The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1895-01-11
THE LONDONDERRY SITTER.


adornmeit. Blu. I proinssed to skow you
not only tomb of India. but unique
heather temple. and IL Is a temple un.
foreground
With miners candle we had seen
something of the underside of Australia
a. at Gimpie, as with guides torch we
had seen at different times something
Of the underside of America, as in Nam
moth cave, but we are now to enter one
of tho sacred cellars Of India, common
ly called the Elephanta caves, We had
It all to ourselves, the steam yacht that
was to take us about 10 miles over the
harbor of Bombay and between enchnnt-
ed islands, and along shores whose curves
and gulches and pictured rocks gradual.
ly prepared tho mind for appreciation
of the most unique spectacle in India.
The morning had been full Of thunder
and lightning and deluge, but the at
mospheric agitations had ceased, and
the cloudy ruins of the storm were piled
up in the heavens, hugo enough and
darkly purple enough to make the skies
as grandly picturesque Gs tho earthly
scenery amid which we moved.
The Idols of Elephants.
After an hours cutting through the
water we came to the long pier reach.
ing from the island called Elephanta II
is an island small Of girth, but 600 feet
high. 1t declines into the marshes of
mangrove But the whole island is one
tangle of foliage and verdure; convoly.
ulus creeping the ground; MOSES climb.
ing the rocks; vines sleeving the long
arms of the trees; red flowers here and
there in the woods, like incendiary's
torch trying to set the groves on fro
cactus and acacia vying as to which can
most charm the beholderi tropical bird
meeting particolored butterfly In jungles
planted the Same summer the world was
born. We stepped out of the boat amid
enough natives to afford all the help we
needed for landing and guidance. You
can be carried by coolies in an easy
chair, or you can walk, if you are bless
ed with two stout limbs, which the
psalmist evidently lacked. or he would
not have so deprecated them when he
said, "The Lord taketh no pleasure in
the legs of mah." We passed up some
stone steps, and between the walls We
saw awaiting us a cobra, one of those
snakes which greet the traveller ofttimes
in India. Two of the guides left the CO.
bra dead by the wayside. They must
have been Mohammedans, for Hindoos
never kill that sacred reptile.
And now we come near the famous
temple hewn from one rock Of porphyry
at least 500 years ago On either side Of
the chief temple is chapel, these cut
out of the same stone. So vast was the
undertaking and to the Hindoo was so
great the human impossibility that they
say the gods scooped out this structure
from the rock and carved the pillars
and hewed its shape into gigantic idols
and dedicated it to all the grandeurs.
We climb many stone steps before we
get to the gateways. The entrance to
this temple has sculptured doorkeepers
leaning on sculptured devils. How
strange But l have seen doorkeepers of
churches and auditoriums who seemed
to be leaning on the demons of bad ven
tilation and asphyxia. Doorkeepers
ought to be leaning on the angels of
health and comfort and life. All the
sections and janitors of the earth who
have spoiled sermons and lectures and
poisoned the lungs of audiences by inef-
ficiency ought to visit this cave Of Ele-
phanta and beware of what these door
keepers are doing, when instead of lean
ing on the angelic they lean on the de-
moniac.
In these Elephanta caves everything
is on Samsonian and Titanian scale.
With chisels that were dropped from
nerveless hands at least eight centuries
ago, the forms Of the gods Brahma and
| Vishnu and silva were cut into the ever
lasting rock. silva is here represented by
a fl be 16 feet inches high, one-hali
man and one-half woman. Run line
from the center of the forehead straight
to the floor of the rock, and you divide
this idol into masculine and feminine.
Admired as this idol is by many, it was
to me about the worst thing that was
ever cut into porphyry, perhaps because
there is hardly anything on earth so OBJ
jectionable as being half man and halt
woman. Do be one or other, my nearer.
Man is admirable, and woman is admi
rable, but either in flesh or traprock 6
compromise of the two is hideous. Save
us from effeminate men and masculine
women
Sculptured Gods.
Yonder is the King havana worship
ing. Yonder is the sculptured repre-
sentatation of the marriage of Sivs
and Parhati. Yonder is Daksha, the
son of Brahma, born from the thumb
Of his right hand. He had 60 daugh
tiers. Seventeen of those daughters were
married to Kasyapa and became tb'
mothers of the human race Yonder il
god with three heads. The center goo
has a crown wound with necklaces O
skulls The right hand god is in par
oxysm of rage, with forehead Of snakes
and in it's hand is cobra. The lief
hand god has pleasure in all its fea
lures, and the hand has a flower. Blu
there are gods and goddesses in all di
rections. The chief temple of this rool
is 1870 feet square and has 20 pillar
rising to the roof After the conqueror
of other lands and the tourists from al
lands have Clipped and defaced ant
blasted and carried away curios and me
mentos for museums and homes Their
are enough entrancements left to detail
one unless he is cautious until he i
down with some of the malarias wlicl
encompass this island or get bitten viii
some of its snakes. Yes, Ifelt the chill.
} dampness Of the place and left thi
congress of gods, this pandoInoniur' o
demons, this pantheon Of iDdi!fe-rn
deities, and came to the steps aud lcol;
} ed off upon the waters which roiisd G1t
flashed around the steam yacnt tia
was waiting to return with US 70 BON
bay. AS we stepped aboard, Cur mind
, filled with the idols of 1.-THE Elephant
caves, was impressed as never befor
with the thought that man mist hay
: a religion of some kind even if 10 ha
to contrivo one himself, and he mus