Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-07-19
AN EAST INDIAN CARNIVAL.
Color and Music on the Surface of the
River Ganges

'Benares is an everlasting garden Of
festivals writes R. D. Mackenzie, in
the Century. in a paper, illustrated
with pictures by the author, on The
Maharaja's Water Carnival"
The hot afternoon slowly sank into
evening, the river being like sheet of
glass; one almost gasped for air. The
tempted bank was slowly shrouded in
the gray veil of the evening, and some
thing like disappointment hung in the
sultry atmosphere, when suddenly the
boatmen cried, Here they comet"
With difficulty I could make out some
small gray spot about two miles up
the river, just coming into view round
the bend from Romnagar Fort, the
residence Of the maharaja. Slowly
they approached, until at last they
were close upon us. The air seemed
to grow cooler, and the heat was Tor
gotten. All attention was fixed upon
two lovely visions-one could not call
them boats-the foremost a pair Of
dappled gray horses rising completely
out Of the water, supporting a canopy
Of red silk on silver poles, under which
were seated, on the long boat of paint
ed lotuS-fowers, the maharaja and his
princes, dressed in the most delicate
harmonies Of Oriental color. silver and
gold, in the midst of which were a few
dashes Of scarlet. The crew, with pink
bladed oars, dipped into the LIQUID
crystal of the river. The second float
represented a gigantic peacock, carry
ing on its long, distended back a triple
canopy of kincob, strawberry and gold,
under which sat the maharaja's son
and heir, the ministers and other state
officials Close on every side were
numerous small craft lowering in their
wake like dancing water-beetles.
The last glow of light was fading
away, the little Noah's arks that SO
mysteriously disappeared in the morn
ing came quietly stealing out in clus-
ters from their hiding, until, by the
time the temples were reached,-which
it was the purpose Of the procession to
Visit-the river was a chaotic mass of
moving color, over which the curtain
of night was rapidly falling. Without
the least warning, torch famed up in
the midst, and for an instant blotted
out the whole spectacle in inky black
ness. But gradually the eye became
accustomed to the change, the torch
burned slowly down, and in it's place a
crimson, a green, and yellow flare of
artificial fire burst forth with spas
modic sputterings, Illuminating one
boat in green, another in crimson.
while another passed in sable shadow.
The deep-purple reflection from the
semi-luminous sky alternated with
the crimson and green as the maha-
raja's boats attempted to lead through
the hap-hazard mass back past the
temples, and out to the floating tents
in mid-stream--a carnival indeed, and
full Of that picturesque accident which
is seen to such perfection in the I'M
conventionality of an Oriental gath
ering.
One by one the boats and barges at
tached themselves to the floating tents
until the mass assumed enormous pro-
portions; they were variously illumi-
mated with lanterns and crystal chan
deliers, Of which the native of India
is very proud. The tents were crowded
to their utmost limit; the weird, thin
voices of the nautch-girls were heard
on the still night air, with the perpet-
ual accompaniment of their bell ank-
lets, stringed instruments, and tom
toms. One of the most unique features
was the bazaar of sweet-meat sellers.
Not to be done out of their business
because the fete was isolated in the
middle Of the Ganges, they took their
entire shops afioat, and the pyramids of
light-brown Jumps of sugared cream
seemed to afford a continual source OF
comfort to the festive.
Had | quietly withdrawn ten minutes
earlier I should have enjoyed the per-
feet illusion of having lived an evening
in the sixteenth century; but alas! the
homogeneous nineteenth century note
so prevalent in the Orient was heard
in a crash of rawhide and brass, and
a blizzard of metallic discord ont OF
which I was able to pick up frag-
ments of eve won't go home till
morning" I besought the boatmen,
who seemed enchanted, to hurry me
away into the blackness of the night.
MOTIFS or THE nav