The Gaekwar's tours in Europe have
BARODA 193
f
always been conducted for the benefit off
his '"countrymen. In these journeys he has
collected a fund of knowledge and experi-
ence which has enabled him to govern
o s
his estates in accordance with modern
principles, and the Museum of Baroda shows
with what judgment the money which he
has spent in Europe has been laid out.
It is filled with objects collected from the"/
civilised world, of literary, artistic, and/
scientific interest, best calculated to stimu-/
late the curiosity and to improve the
j f
education of his subjects. It was a touch-.;
ing sight to watch the crowds of natives,/
men, women, and children, as they thronged .
the galleries, delighted and instructed by >
(
the treasures which their sovereign had
collected for them.
Baroda offers to the traveller the spec- ^
tacle of a thoroughly well governed Native
194 IMPRESSIONS OF INDIAN TRAVEL
State. It has of late years been sorely f
tried by famine, but the people a'iem j
vj
happy and contented. Everywhere there
are broad roads, well watered, pleasant
*" groves, picturesque houses, the abode either
of ministers or of members of the rayal
family. The Maharajah does everything
for the comfort and amusement of his K
guests. They are met at the station by
royal carriages, and conducted to a spacious '
guest-house, as it would 1 be impossible for
.
them to be lodged in the palace of the
Gaekwar. They may stay as long as they
^
please, and they are shown all the sights
of the city.
There is a noble college, with ample,-
airy class-rooms, and competent English!
teachers ; there is a hospital conducted on <
the best principles of modern science ; there '
I
is a gaol in which the prisoners are, if
BARODA' 195
i
anything, too well off, as the climate off~
India does not lend itself to solitary con- ^
finement The palace of the Maharajah
possesses an extensive library, chiefly of
English books, which is open to every one.
Europe has not a useful lesson which theT
Gaekwar has not done his best to learn, \
and to convey in fitting measure to his
countrymen.
I was fortunate enough to have as my/-'
/
guide and companion an old Cambridge
pupil, a Brahmin of high rank, the most ^
brilliant Greek scholar whom I ev^r ex- 1
.]
amined for an entrance scholarship. He '
obtained a place in the Indian Civil Service,
but was rejected' for his riding, and the
,-
Gaekwar has wisely attached him to his
service. He fs now engaged in important
literary work, and he may some day be
Minister of Education. We established a
A
196 IMPRESSIONS OF INDIAN TRAVEL
<
kind of blood-brotherhood between us by\
riding together on an elephant, an experi-
ence which neither of us had undergone
before. The beast seemed to tower aloft,
higher than any elephant I had ever seen.
He knelt down, and we crawled to our
seats on either side c of him. It was a
terrible moment 1 when the animal rose to
his legs, and we had to contemplate the
possibility of slowly sliding to the ground
down that long, stretch of dark grey
skin. This difficulty past, we rode slowly
through the crowded streets, attracting, to
my disappointment, very little attention.
Elephants, strange as they were to me, are
mere drugs in Baroda, but we were both
relieved when we reached the palace where
we were to see the jewels. * The elephant
(
awaited our return, but we preferred the \
carriage. " Do men ever hunt twice ? '
BARODA 197
>
Lord Chesterfield is reported to have said.
Neither my friend nor myself had any
desire to mount an elephant a second
time.
We saw some strange sights in the native
town. A snake-charmer and conjurer wasv
surrounded by a largfe crowd at the corner (
of a street. We stoppec? the carriage to /
look at him. For our special delectation
he ripped up his boy attendant's stomach,
o
and stowed away the 'body in a basket,
from which the lad soon afterwards emerged,
alive and smiling. I had only two oppor-
j
tunities of seeing Indian conjuring, but on)
neither occasion did it appear to me at
all remarkable, e'xcept as regarded sleight \
of hand. The growth of the mango-tree,
.
the murder of the boy, the snake-charming 1 ,-,
and some of the other tricks were interesting .
and picturesque to watch, but could not
-"
198 IMPRESSIONS OF INDIAN TRAVEL
t
appear supernatural to the most indifferent 1
observer.
I also had the good fortune to witness
a marriage procession. During the latter
halt of the month of February, the money- f
lending caste seemed to be marrying in V
profusion, and we had seen signs of it at \
Futehpur and at Delhi. The procession
was a long one, accompanied by bands of
music. The bridegroom, a child of ten, r j
was covered from htad to foot with cloth of
gold and flowers, and seemed to be much
t
amused as he rode upon his quiet steed.
Before him rode on horseback numerous
groomsmen, all younger than himself, with
richly embroidered robes *and caps. Little;
girls accompanied the procession, carried in
4
litters, with red marks on their foreheads,
showing that they were already wives. The
bridegroom was on his way to the bride's
BARODA 199
>
house, to see her for the first time ; he
woujd see her and then depart, and they I
would not keep house together till some
years had passed. Horses are necessary
accompaniments of a Hindu marriage. *-in
the real animals cannot be provided, paper
yj
models are substituted, which are cunningly j
made and are very cheaft.
We were also shown some parrots,
carefully trained to climb ladders and to -;
fire off guns, and' some t rams who butted ^
1
at each other with a violence which seemed
likely to smash their skulls. We *visited ':
the beautiful public gardens, laid out in"
exquisite taste, where an orchestra discourses* '.,
both Indian and European music, under <
the baton of a conductor who has been ?
trained at Leipzig. This is also highly
appreciated by the natives.
At last, all too soon, came the time
r
200 IMPRESSIONS OF INDIAN TRAVEL
for departure. My friend accompanied me
to the crowded train, where I had jvith
some difficulty secured a lower berth. I
was to wake up next morning in Bombay,
tk? last stage of my travel. 3*
Elephanta
XVIII
ELEPHANTA
i
A /T Y companion at Government House,
Bombay, Monsignore of the Roman
Church and a protonotary apostolic, was f
anxious to visit the caves ?f Elephanta, and 4-
I was of the same mind. The Governor
kindly ordered his steam launch to be got
y'
ready, and we left the Apollo Bunder ins
the afternoon, with the design of returning^
before dinner. The launch was small,
and the wind was contrary as well as cold,
and when we ot out into the open bay
the waves began to rise and splashed into
the boat. I had implicit confidence in the
203
204 IMPRESSIONS OF INDIAN TRAVEL
<
seaworthiness of the launch, and the
experience of the crew ; but I am not* sure
that my feelings were shared by my \
companion. However, after a somewhat (
frKricate voyage, we reached the island on
which the caves are situated. The landing \
was not altogether easy. We had to step
into a small boat and were rowed to a I
rickety pier, after which our path lay partly \
over crazy woodwork, and partly over lumps 1
of concrete, divided by deep fissures. How-
ever, we reached our goal in safety.
The path from the landing-place to the
caves has been laid down in the form of
a brick causeway by some pious Hindu, A.
so that it presents no' difficulty, even to {
the most indifferent walker. But in India j
no one is expected to walk at all, and ^
therefore sedan-chairs are provided, with
men to carry them. It seemed to me a
ELEPHANTA 205
needless luxury to entrust my weight to j?
I
theso conveyances, and to be carried by:
four men up a very gradual ascent ; so I
I
stepped out boldly towards the summit. }
But as soon as I set out to return I dis-
covered my mistake. I had become heated!
even in that short ascent, and I had to\
face a return in a small boat with a cold \
wind, and, however much I wrapped myself 1
up, I was doomed to catch a chill. Such, *
indeed, was the case, and^I committed
first act of imprudence on the last day.-
which I spent in India.
The island is called Gharapuri by the
Hindus, and Elephanta is a name given /
by the Portuguese.' The great cave, which
alone attracts the ordinary traveller, is
two hundred and fifty feet above the level
of the sea. It is dedicated to the worship
Sof Shiva, and is frequented mainly by
20 IMPRESSIONS OF INDIAN TRAVEL
the Banias, or money-lending caste, who
seek here not so much forgiveness fa any
deceitful action of which they may have
been guilty, as assistance in any enterprise
wlfiich they are about to undertake. " Da
mihi fallere " is a prayer which has reached
us from pagan times.
I am not ^sufficiently well acquainted
with the Hindu mythology to give any
useful account of the carved images to be
found in the caves, but there is no doubt
..' that worship held in these cavernous .
I temples, especially at night, when the
\
-.monstrous forms would be lit up by torches,
r
j would be impressive to the imagination.
The visitor, on entering, is met by a huge
figure of Brahma, the creator, supported by
Vishnu, the preserver, on th'e right, and by
Shiva, the destroyer, on the left. This is
the Trimurti, the three-faced figure, the
207
I
Hindu Trinity. Brahma bears in his
hand> a pomegranate, Vishnu a lotus flower,
and Shiva a cobra, emblems of their
respective attributes. The triple deity is
attended by two doorkeepers and two
dwarfs.
/
The most sacred room in the building con- j
tains the usual Hindu embl*m of the gene- {
^ \
rative power of nature. When the temple - j
was in regular use, the four doors which
enclose this shrine were only opened once
*
a year, at the great Shiva festival, held
just before the new moon which occurs \
>
in the month of February, and even now J
it is believed by the Banian ladies not to <
have lost its efficacy. The figures are
supposed to have been carved in the)
\
sixth century before the Christian era, and ;
are therefore coeval with the earliest
remains of Greek sculpture. They have
f
208 IMPRESSIONS OF INDIAN TRAVEL
little beauty to recommend them, although
the guide is careful to tell us that ofie of
the heads bears a striking resemblance to
our late revered Queen. Those who wor-
shipped them must have regarded the;
divinity as a power rather to be feared
and propitiated than to be loved and
imitated. Shiva is repre/ented in various"
aspects : here he is being married, there he/
^C
is sacrificing a child, in one place he is ^
intoxicated andfs playing a tune with one
of his eight arms, in another he is mourn- >.
ing for the loss of his wife. Then there
are more Lingam shrines, one with a stone/
bull watching the emblem, as we find it/
at Benares ; and a bathroom fed by water/
which is supposed to be conveyed in some/'
^ ^fT
mysterious manner from the Ganges.
.
I must confess that my visit was a
hurried one. I had my eye on the tossing
1
ELEPHANTA 209
/
launch and the white horses of the bayX
and I thought of my suffering companion.
As darkness was coming on we hastened
rapidly down the causeway, traversed the
concrete mole, with its yawning chasms, f
which recalled the bridge of Rasselas, entered/
the little boat and reached the, launch in \
safety. But the unexpected * happened : the )
wind sank with the sinking sun, the little
steamer made good way upon an even }
keel, we were able to enjoy our hospitable
tea, and before we expected it we were
again at the Apollo Bunder, found the
<
Governor's carriage waiting for us, and
\
drove to Malabar Hill under the brightness^
of Indian stars.
It is said that men built temples in
caves not so much from piety as jfrom
economy, as you have no floor or roof*
to provide,' and your walls are ready for!
14
f
210 IMPRESSIONS OF INDIAN TRAVEL
the sculptor's chisel. However this may"!
be, I think that Elephanta would be <more ;
impressive upon the stage than in reality. ,
When I next see the " Magic Flute," or
rea s d of the Eleusinian Mysteries, I shall
remember that I have visited a place
where scenes may have been enacted which
would have appalled the stoutest heart, and
he who had passed through them might
well believe that he was steeled against
i
mere earthly troubles, and could climb with
a confident spirit the steep and difficult ..
<
path which leads to the richest guerdon of
, *.
the unseen.
XIX
THE VOYAGE HOME
1\ y/T Y visit to 5ndia was at an end. As
I had come out by the Messageries ^*-
Maritimes and the Gulf of Lyons, I deter- L
mined to return by the 'Austrian Lloyd )
and the Adriatic a course which is made
easy by the companies issuing circular
tickets, which are available by either route.
The good ship Imperatrix was to sail at
noon on March 1st, 1902, and having
been declared free from plague, and having
taken leave, to my abundant sorrow, qf my
beloved bearer Antony, of whom I cannot^]
speak too highly, I went on board and
'
214 IMPRESSIONS OF INDIAN TRAVEL
arranged my cabin, which was to be my
home for the next three weeks.
We were a singularly happy company,
mainly English, of different vocations and
occupations. There was a judge of the
High Court, and a resident from a Native
c
State, each, accompanied by their families,
a retired colonel gazing -\(ith regretful eyes
at the country he was leaving, two gallant
English officers of whom any country might
t
be proud, cheerftil, intelligent, manly, and
modest, forming a happy and united family,
into which no disposition, however conten-i
I
tious, could introduce discord.
The second class was occupied almost ;
\
entirely by missionaries, who contributed i
largely to the gaiety and profit of the
voyage. They held services on Sunday,
and conducted high jinks on other nights
with a spirit and vigour of which our dignity
THE VOYAGE HOME 215
>
allowed us to partake, although it would
not ,suffer us to imitate. The officers of
the ship were indefatigable in their duties ;
they seemed to be continually taking obser-
vations, four of them at once, and marking
our place upon the chart, and in fine
weather we were freely admitted to the
chart- room, to ee what progress we had
made.
The Indian Ocean was singularly kind to
us, the weather was warm with a refreshing
breeze, and for twenty-four hours the sea
wore that oily appearance which ts only
met with in the tropics. There was little*
animal life ; one passenger, I believe, found
j P. flying-fish in kis cabin, a few porpoises
played around us, and we were accompanied
by occasional* gulls. One day the sea-
serpent appeared in the offing, but those
armed with the best glasses declared it
2i6 IMPRESSIONS OF INDIAN TRAVEL
i
to be a whale. When we arrived at Aden,
on the seventh day, we agreed that we, had
passed a perfect time.
At Aden we visited the famous tanks, \
wnich were now devoid of water, we bought
ostrich-feathers and other doubtful products
of Arabia, and at n'ght entered the Red
Sea. Here' we^ had a splendid view of'
the Southern Cross, which I had not seen on
the outward journey. One had to get up
in the middle of the mght to look at it,
but it was well worth the exertion. It is
i
the fashion to depreciate this constellation,!
but, whether from associations or from ;
intrinsic merit, it impressed me deeply.
These four stars, only seen, as Dante tells
us, by our first parents in Eden, forming
a Latin cross, which was when we saw
it plactd in the right position, was a
spectacle from which it was difficult to
r
I
THE VOYAGE HOME 217
withdraw one's gaze. And not the least
important part of the pageant were the two
pointers, the alpha and beta Centauri, the r^
first of them the brightest star in the sky,
who solemnly marked it with their astral
fingers. Night after night I rose to gaze
at the cross, till nothing remained of it
except the pointers, indicating where it
had sunk.
Our first day in the Red Sea was con-
sidered to be rougfi, a change due as much
to the currents as to the wind ; and, when
the sea became smooth again, the*weather
was very hot. The thermometer reached
90 Fahr., whereas at no time in India/
had it exceeded 80, and old travellers'
declared their intention of sleeping on deck. ,
I preferred my roomy cabin, even with the /
port closed, and I believe that I had the (
best of it On the twelfth day from Bombay
218 IMPRESSIONS OF INDIAN TRAVEL
i
we reached Suez, but did not land. A
strong wind was blowing, and it was bitterly
cold. Great preparations had been made
by kodakers for taking photographs in the
CanaJ, but our whole passage was maricS
- by a violent sand-storm, a blizzard of the
desert, cold and penetrating, making the
eyes sore and the temper ruffled. Nothing
however, could impair the harmony of our
family and the gaiety of our officers. We
landed at Port Said, which on going out
had seemed to me a chosen example of
the East, but which now appeared repul-
sively European. I longed once more for
the tropics, the opulent sunshine, and the
swarthy forms. Outside the sea looked very
w
rough, and we shuddered at the sight of
the sandy water.
We were not mistaken. It was very
stormy in the night, and something, we were
THE VOYAGE HOME 219
i
told, we had carried away. Crete appeared, x*'"
barren and irthospitable, but it protected \
us from the strong north wind. In stormy
weather we passed under the snows of Ida
and the crags of Cerigotto and Cerigo,;
till rounding the Morea brought us a little"
respite. Sunday was a perfect day. Our
excellent captain chos'e the smoothest f-
passage for us, and every hour had its
own delight Zante was passed at sunrise,
\
\ then came Ithaca aild Cephalonia, with
many inquiries after Penelope and Laertes, ***"""
Telemachus and Eumaeus. Next followed
I Leucadia and Sappho's leap, Paxo and
\
Antipaxo and Corfu. We could see the
} palace of the 'Austrian Empress, the be-
..reaved mourner, the maniac's victim. We*
M '
Dassed the Ambracian Gulf, with Actium
md Nicopolis, where Byron mourned for
Thyrza, and where a world was won and
220 IMPRESSIONS OF INDIAN TRAVEL
(
lost. The coast of Epirus and Albania \
4
offered many opportunities for the photo-
grapher, although we did not know that
a rebellion was seething within those iron
hills, and that the ships which we were
taking might be carrying arms against the
Turks.
The last day oV our voysfge brought us
to the Dalmatian coast. We were signalled
to Trieste from Lissa, the scene of the
i
naval battle between 1 the Austrians and the
Italians in 1866. On Tuesday morning
c
we arrived at Trieste, a smaller, less
i
interesting, and less active Genoa. Glad as
we were to reach the land, we were sorry
that the voyage had come t& an end, which
was so full of pleasant memories, and had
<
united us in a bond of friendship. For
myself the dream was over, and I was
waking up to stern realities. Even though
i
THE VOYAGE HOME 221
I
>
I have written these pages, I can scarcely
beJjeve that I have been in India. A vision ^
seems to have opened and closed before
me as I slept. The sutures of ordinary ^
life are now joined again, and the Indian
interlude has sunk into my subliminal con- -\
j
sciousness, to arise ever and anon as a
delusion too brilliant to be true.
Conclusion
323
XX
CONCLUSION
PUBLICISTS* who have travelled in
India and who moralise upon what
they have seen are accustomed to observe
that the two great obstacles to progress ^
-/
in that country are purdah and caste, and -
that until these are removed no improve-r'
ment is possible. I am not myself of that
opinion. Purdah, or the seclusion of women,
is of course repugnant to our feelings and;
contrary to our habits, but I have sometimes
wished that we had just a little of, it in
our own country, and that the spirit which
(
produces it in India was not in danger ^
225 15
c'
of becoming extinct amongst ourselves. My
native friends assured me^ that purduh is
not, strictly, a Hindoo practice, but that
it was introduced by the Mohammedan
conquerors, who maintained it for obvious
reasons, and was made fashionable by them.
It certainly does not exist amongst the
.
lower classes oV the Hiridu women, who
are often seen uncovered in the streets.
But since it has made its way into the
habits and the Social feelings of the better
class of Hindu women, any attempt to
L
remove it would meet with their strong
ipposition. It is to their minds a mark
of delicacy and refinement, and you might
as well expect a marchioness to take her
pot of beer at the bar of a public-house, as
i
a high-born Hindu lady to expose herself
to the public gaze. My Brahmin friend
at Ghazipur was bringing up his wife to
CONCLUSION 227
>
mix in society as an English lady would ;
butj it was in * vain that I asked to be
allowed to call upon his mother, who would
have been shocked at such a violation of
the laws of purdah. It is probable that
in time purdah will gradually disappear ;
but so long as women are regarded as
refining influences in the Vorld, so long as!
men have to learn what is becoming from-
the other sex, so long, I hope, will the veil
of seclusion be only gradually lifted from
the Indian Zenana. Purdah does not imply
*
that women are not the companions of their
husbands, or that they do not form the
character of their sons ; it means that they
seek their strength in seclusion, and that
they feel that seclusion to be the soured
and the safeguard of their best virtues.
Caste is far more defensible ; indeed, in \f
many respects it coincides with the highest
228 IMPRESSIONS OF INDIAN TRAVEL
o
c
social ideals which are held out to us by
leaders of thought. Does not" Ruskin preach
-
that a man should choose his occupation ;
when young, should follow it with zeal for <
its own sake, should not desire to change
it, but should try to do his duty in it \
as well as possible and be contented with
'
it till he dies ? What is thii but caste ? I ;
do not know how many castes there are
in India, but as a fact all important occupa-
tions are organised in this manner. For./
my own part I trust that if I am ever born
again, in India, I may become a bhisti, or
water-carrier. I am told that they are most
excellent people. Does not Mr. Kipling's
Gunga Din testify to the fact that their name
is a title of honour ? Certainly their occupa-
tion is most beneficent. With their mussack
or goatskin on their back, they are always
either watering the roads, or giving drink
I
CONCLUSION 229
to animals, or refreshing the weary traveller. *
1
But if to be fe bhisti is good, what must;
|
it be to be born a bhisti, to feel from your,
earliest years that your profession is chosen ;
I
for you, and that all you have to do i3 to be ;
contented with it, to do it as well as you
can, and not to suffer that those who went
before you should have ddhe it better ?
But if caste does away with many of the
discontents and unhappinesses of life, it is
also a powerful social* engine for moral
r
behaviour. The rules of caste are very
strict, and the caste council, which sees that
they are properly observed, is inexorable. ^
Neither rank nor wealth can escape from
its authority. Any contravention of the
written or unwritten rules of caste will '
secure a punishment which is all the more
\
"severe from being of a social character.
Thus caste, while it keeps a man contented
f
230 IMPRESSIONS OF INDIAN TRAVEL
C
c
and finds him occupation, also jealously :
guards his conduct. It is^of course r in-
compatible with competition, with the
struggle in life for place and power, and
for thte survival of "the fittest. It may be
well that caste should be slowly weakened |
in order that India may become a pro- ;
gressive country. * But thefe is much to
be said for it. It is the solid foundation ;
Iof social order and morality, and any
<
interference with it would produce terrible
results. My visit to India persuaded me