menu_book Chapter 22

22. Allahabad, Agra and Delhi, Part 1 Allahabad, Konnipur, Agra, the mausoleum of Sultan Akbar, Taj Mahal, the ruined town of Fatipur Sikri, Delhi, the main street, public processions, the emperor's palace, palaces and mosques, old Delhi, remarkable ruins, the English military station. From Benares, Mr. Law and myself travelled in a post dock to Allahabad. The distance, which amounts to 76 miles,

occupies about 12 or 13 hours. We left the sacred town on 7 January 1848 at 6 o'clock in the evening and early in the morning found ourselves already near Allahabad at a long bridge of boats which here crosses the Ganges. We left the post dock and were carried in pelicans to the hotel about a mile further on. When we arrived there, we found it so occupied by some officers of a regiment on the march that my travelling companion was received only upon condition that he would content himself

with a place in the public room. In these circumstances, nothing remained for me but to make use of my letter of introduction to Dr. Angus. My arrival placed the good old gentleman in no little embarrassment. His house was already filled with travellers. His sister, Mrs. Spencer, however, with great kindness, at once offered me half of her own sleeping apartment. Allahabad has 25,000 inhabitants. It lies partly upon the Jamuna, Dachamuna, partly on the Ganges.

It is not one of the largest and handsomest, although it is one of the sacred towns and is visited by many pilgrims. The Europeans reside in handsome garden houses outside the town. Among the objects of interest, the fortress with the palace is the most remarkable. It was built during the reign of the Sultan Akbar. It is situated at the junction of the Jamuna with the Ganges. The fortress has been much strengthened with new works by the English. It serves now as

the principal depot of arms in British India. The palace is a rather ordinary building. Only a few of the saloons are remarkable for their interior division. There are some which are intersected by three rows of columns forming three adjoining arcades. In others, a few steps lead into small apartments which are situated in the saloon itself and resemble large private boxes and theatres. The palace is now employed as an armory. It contains complete arms for 40,000 men

and there is also a quantity of heavy ordnance. In one of the courts stands a metal column 36 feet high called Firoz Shah's Lat, which is very well preserved, is covered with inscriptions and is surmounted by a lion. A second curiosity in the fort is a small unimportant temple, now much dilapidated, which is considered as very sacred by the Hindus. To their great sorrow, they are not allowed to visit it as the fort is not open to them. One of the officers told me that, a short

time since, a very rich Hindu made a pilgrimage here and offered the commandant of the fortress 20,000 rupees, 2,000 pounds, to allow him to make his devotions in this temple. The commandant could not permit it. This fortress also has its tradition. When the Sultan Akbar commenced building it, every wall immediately fell in and Oracle said that he would not succeed in its erection before a man voluntarily offered himself as a sacrifice. Such an one presented himself and made only one

condition that the fortress and town should bear his name. The man was called Brog and the town is, even at this time, more frequently called Brog by the Hindus than Allahabad. In memory of the heroic man, a temple was erected near the fortress, underground, where he is interred. Many pilgrims come here annually. The temple is quite dark. Lights or torches must be used on entering it. It resembles, on the whole, a large, handsome cellar, the roof of which rests upon a

number of plain columns. The walls are full of niches, which are occupied by idols and figures of deities. A leafless tree is shown as a great curiosity, which grew in the temple and made its way through the stone roof. I also visited a fine large garden in which stood four Mohammedan mausoleums. The largest contains the sacro-fegus of white marble, which is surrounded by wooden galleries, extremely richly and handsomely decorated with mother of pearl. Here rests the

Sultan Khosru, son of Jahan Puyra. Two smaller sacrafagi contain children of the Sultan. The walls are painted with stiff flowers and miserable trees, between which are some inscriptions. One part of the wall is covered with a small curtain. The guide pushed it with great devotion on one side and showed me the impression of a colossal open hand. He told me that a great-great uncle of Mohammed once came here to pray. He was powerful, large and clumsy.

When raising himself up, he stumbled against the wall and left the impression of his sacred hand. These four monuments are said to be upwards of 250 years old. They are constructed of large blocks of stone and richly decorated with arabesques, friezes, reliefs, etc. The sepulcher of Khosru and the impression of the hand are much venerated by the Mohammedans. The garden afforded me more pleasure than the monuments, especially on account of the

enormous tamarind trees. I thought that I had seen the largest in Brazil, but the ground or perhaps the climate here appears more favorable to this species of trees. Not only is the garden full of such magnificent specimens, but there are beautiful avenues of them around the town. The tamarinds of Allahabad are even mentioned in geographical works. On one side of the lofty wall which surrounds the garden, two caravanseries are built, which are

remarkable for their beautiful high portals, their size and convenient arrangement. They presented an uncommonly lively appearance, containing people in all costumes, horses, oxen, camels, and elephants, and a large quantity of wares in chests, bales, and sacks. 10th January About 3 in the afternoon, we left Allahabad and continued our journey in a post-dock as far as Agra with some short stoppages. The distance is nearly 300 miles. In 22 hours,

we reached Kaunipur, 150 miles, on the Ganges, a town which is remarkable for its English settlement. The journey so far offered little change, an uninterrupted, richly cultivated plain and an unfrequented road, with the exception of a few companies of military where it did not meet a single traveler. A party of military on the march in India resembles a small emigration company, and after seeing one, it is easy to form an idea of the enormous trains of the

Persian and other Asiatic armies. The greater part of the native soldiers are married, as well as the officers, Europeans. Therefore, when the regiment marches, there are nearly as many women and children as soldiers. The women and children ride two or three together on horses or oxen, or sit upon cars, or go on foot with bundles on their backs. They have all their effects packed upon cars, and drive their goats and cows before them.

The officers follow with their families in European carriages, palanquins, or on horseback. Their tents, house furniture, etc., are packed upon camels and elephants, which generally bring up the rear. The camp is pitched on both sides of the road, on one side are the people, and on the other the animals. Karnipur is a strong military station with four handsome barracks. There is also an important

missionary society. The town possesses some handsome schools and private buildings, and a Christian church in pure Gothic style. 12th January Towards noon, we reached the small village of Beura. Here we found a bungalow, that is, a small house with two or four rooms barely furnished with the most necessary and plainest furniture. These bungalows stand upon the post roads and supply the place of hotels.

They are built by government. One person pays one rupee, two shillings a day for a small room, a family two rupees. The payment is the same in most bungalows, if the travelers remain 24 hours, or only half an hour. It is only in a few that it is considered enough to pay half the price for staying a short time. At each bungalow, a native is placed as superintendent who waits on the travelers, cooks for them, etc. The control is carried out by means of a book,

in which each traveler writes his name. If there are no travelers, a person may remain as long as he chooses. When the contrary happens, he cannot stay more than 24 hours. The villages which lie on the road are small and appear very miserable and poor. They are surrounded by high mud walls, which give them the appearance of a fortification. After we had traveled three nights and two days and a half, we reached Agra on the 13th of January,

the former residence of the great Mughal of India. The suburbs of Agra resemble, in poverty, the miserable villages before mentioned. They are composed of high walls of earth, within which are small dilapidated huts and barracks. A change was at once apparent when we had passed through a stately gateway. We then suddenly found ourselves in a large open square, surrounded by walls, from which four lofty gates led to the town, the fortress, and the suburbs.

Agra, like most Indian towns, has no inn. A German missionary received me kindly, and in addition to his hospitality, was obliging enough to show me personally whatever there was of interest in the town and neighborhood. Our first visit was to the beautiful mausoleum of the Sultan Akbar at Sekundra, four miles from Agra. The porch which leads into the garden is a masterpiece. I stood before it for a long time,

amazed. The enormous building is raised upon a stone terrace, which is approached by broad steps. The gate is lofty and is surmounted by an imposing dome. At the four corners are minarets of white marble, three stories high. Unfortunately, their upper parts are already somewhat dilapidated. On the front of the gate are the remains of a stone trellis work. The mausoleum stands in the center of the garden. It is a square building, four stories in height, each becoming narrower

at the top like a pyramid. The first sight of this monument is not very attractive, for the beauty of the gateway eclipses it. However, it improves on a more detailed examination. The bottom story is surrounded by fine arcades. The rooms are plain, the walls covered with a brilliant white cement intended as a substitute for marble. Several Sacrafagi stand inside. The second story consists of a large terrace, which covers the whole extent of the lower one,

and its center is an open, airy apartment with a light arched roof supported by columns. Several small kiosks at the corners and sides of the terrace give to the whole a somewhat bizarre, though tasty appearance. The pretty domes of the kiosks must formerly have been very rich and splendid, for on many there are still to be seen beautiful remains of colored glazed tiles and inlaid marble work. The third story resembles the second. The fourth and highest is the most

handsome. It is constructed entirely of white marble, while the three lower ones are only of red sandstone. Broad roofed arcades, whose exterior marble latticework is inimitably executed, form an open square over which the most beautiful roof, the blue sky, spreads. Here stands the Sacrofigus, which contains the bones of the Sultan. On the arches of the arcades, texts from the Quran are inlaid in characters of black marble.

I believe this is the only Mohammedan monument in which the Sacrofigus is placed at the top of the building in an uncovered space. The palace of the Mongolian Sultan stands in the citadel. It is said to be one of the most remarkable buildings of Mongolian architecture. Many of the more recent Indian towns were built by the Mongolians, or were so much altered by them that they altogether lost their original character.

India was conquered by the Mongolians as early as the 10th century. The fortifications are nearly two miles in extent and consist of double and treble walls, the outer one of which is said to be 75 feet high. The interior is divided into three principal courts. In the first live the guards, in the second the officers and higher authorities, in the third, which occupies the side towards the Jamuna, stands the palace, the baths, the harem,

and several gardens. In this court everything is made of marble. The walls of the rooms in the palaces are covered with such stones as ajates, onyxes, jasper, cornelian, lapis lazuli, etc., inlaid in mosaic work representing flowers, birds, arabesques, and other figures. Two rooms without windows are exclusively destined to show the effects of illumination. The walls and the arched roof are covered with mica slate and small silvered frames. Fountains splash over glass walls,

behind which lights can be arranged, and jets of water are thrown up in the center of the room. Even without lights, it glittered and sparkled most marvelously. What must be the effect when innumerable lamps throw back their rays a thousandfold? Such a sight enables one easily to understand the imaginative descriptions of the eastern tales of a thousand and one nights. Such palaces and rooms may be truly considered works of magic. Near the palace stands a small

mosque, which is also entirely constructed of white marble, richly and artistically furnished with arabesques, reliefs, etc. Before leaving the fortress, I was led to a deep underground vault, the former scene of numerous secret executions. How much innocent blood may have been shed there! The Jamuna mosque, which the erudite affirmed to surpass that of Solomon's in Constantinople, stands outside the fortress upon a high terrace near the river. It is of red sandstone,

has the same wonderful domes, and was built by the Sultan Akbar. In the arches are to be seen remains of rich paintings in light and dark blue, intermixed with gilding. It is to be regretted that this mosque is in a rather dilapidated condition, but it is hoped, however, that it will soon be completely restored as the English government have already commenced repairing it. From the mosque we return again to the town,

which is for the most part surrounded by rubbish. The principal street, Sander, is broad and cleanly paved in the middle with square stones and at the sides with bricks. At both extremities of the street stand majestic gateways. The houses of the town, from one to four stories high, are almost entirely of red sandstone. Most of them are small, but many are surrounded by columns, pillars, and galleries. Several are distinguished by their handsome porches. The streets are narrow, crooked,

and ugly. The bazaars unimportant. In India, as well as in the East, the more costly wares must be sought in the interior of the houses. The population of this town is said to have amounted formerly to 800,000, and is now scarcely 60,000. The whole environs are full of ruins. Those who built can procure the materials and the mere cost of gathering them from the ground. Many Europeans inhabit half-ruinous buildings, which at a small expense they convert into pretty palaces.

Agra is the principal seat of two missionary societies, a Catholic and a Protestant. Here, as in Benares, they educate the offspring of the children they picked up in 1831. A little girl was pointed out to me that had recently been bought of a poor woman for two rupees, four shillings. At the head of the Catholic mission is the bishop. The present one, Mr. Porgy, is the founder of a tastefully built church. In no similar establishment did I ever

see so much order, or find the natives so well behaved as here. On Sundays after prayers, they amuse themselves with decorous and lively games. While in the Protestant establishments, after having worked all the week, they are compelled to pray all day long, and their greatest amusement consists in being allowed to sit for a few hours gravely before the house doors. A person who passed a Sunday in this country among strict Protestants would

imagine that God had forbidden the most innocent amusements. These two religious societies, unfortunately, are not on very amicable terms, and censure and persecute every slight irregularity on the part of each other by this means not setting the natives living around them a very good example. My last visit was to the magnificent treasure of Agra, and indeed of all India, the famous Taj Mahal. I had read somewhere that this monument ought to be visited last,

as the others would not be admired at all after seeing this. Captain Elliot says, It is difficult to give a description of this monument. The architecture is full of strength and elegance. The Taj Mahal was erected by the Sultan Jeho in memory of his favourite Muntaza Zimani. Its building is said to have cost 750,000 pounds. Properly speaking, the Sultan's memory is more perpetuated by this building than that of his favourite, for everyone who saw it would

involuntarily ask who erected it. The names of the architect and builder are unfortunately lost. Many ascribe it to Italian masters, but when it is seen that there are so many other admirable works of Mohammedan architecture, either the whole must be considered foreign, or this must be admitted to be native. The monument stands in the centre of a garden, upon an open terrace of red sandstone, raised 12 feet above the ground. It represents a mosque of an octagon form,

with lofty arched entrances, which, together with the four minarets that stand at the corners of the terrace, is entirely built of white marble. The principal dome rises to a height of 260 feet, and is surrounded by four smaller ones. Round the outside of the mosque, extracts from the Quran are inlaid in characters of black marble. In the principal apartment stand two Sacrifice, of which one contains the remains of the Sultan, the other those of his favourite. The lower part of the

walls of this apartment, as well as both Sacrifice, are covered with costly mosaic work of the most beautiful stones. A marble lattice work, six feet high, surrounding the two Sacrifice, is a masterpiece of art. It is so delicate and finely worked, that it seems as if turned out of ivory. The graceful columns and the narrow cornices are also covered, above and below, with jasper, a jade, etc. Among these, I was shown the so-called Gold Stone, which has a perfect gold colour, and is said to be very

costly, even more so than lapis lazuli. Two gateways and two mosques stand at a small distance from the Taj Mahal. They are built of red sandstone and white marble. If they stood apart, each would be considered a masterwork. As it is, however, they lose an attraction by their proximity to the Taj Mahal, of which a traveller says, with full justice, it is too pure, too sacred, too perfect, to have been constructed by man's hands. Angels must have brought it from heaven, and one imagines there

ought to be a glass shade over it, to protect it from every breath and every wind. Although this mausoleum is more than 250 years old, it is as perfect as if it was only just finished. Many travellers affirm that the Taj Mahal produces a magical effect when lighted by the moon. I saw it during a full moonshine, but was so little pleased, that I am much regretted by the sight, having somewhat weakened my former impression of it. The moon's light gives a magical effect

to old ruins or gothic buildings, but not to a monument which consists of white brilliant marble. Moonlight makes the latter appear in indistinct masses, and as of partly covered with snow. Whoever first promulgated this opinion, respecting the Taj Mahal perhaps, visited it in some charming company, so that he thought everything around him was heavenly and supernatural, and others may have found it more convenient, instead of putting it to the test themselves, to repeat the statement

of their predecessors. One of the most interesting excursions of my whole journey was to the ruins of the town of Fatipur Sikri, 18 miles from Agra, and 6 miles in circumference. We rode tither, and had ordered changes of horses, so as to be able to make the journey in one day. On our way, we passed at times over extended heats, on one side of which we saw a small herd of antelopes. The antelope is a kind of deer, but smaller in size. It is extremely delicate,

and prettily formed, and is distinguished by narrowed dark brown stripes along the back. The herd crossed the road before us without much timidity, passing over ditches and bushes, and leaping more than 20 feet at a time, with such graceful movements that they seemed as if dancing through the air. I was not less delighted by the sight of two wild peacocks. It afforded me peculiar pleasure to see these animals in a state of freedom, which we Europeans are accustomed to

keep as realities like exotic plants. The peacock here is somewhat larger than any I had seen in Europe. The display of colors also, and the general brilliancy of the plumage struck me as being finer and brighter. These birds are considered by the Indians almost as sacred as the cow. They appear to fully understand this kindness, for they are seen like house birds, walking about in the villages, or quietly resting upon the roofs. In some districts,

the Indians are so prejudiced in their favor that no European can venture to shoot one of them without exposing himself to the greatest insults. Only four months since, two English soldiers fell victims to this neglect of Hindustani customs. They killed several peacocks. The enraged people fell upon them and elused them in such a way that they shortly afterwards died. Fatipur Sikri stands upon a hill. The fortress walls, the mosque, and other buildings can

therefore be seen from a distance. On both sides of the road, a short distance outside the walls, lie remains of houses or single apartments, fragments of handsome columns, etc. With great regret, I saw the natives breaking many of them and converting them into building materials for their houses. The entrance to the fortress and town was through three handsome gates and over masses of rubbish and fragments. The view which here presents itself is much more impressive than

that at Pompeii near Naples. There, indeed, everything is destroyed, but it is another and more orderly kind of destruction. Streets and squares appear as clean as if they had only been abandoned yesterday. Houses, palaces, and temples are free from rubbish. Even the track of the carriages remain unaffaced. Pompeii, moreover, stands on a plain and it cannot therefore be seen at one glance. Its extent, too, is scarcely half so great as that of Sikri. The houses are

smaller, the palaces not so numerous and inferior in splendour and magnitude. But here, a larger space is covered with magnificent buildings, mosques, kiosks, columned halls, and arcades, with everything that was in the power of art to create. And no single object has escaped the destructive influence of time. All is falling into ruin. It is scarcely more than 200 years since the town was in a flourishing state of wealth and magnificence. And it is hardly possible to

divest the mind of the idea of a terrible earthquake having overwhelmed it. Unlike Pompeii, it was not covered by protecting ashes but laid openly exposed to the weather. My sadness and astonishment increased at every step. Sadness at the terrible destruction, astonishment at the still perceptible magnificence, the number of splendid buildings, the beautiful sculptures, and the rich ornaments. I saw some buildings whose interior and exterior were so covered with sculptures

that not the smallest space remained bare. The principal mosque exceeds in size and artistic construction even the Jamuna mosque in Agra. The entrance porch in the forecourt is said to be the loftiest in the world. The interior arch measures 72 feet and the entire height amounts to 140 feet. The forecourt of the mosque is also one of the largest existing. Its length is 436 feet, its breadth 408. It is surrounded by fine arabesques and small cells. This court is

considered almost as sacred as the mosque itself in consequence of the Sultan Akbar, the just, having been accustomed to pay his devotions there. After his death, this spot was indicated by a kind of altar which is of white marble and of wonderful workmanship. The mosque itself is built in the style of the Jamuna mosque and has, like that, four enormous domes. The interior is filled with Sacro-Fegae in which lie the remains either of relations or favorite ministers of the Sultan

Akbar. An adjoining court also contains a great number of sepulchral monuments. The Sultan Akbar passed several hours every day in the Hall of Justice and gave audience there to the meanest as well as the most important of his subjects. A single column standing in the center of the hall was the Divan of the Emperor. This column, the capital of which is marvelously executed, becomes broader towards the top and is surrounded by a beautifully worked stone gallery a foot high.

Four broad stone passages or bridges lead into the adjoining apartments of the palace. The Sultan's palace is less remarkable for size than for its sculptures, columns, ornaments, etc. Every part is over-richly furnished with them. I found less to admire in the famous elephant gate. It is indeed loftily arched but not so high as the entrance gate and the forecourt of the mosque. The two elephants, which were very beautifully executed in stone, are so much dilapidated that

it is scarcely possible to tell what they are intended to represent. The so-called elephant's tower is in a better state of preservation. In some descriptions of this, it is stated that it is constructed only of elephant tusks and even of the tusks of those elephants only which were taken from enemies during Akbar's time or had been captured by him in a hunting. This is, however, not the case. The tower, which is 60 feet high, is built of stone and the tusks are fastened on

from top to bottom so that they project out from it. The Sultan Akbar is said to have frequently sat upon the top of this tower, occupying himself by shooting birds. All the buildings, even the enormous wall, are of red sandstone and not as many a form of red marble. Many hundreds of small green birds have formed their nests in the holes and crevices of the buildings.