The Havre herald. [volume] (Havre, Mont.) 1904-1908, 1908-08-12
IDOLS OF THE H|hDOOS
There Are Hundreds OF Miajons
at Them In India.
THE FAME OF luGGERNAUT.

tionaA Temple Is on the Sands Of
Par5-Ths Three Monster Cars.
II were asked to describe India the
FIRST remark that would spring from
my Hips would b, "It n land OF
Idols" 1t would b impossible to COM
puts tho aumhsr Of idols that fhers
must b. at the present time in India.
Ehe Hindoos pretend to have 5000.
300 gods. and these are represented BY
lnnumerabls idols, SO that we are quite
bowiidered with the thought of taking
tho census Of the idols Of India. The
population OF the whole Indian empire
3 now about 100000 600, and possibly
the country contains ten times ~ many
IDOLS rs people.
4 Benares Is the great center Of the
IDOL making business, though in all
parts OF India the trade hourishes
Potters the day through may be seen
In the sacred city molding images of
clay for temporary use. Sculptors also
may he found producing representa-
lives OF the gods in stone or marble.
Carpenters, moreover, make great
wooden idols for the temples, and
workers in metal-go ldsmiths, copper
smiths and brass Workers-turn out
more or less highly finished specimens
In their respective metals.
4 When speaking or idols it should be
borne In mind that the images turned
put BY the potter, sculptor. carver or
manufacturer are not considered sa-
Rred or fit to be Worshiped until Ger
hahn mystic words have been uttered
over them by priest. The ceremony
be the giving Of life" as 1t is called,
10 the image is very solemn affair,
Ind when it is done the idol is regard
I'd as holy and must ever afterward be
approached and treated with the ut
most reverence.
Out Of the many millions or SO called
rods In India, all Of whom are counted
worthy of worship. three are regarded
hs specially sacred and form the Hin
Goo triad or trinity. They are re-
bpectively Brahma. v7shnu and silva.
Of those 1t is stated the second per-
bon OF the trinity only has been rep
resented on this earth by human In
carnations. Through one or all Of these
gods the Hindoos believe they may OBJ
hahn salvation. Brahma represents the
way OF salvation by wisdom, vishnu
by faith and silva by works. It lis
lmmateria which method Is adopted,
as they all lead to the same goal.
Juggernaut rs perhaps the most ia
nous name among all the Hindoo idols,
lnasmueh 40 his fame has gone forth
Into every land. His temple is situat-
I'd on the sandy shores OF Orissa, wash
ID by the wild waves Of the bay OF
Bengal. The worship of Juggernau ut
dates back nearly 1000 years. and
Drissa has bean the holy land of the
Hindcos from that time eli the present
Say.
Sir william Hunter, whs was enc Of
the greatest authorities on things East
Indian. says in a wonderfully graphic
description OF the temple Ut Jugger-
naut: "On the fnhospitable sands Of
Purl, place of gwamDs and inunda-
hons, the Hindoo religion and Hindee
approximation have stood Mt bay for
sightesn centuries against the world.
Here 10 the national temple whittier
this people flock TO worship from every
province Of India. There is the gate
OF heaven whittier thousands of pill
grims come to die, luIled TO this last
slesp by the roar Of the eternal ocean. /"
Wall, saw on one occasion that
marvellous sight, the dragging OF jug
acrnaufs ear and the cars OF his
brother ana sister. The three idols
are inssparable, and ugly things they
are, being nothing but huge logs Of
wood eoarsely fashioned into human
shape. but without arms or legs.
Juggernaut's ear stands forty-ens
feet high and has fourteen enormous
wheels. The other two cars are Just
4 litt1s smaller. The great ears have
10 be dragged certain distanee-half
a mile or more from the temple-and
tia aod win mot allow horses OF Gle
plants 20 undertake the work, but
calls upon his faithful worshfpers 10
do IL themselves. Immense ropes. OF,
rathsr, cables, are attached TO the cars,
and at the word of command from the
priests thousands of men and even
women and children rush forward and
seiHe the ropes and range themselves
h order and the next moment are
straining and pulling at the eumber-
some eonvsyances. which at length
move with heavy, ereaking noise.
Never shah forget the sight The
road was filed with tens of thousands
of lookery-on, all wild with excitement.
and tho fanatics who hold the ropes
were dragging the ears along with
frensiad real. Every Bew and then
there w9u1d he q atop that the men
might EssS. supposed, but instead OF
resting thoy sock to jumping In the
air and % whir1iHg Themselves around
N&s dancing asrsishas and sEsuutlnG
nc to top Of their brsath: ''viaseRy
vaesssy 90 JagwaYBaats'
ORse On tfEme fafstsaaaa wsHsas@'
u sFH wsalG fhHew themselves umtisr the
n sS AasM aar fhaf AMMy