
carved apartments, up and down long
rows OF splendid stairs, through sculp-
tured gateways covered with mosalcs and
doors inlaid in ivory and precious stones,
until we reach the highest terrace in the
palace.
This was exclusively devoted TO the
Rajah'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 payilians, gilt and carved
and spacious arehed porticos
On our left is the JOY mandir, 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 Jeypoor, its
is now justly celebrated.
Opposite this grand hall OF victory is
the sukh nawas, or hail OF pleasure, with
Its doors OF sweet scented sandalWood,
nlaid with ivory and its gorgeous paint
ngs of pleasures on earth and in heaven.
Here are groves from which issue cool,
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-
Dhere and the gay occupants of this ball
II pleasure.
Adjoining this beautiful hall are the
umptuous bathing apartments and the
ieep, cool pleasure caverns, surrounded
,y ferns and rare flowers, where the
things and queens of this ancient castle
,ade defiance to old Soils burning rays
Turing India's hottest days.
Here they whiled away their happy
lays amid love and pleasure in an at
nosphere rendered sweet by the aroma
Il costly incense, listening to the strains
4 Indian music, gazing now and then
Ipon the beautiful girls as they per-
ormed in seanty attire, as they do TO
his day, the famous nautch dance Of In
ia.
Next to these pleasure halls and groves
re the spacious apartments once occu-
led by the harem, an indispensable
djunct to all Eastern palaces.
1t was here that the mighty Maharaiah,
ey Singh, in the early part Of the Eight
enth century, ruled supreme in this
sweled spot on earth among his hundreds
I carefully chosen wives, like King
'avid OF old.
From every hail and terrace, from every
rched pavilion and cavern-latticed win
ow of this wonderful old palace, We got
limpses of this picturesque spot, this
istoric city, surrounded as it is by all
hat nature and art can do to MAKE i
Mirrored in that clear. blue lake below