Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1908-07-15


tionsi Temple ls On The Seeds OF
FUri-Tho Three Merster csrs.
n were asked 10 describe india the
FIRST remark that would spclng from
my lips would DC. "I, is land OF
idols" It would Dc Impossible 10 com
pute the number o1 idols that there
must be at the present time In India.
The HindoOS pretend to have $50. 600.
t-}o gods. ana these are represented by
innumcrable idols. SO that wcare quite
bcwildercd with the thought Of takin.
the census OF the idols OF India. The
population Of the whole Indian empire
+ now about S00.C0o.OCQ. aud possibly
The country contains ten times rs many
Idols as people
Benarcs il The great center Of the
idol making busiuCss. though IN all
parts OF India TIE trade nourisheS
iottcrs the day through may be seen
IN the sacrei city molGing images OF
clay fog temporary use. Sculptors also
iaay be to..ud producing representa-
Jives Of the gods In stone or marble
carpenters. moreover. make great
wooden idols FOR the temples. and
workers ia goidsmiths. copper.
sGJths. and brass worSeys-turn out
more or less highly finished specimens
in their respective metals.
When speaking OF idols ii should be
borne In mind that the images turned
out by the potter sculptor carver OF
manufactures are not considered sa
cred or III TO bc worsaipcI until Ger
tain mystic words have been uttered
over them by 4 priest The ceremony
or the giving OF life" rs it'is called
To the image IS n very solemn AFFAIR
and when IL is done the idol is regard
cd as holy and must ever afterward bc
approached and treated with the Ut.
most reverence.
out OF the many millions OF SO called
gods In India. all of whom are counted
worthy of worship. three arc REGARDED
rs specially sacred and form the hin.
doc triad or trinity. They are re
spectively Brahma. Vishnu and silva
OF those Il is stated the second per
son Of the trinity only has been rep
resented on this earth 10y human In.
carnations. Through cne or an OF these
gc'' the Hindoos believe they may oh
tain salvation. Brhna represents tho
way OF salvation by wisdom. Vishnu
10y faith ard silva by works II IS
immaterial which method Is adopted
rs they al lead To the same goal.
Juggernaut Is perhaps the most IN
nous name among all the UinCOo Idols
inasmuch rs his fame has gone forth
into every land. His tcmple Is situat
cd on the sandy shores " Orissa. wash.
cd by the wild waves OF the bay Of
Bengal. The worship OF Juggcrnaui
dates back nearly 1900 years onG
Orissa has been the holy land OF tho
Hindoos from that time tin the present
day.
Sir William Hunter. who was one OF
the greatest authorities on things Fasi
Indian. says in wonderfully graphic
description OF the temple OF Jurger
naut: "On the inhospltahlc sands Of
Puri place Of swamps and inunda
tons. the Uindoo religion and IIindoc
superstltution have stood al bay "a,
eighteen centuries against the world
Here Is the national temple whilhci
the people iiock 90 worship from cyery
province OF India. There IS the gate
OF heaven whittier thousands OF nil.
grims come 40 die. lullcd o. this lasi
sleep by the roar Of the eternal ocean"
Well ! snw on one occasion that
marvellous sight The dragging OF jug.
gernauts car and the ears OF his
brother and sister. The three idols
are inseparable. and ugly thlngs they
are, being nothing but huge logs Of
wood coarscly fashioned into human
shape. bat without arms or legs.
Juggernauts car stands forty-one
feet high and has fourteen enormous
Wheels. The other two cars are lust
llttlc smaller. The great ears have
to be dragged a certain distance-half
a mile or more from the temple-and
the god will not allow horses or Gle.
plants 10 undertake the work. hut
calls upon his faithful worshlncrs 10
do II themselves. Immense ropcs. or.
rather, cables. are attached 10 the ears.
and az the word Of command from the
priests thousands of men and even
women and children rush forward and
seize the ropes and range themselves
In order anu the next moment are
straininS and pulling ut the cumher-
some conveyances, which ut length
move with 4 heavy. crealling noise.
Never shall forget the sight. The
road was filed with tens of thousands
OF loolers-on. all wild with excitement.
and the fanatics who held the ropcs
were dragging the cars along with
frenzied zeal. Every now and then
there would be n stop that the men
might rest, | supposed. hut instead of
resting they took TO Jumping IN the
air and TO whirling themselves around
like dancing dervishes and shouting
at the top Of their breath: 'sVictorvl
Victory 10 Juggernautr'
Once on time infatuated Worship
erS would throw themselves under the
wheels Of the mighty cor that thev
might be crushed TO death. counting /:
a privilege and a Joy thus 10 Perish
Some might do it today if the paternal
British government did not provide
against such catastrophes by taking ali
due precaution.-John ]. Pool. +. II.