The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-08-03
THE DESERTED CITY.
.,.cN,elcENT AMBIR, WHICH HAS
e,epT I'M SOLITUDE 200 YEARS.
the Only Inhabitants OF It's
o.utifuI Paiaces-Walls That Are Set
with PRECIOUS stones-one of the Hand
,,ast works of Art In All India.

x,,,,b PRECIOUS stones-One OF the Hand
.omest works of Art In All India.
Imagine valley in the form of a
hrge crater, the sides of which are COW
a,.od with thick jungle, i'll the center of |
,-bicb rises "a green mound, forming a
.,o1ee,al fer fairylike and dazzling |
marble palace, beside which the won
I'D &C Seville and Of Granada i'm Spain
10 into insignifcance, and around this
,oIoce. which looks upon great, gloomy
lake. a large town, great metropolis,
tbo smallest houses Of which are stately
,,o1oces. Not Il soul is TO be seen in the
broad streets, not trace Of smoke rising
into the air. Not sound is to be heard.
such is Ambir which in architectural
beauty, in stateliness and III the lowell
moss with which nature has supple
rented art and art nature, surpasses ev-
erv other city in the old world. A mix
tnre of the romantic and the mysterious
takes possession of the tourist who gazes
for the first time upon this deserted city.
He feels tempted to ask himself whether,
after all, it is not a mere phantom Of
fine "Arabian Nights and whether,
like seco' ed calendar, he has como to
disturb the silence of this sleeping me-
tropolis and to bring to light some
frirhtful mystery. The palace in partic-
Mar has supernatural appearance,
with its marble turrets that have the
vellowish tint of ivory and its lofty
walls that are ornamented with gilded
balconies.
In spite of the impression which pre-
walls widely that there is some mystery
connected with the desertion Of Ambir,
once the capital Of Rajpoutana, yet its
abandonment was solely and entirely
due to piece Of capricious despotism
on the part Of King Jey Sing H. who
reigned at Ambir some 200 years ago,
and who is famous i'll oriental history
as the greatest astronomer that India
has ever known. He took it into his
head that Ambir, inclosed in the valley
of the Kalikho mountains, was incapable
of development or extension; that 1t was
TOO inaccessible, and that it was unwor-
thy of the grandeur of his kingdom. Ac-
cordingly he planned and built Il new
capital some eight or ten miles lower
down and gave it the name of Jaipur.
As soon as he had completed his task he
commanded the entire population of
Ambir to abandon their homes and to
take ND their residence in Jaipur. No
one was permitted to remain behind, and
thus it happens that today the great
CITY of Ambir, which, founded i'll the
first century of the Christian era, was so
magnificently built that none Of its pal
aces or public buildings have yet fallen
into ruin or decay, is today tenanted
only by myriads of monkeys, while here
or there a naked fakir, who has come to
pray at one Of the shrinos which abound
on the shores of the lake, may be seen
bathing in its somber waters
The royal palace is 100 feet above the
level of the lake. But the stone but
tresses which support the sides Of the
green hill upon which it stands descend
perpendicularly into the water and look
like q continuation Of the castle walls,
which are built exactly over them, thus
making the frontage appear more than
200 feet high. The principal gateway OF
the palace, known as the "soeve' gate
is acknowledged to be one OF the most
beautiful works of art i'll India. The
marble framework Of the windows
which ornament this gate are the finest
in all India. They are carved out OF sin
gle slabs of marble and are so delicate
~ finished that at short distance they
resemble transparent muslin curtains
On passing through this gateway enc
finds ones self in Il courtyard surround
ed bv palaces, each rich i'll mosaics anc
sculptures, in the center OF which is
fairylike garden.
In some Of these palaces the walls are
covered from the ceiling TO the fool
with inlaid work Of polished stone
agates, turquoises and pieces OF LOOKING
glass arranged in groups OF flowers al'
arabesuues, and the effect produced D.
a raw of sunshine in these apartments
simply indescribable. In others TIT
floors are of sandal and other preclou
wood. 1t is difficult TO conceive NOR
romantic retreat, and what with the un
broken silence the glorious view ant
the fairylike character OF the palace
and kiosks, one has trouble to reallZ
that one is not in dreamland.
The only sign of decay, II decay III
deed it can lee called, is the presence
vegetation where twould not have bee
tolerated had the place been inhabited
Perhaps nowhere in the Deccan has III
ture been so quick in beautifylng IN
works of man. She has covered III
walls with crecrcrs and flowers piante
the courts with shady q owes ana nun
her peepul and cacti a4-tng the MARI
trelliswork of the terraces. Wahderln
through the silent streets, the pavemei
of which is Cvergrown with Weeus an
long grass, one experiences feeiing
soothing melancholy seldom exclteo
ruins. which are so often bare ana deS'
late. and the suns rays, partially lht'
cepted by the foliage Of the trees III
part warm oolor to this mixture
sculptural stoncworls and vcrdure. "
mn lf fHC 1ttAt VI