 | Lady Layard’s Journal Go to a Date Search the Journal |
|
Previous Entry
|
Following Entry
| |
18 January 1906 — Benares | |
Thursday. 18th [January 1906]. Early in the morning the Baboo Private secy arrived to fetch us—Miss Waldegrave, Nela & I & we drove down to the landing place on the river & embarked on the roof of a kind of house boat to go down the river & to see the wonderful ghats. It is a scene even more wonderful than the Allahabad Mela– The picturesque crowds, washing & bathing the temples, the buildings & the great steps leading down to the river crowded with people in every costume—the holy men with their platforms erected over the river—the burning ghats where we saw 2 bodies being consumed– One evidently that of a woman by the red cloth on it– A woman in white walked round it 3 times with a torch in hand & set fire to the pyre– All this passed before our eyes—& is never to be forgotten. In some places the river has undermined the steps & the buildings wh are half submerged—but no one seems to mind or to think of repairing them. As is the universal custom in this country—people will build new things rather than repair old ones. The young Baboo (the Munshi’s private secy) talked much on the journey—very often bitterly against the British Rule. He had evidently been fed up with Baboo ideas on the new partition of Bengal & other fancied wrongs. I argued gently with him & it was not difficult to refute his theories. He had read much & not digested well– He had been well educated but it had made him bitter against the conqueror of the land & he dwelt on the haughty manner of the Anglo Indian official to the natives—tho’ he had to say that well born people did not use this manner. I calmed him down as well as I could & did not get angry. One of his arguments against England was the cruel injustice with which she also treated Ireland! he was evidently inspired at some of the corrections I made to his wild statements on the subject. I said it was a pity he could not visit England & judge for himself. He said there was nothing to prevent his going there except his lack of means. I said I was sure that with his intelligence & education that would not long be an obstacle. Having begun the conversation in rather an insolent tone of voice, by the time we got to the end of our river trip he had become quite polite & mollified. Poor youth—he had evidently been stuffed with Baboo gossip & vain talk! When we got to the end of the Ghats we landed close to the Munshi’s Industrial Exhibition. It was closed but the keys having been fetched we went in to see it & certainly there was some very good work to be seen especially in brass & pottery. After seeing round it we returned to the Hotel to lunch. On leaving the Baboo I congratulated him on the result of the Exhibn at wh he said “Oh! we have done but little in the 200 years we have been under English sway”! I told him I thought that India had done much & that he was in 2 great a hurry & wanted to run before he could walk– In the afternoon we took a drive in the city first to see the Monkey Temple. We did not go inside being so revolted at the dirt of the whole thing– Many monkeys about in every direction the place unwashed unswept—the smells dreadful—the masses of beggars & cripples—all drove me quickly back to the carriage, in spite of the priests who came to the temple door begging us to enter & offering to put flowers round our necks. I never saw such a filthy place. We drove on to the Golden Temple & had to thread our way along a narrow dirty street till we got into the court outside the temple—outside it we were bidden look thro’ a small hole in the wall & we could see in the twilight a bright fire & the worshippers going in & out to deposit their offerings of flowers, oil, or water– It was too much of a crowd to linger but we were very much interested in what we saw. The great drawback of these Hindu temples is their dirt. It was dark before we got back to the Hotel. | |
|
Previous Entry
|
Following Entry
| |