Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-06-25

/ cutta Some pilgrims make journeys
almost from the source To the mouth,
I being years on the way. just now
| many are coming TO the holy places
| by railroad, and the pilgrimage tranIc
| 10 Benares Is enormous The city is
now filled with pilgrims. In some re-
1 spects the place makes me think OF
camp meeting. great Hindoo watering
place where the people come to rest
their bodies while saving their souls
II is Ia a sense the Ocean Grove ar
Chuutauqua Of Hindustan. The town
mas more than 100000 people. and poor
I and rich visit II from religious motives.
Many OF the rajHhs and princes have
villas here. and the river is walled with
temples. rest houses and boehives ot
humanity belonging % clubs. Thess
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 hathers washing
away their sins.
AMONG THE BATHERS
d. you have any doubt that the Hin.
docs believe their sins ale washed
away 10y the Gdngcs. com, with mr 90
the river We shall take launch and
ride down among the bathers and see
whether their actions prove their belief.
TN' mornings here are c.li ana raw.
w" put Un our oycurouts and SILVER
ms we s't on the deck IL e. the duty
OF the H.udDr yu.shlpor tr take bath
before brc1kfIst The sun a. Just ris-
ms but We tul the stream full Tho
tops ARE crowded With So r.hipers clad
10 the thlnucst or cotton There are
sirlNc.Hd old men ana women wrapped
ln % ingl' breadth OF dirty white stun
standing VHfft deep ln the water and
holding an their long. thin. bonv arms
while with rhatteriuE teeth they mutter
prayers to tHe't gods. NV ana then
I. Il d fH.H
ing ur g1suing and looking colder than
over such bathing for YOU and mo
would mean death ~ may mean death
Coz uiom. but here death is salvation
There are also plump grls and young
men. The nut-brovn skins Of the
maideus shine as water trickles over
them, and their bright eyes Hash at us
as they whisper their prayers They
raise their arms toward heaven. show
Ing gold ana silver bracelets. and some
have gold rings from their wrists to
their elbows and thence To their shout
dcrs some wear gold nose rings, and
others have ear ornaments which hang
10 their shoulders Not few hide
their faces. They may be- high-caste
Hindoo maidens. Women as rule,
do not battle with the men. They are
huddled or in groups by themselves.
They come down in Sarties each carry
ing "a brass Jar TO take hack some water
temples.
As We 90 down the river we see
that the bathers keep on their clothes
as they enter the water, although
these clothes are often no more than a
hreech clout. The Hindoos think II In
decent TO go naked into the Ganges,
and they were very Indignant at some
Englishmen who bathed here not long
ago perfectly nude. They call the river
Mother Ganga and when they step
down into IL speak Of being embraced |
by the goddess.
The woman bathers are usually clad |
In only one garment and this a cotton |
sheet which clngs to their bodies. As |
they leave they turn their backs 70 !
the men and. removing the cloth, wash |
II and themselves while they pray.
They do NOT seem TO care for the eX- !
posture Of anything but their faces and |
n woman may pull tho cloth from her |
bosom 20 cover her eyes. As TO the old !
women. some Of those here have |
planned all their lives Tor this bath in |
the Ganges. Upon the train which |
brought me to BenAUcs were six who |
were AZ least three score and ten. As 1
we stopped az the station these wum- z
en- went out together. each carrying /
a brass not I'm which she expected 10 ]
bring some Ganges water back home.
HOW THE RIVER SAVES THE
DEAD.
As our boat goes onward We pass /
temple after temple on the steps Il =
which sit half naked priests with /
boxes or rcd paint before them, mark
ing the believers with the signs OF the /
gods. 4 little further on We come i
to a break In the buildings. There rs I
a gully I'm the heart Of the city lined I
with what looks like bonfres or camp
fires. Now we are nearer and can see
that the wood Of each fire has been \
piled up in "a square. and on the top OF
each pile Is a corpse. Those are the
bodies Of the dead who are being
burned on the banks Of the Gangcs,
that their ashes may float out upon
It's waters. and their souls go straight
to heaven. ] have seen cremation iu
many lands but nothing like this. The /
bodies are burned right out In the
open, and the nearest relative Of the
dead lights the fire The wood is usu-
ally arranged by Doms a certain caste