Travels in the Far East Part 7

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Shwe Dagon PaG.o.da at Rangoon_]

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Entrance gateway, Shwe Dagon PaG.o.da_]

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Chapels on platform around Shwe Dagon, Rangoon_]

The chapels are decorated with screens of fine wood carving. The coloring is also very striking, the outside being of vermilion and gold, the inside of green, gold, and purple.

Hundreds of Buddhas of various sizes are seen in all directions, sitting, standing, and reclining; and on the outer edge of the platform are small paG.o.das, each with its ti, or umbrella, and also holding its usual offerings of fruit, flowers, or small gifts. Seen at twilight and as the candles are being lighted, it is almost bewildering, even uncanny, as I found one evening when there alone with my guide, the renowned Abraham, who, even though a rigid Mohammedan, a.s.sumed a devout att.i.tude.

Another prominent paG.o.da is the gilded Sule. This is situated quite in the heart of things, near the Strand, and is graceful in proportions.

The platform also contains many interesting shrines. A fine distant view of the Sule is obtained from Hytche Square.

There are many monasteries (virtually schools for boys), the finest being at a suburb called Kemmendine, which is also a centre for the manufacture of kalagas, or blankets, usually red with figures in applique. We enjoyed several pleasant drives while in Rangoon, the favorite one being to Royal Lake and through Dalhousie Park; if taken in the late afternoon, one will see a gayly dressed, fas.h.i.+onable throng, either driving or walking. I had met Mr. and Mrs. W.T. Graham of the Burma Civil Service on the steamer from Port Sad to Bombay, and I was indebted to them for two drives,--one to their country home, which was an attractive two-storied bungalow with galleries and low windows above and below, quite unlike the thatched houses seen in Upper Burma. There were contrasts in the general dress and appearance of the natives; pink was, however, still the prevailing color in the sarongs, sashes, and jackets of the women, and the long hair of the men was the custom. The intermarriage between Burmese women and Chinamen was said to be very frequent, some of the women preferring the hard-working executive Chinamen to the indolent Burmese. And, according to the opinion of a gentleman I met later, who had made a study of the subject, the intermarriage of the ever-prevalent Chinamen with races of the Orient, where caste does not prevent, is in time going to work a great racial revolution.

One morning we rose at 5 A.M. for an early excursion to see elephants haul teak from the river-bank to higher ground, where the logs would dry before transference to the sawmills. We went at this time so as to avoid the heat, and also because the elephants rest after 11 A.M. The ill.u.s.tration will show the process, but it was an amusing sight to see five ponderous animals moving slowly along, propelling the logs with their trunks, and ever and anon trumpeting; not being versed in elephant expression, I was left in doubt as to whether the sound meant joy or sorrow. We visited another similar scene near a large sawmill which we explored under the leaders.h.i.+p of the manager.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Elephants carrying logs at Rangoon_]

[Ill.u.s.tration: _The Gilded Sule as seen from Hytche Square_]

A trip to a rice-mill had been spoken of, but, not having breakfasted, we preferred to return to the hotel. Tea and toast were served at rising, if one desired it, during our entire "Tour." Another novel excursion was a long drive to some half-ruined Buddhist temples, a monastery, and buildings a.s.signed to the peculiar rites which precede the cremation of a Buddhist priest; two bodies were seen in curious-looking receptacles, awaiting the culmination of events.

We were disappointed in not seeing a "ceremony," but were told to come in the evening and witness a temple dance, and, I believe, also a semi-dramatic ceremony. Some of the party did so, but I remained in the hotel to write letters, as we were to leave the following morning.

I have alluded to Abraham, our guide in Burma, as a devout Mohammedan, but he had numerous characteristics which rather caused distrust, one of them being his extreme deference to the ladies of the party, when according to the tenets of his religion we were all "fiends incarnate"; the other was his apparent abject acceptance of all Buddhist ceremonies, which we knew at heart he detested. However, "guides" became a prolific study, as time went on.

The weather had been hot in Rangoon; so, in spite of our pleasant Burman experiences and the joyousness of things in general, we hailed the steamer voyage as affording some measure of relief. We sailed at 7 A.M.

on January 17th, on the steamer _Palmicotta_, for a voyage of four days to Madras. As usual, nothing occurred to mar the even tenor of our way; the s.h.i.+p was comfortable, the pa.s.sengers affable, and the sea on good behavior.

MADRAS, _January 21st_: We arrived at Madras early on the morning of January 21st. The view of the city from the pier was disappointing, but the drive of about two miles to the Hotel Connemara showed much natural beauty, the trees in particular being very fine. Hot weather met us at Madras, but as it is a city of magnificent distances, driving was a necessity, and hence less exertion was required. In the park and at the Botanical Gardens we saw more natural beauty and took the long drive to the sea front, where the fas.h.i.+onable people of the city of Marina go in large numbers, and which leads past fine munic.i.p.al buildings, the college, and other places of importance. St. George's Church is pleasing, with its quota of memorial statues, and the close is very attractive, reminding one of England. The drive through the native quarter, called Black Town, presented unusual features. The fort and parks were visited, as were also some rather attractive bazars. The museum is interesting from an historical standpoint and has many statues and bas-reliefs, some relating to Prince Gautama and some to Hindu G.o.ds; there are also relics of saints. It is particularly rich in specimens of armor and jewelled swords.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _General view of Madras_]

Madras seems quite as unlike the cities of Northern India as does Rangoon, and comparatively few of the thousands of tourists who frequent Northern India ever visit Southern India, a great distinction between the two being made. It is, however, conveniently near the great Seven PaG.o.das, which we did not visit, and is the gateway to the famous Dravidian temples which presented much interest.

We left early in the afternoon in order to visit Tanjore, Trichinopoly, and Madura, and for two days sleeping-cars were to be our home. There are no hotels in these cities, the wonderful temples serving as a subst.i.tute, while the English railway restaurant afforded us a certain amount of sustenance. The ride to Tanjore was through a lovely country with beautiful palms, groves of vari-hued trees, and occasionally a tangle of vines.

TANJORE: On our arrival at Tanjore in the afternoon we went directly to the forts which enclose the temple, palace, and gopuras. The temple is in the little fort. The gopuras claim first attention. They are really gateways, a feature peculiar to Southern India. They were intended as a fortification to protect the temples from foreign invaders, and are imposing in size and structure--towering up (some nine stories high) course after course, and literally covered with carvings of animals and G.o.ds, all colored in red and gold. We pa.s.sed through a gopura ninety feet high, next through a pa.s.sage one hundred and seventy feet long, then through a small gopura, when we arrived at the large outer enclosure of the temple, four hundred and fifty by eight hundred feet.

This is further surrounded by cloisters and open to outsiders, who are not, however, permitted to enter the great temple of the adjacent halls.

But even at a distance we could admire their barbaric splendor.

We were also entertained by the gorgeous temple peac.o.c.k (considered sacred), of enormous size, which, with outstretched tail, posed for us with as much evident vanity as a coquettish girl. There are smaller shrines and temples distributed about the great enclosure, and in one temple is an immense bronze bull. The tower of the great temple is only thirty-eight feet lower than the Kutub Minar described in "Old Delhi."

In the northwest corner of the enclosure is an exquisite small temple called Siva Manya and dedicated to the son of Siva. It has a tower fifty feet high and a base forty feet square, adorned with pillars, and these are continued along another cloister, fifty feet long. Mr. Ferguson writes: "It is as exquisite a piece of decorative architecture as is to be found in Southern India." The great fort seems like a continuation of the small one, and in it are situated the palace and Schwartz Church.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _The Great Subrahmanya Temple at Tanjore_]

The palace of the Princess of Tanjore is an immense structure and was built about 1550 A.D. It has no merit architecturally, but possesses certain features of interest; one of these is a large Durbar room which contains bas-reliefs on the wall, and a platform of black granite, on which stands a white marble statue by Flaxman of Raja Shah Foji, who was a pupil of Flaxman and who was next to the last Raja. There are also to be found here portraits of the various members of the royal family and a bust of Lord Nelson. In addition, we came across an unusual library for India, dating from the end of the sixteenth century, and containing eighteen thousand Sanskrit ma.n.u.scripts, one half of them written on palm leaves. Our English guide showed us a portion of the palace occupied by two ladies, relatives of the last Raja, this being a courtesy extended to them by the English Government and which ceases with their death.

The Schwartz Church dates from 1770 A.D., and the aged missionary is immortalized in a monument designed by Flaxman, which contains eight figures beside the reclining one.

The Tanjore and Trichinopoly districts were the scene of the earliest work of the Protestant missionaries in India, and the Roman Catholic missionaries antedated them by half a century. Churches of these faiths are scattered through this and the adjoining districts. We had a late luncheon in the restaurant of the railway station and then repaired to the train. I have great dislike for a sleeping-car, so it can be imagined that the visit to the Dravidian temples was made under difficulties. We proceeded to Trichinopoly, arriving there early and having a long day before us.

TRICHINOPOLY: Trichinopoly, like Tanjore, has a history full of vicissitudes, in which the French and that picturesque figure, Lord Clive, appear. The temple of Sri Ranngam is situated a mile from the bridge and three miles from the fort, the entrance being through a gopura forty-eight feet high; the sides of this pa.s.sage, one hundred feet long and forty-three feet high, are richly ornamented. The monoliths which serve as pillars are forty feet high, and every detail is on a gigantic scale; this is the largest Hindu temple in India. The outer enclosure alone is twenty-four hundred and seventy-five by twenty-eight hundred and eighty feet, and has its elephant, but it wears a commercial aspect (being filled with bazars) which detracts from the dignity of the scene. As we penetrated to the interior temple, the buildings diminished in size and importance; the gopuras, however, are imposing (there are nine in all), with their profuse decoration, all being painted and all varying in size.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Fort Rock, Trichinopoly_]

In the court around the central enclosure is a hall of about one thousand pillars; these are of granite, eighteen feet in height. On one side the pillars represent men astride rearing horses, the horses' feet being supported by the s.h.i.+elds of men on foot beside them. This temple was built about 700 B.C. The tanks are of interest in Trichinopoly, but less so than in Madura.

The great rock is the most noticeable feature, tunnelled out of which is a circular staircase with a gateway leading to interior temples, and on the sides of this pa.s.sage are pillars with peculiar capitals which seem to indicate Jain origin. The way upward was dimly lighted, and all manner of accidents seemed possible. In fact, there was a very serious accident in 1849, when five hundred persons were killed. At one landing there was a school of small boys; at another, there were groups of wors.h.i.+ppers making their descent; turning to the left, we saw a small temple of Siva. In the dim light everything seemed weird and unreal. The view from the top of the rock was far-reaching, gopuras and temples gleaming through the green foliage. There were sacred elephants here, as at Tanjore, standing in the usual receptive att.i.tude; for them small coins were more acceptable than food, showing how adroitly they had been trained.

MADURA: Another very early arrival at Madura, and the programme of the day before was repeated. Although Madura is a large place, the temples, gopuras, and palaces are the chief attraction. The famous Palace of Tirumala Nayak is splendid in its appointments, having large, airy halls and audience rooms (similar to the Diwan-i-Khas of Delhi and Agra) with richly decorated ceilings, and the bedchamber is resplendent with carving and gilding. There is a fine view from the roof of the great temple. The nine gopuras are tall, ma.s.sive, and barbaric in their decorations, which consist of horses, lions, elephants, G.o.ds and G.o.ddesses. The great shrines of Siva and his consort are almost interminable in their extent, and there is a long vestibule or hall divided into aisles by carved columns. This formed a reception room for the King in early times, a great contrast to the present scene of tumultuous venders with almost every variety of goods, who are more noisy than their brothers of North India.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _The Golden Lily Tank, Madura_]

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Entrance to the Madura Temple_]

Within the temple there are many shrines and many Tamil wors.h.i.+ppers; high-caste Brahmans are also there to minister to the supposed wants of the higher G.o.ds. Galleries led us out to still other shrines, where are installed additional images of G.o.ds, who on fete days are carried about in gold and silver chariots of untold value. All the most beautiful portions of the temple as it now stands were built by Tirumala Nayak, the great Madura ruler of modern times, who ascended the throne in 1623 and reigned thirty-six years.

One of the quadrangles opens out on a tank. An arcade runs around the tank, and the walls are painted with representations of the most famous paG.o.das in India. On the north side is the belfry--strange to relate, an American bell hangs therein. Here too is the Hall of a Thousand Pillars, and this is even more remarkable than the same-named hall at Trichinopoly, on account of the marvellous beauty of the construction.

Near the hall is the great gopura, and opposite this is the new gallery, of a magnificent plan but unfinished, known as Tirumala's Choultrie.

There is so much of interest and detail connected with all of these Dravidian temples that one should plan to have more time to devote to them. The cursory examination we were afforded measures the disadvantage of an itinerary. We left after luncheon for Tuticorin, and arrived there at 5 P.M.

TUTICORIN: Tuticorin, on the Gulf of Manaar, is the port of departure for Colombo, Ceylon. We had only a hurried glimpse of the city, showing white buildings, white sand, and the blackest natives we had yet seen.

We inferred they were Tamils. A pleasant night on the steamer followed.

COLOMBO, _January 25th_: The morning of January 25th saw our approach to the fine harbor of Colombo, and we felt that at last our dream of viewing the beautiful island of Ceylon was to be realized. Our first impression was received at the landing jetty, where it seemed as if every nationality had its representative, so varied was the appearance of the natives,--the Laskas from the Malay Peninsula, the Hindus from India, as well as Tamil coolies, Arabs from Aden, Buddhist priests, and Mohammedans. We found excitement on our arrival at the hotel, owing to the expected appearance of the ex-Empress Eugenie and her suite, as well as Sir Thomas Lipton and numerous other notable guests.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Street scene in Colombo_]

The ride to the hotel, located on the sea, had shown us unusual luxuriance of vegetation and wonderful trees both in fruit and in blossom. This fact was emphasized by a long afternoon drive, beginning in the native quarter with its attendant bazars and ending with a long country tour for at least an hour through a forest of palms of many varieties, the tall talipot towering high--higher even than the fruit-laden cocoanut palm,--while bread-fruit trees, jack-fruit trees, and bananas made a pleasing variety. A little diversion occurred when a boy climbed a tall cocoanut palm, procuring a fine specimen, and opened it for us to try. We pa.s.sed the Victoria Bridge, which took the place of the bridge of boats, returning to our hotel by a way that revealed still more tropical wonders. The fine Galle Face Hotel, with its sense of s.p.a.ciousness and restful ease, the illuminated grounds, the band, and the dash of the waves caused that first Sat.u.r.day evening to seem almost perfection; one and all felt willing to linger on indefinitely, but, alas, the iron-clad itinerary must be met, and a week in the mountains was to follow!

Colombo is a fine place in which to study types, and nothing is more peculiar than the Cingalese man, with his long hair braided in a knot at his neck, with the broad sh.e.l.l comb resting on his crown; on State occasions the chief waiters at the hotel appear in an exceedingly high head piece perched above their customary sh.e.l.l ornament, which they told us was the style of a hundred years ago.

The jinrikisha man here is the first person to gain your attention; so winning are his ways and so rapid his pace that he is justly popular for a short spin to the very interesting shopping district, where almost everything may be found, the jewels holding the interest of the stranger above all else. But, alas, the pearl, Ceylon's home product, is to be had only at fabulous prices and not then in its perfection. We had heard of the lure of the pearl in the Gulf of Manaar (separating Ceylon from India), and of all the fairy-tale adventures involved in the search for it, and so we were disappointed in our failure to see perfect specimens.

The heat in Colombo was not oppressive, but, as in other places, there are flying punkahs and electric appliances for cooling the air; then there are fans in one's room to use at will, for these Easterners like comfort and secure it at whatever cost, and the denizens of the West soon fall into their ways, even adopting the English custom of four o'clock tea. The s.p.a.cious entrance hall at the Galle Face Hotel presented an animated appearance, with beautifully gowned ladies, and their attendants, seated around little tables sipping tea and consuming fruit-cake and sandwiches.