The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1907-04-29
THE SACRED CANOES,
latfia3 u Sunrise CT me plaoco
aor5lNpers.
4 MOST CURIOUS SPECTACLE.
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,uursse sasacs!a. % t.aaavs wursh3i
sfw Aieas TIE river bans ~ neaarss. ln
asa. Eliza IL ss}dapgw foreign ~errc
tary a. the National s.easraphic sn%cgs.
", made a study %. these religious Oh
ssrsHncss II believers 81 Hinsitsalsri
at hcnar~s and wrote u comprehensive
article for the National Geographic
Magazine
The author In r~eounting her expert
~nces Say. Sightseeing begins a,
Benares before dayhreak. and one
drives through two niles OF nninterrst
inS streets 10 the starlight and gray
cleaning across TO the boats at the nv
~r bank In midw'nser, the cold wealth
er months Of Indian travel, II Is bitter
iy cold a, that hour honrfrost on the
ground. blue and lilac frost haze In the
air. One needs sil the fur wraps and
rugs one can get TO drive down 10 the
river, yet Is glad for the shelter OF
sun umbrella before noon.
Every one at that hour was hurry
Ing in the one direction. and when we
had raced down the great steps and
the houseboat was poled OF from the
bank all the river front was before
US like 'heater stage lighted by the
rising sun striking full upon It.
"As the sun sbone red. orange and
yellow through the thick frost haze
great mu nur OF voices rose from the
length of the CHATS, the tens OF thou
| sands Of fervent worshipers, standing
| on platforms built over the water and
standing waist deep In the water, re-
peating In muttered chant the ancient
Vedic hymn.
They dipped themselves beneath the
swiring mud food; they lifted tho ~a
ter in lars and poured 1t over their
heads: they lifted 1t in their hands and
| let II trickle through their fingers or
| run down their arms, and they dipped
| tufts of sacred grass In the water and
| sprinked themselves; they pressed
| their nostrils, they twisted their I'm
gers and did all manner of motions as
they chanted and muttered to them
| selves, each one rapt, intent absorbed
entirely in the long religious recitals
/ "At the woman's CHAT every woman
| carries a brass lota, or water Jar or a
| still larger and heavier jar of red pot
| terry, and the amending procession OF
gracefully draped figures going W
and down the broad CHAT is an unend
| ing delight Swathed head and all IL
their winding saris, they wade into
| the river and pray, one Is sure, to ev
! ery Hindoo deity which the ten fingers
represent to let them come into the
world again In some human form less
| ignoble than woman's.
They go back to shore and deity
envelop themselves In fresh saris and
| drop the wet ones to the steps without
| once uncovering the face or exposing
more than the feet and hands. They
| scour their brass lotas with Ganges
! mud, they wash their hair with sacred
| muck and fill the Jars to take home at
! the very mouths OF the city sewers.
"The devotees show no fastidlous
choice in dipping the water they drink.
| All is Gauges water and all is sacred,
even when the surface Is afioat with
city refuse dlscharging from the drain
pipes at their very elbows.
The cremation ground is only
! waste space of grimy sand and gravel
between two stone terraces, neglect
ed bank quilted by rains. with pyres.
building and half consumed scattered
irregularly. and ghouls poking among
the ashes for coins or jewels More
systematic ghouls carry pans of ashes
to the waters edge and wash this
pay dirt Ike any placer miner.
Alongside this revolving sequel 70
Yesterdays. buruines lie fresh bodies.
wrapped in white sheets and garlands
| of marlgolds The bodies are dipped In
| the Gangcs and laid In rows, With the
sacred stream having their feet aud
| profanc ghouls washing pay dat from
Yesterdays pyres between and beside
them. shaking CRIME and cinders over
the hapless flower wrepthed bundles.
This crude open air crematory Il
the monopoly ~ the domri. lowest
caste ct ado peoples who charge ex'
trsyagnutiy Tor their services, for the
wood the on and the fame which
lights th@ faneral torch sor touching
or the rfre
THE earlier ia the morning the burn
tng oerurs tsr Ereater merit and cer
'ainty ~ paradise far the dead one and
the domf.s charges rnu from extrava
giant sums sar burning rhr rlrh and
mobile Ht sunrise anil decrease toward
ussnn tnd afteruoou when tne very
pose and fhe Iat Criminals asr bear
rsely hurue1 es half iurH~i far fsT
aanas and 'hs fabhlsh aHt hoHss shef
elsA iowa fhw NauA