The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-06-24
Wonders of Western Ind
BY WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN

These temples were built By merchant
princes in the eleventh and twelfth cen 4
furies and the fact that one OF them 4
cost more than 5000. 600 shows that 4
trade had reached a commanding po- +
sitiou in those dcys. One Of the tenn I
pies was built by two brothers and the
guide tells of q tradition that these /
brothers firing OF their money. decided I
TO hurry it. but OF digging in the earth
they found more and considering It /
gift from the gods. built this temple.
The buildings are not large. and seen
from the outside are disappointing, but
once within one maTvels at the richness
Of the carving. The pillars and vaulted
ceilings. are Of the purest white marble,
brought from no one knows where, and
every inch Of the surface is covered
with figures of gods, human beings, an
iu1als. flowers and fowls. The artists
utilized the things with which the pgO-
pIe were most familiar. Here a frieze
of elephant heads. the trunks Joined,
/ there a frieze Of geese, another of tt
gers OF monkeys. In one dome maidenS
( danced: in another warriors fought; in
/ a third flowers b1oomed. The variety
/ il endless and the workmanship perfect.
While the panels and friezes and cell
iDes differ so much from each other,
/ the arrangement is such that they do
I not seem incongruous, but form mar
]
conuuerors mutiIated some of the fig
ures because of their hatred of idolatry,
but when under Lord CurzOn's admins
tration the work of restoration was be-
gun il was impossible TO find marble
Ike the original.
Around these temples are numerous
/ shrines. each containing a seated figure
very much resembling Buddha. The
jams are a sect of the Hindus, and
their temples are renowned for their
/ beauty This temple is visited by
large number of pilgrims every year,
some of whom were chanting their
prayers willie we were there.
Another nights ride and We were in
/ Bombay and what q luxury to find q
hotel conducted upon the American
i plan. The Tai Mahal is the finest hotel
in the orient and would be a credit to
any city in our country, 1t was built
by Mr.. Tata, a rich Prasee, who
planned it more from public than from
private considerations.
We found the plague increasing in
virulence. 500 having died in the city
the day before we arrived Bombay
has suffered terribly from this Scourge,
"a per cent having persisted from it in
the last few years. Two years ago the
American consul, Hon. William t. Fee,
p lost his daughter and came near los
p ing his wife by this dread disease. and
two Of the European consuls have re-
= Gently had to leave their homes be-
/ cause of deaths among their native
= servants With so many dying in a
; single CITY (a1d 10000 q week in the
= entire country, India would seem an
b unsafe place to visit. and yet one would
I not know except for the newspap ers
that an epidemic was raging. so little
D does il affect business or social life
/ There is now in use system OF mop
J. Fulation which promises to materially
{ lessen the mortality from this disease.
} A. serum is prepared in which the ven
e ON of serpents is the chief ingredient,
= and this hypodermically administered,
r has been found almost a sure proven
r. tive While the physicians are employ
5 ing this remedy. the. Eat-catcheTs- are
= also busy and about a Thousand rodents
$ are captured a. day, it having been dem
$ onstrated that the rat not only spreads
the disease but carries a flea that i'm
] parts it by its bite.
J Bombay is the Manchester Of India,
J and the smokestacSs Of its many cot
8 ton factories give to. the city very
D business-lilxe appearance These mills
/, are largely owned by Indians and OPP
= Grated by Indian capital.
n On an island near Bombay is one OF
: the most freduented of the rock-hewr
= temples. called the Elephanta Caves
s This temple is chiseled. ont of the SOLID
2 rock. great pillars being left to support
e the roof It is about 100 feet square by
e Il in height and contains a number OF
e figures Of heroic size. These figures
4 are carved from the walls and repTesen
?. various gods and demons. The Port
D uguese Christians, several centuries
e ago. showed their contempt for thes'
e gods Of stone by firing Their. cannon int
IL the temple. While some of the pillar
n were battered down and some of tn
= carvings mutilated. enough remains L
e show the impressiveness of this ancien
e place Of worship.
n No one can visit Bombay without be
) coming interested in a religious sect
the members of which are known a.
IL Parsees They are few in numbers
e probably not exceeding q hundred thou
IS sand In the world, more than half o
e whom live in OF near Bombay. Their
Il is the religion Of Zoroaster, and the.
II contest with the Hebrews the honor 0
e being the first believers in one God
J. Their sacred books. the Zend-Avesta
Le are very ancient. and the origin o
g their religion is placed anywhere from
= 700 3. c. to 5000 3. G. They no. On1i
l. believe in one God. but they believe Il
y Immortality and claim to have i'm
y pressed their ideas upon the Israelite
IS when the latter were in bondage il
l. Babylon. The Parsees see in the world
ID as well as in the human being. a con
tinufng conflict between right an
= wrong. and they regulate their con
20 duct by high ethical system. Whe
IS the MosIems swept over Persia an
he made it one Of the stars in Islam
is crown a band OF Parsees preferred mi
IF grafton to conversion, and, like our pil
g. grim fathers, sought a home in a ne7
X country In Bombay they have pre-
a. aar-v-a5 THAR Identity for some nine Ger
1r turtles and have made themselves a DC
in tent influence in every department c
If the city's activity. They have thei
rs marriage ceremony. their fire temple
re and their funeral rites. They hav
e, sometimes been called fire worshipeI
G. and sun worshipers. but they simpl
e. regard fire as the purest thing know