The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-01
BENAREs ORDEAL BY FIRE.
Hindus Walk Unframed over ~ Bed
of Live Goals.
Lahore Civil and Military Gazette

Lahore civil and Military Gazette.
A controversy having arisen in some of
the papers about the recent performance Of
the fire ceremony at Benares, an account
OF what actually took place by an English
otlIQ 90 may be OF interest to the readers
of the Civil and Military Gazette 1t was
during the recent convention of the Theo-
sophical Society that, a good many of US
who are interested in the life of India be-
low the surface being present some Hindu
friends arranged with a certain sect of
onlyalle HlnduS who claim the power of
reno IIng IRE harmless to give an exhibit
ton OF their powers. Accordingly q trench
was dug in the grounds of the Tagore villa
about ilfteen feet long by four, and this
was IllIed with logs of wood which were
lett TO blaze all day. In the evening the
trench was filed by a thick layer of glow
ing Goals giving off q tremendous heat AT
p. m. we repaired to the scene of action.
our party consisted of Mrs Besant
Countess Wachtmeister, Dr. Richardson
lat9 professor of chemistry at University
college Bristol; DR. Pascal a French doc
Tor OF medicine; Mr. Bertram Keghtley
parrlster-at-law; Miss Lillian Edger NJ A.:
Colonel Olcott ard others Chairs were ar
ranged for us on u kind of dais formed Of
the earth thrown out of the trench and
about eight feet from il. This was the near
est point to the big fire at which one could
pear the scorching heat. At our back and
surrounding the trench was a dense but or
DERBY crowd of hundreds of Hindus. All
waited with eager expectation. At last :.
hubbub approaching from the gates of the
sion.
sided, carrying sword two others who
We're going to pass through the flames and
an image in a glass canopy borne along by
otnefs. me leader inttmated that his two
colleagues would pass through the fiery fur
mace, and afterward anybody who liked Of
the male persuasion might follow them
through unframed, but no women were per-
united 70 so through. Then ensued most
extraordinary and in some respects painful
spectacle. 1t is doctrine of Hinduism that
an the functions OF nature fire, rain, etc,
are presided over by nature spirits This
particular sect of Hindus claims to have
preserved the secret Of being able to con-
troll the fire spirits so that for the time they
are unable to burn. Whatever may be the
explanation these are the facts.
Certain mystic ceremonies having been
performed and cOcOanuts having been tossed
INTO the flames, the two Junior priests an
parently became possessed. With frantic
sinrIeKS ana cries they passed twice round
the blazing trench, preceded by the chief
priest with his sword and followed by the
brilliantly Illuminated canopy Then still
In frenzy painful to behold they plunged
up TO their ankles in the scorching furnace
and passed backward and forward several
times, the reGhot Goals and sparks scatter
ing ,apout their feet. The crowd followed
In their wake, first one or two individuals
until the others gaining confidence and
caught by enthusiasm flushed through i'm
hundreds, even little children of four and
IlVe years old running UP and down the
!rencn over the burning Goals exactly as if
II mad been soft carpet. All were unhurt
among those who ventured was a brother
OF one of our party. This gentleman whose
name am prepared To give privately
walked through the trench twice very slow
~, ana described the sensation afterward
as having been like walking over hot sand
a Skepuc among US having propounded
the theory that the feet Of natives were COW
cred by an integument so dense that it was
PROOF even against live Goals DR. Pascal
carefully examined the feet of this witness
Immediately after his performance and
found the skin of the soles was of the nor
mai thickness of European feet and that
they We're untouched by the fire. ! saw one
man deliberately pause in the middle of the
trench 10 pick up a handful of the flaming
embers. which he then carried through to
the side. linen turban which fell from
some ones head lay on the Goals without
lgniting as did the cocoanuts The priests
remained on the scene for about twenty
minutes, during which time the two appar-
emily possessed men were held by others
After they left the crowd was advised 10
cease experimenting with the fire and no
more passed over. At this stage DR. Rich-
ardson and myself left our seats and at
tempted to approach to the brink of the
fiery gulf, but the heat was so great that
We had to turn back.