Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-24
IN BEAUTIFUL INDIA
Visiting the 4Hut-of- Two
and,S-Half- Days.
Picturesque PLACES
HOW THE RIa RICE PUDDING IS
'MANUFAcTURED.
Wild Desire of the Pilgrims to Par
take of the Boiling
Mixture.
Written for The Evening Star

The very old city of Ajmere, founded 145
AID, is days journey and part Of night
from Ahmedabad, and the trains In
India always choose inconvenient hours
for starting and arriving we found our
selves and our luggage turned out at the
Ajmere station at o'clock in the morning.
AS the best accommodation to be had was
said to be found in the station itself we at
once had our things piled upon the heads
of several coolies anu asked to be shown
rooms Finding two of the usual large
dimensions upon the second floor, In
spite of the customary noise of railway
station we managed to get few hours
sleep before 8 o'clock in the morning. From
that hour until 1890 we drove about the
small Hindoo town, which is most pictur-
esquely situated at the foot of the high and
rocky Taragargh Hill. The old city WALL
with Its five beautiful gateways, was a de-
light to us, and the narrow, dirty streets,
lined with tiny, shallow shops, their own
ers sitting in one corner smoking a hookah,
and the native smells and sounds, the buff
falo, donkeys and goats Astounding in the
streets gave us the assurance that Anne
dabad was not the only really eastern town
that we were to see. On our return to the
station we were fortunate enough to meet
some very good friends who had just
rived, and at 5 o'clock we set forth to-
gether to visit the beautiful mosque called
the Hut-of-Two-and-a-H af-Days," just
outside the city walls. Under a huge ban
yam tree which grew at the foot of the very
broad and splendid stairway leading to the
mosque hundred or more natives were
assembled, dirty and picturesque in their
brllllant turbans or coats, and chattering
at the tops of their voices. Silence fell
upon that three as we approached, and
continued until we mad laboriousy mounted
about half of the battered and broken
stairs under the battery Of many pairs of
disappearing eyes. Then one voice after
another sounded forth and in few minutes
we could hear from the distance the usual
loud and confused jangle of sounds. The
people of Ajmere are not very cordial to
strangers, and now and again some adven-
turous mortal, going about by himself has
been greeted by ram Of stones and driven
nome. The mosque of the 'Hut-of-Two-and-
a-Half-Days" (why it is called that we
could not discover, and 1t certainly does not
in any way describe it, seemed to us beau
tiful beyond words. with its very Imposing
approach of broad stairs, Its wonderful
screen of pierced red sandstone with in
scriptions In Arabic letters running up and
gateway, and its graceful, slender pillars,
row after row, long, vistas of them, their
capitals and bases eXquisitely carved. As
Tie sun was Just setting some Mohamme-
dams We're seated cross-legged in the mid
ole or the arch praying in a monotonous
tone, their faces toward Mecca, the white
ana %. brilliant colors of their robes adding
Of the sunset faded away and the moon
llght began to add mystery to the view we
climbed up the very steep and high stairs
to the tor, of one Of the low minarets.
What view lay before and around us
the hills, the picturesque city, the Hindoo-
Monammedan temple and the distant plains.
India Is like wonderful book written In
foreign tongue. 1t cannot be translated and
must be taken In the original-that is to-
say, seen-to be able to thoroughly under
stand and appreciate 1t. The following
morning NOR N our friends appeared at O'Clock
the forts and the 'Dargah," the burial
place Of the great Ajmere Christi-Afab-i-
Muik-l-fllnu.a saint greatly revered by
Hindoos and Mohammedans alike. The
carriage was an old-fashioned 'barouche''
with two very fat horses a coachman In
dark blue coat with orange facings and a
turban of white and blue, and there were
Nv Two sals, or Iootmen, standing on a step at
livery and barefoot. The sails seem to me
doubtful institution, very good to hold
the horses while one Is getting out of the
carriage or to help In case they were nm
manageable, but rather trial when going
through the bazaar, where it is their dutv
10 keep the narrow street clear, which thew
90 oy screaming at the top of their voices,
much to our discomfort 'S'
They Never Bother.
The natives never seemed to think of get
ting out of the way of our prancing stools
until howled at madly several times bv tho
sails. when they slowly and calmly removed
themselves just out Of reach of the wheels.
At times 1t was necessary for the two men to
rush on ahead and push aside the tiny dom
keys. all colored pale magenta, or the very
small oxen, pale gray with bright green
horns, which almost filed the street. and he
fore we turned any sharp corner or curve of
the ROAD there wasa tremendous yelling from
the back OF the carriage. for we were lust
as likely as not to come up against an amor
nous camel heavily loaded or a troon of
light-headed goats and the screams were
their only warning Of our approach The
fort, which was at one time the naIaca oS
the first great Akbar, traces of whom we
now began to find for the first fine had a
most beautiful entrance gate and a wonder
rul view from Its small towers with tbeIr
umbrela-like roofs supported by four slen
der pillars The Dargah, with a very Ioftv
entrance gate, carved and decorated 10 q
huge court surrounded by a high wal, ava
full of wonderfully carved iacy marble
mosques surrounding the white marble
tomb Of the saint.
So great is the fame of this Christi tba+
there is an annual pilgrimage to his tomb
when curious and ancient custom is car,
ried out.
A Big Pudding,
Two enormous iron caldrons. which can
be seen at the side of the entrance gate
and are known as the great and the little
deg are filed, at the expense OF some pious
pilgrim, with rice, butter, sugar, almonds
and spices, which is cooked over a fire
made beneath them. When finished. eight
earthen pots full of this gigantic rice pud-
ding are set apart for thu foreign pilgrims,
who sometimes number 10000 we were
told, and the rest is scrambled for, boiling
hot by the people of Indrakor and the
servants employed in the dargah They
literally climb into the pot, and get them
selves dreadfully burned IN consequence.
although no lives have ever been lost in the
process, which is considered by the people
as miracle and really seems so when ono
thinks that the rice is boiling hot and the
iron pot consequently at a great heat. The
only thing that saves them is apparently
that they are swathed to the eyes in thick
chuddars. We were told that the cost Of
rice enough to- fill the larger deg is ol0
rupees about 1886. I'VE were not allowed
to approach very near to the beautifuI
tomb, all marble lacework and Iattices. and
were followed by crowd of natives who
watched our every glance, but as we had
heard that they were not always civil to
strangers we had taken the two sails In
with us, and consequently had no trouble
As we left the place We were presented
with necklaces Of white jasmine which IT
was etiquette for us to wear for A few
hours. and for which. of course. we were
expected to pay. Driving once more
through the Fascinating narrow streets fun
of natives clad in all colors of The rainbow.