The Monmouth inquirer., 1926-01-14
fr1-~~ared by the National Geographic So
''etv WASHINGTON D O.

THE India of the Hindus suffered
a rude remaking when Moham-
medan invaders poured through
the Himalaya passes some nine
centuries ago Many of the Hindus
were conquered, but others daring
anything to escape barbarians, re-
treated from their fertile plains to a
wild country less tempting to the foe
mems greed, Dordered on the north
west by the waterIess sands Of the
Great Indian desert.
" hoover has travelled in the Ber-
nese overland of Switzerland needs no
description of the AraValli hills Of
Rajputana, WHITTIER among the noun
tain Businesses and ravines, spanned
by natural ramparts, the remnants of
the SO races retired to escape the
hated invaders. Still possessed of vast
hidden wealth and resources, they es-
tablished the different states of Raj
putana or Rajasthan, the Land Of
Princes" raj meaning royal and than
dwelling.
Rajputana may be said to be the
heart of India, first because it occu-
pies the central area, and again by
reason of its being the exclusive terri
tory of the Rajputs, the proud sur
vivors of the old stock and flower Of
the Indo-Aryan race OF the various
states ruled by native chiefs and
princes, Mewar is known as Udaipur !;
Marwar as Jodhpur Amber as Jaipur.
Others are Bundi, Jaisalmer and Ko-
tab, with more of lesser importance,
Mewar, though the most important
of the Rajputana states, is the least
known to European travellers Yet 1t
contains some OF the chief wonders Of
India. The white marble lake-palaces
of Udaipur are unsurpassed. The
sculptured ruins of its old capital city
of Chitor, covering the top Of a sheer
rock ridge, four miles long and four
hundred feet high. shaped like mon
ster dreadnaught are unlike any 9TH
ers in land where interesting ruins
are common.
Mewars One Rail Line.
Locked away in the Aravalli hills
are marble palaces, temples and for
tresses set on their topmost peaks,
with two artificial lakes held by great
dams of pure white marble, which very
few men and only two European wom-
en-, according to local tradition, have
ever seen.
You can travel from Bombay to
Delhi without change, skirting the
borders of Rajputana, but If you
glance at a map you will notice that
there is only one railroad in the state
of Mewar 1t is a single track, mar
row-gauge line which branches off the
main line at Chitor and runs to Udai-
pur, distance of SO miles. Apart
from these two places, Mewar is in
accessible to travellers, except through
the courtesy Of the maharana of Udai-
pur.
Each year his highness makes trip
into the Aravallis to worship at the
shrine of his ancestors, at Eklingi, and
for the shikar, or shooting. accompa-
MED by an encourage including bull
Iock-carts and camels carrying tents
and provisions, small army of ser
wants, and courtiers riding elephants,
and the celebrated Arabian horses of
Kathiawar, with mouths that can
drink out of a teacup."
One of the first interesting stops on
these journeys Is Jai Samad (the Sea
OF Victory, or Dhebar lake, an arti-
fetal body of water 80 miles In cir
conference, with innumerable lagoons
winding among low-lying mountains
This lake has been slowly filing and
extending for two and half cen
turtles ever since Jai Singh, the Raj
put king who built the pink City" Of
Jaipur. imprisoned a mountain stream
behind a colossal dam over 1000 feet
long. with flights of white marble
steps extending the entire length to
the waters edge Along the top are
fairylike pavilions, with temple and
summer house at each end. On jutting
buttresses six half-sized marble ele-
plants, with ceremonial! trappings
stand with raised trunks, as II trum-
peting to the rising sun. On a height
of 700 feet overlooking the lake, Jai
singh set up a three-storied marble
palace surrounded by open-arched pa
vilions.
on the crest of another mountain.
situated where 1t cannot be photo
graphed and accessible only on an ele-
plant or on horseback. by winding
corkscrew road. is another three
storied white marble structure, that