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5 February 1906 — Mandalay | |
Monday. 5th [February 1906]. at 6 a.m. Miss Townsend, the sister of the Deputy Commr & who is a friend of Nela’s sent a man with a note to meet us to say she had engaged rooms for us at Salween House a kind of private hotel. Mine host was at the door—a lantern jawed thin man—a Eurasian I think. He came forward & welcomed us—showed us what rooms there were to have & we chose some on the annex in the garden. He ordered our chota hagerie & kept saying “Walk in Lady Layard, be at home Lady Layard order anything you wish for; sit where you please Lady Layard, be at home, be at home Lady Layard”!! Rested & dressed, took a bath & at 11 Nela & I went off in a gherry to call on Miss Townsend & found her at her brother’s bungalow. She very good naturedly offered to take us off at once into the Fort to see the old King’s Palace part of which is now used as a Club by the English– It is highly interesting all of wood great gilt wood columns open to the air—no windows & some of the doors of the partitions inlaid with glass in patterns– The Queen’s apartments are in a house behind—the King’s sleeping house also near by. The great wooden tower known as the Center of the Universe is at present all taken down for repair & will be some time before it is replaced– In one corner is a dark brown wooden tower built by the Queen—who tho’ very cruel seems to have been a remarkable woman. She ruled the King & all the Court—ordered numberless executions & was greatly feared. But she was very brave. It is said that she would not believe that our troops were entering the Fort & to convince herself went to the top of her tower to see– When she saw the British troops close by she had to acknowledge herself vanquished—coming down threw herself on the ground in an agony of tears– Still when the King Thebaw was taken to Rangoon she accompanied him. At the moment he was to embark for his exile to India he flatly refused to move—at which she went up to him & taking him by the hand led him on board saying it was useless to resist– The Palace is not more than abt 30 years old—the gardens must have been charming & still are nice. The Enclosure of the Fort is a square 1½ mile long—with crenellated brick walls—outside wh is a great bank & a wide moat. There are 4 white washed gate entrances & bridges leading to them—close to each is a little whitewashed erection to mark the spot where a man had been buried alive as a sacrifice to propitiate the evil spirits. (Mandalay is most beautifully situated with hills near.) At intervals a watch tower with wooden dark red pagoda shaped roofs vary the monotony of the straight wall. These things reflected in the broad moat, under a brilliant blue sky are very attractive. We returned to the hotel at lunch & at 4 took an open carriage & a guide to go to visit the Pagodas on the E. side first to the 450 Pagodas which are rather neglected. They are in double rows round the centre pagoda with lines of trees planted between each row & are all white washed. Many of the Monasteries near are falling to pieces. The road to the place is very rough. On the opposite side of the square is the remains of the Glass Monastery which not long ago was burnt down—& the blackened pillars still remain with some of the grilling visible. Then our guide took us to another Pagoda where we found a fair going in honor of the burning of a holy man, a Punggi who died a year ago– His coffin, they told us was in a high, gaily decorated catafalque in which he had been moved part of the way by the monks of a monastery– Many monasteries had sent such cars & had drawn the body part of the way. They stood round the enclosure. There were crowds of people keeping holiday, eating, drinking, laughing, joking—all intent on enjoyment & never thinking of the man whose body they are to see cremated tomorrow. Such a funeral was never seen! It seems to be one of the customs of the Burmese that one is never to mourn over a death—& in return for the daily alms the people bestow on the monks, the latter provide all kind of amusements for them on such occasions. Tonight there will be dancing & theatricals & singing kept up till morning. | |
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