Omaha daily bee., 1910-06-26

SOilAASNlcu WIN lnls NeHplb 10 COuFN-
yard containing well the water OF which
Is so holy that he who drinks 1t will go UP
to heaven. The water is ladled out by
priests to the pilgrims who throw flowers
and other things down into the well as
their offerings. These rot and make the
contents filthy and putrid. 1t smells like
bad eggs, but 1t Is bought by the cupfu
and gulped down with the lips smacking
When the Mohammedans once tried to take
Benares 1t Is said that one of the stone
gods Of the Brahmins jumped into this well.
With the Sacred Bulls.
Not far from the Golden temple is the
Cow temple filled with animals holy to
SILVA This is more like a stable than
church Imagine a court the size of the
ordinary barnyard with a band stand in
the center Let the court be walled around
with great stalls, in which a hundred
sacred bulls stand. They are white and
dove-colored and as clean-limbed as Jer-
sey They have great humps on their
backs, and their ears hang down like
those OF rabbit They are as fat as
butter, and fatter by far than the lean
pilgrims, who honey about them giving
them. food Here and there through the
court yard a bull or COW moves munching
flow ers and grass handed to It by the pill
grims. saw one go up the steps to the
altar in front of the god and bite at a
wreath Of flowers upon a worshlper's neck.
The Hindoo thought this a favor of the
gods and he brought Ganges water and
gave It to the bull.
saw one pretty girl huEginR q bull She
was slender brown maiden, whose form,
worthy to be model for Venus, was clad
IN a single strip of dark navy blue cotton.
She had a red cashmere shawl around her
her head, which hid all but the great black
eyes Her hands and arms we're bare, and
In the former she held a garland of bright
yellow flowers, one yard In length. She
brought this to the biggest and most beau
tiful bull in the stables, and chanted a
prayer as she handed It to him. The dove
colored beast ate the flowers, and as he
did so she throw her arms Ground his neck
and gave him a hug. 1t made me think of
Apis, the bull Of Memphis, who was wor-
SHIPPED by the Egyptians, and also the fair
10, whom Juno turned into a COW because
of the fiirtations of Jupiter.
These sacred cows and bulls are to be
seen everywhere. They are bovine gentle
men and ladies of leisure who go about
staring into the shops and crowding human
beings out of the way, Now and then they
visit fruit stand or vegetable sellers and
take bite of such food as they fancy.
The people do not strike them or il-treat
them In any way, They will not eat beef
and to slaughter cattle would not only lose
them their caste In this world, but doom
them to punishment for all time to come
outside the Golden temple stood men ped
ding flowers for the bulls, and also neck
laces, anklets and other jewelry for women
and men. There were a score OF beEgars
and the lame. halt and blind were jostled
by the bulls and cows One poor fellow
all skin and bones and naked except for q
breechcloth, had lost his arms at the BIZ
oeps, and he wagged the red stumps at me
as he nodded his head to the brass plate
on his knee. He was delighted with the
one-fourth OF cent which 1 gave him.
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On the Holy GanEea.
Eenares Is holy largely because II lies on
the Gauges. That river is more 10 the In
dian than the Jordan is to the Christian
II Hindoo prays within 100 miles OF its
banks that prayer will wipe out the sins OF
three past generations and II he has his
head shaved he will have 100000 years in
Paradise for every hair that floats off on
the stream. Bathing in the Ganges washes
off sin, and this lie so from it's source.
where the river flows out OF the toe OF the
Vishnu. high up in the Himalayas. to
where II empties at last in the Bay OF Ben
gal There are hundreds OF places along
the Gauges which are especially holy. Two
hundred thousand pilgrims annually visit
the mouth Of the river, and 1 saw thou
sands bathing in II at Calcutta. Some nil
grims make journeys almost from the
source to the mouth, being years on the
way Just now many are coming to the
holy places by railroad. and the pilgrimage
traffic to Bsnares Is enormous The city
Is now filled with pilgrims. In some re-
speots the place makes me think OF a camp
meeting, a great Hindoo watering place
where the people come TO rest their bodies
while saving their souls. 1t is In a sense
the Ocean Grove or Chautauqua OF Hin
dustAn. The town has more than 900 900
people, and poor and rich visit II from
religious motives. Many OF the rajahs and
princes have villas here. and the river is
walled with temples. rest houses and bee
hives OF humanity belonging to clubs.
These buildings wall the river for three
miles. and they have steps going down
under the water far out into the stream
which are filled with bathers washing away
their sins.
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Among the Bathers.
II you have any doubt that the Hindooa
believe their sins are washed away by The