The Palatka news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1907-05-03
THE SACRED CANOES,
Bathing at Sunrise of the Hindoo
WorShiperS.
A MOST CURIOUS SPECTACLE.
Tens OF Thousands Of Religious ZeaIots
Lave Themselves In. the Frisid Wa.
tiers of the Polluted stream-The
GhouIs at the crematcry.

Lave Themselves In, the Frieid Wa.
tiers of the Polluted Stream-The
GhouIs at the crematcry.
One of the greatest human spectacles
In the world-a most amazing and COM
plete exhibition of religious zeal-is the
sunrise gathering of Ganges worship
ers along the river bank at Benares, In
Ola. Eliza Il. Skidmore, foreign secre-
tary of the National Geographic socie-
ty, made study Of these religious OBJ
servances of believers of Hindooism
at Benares and wrote comprehensive
article for the National Geographic
Magazine.
The author in recOunting her expert
ences says: Sightseeing begins at
Benares before daybreak, and one
drives through two miles of uninterest-
ing streets in the starlight and gray
cleaning across to the boats at the riv-
er bank. In midwinter, the cold wealth
er months of Indian travel, 1t is bitter
ly cold at that hour-hoarfrost on the
ground, blue and lilac frost haze in the
air. One needs all the fur wraps and
rugs one can get to drive down to 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 off from the
bank all the river front was before
us like theater stage lighted by the
rising sun striking full upon it.
"As the sun shone red, orange and
yellow through the thick frost haze a
great murmur 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
swirling mud flood; they lifted the. wa
ter in jars and poured it over their
heads; they lifted 1t in their hands and
let it trickle through their fingers or
run down their arms, and they dipped
tufts of sacred grass in the water and
sprinkled themselves; they pressed
their nostrils, they twisted their fin
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 unending procession of
gracefully draped figures going up
and down the broad CHAT Is an unend-
ing delight. Swathed head and all in
their winding saris, they wade into
the river and pray, one is sure, to ev-
cry Hindoo deity which the ten fingers
to let them come into the
world again in some human form less
ignoble than woman's.
"They go back to shore and deftly
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 Gauges
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 fastidious
choice in dipping the water they drink.
All is Gauges water, and all Is sacred,
even when the surface is ahoat with
city refuse dlscharging from the drain
pipes at their very elbows.
'The cremation ground is only a
waste space of grimy sand and gravel
between two stone terraces, neglect
ed bank quilted by rains, with pyres,
building and half consumed, scattered
and ghouls poking among
the ashes for coins or jewels. More
systematic ghouls carry pans of ashes
to the waters edge and wash this
Day dirt like any placer miner.
Alongside this revolving sequel to
burnings lie fresh bodies,
wrapped in white sheets and garlands
If marigolds. The bodies are dipped in
The Ganges and laid in rows, with the
sacred stream LAYING their feet and
orofane ghouls washing pay dirt from
pyres between and beside
hem, shaking CRIME and cinders over
he hapless flower wreathed bundles. !
"This crude open air crematory is
he monopoly of the domri, lowest
caste of all peoples, who charge ex-
for their services, for the
wood, the oil and the fame which
lights the funeral torch for touching
IF the pyre
1.-THE earlier in the morning the burn
ng occurs the greater merit and GER
.ainty of paradise for the dead one, and
he domri's charges run from eXtrava-
CANT sums for burning the rich and
loble at sunrise and decrease toward
noon and afternoon, when the very
Door and the jail criminals are hur-
'iedly burned or half burned for few
Innas and the rubbish and bones shov-
lied down the bank"