A Holiday in the Happy Valley with Pen and Pencil
by
T. R. Swinburne
Part 5 out of 5
There are greater personages among the ruling Princes of India, according
to British ruling--Hyderabad, for instance. And in the matter of
precedence and the number of guns for ceremonial salutation, the Chief of
Mewar--like other poor but proud nobles--is treated rather according to
his actual power than the cloudless blue of his blood. Hence he is
extremely unwilling to put himself in a position where he might fail to
obtain the honour which he considers due to him. He was most averse from
attending the Delhi Durbar, but such pressure was put upon him that he was
induced to proceed thither in his special train running, as far as
Chitorgarh, upon his own special railway. He reached Delhi, and his
sponsors rejoiced that they had indeed got him to the water, although they
had not exactly induced him to drink. As a matter of fact, the Maharana,
having gone to Delhi to please the British authorities, promptly returned
to Udaipur to please himself, alleging a terrific headache as reason for
instant departure from the capital, without his having left his very own
specially reserved first-class compartment!
He may not be a willing guest, but he is evidently disposed to be an
excellent host, for great preparations are toward for the reception of the
Prince of Wales, who is expected in the course of a fortnight or so.
The Residency, too, is being swept and garnished, the garden already
looking like a miniature camp, with tents for the suite all among the
flower-beds.
_Tuesday, October_ 31.--A day or two ago we arose betimes, and before
sunrise embarked in the State gig (which was always, apparently, placed at
our host's disposal on demand), and set forth to catch fish for our
breakfast, and then proceed to eat the same on one of the island palaces
on the lake. We did not catch many fish--the mahseer were shy that
morning--but fortunately we did not entirely depend on the caprices of the
mahseer for our sustenance, and a remarkably well-fed and contented
quartette we were when we got into the gig while the day was yet young,
and rowed home as quickly as might be in order to escape the heat which at
noonday is still great.
This afternoon we went for a (to us) novel tea picnic. A State elephant
appeared by request, and we climbed upon him with ladders, and he
proceeded to roll leisurely along at the rate of about two and a half
miles an hour towards the foot of a hill, on the top of which stood a
small summer palace.
The afternoon was warm, and the rhythmic pace drowsy, but our steed was
determined to amuse us and benefit himself. So he blew great blasts of
spray at his own forelegs and chest to cool himself, and now and then made
shocking bad shots at so large a target, and, getting a trifle too much
elevation, nearly swept us from our lofty perch.
Fortunately his stock of spray gave out ere long, or he found that the
increasing gradient of the hill took all his breath, for we were left at
leisure to admire the widening view until we reached the top.
Here we had tea in one of the cool halls, and then sat watching the sun
sink towards the hills that stretch to Mount Aboo.
To the south-east lay Udaipur, milk-white along the margin of its "marled"
waters.
On our way home we met with an adventure. While prattling to my hostess, I
observed that our toes were rising unduly, the saddle or howdah being
seated somewhat after the fashion of an outside car. Glancing over my
shoulder I descried Jane and her partner far below their proper level. The
howdah was coming round, and our steed was eleven feet high! Agonised
yells to the gentleman who guided the deliberate steps of the pachyderm
from a coign of vantage on the back of his neck, awoke him to an
appreciation of the situation. The elephant was "hove to" with all
possible despatch, and we crawled off his back with the greatest celerity.
We then sat down by the roadside and superintended the righting of the
saddle and the tautening of the girths by several natives, who "took in
the slack" with an energy that must have made the poor elephant very
"uncomfy" about the waist! I secretly hoped it was hurting him horribly,
as I had not forgiven him for his practical jokes on the way up.
We had no more thrills. Resuming our motor 'bus, in due course, we were
landed opposite the top of our host's verandah, whereupon the beast shut
himself up like a three-foot rule, and we got to ground.
The inexorable flight of time brought us all too soon to the limit of our
stay at Udaipur. Early on Wednesday the 1st November, therefore, we bade
adieu to the capital of the State of Mewar, and, accompanied by our kind
host and hostess, set out to spend a day in exploring the ruined city of
Chitor before taking train for Bombay.
As we drove to the station, we passed the group of ancient "chatries" or
tombs of dead and gone Ranas of Mewar, and halted for a short inspection,
as, the train by which we were to travel to Chitorgarh being a "special,"
we were not bound to a precise moment for our appearance on the platform.
Jane, who is perfectly Athenian in her passion for novelty, decided to
travel on the engine, and proceeded to do so; until, at the first
halting-place, a grimy and somewhat dishevelled female climbed into our
carriage, and the next half-hour was fully occupied in scooping smuts out
of her eyes with teaspoons.
It had been arranged that an elephant should await our arrival at
Chitorgarh to take us up to the ancient city, but a careful search into
every nook and cranny failed to reveal the missing animal.
So my host and I set out on foot to cross a mile or so of plain which
spread in deceptive smoothness between us and the ascent to the city. What
seemed a serene and level track became quickly entangled in a maze of
rough little knobs and nullahs, and we took a vast amount of exercise
before arriving at the old bridge which spans the Gamberi River.
Meanwhile, towering over the scrubby bushes and surrounded by a dusty halo,
the dilatory pachyderm bore down upon us, and, after the mahout had been
interviewed in unmeasured terms by my host, went rolling slowly to the
station to pick up the ladies.
The ancient city of Chitor lies crumbling and desolate on the back of a
long, level-topped hill, which rises solitary to the height of some five
hundred feet above the far-stretching plain. Kipling likens it to a great
ship, up the sides of which the steep road slopes like a gangway. At the
foot lies the modern village, squalid but picturesque.
As we toil, perspiring, up the long ramp which for a weary mile slopes
sidelong up the scarped flank of the mountain, and pass through the seven
gates which guarded the way, and every one of which was the scene of many
a grim and bloody struggle, I will try to sketch the outline of the
history of the famous fort, for many centuries the headquarters of the
royal race of Mewar.
The Gehlotes, or (as they were afterwards styled) the Sesodias, claim
descent from the Sun through Manu, Icshwaca, and Rama Chandra, as indeed
do the other Rajput potentates of Jaipur, Marwar, and Bikanir, the Rana of
Mewar, however, taking precedence owing to his descent from Lava, the
eldest son of Rama.
The ancient dynasty of Mewar has fallen from its high estate, but the
history of its rise is lost in the mists of grey antiquity.
"We can trace the losses of Mewar, but with difficulty her acquisitions....
She was an old-established dynasty when all the other States were in
embryo." Long before Richard of the Lion-heart fared to Palestine to wrest
the Holy City from the infidel, "a hundred kings, its (Mewar's) allies and
dependants, had their thrones raised in Chitor," to defend it against the
sword of the Mohammedan; while overhead floated the banner displaying the
golden sun of Mewar on a crimson field.
Some centuries later the Crusaders brought to Europe from the plains of
Palestine the novel device of armorial bearings.
Chitor itself appears to have been in possession of the Mori princes until,
in A.D. 728, it was taken by Bappa, who, though of royal race, was brought
up in obscurity by the Bhils as an attendant on the sacred kine. This
shepherd prince, ancestor of the present Rana of Mewar, became a national
hero, and many legends are still current concerning him and his romantic
deeds. The story of his "amazing marriage," by which he succeeded in
wedding six hundred damsels all at once, is one of the most curious. Bappa,
while still a youth, was appealed to, one holiday, by the frolicsome
maidens of a neighbouring village, who, led by the daughter of the
Solankini chief of Nagda, in accordance with the custom upon this
particular saint's day, had come out to indulge in swinging, but who had
forgotten to supply themselves with a swinging-rope. Bappa agreed to get
them one if they would play his game first. This the young ladies readily
agreed to do; whereupon, all joining hands, he danced with them a certain
mystic number of times round a sacred tree.
"Regardless of their doom, the little victims played,"
and finally dispersed to their homes, entirely unconscious that they were
all as securely married to Bappa as though they had visited Gretna Green
with him.
Some time afterwards, upon the engagement of the Solankini maiden to an
eligible young man, the soothsayer, to whom application had been made with
regard to fixing a favourable and auspicious wedding-day, discovered from
certain lines in her hand that the girl was already married! Thus the
whole story came out, and no less than six hundred brides assumed the
title of Mrs. Bappa.
He seems to have had a passion for matrimony, for when an old man he left
his children and his country, and carried his arms west to Khorassan,
where he wedded new wives and had a numerous offspring. He died at the age
of a hundred!
From the days of the very much married Bappa, until the time of Samarsi,
who was Prince of Chitor in the thirteenth century, the city continued to
flourish and increase in power and importance. Samarsi, having married
Pirtha, sister of Prithi Raj, the lord of Delhi, joined his brother-in-law
against Shabudin. For three days the battle raged, until the scale fell
finally in favour of Shabudin, and the combined forces of Delhi and Chitor
were almost annihilated. "Pirtha, on hearing of the loss of the battle,
her husband slain, her brother captive, and all the heroes of Delhi and
Cheetore 'asleep on the banks of the Caggar in a wave of the steel,'
joined her lord through the flames."
From that time forward the history of Chitor is but a tale of sack and
slaughter, relieved in its murkiest days by flashes of brilliant heroism
and self-sacrificing devotion while the chivalrous Rajputs struggled
vainly against the successive waves of the Mohammedan invasions, which in
a fierce flood for centuries swept over India, and deluged it with blood.
In the year 1275 Lakumsi became Rana of Chitor. His uncle Bheemsi had
married Padmani, a fair daughter of Ceylon, and her beauty was such that
the fame of it came to the ears of Alla-o-din, the Pathan Emperor.
He promptly attacked the fortress, but without success for a long period,
until he agreed to a compromise, declaring that if he could merely see the
Lady Padmani in a mirror he would be contented and raise the siege.
His request was granted, and, trusting to the honour of a Rajput, he
entered the city unattended, and was rewarded by a sight of this Eastern
Helen reflected in a mirror. Desirous of showing equal faith in a noble
enemy, Bheemsi accompanied Alla back to his lines, but there he was
captured and held to ransom, Padmani being the price.
Word was now sent to the Emperor that Padmani would be delivered to him,
and seven hundred covered litters were prepared to convey her and her
ladies to Delhi, but each litter was borne by six armed bearers, and
contained no "silver-bodied damsels with musky tresses," but only
steel-clad warriors, who, upon arrival in the Moslem camp, sprang from
their concealment as surprisingly as Pallas from the head of Zeus.
Alla-o-din was, however, not to be caught napping, and, being prepared for
all contingencies, a fierce combat took place, and the warriors of Chitor
were hard put to it to stand their ground until Bheemsi had escaped to the
stronghold on a fleet horse. Then the devoted remnant retreated, pursued
to the very gates by their foes. The flower of Chitor had perished, but
they had achieved their object. This was called the "half sack" of
Chitor.[1]
Fifteen years later, Alla-o-din once more attacked Chitor, and this time
the assaults were so deadly that the garrison was decimated and utter
annihilation stared the survivors in the face. Then to the Rana appeared
the guardian goddess of the city, who warned him that "if twelve who wear
the diadem bleed not for Chitor, the land will pass from the line." Now
the prince had twelve sons, and, in obedience to the goddess and in hope
of eventually saving their dynasty, eleven of them cheerfully headed
sorties on eleven following days, and were slain, until only Ajeysi, the
youngest, was left alive. Then the Kana prepared for the end. He sent the
boy Ajeysi with a small band by a secret way, and he escaped to Kailwarra,
so that the royal race of Chitor should not become extinct. Then the women
of the city, with the noble Padmani at their head, accepted the Johur;
"the funeral pyre being lighted within the great subterranean retreat,"
they steadfastly marched into the living grave rather than yield
themselves to the will of the conqueror. All being now ready for the last
act of the hideous drama, the Rana caused the gates to be opened, and with
his valiant remnant of an army fell upon the foe only to perish to a man,
and then, and not till then, did the victorious Alla set foot of a
conqueror within Chitor, where now no living thing remained to stay him
from razing her deserted temples to the ground. The palace of Padmani
alone was spared in this, the first "saka" of Chitor.[2]
The wrecked stronghold remained an appanage of the Mogul until Hamir, who,
though not the direct heir of Ajeysi, had gained the chieftainship through
his valour, and who, having married a ward of the Hindu governor of Chitor,
by her help regained possession of the fortress.
Defeating the Emperor Mahmoud, Hamir entered Chitor in triumph, and once
again the standard of the Sun floated over its blood-stained rocks. The
Emperor Mahmoud himself was led captive into Chitor, and kept prisoner
there for three months until he regained his liberty by surrendering
Ajmere, Rinthumbore, Nagore, and Sooe Sopoor, with fifty lacs of rupees
and a hundred elephants. By this victory Hamir became the sole Hindu
prince of power in India; and the ancestors of the present lords of Marwar
and Jaipur brought their levies and paid homage, together with the chiefs
of Boondi, Abu, and Gwalior.
Then ensued for Chitor a period of splendid prosperity, during which rose
many noble buildings, amongst the ruins of which the great Tower of
Victory still soars supreme. This splendid monument[3] was raised to
commemorate the victory gained by Koombho over Mahmoud, King of Malwa, and
the Prince of Guzzerat, who in A.D. 1440 had formed a league against
Chitor. The Rana met them at the head of 100,000 troops and 1400 elephants,
and overthrew them, and the commemorative tower was begun in 1451 and
finished in ten years.
The State of Mewar reached the zenith of her glory in 1509, when 80,000
horse, seven rajas of the highest rank, nine raos, and 104 chiefs bearing
titles of rawul or sawut, with 500 elephants, followed Rana Sanga of
Chitor into the field.
The Mogul Baber, who captured Delhi in 1527, was yet unwilling to face the
ordeal of battle with the warlike Rajputs, but in the following year Sanga
marched against him at the head of the princes of Rajast'han. A terrible
battle ensued, which long inclined in favour of the Rajputs, until,
through the treachery of a Tuar chief, they were defeated, and the star of
Mewar began to decline, although so severe had been the struggle that
Baber dared not follow up his victory.
In 1533 Chitor suffered her second "saka" at the hands of Buhadoor or
Bajazet, Sultan of Guzzerat, who, after a grim struggle, obtained a
footing at the "Beeka" rock, and, springing a mine there, blew up 45
cubits of rampart and killed the Prince of the Haras, with five hundred of
his kin. Then the Queen-Mother, Jowahir Bae, clad in armour, headed a
sally, and was slain before the eyes of all.
The entrance to the city being forced, the heir of the Sesodias, the
infant Oodi Singh, son of Sanga, was placed in safety, while Bagh-ji,
Prince of Deola, assuming royalty, prepared to die, for Chitor could only
be retained by the Rajput princes while guarded by royalty.
The horrible Johur was decreed, and 13,000 women, headed by Kurnavati, the
mother of Oodi Singh,[4] marched to death and honour through the "Gau
Mukh," or entrance to the subterranean tomb; while the city gates were
thrown open, and the defenders sallied forth. "Every clan lost its chief,"
and 32,000 Rajputs were slain during the siege and storm.
Now Kurnavati had bound Hamayoun, the son of Baber, to her cause by a
curious ceremony: she having sent him the Rakhi (bracelet), and he having
bestowed on her the Katchli (corselet), he was bound, in consequence of
this bond, to assist the lady in any time of need. Too late to save Chitor,
he retook it, and restored Bikramajit to the throne; but the guardian
goddess had turned her face from the doomed city, and its final fall was
at hand. The Emperor Akbar, having laid almost all India at his feet,
determined to bring the proud princes of Rajputana into subjection. He
attacked Chitor, but was foiled by the masculine courage of the Rana's
concubine queen.
Again, in 1568, the Emperor Akbar attacked, and this time he found the
fated city in evil case, for Oodi Singh,[5] the Rana, for whom in infancy
his nurse had sacrificed her own child, was a degenerate son of his race.
He left Chitor to be defended by his lieutenants Jeimul and Putta.
In the first "saka" by Alla, twelve crowned heads defended the "crimson
banner" to the death. In the second, when conquest, at the hand of Bahadur,
came from the south, the chieftain of Deola, a noble scion of Mewar,
claimed the crown of glory and of martyrdom. But on this, the third and
greatest struggle, no royal victim appeared to appease the Cybele of
Chitor and win her to retain its battlements as her coronet.
When Jeimul fell at the Gate of the Sun, the command devolved upon Putta
of Kailwa, a lad of sixteen. His mother commanded him to don "the saffron
robe," then, with him and his young bride, she fell full armed upon the
foe, and the heroic trio died before the eyes of the war-worn garrison.
Once more was the Johur commanded, while 8000 Rajputs ate the last "beera"
together, and put on their saffron robes. The gates were thrown open, "and
few survived to stain the yellow mantle by inglorious surrender."
Thus in the blood-red cloud of battle sank for ever the Sun of Chitor; for
from this, the third and last "saka," the ruined city never rose. Her doom
has been as the doom of Babylon, of which Isaiah declared: "It shall never
be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to
generation ... but wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their
houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there....
And the wild beasts ... shall cry in their desolate houses, and ... in
their pleasant palaces:... Her days shall not be prolonged."
The top of the long ascent being reached, the last gate, the Hathi Pol, is
passed, and the wayfarer finds himself in the midst of the great dead city,
which lies in ruins for three miles along the bastioned brow of the
mountain.
Just beyond the first group of stately ruins, we came on the building
which was probably the palace built by Lakha Rana in 1373. Here we sat and
rested until the elephant, bearing the ladies and the lunch, stalked
sedately round the jutting angle of a decayed fort, and then we wended our
way along a road lined with many a half-fallen temple, until we reached
the ancient palace where, six hundred years ago, dwelt the ill-starred
Padmani, whose loveliness brought such woe upon Chitor. Here, in a cool
chamber overlooking the tank, upon the brink of which the palace stands,
we lunched; afterwards threading our way among the fallen fragments of
many a stately shrine and palace towards the high point on which the great
Jain Tower of Fame rears its deeply-sculptured shaft into the sky.
For a thousand years the innumerable stone gods which encircle the tower
in endless profusion have watched with sightless eyes over the city. Grey
already with age were they when they saw, raised in pristine beauty, the
shattered domes and broken columns which now lie prone in the brushwood
far beneath their feet. What ghastly scenes those stony faces have
surveyed, when, swept by the scathing steel, the city has run red with
blood, and her defenders have fallen to the last man. One crowning horror,
though, they have been always spared, for no maid or matron of Chitor ever
deigned to bow her neck beneath the yoke of the Mogul, but rather dared to
face a fiery death in the bowels of the great cavern beneath the city than
yield her honour to the conqueror.
The Tower of Fame is being repaired by the present Rana, under the
superintendence of our host and a party of native workmen. Masons and most
skilful carvers in stone were busily engaged in the restoration of parts
that had fallen into dangerous decay--an extremely flimsy-looking
scaffolding, made apparently of light bamboos, tied together in wisps, and
forming a fragile-looking ramp, wound spirally up the outside of the tower.
My host seemed to consider it a perfectly safe means of ascent, and as the
workmen did not appear to slip off in any appreciable numbers I felt
constrained to go up. I should like to have done it on all fours! The
climb was well worth undertaking, as it enabled one to inspect the
astonishing and finely-carved figures which encrust the whole exterior of
the column.
From the Tower of Fame we made our way to the other great landmark of
Chitor--the Tower of Victory.
Passing and examining _en route_ many elaborately-carved temples, whose
domes rose amid the strangling masses of desert tree and shrub, we came to
the base of the red tower, whose shaft, four-square and in perfect
preservation, has, with its more venerable brother of Fame, watched for so
many centuries over the fallen fortress of Chitor.
Not far away, the rocky wall on which the city stands is shattered into a
gloomy chasm, half-hidden in rank vegetation, which, clinging with knotted
root to ledge and crevice, hangs darkly over a stagnant pool. Here was the
awful portal, "the Gau Mukh," or "cow's mouth," by which, when all was
lost to Chitor save honour, her women entered the subterranean cavern
while the fuel was heaped high, and an honourable death by suffocation
awaited them.
The burning Indian day was over, and the sun blazed red in the west, as we
mounted our elephant and paced along the road towards the Hathi Pol.
Darker grew the ghostly domes and shattered battlements against a golden
sky, and the swift southern night fell, dark yet luminous, as we turned
down the hill and left the dead city, splendid in its loneliness and
isolation, asleep within its crumbling walls.
Our dinner-table was set out on the platform of the station at Chitorgarh,
and our bedrooms were close by, our host and hostess sleeping in the
"special" by which they were to return to Udaipur in the morning, while we
slept in a siding, ready to be coupled up to the early train from Bombay.
Late into the warm and balmy night we paced the platform; for there seemed
to be always something still to say, and we found it hard to part from our
charming friends; realising, too, that this was the end of our holiday,
and that before us lay merely the toil and bustle of a return to
commonplace, everyday life. At last, though, the final fag-end of a
cheroot was thrown away, the last hand-grips given, and the parting came.
There is little more to say.
All Thursday we rushed through the wide landscape; saw the parched plains
stretch far into the dusty horizon; saw the lean men and leaner cattle, to
whom the grim spectre of famine is already foreshadowed; flew past
populous villages and creaking water-wheels, noting every phase of a scene
now familiar, yet always delightful.
Late in the evening we changed at Baroda, and dawn next morning saw us
speeding across the swamps and inlets, which gave place ere long to the
palm groves and clustering houses which marked the farther limits of the
suburbs of Bombay.
We found the heat--damp and oppressive--very trying after the drier air of
Rajputana, and the Taj Mahal Hotel below our expectations in all respects
save price. It is undoubtedly better than most Indian hotels, but yet it
is not good!
Bombay is chiefly connected in our minds with the inevitable fuss and
worry of packing and departure.
As we left the Taj Mahal Hotel, in a conveyance piled high with
miscellaneous baggage, we saw the last of our faithful and indispensable
Sabz Ali, as he hurriedly quitted the hostelry in our wake, fearful lest
undue delay should jeopardise the possession of the spoils he was carrying
off, wrapped in bulging bundles of goodly size.
Jane and I were sorrier, I think, to part with him than he with us. After
all, we were but troublesome charges, for whose well-being he had to
answer to "General 'Oon Sahib,"--charges who had not been quite so lavish
with their incalculable riches as they should have been, and who doled out
rupees, and even annas, with a sorely grudging hand; still I think Sabz
Ali, as he made his way to the station, with many rupees lining his inmost
garments, and a flaming "chit" carefully stowed away, felt a certain
regret at parting from the "sahibs," who had really shown a very fine
appreciation of his merit, and were sending him back with much honour to
his own country.
Late in the afternoon, as the spires and roofs of the city stood dark
against the sky, and the many steamers and native dhows showed black upon
a flood of liquid gold, the _Persia_ got under way, and we slowly left the
anchorage, steaming out into the fading light.
We stood long, leaning over the bulwarks and watching the lights of Bombay,
at first so distinct, melt gradually into a line of tiny stars as the gulf
widened that separated us from the land where we had spent so many happy
days.
I wonder if we shall ever revisit it? I trust so ... and yet----
"As a rule it is better to revisit only in imagination the places which
have greatly charmed us ... for it was not merely the sights that one
beheld which were the cause of joy and peace. However lovely the spot,
however gracious the sky, these things external would not have availed but
for contributory movements of mind and heart and blood--the essentials of
the man as then he was."[6]
[1] These notes on the history of Chitor are taken, it need hardly be said,
from Tod's _Rajast'han_, he being _the_ authority on Rajputana. An
account of the above incident is given somewhat differently by Maurice
in his _Modern History of Hindostan_ (1803), who also relates that
Akbar used the same trick to enter Rhotas in Behar, after being long
baffled by the apparent impregnability of that fortress.
[2] The Jain Tower of Fame was also left standing, it dates from about
A.D. 900.
[3] It is also attributed to Lakha Rana, A.D. 1373.
[4] And sister of the Rahtore queen, Jowahir Bae.
[5] The infant Oodi Singh being threatened with death by conspirators, his
Rajputni nurse hid him in a fruit-basket, and, covering it with leaves,
had it conveyed out of the fort, substituting her own child just as
Bimbir, the usurper, entered the room and asked for the prince. Her
pallid lips refused to utter sound, but she pointed to the cradle and
saw the swift steel plunged into the heart of her child.
[6] "Henry Ryecroft"
APPENDIX I
BIG GAME LICENSE No. I,
Price Rs. 60 (sixty only).
This license will remain in force from the 15th of March 190 to the 15th
November 190, and is subject to the Kashmir Stata Game Laws; it permits
the Licensee to shoot the undermentioned game in the Districts and Nullahs
open to sportsmen, and, subject to Rules 8 and 9 of these Laws, small game
between the above dates.
----------------------+---------------+--------------+---------+---------
| No. permitted | No. actually | Size of |District.
Name of Animal. | to be | shot. | heads. |
| shot. | | |
----------------------+---------------+--------------+---------+---------
Markhor of any variety| 2 | | |
Ibex | 4 | | |
Ovis Hodgsoni (Ammon) | 1 | | |
Ovis Vignei (Sharpu) | 4 | | |
Ovis Nahura (Burhal) | 6 | | |
Thibetan Antelope | 6 | | |
Do. Gazelle | 1 | | |
Kashmir Stag | 2 | | |
Serow | 1 | | |
Brown Bears | 2 | | |
Tehr | 6 | | |
Goral | 6 | | |
Pigs, Black Bears and | No limit. | | |
Leopards | | | |
----------------------+---------------+--------------+---------+---------
_Name of Licensee____________________________________________
_Address_____________________________________________________
_Signature of Licensee on returning License__________________
N.B.--This portion of the License to be returned to the Secretary,
Game Preservation Department.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
NAME OF SHIKARIES, &c., EMPLOYED
------+-------+--------+-------+-----------------------------------------
|Name of| |Nature | _Place of Residence_. |
Serial|Shikari|Father's| of +---------+--------+----------+ REMARKS.
No. | or | Name. |employ-| Village | Tehail | District |
|Coolie.| | ment. | | | |
------+-------+--------+-------+---------+--------+----------+-----------
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
------+-------+--------+-------+---------+--------+----------+-----------
This License does not permit the Licensee to shoot in any of the closed
tracts or preserves mentioned in Rules 2 and 10, Kashmir State Game Laws,
nor in the Gilgit district, nor in the Astor or Kaj-nag districts,
without the special permit laid down under Rule 2.
_Dated_ ____ (Sd.) AMAR SINGH, GENERAL, RAJA,
_The_ ______ _Vice-President of Council, Jammu and Kashmir State_.
I certify that a copy of Kashmir State Game Laws, 190, has been issued
herewith,
_Signature of Official granting License_ ___________________
NOTE--This License will be shown on demand and is not transferable.
A fee of Re. 1 will be charged for a duplicate copy.
APPENDIX II
From the earliest times the Kashmiris have been objects of contempt and
derision, whilst the women have been--perhaps unduly--lauded for their
looks and general excellence.
The Kashmiris themselves are of opinion that "once upon a time" they were
an honourable and valiant folk, brought gradually to their present
condition by foreign oppression.
To a certain extent this is probably true, but, according to the
_Rajatarangini Kulan_, they were noted for dishonesty and cunning long
before the evil days of conquest and adversity. Bernier speaks well of the
men, calling them witty and industrious. Doubtless the Kashmiri character,
originally none too good, was ruined during the long years of cruelty and
injustice to which he was subjected by the Tartars, Afghans, and Sikhs,
who, from the day when Akbar put him into women's clothes, treated him as
something lower than a brute.
Forster, writing in 1783, abuses the Kashmiri, whom he stigmatises as
"endowed with unwearied patience in the pursuit of gain." He speaks of the
vile treatment to which he was subjected by his then rulers the Pathans,
observing that Afghans usually addressed Kashmiris by striking them with a
hatchet, but, he concludes, "I even judged them worthy of their adverse
fortune."
Elphinstone (1839) is of opinion that "the men are excessively addicted to
pleasure, and are notorious all over the East for falsehood and cunning;"
and again, "The Cashmerians are of no account as soldiers."
"Many fowls in a yard defile it, and many Kashmiri in a country ruin it,"
says the proverb. Lawrence goes very fully into the Kashmiri character,
and dwells upon its few good points, giving him credit for great artistic
feeling, quick wit, ready repartee, and freedom from crime against the
person. He considers the last merit, though, to be due to cowardice and
the state of espionage which exists in every village!
I was told (but perhaps by a prejudiced person) of a Kashmiri who, during
the great flood of 1903, he being safely on the shore, saw his brother
being swept down the boiling river, clinging to his rapidly disintegrating
roof. The following painful conversation ensued:--
"Whither sailest thou, oh brother, perched upon the birch bark of thine
ancestral roof?"
"Ah! brother dear. Save me quick! I drown!"
"Truly that can I; but say, what recompense wilt thou give me?"
"All I have in the world, brother--two lovely rupees."
"Tut, tut, little one; thou takest me for a fool. Two rupees, forsooth,
for five perchance I will deign to save thy worthless life."
"Three, then, three, carissimo--'tis all I have--and make haste, for I
feel my timbers parting, and I know not how to swim."
"Farewell, oh, dearest brother! I could not possibly think of taking so
much trouble for three rupees, especially as, now I come to think of it, I
can borrow a singhara pole, and, in due time, will prod for thy corpse in
the Wular! Mind thou wrappest the lucre snugly in thy cummerbund, that it
be not lost--farewell, little brother!"
While the gentlemen of the Happy Valley have been lashed by the tongue and
pen of every traveller, the ladies, on the contrary, have been rather
overrated.
In all communities where the men are invertebrate the women become the
real heads of the family, doing not only most of the actual work, but also
taking the dominant position in affairs generally. This I have observed
strikingly in the case of the three "slackest" male races I know--the
Fantis of the Gold Coast, the Kashmiri, and the crofters of the West
Highlands.
Opinion is divided on the question of female loveliness in Kashmir.
Marco Polo (who probably only got his ideas of "Kesmur" from hearsay)
echoed the prevalent opinion by saying, "The women although dark are very
comely" (ch. xxvii.). Bernier is enthusiastic: "Les femmes surtout y sont
tres-belles," and hints at their popularity among the Moguls.
Moorcroft, Vigne, and others swelled the laudatory chorus until Forster,
"having been prepossessed with an opinion of their charms, suffered a
sensible disappointment," and even was so rude as to criticise the ladies'
legs, which he considered thick!
Lawrence saw "thousands of women in the villages, and could not remember,
save one or two exceptions, ever seeing a really beautiful face;" but the
heaviest blow was dealt them by Jacquemont, who, as a gay Frenchman,
should have been an excellent judge: "Je n'avais jamais vu auparavant
d'aussi affreuses sorcieres!"
APPENDIX III
I had hoped to have given, through the kindness of Colonel Ward, a full
list of the birds of Kashmir. Up to the time of going to press, however,
the complete list has not been made out. A very large proportion, however,
has been published in the _Journal of the Bombay Nat. Hist. Society_. I
would refer those desirous of a knowledge of the birds of Kashmir to the
above Journal for 23rd April and 20th Sept. 1906, and 15th Feb. 1907. Also
to Hume and Henderson's _Lahore to Yarkand_, and to Le Mesurier's _Game,
Shore, and Water Birds of India_, to which I am indebted for the
following:--
"In Kashmir, out of 116 genera of land birds, 34 have a wide range, 32 are
characteristic of the Palar Arctic, 29 of the Indian, and 21 of the
Himalo-Chinese sub-region. Only one species is peculiar to Kashmir, a very
normal bullfinch (pyrula)."
The flora, which is most interesting, has yet (as far as I know) to be
treated independently of the neighbouring regions. Royle is scientific but
antiquated, and I know of no better list than that given by Lawrence in
his _Valley of Kashmir_.
APPENDIX IV
It may interest any one intending a trip to Kashmir to see a note of
reasonable expenses as incurred by two people during a nine-month absence
from England. Therefore I append a precis of ours.
It is to be remembered that a saving might be effected in many particulars
by any one knowing something of the country. We had to buy our experience.
Fully L10 or L12 could be saved in wages, as at first we had a fighting
tail like "Ta Phairson" of "four-and-twenty men and five-and-thirty
pipers"--and pipers have to be paid! We also hired tents when we did not
really require them. Against these outgoings, however, it should be borne
in mind that, thanks to the kindness of friends, we paid a merely nominal
rent for a "State" hut at Gulmarg. At Abbotabad, Jaipur, and Udaipur, also,
we had no hotel bills to meet.
PRECIS OF EXPENSES--TWO PERSONS
LONDON TO KARACHI (25 Days)
L s. d. L s. d.
Half-Return fares, 1st class, London to Trieste,
and thence by Austrian Lloyd (unaccelerated) 60 0 0
Hotels, sleeping-car, gratuities, wine bills, &c. 16 15 0
Baggage expenses 8 15 7
---------- 85 10 7
BOMBAY TO LONDON (25 Days)
Share of fares 60 0 0
Hotel expenses and sundries, as before 10 6 8
Baggage expenses, dock dues, &c. 17 11 4
---------- 87 18 0
KARACHI TO SRINAGAR (16 Days)
Rail and baggage expenses to Pindi 12 6 8
Landau and two ekkas to Srinagar, inclusive of
gratuities, tolls, &c. 10 10 8
Hotels, Dak bungalows, &c. 13 18 9
Duty on firearms (repayable on leaving) 1 16 8
Resais, waterproof for luggage, kettles, &c. 1 19 3
Servant's fare to Karachi, wages, &c. 2 12 8
---------- 43 4 8
-------------
_Carry forward_ 216 13 3
EXPENSES IN KASHMIR (6 Months)
L s. d. L s. d.
_Brought forward_ 216 13 3
Food, wine, washing, cigars, &c. 72 7 3
Wages, inclusive of various clothes 42 9 9
Amusements, golf and tennis subscriptions, &c. 11 7 2
Hire of boats, tents and equipment 17 6 5
Transport coolies and ponies 33 14 11
Hire of hut at Gulmarg 5 6 8
Sundry furniture, cooking gear, yakdans, &c. 9 0 8
----------- 191 12 10
BARAMULA TO BOMBAY (1 Month)
Landau and four ekkas, with gratuities and tolls. 13 14 0
Dak bungalows, hotels, &c. 18 5 8
Wages, inclusive of gratuities 6 14 0
Rail, Pindi to Bombay (_via_ Udaipur) 16 17 0
Baggage 5 2 8
Hire of carriages, &c. 1 4 11
---------- 61 18 3
Loss by exchange on cheques. 5 19 7
------------
Total 476 3 11
============
INDEX AND NOTES
ABBOTABAD, A frontier station garrisoned by a mobile force of Gurkhas and
Royal Artillery, whence any descent from the Black Mountain or Chilas
country can be checked. Named after Lieutenant Abbot, who reduced the
neighbourhood to order in 1845-48.
Aden, Occupying a warm corner just outside the straits of Babol-Mandeb;
was the first addition made to the British dominions in the reign of
Queen Victoria, having been taken from the Arabs in 1839.
Agates,
Agra, Rose to importance under the Moguls, becoming their seat of
government after Akbar quitted the city he had built, Fatehpur-Sighri,
until Aurungzeb removed the seat of government to Delhi.
Akbar, The third, and in many ways the greatest, of the six "Great Mogul"
Emperors of India. A warrior first, he consolidated his conquests with
the genius of an enlightened statesman.
Alsu, A small village on the north-west shore of the Wular Lake.
Amar Singh (General Raja Sir Amar Singh, K.C.S.I.), Brother of His
Highness Sir Pratab Singh, G.C.S.I., Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir; is
Vice-President of the States Council and owner of much land in Kashmir,
the prosperity of which he has done much to promote.
Amber, The ancient capital of Jaipur; was built in the eleventh century,
its Rajput rulers being the powerful allies of Chitor during her
struggles against the Mohammedan invasion. The Palace was built by Raja
Maun, _circa_ 1600, in the days of Akbar, whose cousin he was by
marriage ( _comp_. ). Amber was deserted in 1728 by Jey Singh for his
new city of Jaipur.
Amethyst, This stone should be much worn in Scotland, particularly on New
Year's Day, it having been (according to the Greek derivation of the
name) an antidote to drunkenness!
Amira Kadal, The highest of the seven bridges at Srinagar; a fine modern
structure, replacing that built by Amir Khan Jawan Sher, the Pathan, who
also built Sher Garhi.
Anda, Egg.
Anna, the sixteenth part of a rupee, value one penny.
Apharwat, One of the Pir Panjal range, which rises above Gulmarg, height
14,500 feet.
Aru, A small village, beautifully situated about seven miles above Pahlgam.
Asti, "Go slow."
Astor, A district on the main route from Kashmir to Gilgit, the village is
about ninety-two miles from Bandipur. Two passes (the Rajdiangan, or
Tragbal, 11,800 feet, and the Boorzil, 13,500 feet) have to be crossed.
About ten passes are issued each season to sportsmen, markhor and ibex
being the game.
Atchibal, A village seven miles from Islamabad, where many springs burst
out from the rocks. Atchibal was a favourite pleasure-garden of the
Mogul Emperors, the remains of which still exist.
Aurungzeb, The last of the six "Great Moguls"; deposed and imprisoned his
predecessor Shah Jehan in 1658, and reigned until 1707. Bigoted and
intolerant, he shares with Sikander the odium of having destroyed many
of the ancient Hindu temples of Kashmir.
Avantipura, The modern village is near the extensive ruins named after
King Avanti Verma, which formed once the capital of Kashmir.
Bahamarishi, (_Baba-pam-Rishi=_Father Smoothbeard.) A village some three
miles below Gulmarg; the ziarat is named after a rishi, or ascetic, of
the sixteenth century.
Baloo, (Kashmiri, _Harpat_) "Rara avis in terras, nigroque similima
cignis." _Anglice_, a bear.
Bandipur, An important village on the north shore of the Wular Lake, the
starting-point for Gilgit, &c. Oddly enough, Bandipur is not marked on
the Ordnance Map.
Bandobast, A bargain or arrangement.
Bappa, An eighth-century Rajput hero, and ancestor of the present chiefs
of Mewar; appears to have had strong Mormon proclivities.
Baramula, The third town in Kashmir, having some 900 houses, is built on
the Jhelum at its outflow from the Kashmir Valley: it is also built on
the west focus of seismic disturbance in Kashmir, and was destroyed by
an earthquake in 1885, when 3000 Baramulans were killed. We were unaware
of these interesting facts on the morning of April 4! The "Palms of
Baramoule," which Moore sang of, are like snakes in Iceland--they do
not exist.
Bara singh, The Kashmir stag.
Bawan,
Beera,
Bejbehara, The ancient Vijayasvara, a picturesque village and bridge about
four miles below Islamabad.
Bernier, F., a Frenchman attached to the court of Aurungzeb as medical
adviser; wrote _Voyage a Kachemire_.
Bhanyar,
Bheostie, The Indian Aquarius--the water-bearer.
Bhils,
Birch, (Kashmiri, _Burza_) The bark used in making the paper for which
Kashmir was noted, also for roofing, it being strong and impervious to
water.
Blue pine, _Pinus Excelsa_, (Kashmiri, _Yar_.)
Bombay,
Books on Kashmir:(1) Bernier, _Voyage a Kachemire_ (Utrecht, 1724);
(2) Forster's (G) _Journey from Bengal to England_ (London, 1798);
(3) Moorcroft, _Travels in Kashmir, &c._ edited by Wilson, 1841;
(4) Jacquomont (V), _Voyage dans l'Inde_ (Paris, 1841);
(5) Vigne (G. T.), _Travels in Kashmir, &c._, 1844;
(6) Hugel's _Travels_, 1845;
(7) Drew, _Jummoo and, Ktishmir Territories_; and
(8) Lawrence's _Valley of Kashmir_ 1895.
Budmash, A scoundrel.
Bund, An embankment or dyke to bank a river.
Burra, Big, or great.
Carnelian, "Flesh-stone"--for origin read Marryat's _Pacha of Many Tales_
Chakhoti,
Chandni Chowk,
Chaplies,
Chappar, Paddle with heart-shaped blade.
Chatris, The cenotaphs of the Maharanas of Mewar; they stand in a walled
enclosure between Udaipur and the railway station.
Chonar, _Plaianus Orientals_ or Oriental plane. This magnificent tree is
supposed to have been introduced into Kashmir by the Mogul Emperors. It
grows to a great size, one measured by Lawrence being sixty-three feet
five inches in circumference at five feet above the ground! There is a
very fair specimen in Kew Gardens, between the pond and the "herbaceous
border."
Chilas,
Chit, A note or letter, and also a character or recommendation, Every man
collects something, from pictures to tram tickets--the native collects
"chits." Like other collectors he will beg, borrow, or steal to improve
his store, and life is made a burden by the perpetual writing and
reading of these mendacious documents.
Chitor,
Chittagul Nullah, The next nullah to the south-west of the Wangat. The
village of Wangat is wrongly placed in it, according to the Ordnance Map.
Chondawats, A Rajput clan.
Chota, Little, _Chota Hazm = petit dejeuner_ or early breakfast.
Chowkidar, A functionary whose principal duty seems to be to snore in the
verandah at night and scare other robbers away.
Chupatty, A flabby sort of scone.
Chuprassie,
Cockburn's Agency, The nearest approach to "Whiteley's" in Kashmir.
Dak, Post. _Dak Bungalow_=posting station.
Dal Lake, _Dal_ means lake (in a plain), while _nag_ is a mountain tarn.
Dandy, A sort of enclosed chair with four projecting arms, wherein pretty
ladies are carried when it doesn't suit them to walk.
Degchies, Cooking utensils--best made of aluminium, owing to the unclean
ways of native scullions.
Dekho, See, look!
Delhi, The capital of the Mogul Emperors, dating from 1638, when Shah
Jehan commenced to build the great fort. The ancient city lies some
miles to the south. Delhi was taken by General Lake in 1803.
Deodar, (Kashmiri, _Diar.) Cedrus Lebani_, var. _Deodara_. The most
valuable tree in Kashmir, where it was formerly abundant. It is now
chiefly found in the north-west districts, and it is carefully cherished
by the "Jungly Sahib" and his myrmidons.
Dobie, The thing that ruins all your shirts and causes you to shatter the
Third Commandment.
Domel, Village with Dak Bungalow, at the confluence of the Jhelum and the
Kishenganga.
Doolie,
Doras,
Dounga, "The boats of Kashmir are very long and narrow, and are rowed with
paddles from the stern, which is a little elevated, to the centre; a
tilt of mats is extended for the shelter of passengers or merchandize"
(Forster); the mats are made of "pits" (reed mace), a swamp plant.
Drogmulla,
Dubgam, A village at junction of the Pohru with the Jhelum, about seven
miles above Baramula.
EARTHQUAKE, An upsetting event of too frequent occurrence in Kashmir.
Particularly severe visitations occurred in 1827 and 1885 (_see_
Baramula).
Echo Lake, A small tarn on the top of Apharwat.
Ek, One. (_Ek dam_=immediately.)
Ekka,
Embroidery,
Erin Nullah,
Eshmakam, =_Eysh Makam_("the delightful halting-place") Above the village
stands the shrine of Zyn-u-din, one of the four disciples of the Kashmir
patron saint, Shah Nur-u-din.
FATERPUR-SIGHRI,
Ferozepore Nullah,
Floating Gardens,
GANESBAL, The boulder, red-stained and extremely sacred, which lies in the
middle of the Lidar; bears some fancied likeness to Ganesh (the
elephant-headed god).
Gangabal, A sacred lake, lying under the north glaciers of Haramok at the
elevation of 12,000 feet. It is said to be a source of the Ganges(!)
and is an object of pilgrimage
Ghari,
Ghari Habibullah,
Ghari Wallah, The Jehu of these parts.
Ghat,
Gold mohur,
Golf,
Gram,
Grass shoes,
Gujar, Is not a Kashmiri, being a member of the semi-nomad tribes which
graze buffaloes and goats upon the hills. He speaks Parimu or Hindki.
Gulmarg, (The Rose Marg.) The most frequented resort of the English in
Kashmir during July and August; stands some 8500 feet above the sea,
wherefore some people find the air too rarefied. Gulmarg was first
mentioned by Yusaf Khan in 1580.
Gunderbal, A village placed where the Sind River debouches into the plain.
The starting-point for Leh and Thibet.
Gupkar, Town of Gopaditya(?). A wine-manufacturing suburb of Srinagar,
overlooking the Dal.
Gurais, A large village on the Bandipur-Gilgit route, lying on the right
bank of the Kishenganga, about forty-two miles from Bandipur.
HARAMOK, The predominating mountain (16,903 feet) of the valley, from
almost every part of which his square-headed bulk is visible; hence the
name, which means "all faces" or "all mouths." A legend holds that a
vein of emerald lies near the summit, and that within view of this gem
no snake can live
Harbagwan,
Hari Parbat, ("The Green Hill") So named on account of the gardens and
vineyards which clothed its sides. Became the residence of Akbar, who
built the wall round foot of hill in 1597. The fort on top was the work
of the Pathan, Atta Mohamad Khan.
Haripur,
Harwan,
Hasrat Bal Mosque, (The Prophet's Hair.) Various fairs and festivals are
held here, the principal one being held upon the day that the Prophet
rode up to Heaven on his mule Al Barak (the Thunderer). This mule,
by-the-bye, is one of the five favoured beasts which the Mohammedans
believe destined to immortality; the others are (1) Abraham's Ram, (2)
Balaam's Ass, (3) the one upon which Christ rode on Palm Sunday, and (4)
the dog which guarded the seven sleepers.
Hassanabad Mosque, Built by Nur Jehan Begum (Nourmahal), and destroyed by
the Sikhs.
Hassan Abdal, (_Abdal=_fanatic).
Hoopoe, Un-natural history of.
INSECTS, Of benign insects such as butterflies there are singularly few.
Both mosquitoes and flies are very troublesome during the hot weather in
the valley. Visits to native huts will probably lead to an introduction
to other insects. In India ants become a nuisance: I met with a foraging
party of extremely large and well-nourished ones as I entered my bath
place one morning. I recognised them for the descendants--decadent
somewhat--of the famous fellows who played Alberich to the Gold of
Hindostan and regarding which Herodotus (commonly known as the Father of
History, or of Lies, I forget which) asserted that they were of the
bigness of foxes and ran with incredible swiftness. He evidently got
this yarn from Pliny--
"Indicae Formicae.
Aurum ex cavernus egerunt terrae
Ipsis autem color Fehum magnitudo Aegypti Luporum"
(Lib. xi. ch. 31)--
and passed it on to Sir J. Maundevil, who swallowed it greedily. "Theise
pissmyres ben grete as houndes; so that no man dar come to the hilles,
for the pissmyres wolde assaylen hem and devouren hem" (ch. xxx) For the
wily method of catching the ants napping, together with other _contes
drolatiques_, read Maundevil's _Travels_.
Iris, (Kashmiri, _Krishm_) Succeeds the tulip and precedes the rose as
typical of Kashmirian Flora, is used as fodder, and the fibre makes
ropes, which are, however, not durable.
Islamabad, (Or Anant Nag, the "Place of Countless Springs.") Is the second
city in Kashmir, having about 9000 inhabitants; stands at the head of
the navigable Jhelum, fifty miles by water and thirty-two by land above
Srinagar.
Jade,
Jagganath,
Jain, A small sect founded by Mahavera, a contemporary of Gautama. The
Jains were great temple-builders.
Jehangir,
Jeimal, With Putta, one of the national heroes of the Rajputs. They fell,
while mere boys, in the heroic defence of Chitor against Akbar.
Jey Singh, (Sowar Jey Singh.) Succeeded to the throne of Amber in 1699,
founded Jaipur in 1728. He wrote the following, which I had not read
when I visited his observatory at Jaipur "Let us devote ourselves at the
altar of the King of Kings, hallowed be his name! In the book of the
register of whose power the lofty orbs of Heaven are but a few leaves,
and the stars, and that heavenly courser the sun, small pieces of money
in the treasury of the Most High."
Jheel, A small lake, or pond.
Jhelum, (Kashmiri, _Veth_, Hindu, _Vetasta_, the ancient _Hydaspes_.)
Rises at Vernag, becomes navigable at Kanbal, and is so for 120 miles,
when it forms rapids below Baramula. Average breadth at Srinagar in
December 210 feet, average depth 9 feet.
Johur,
Kaj-nag,
Kali, ("The Terrible.") Wife of Shiva or Mahadeva.
Kanbal,
Karachi,
Karewas, "Where the mountains cease to be steep, fan-like projections,
with flat, arid tops, and bare of trees, run out towards the valley"
(Lawrence)
Kashmir=Kashuf-mir (the country of Kashuf). Was ruled by Tartar princes
from about 150-100 B.C. for several centuries; conquered after a year's
struggle by Mahmoud of Guznee (1014-1015 A.D.). Invaded by Baber and
Humayun, and finally conquered by latter in 1543, and formally annexed
by Akbar in 1588. After the fall of Delhi (Nadir Shah) in 1739, Kashmir
fell into the hands of Amirs of Cabul in 1753. It was captured by the
Sikhs under Ranjit Singh in 1819, and, after the defeat of the Sikhs at
the hands of the British, was handed over to Gulab Singh of Jammu for
twenty-five lacs of rupees "Kailasa is the best place in the three
worlds, Himalaya the best part of Kailasa, and Kashmir the best place in
Himalaya" _(Rajatarangini Kulan_).
Kastoora, Merula Boulboul (the grey-winged ousel). Jane
bought "Freddie" one day in Srinagar, and he has been our friend
and companion ever since--being at this present (August 1907)
in rude health.
Khansamah, A Cook.
Khubbar, News--usually untrustworthy.
Khud, A steep slope or precipice.
Khudstick, An alpenstock made of tough wood, usually of Cotoneaster
baccillaris (lun); should be well tested before purchase, as life may
depend on its strength.
Killanmarg, A wide sloping marg above Gulmarg, just above the pine forest
on the slopes of Apharwat.
Kilta, Creel made of the pliant withes of the Wych Hazel, _Parrotia_
_Jacquemontiana_ (Chob-i-poh).
Kishenganga, A large affluent of the Jhelum which drains the Tilail Valley,
passes Gurais, and joins the Jhelum below Muzafferabad.
Kitardaji, Forest house in the Machipura.
Kitmaghar, Bearer.
Kobala,
Kohinar,
Kolahoi, or Gwash Brari, 17,800 ft. The loftiest peak in Kashmir proper.
It has not yet been ascended.
Koolan,
Kralpura,
Kulan, A peak of the Pir Panjal, at the head of the Ferozepore Nullah.
Kulgam, or Kuligam.
Kunis,
Kurnavati,
Kutab Minar,
Lacquer,
Lahore, Capital of the Punjab. An ancient and interesting city, which
(like Agra and Delhi) only attained its zenith of prosperity in the days
of Akbar.
Lakri, A stick (at Gulmarg also a golf-club).
Lalpura, A charming village in the Lolab.
Larch,
Lidar, Liddar, or Lambodri, Drains the Kolahoi district, and forms the
first substantial affluent of the Jhelum, which it joins below Islamabad.
Lidarwat, A small Grujar village fifteen miles above Pahlgam, on the left
bank of the river, about 10,000 ft. above sea-level.
Logue or Log, Folk.
Lumbadhar, The headman of a village.
Machipura, "The Place of Fish"--why, I cannot imagine! The district lying
along the east foothills of the Kaj-nag.
Mahadeo, (Mahadeva or Shiva) A sacred mountain and object of pilgrimage,
north of Srinagar, 13,500 feet high.
Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, H.H. Sir Pratab Singh, G.C.S.I., succeeded
his father Ranbir Singh (who was third son of Gulah Singh) in 1885. The
family is of the Rajput Dogras. "His kindness to all classes has won him
the affection of his people" (Lawrence).
Maharana, H.H. the Maharana Dhiraj Sir Fateh Singh, G.C.S.I., of Udaipur,
is head of the Rajput princes in point of blood, being descended from the
Suryabansi, or Children of the Sun.
Mahseer,
Malingam,
Manji or Hanji, A Kashmiri water-thief or boatman.
Manserah,
Mar (snake) Canal. A dirty but most picturesque waterway between the Dal
and the Anchar Lakes.
Marg,(Margh?) Persian for a garden abounding in plants.
Margam,
Martand, The principal temple in Kashmir--stands on a high karewa some few
miles from Islamabad.
Metal-work,
Mewar,
Mogul, The Moguls were a warlike people of Central Asia, who, under Timur
(Tamerlane) their chief, sacked Delhi in 1398. At the great battle of
Panipat, in 1524, Baber the Mogul (direct descendant of Timur) defeated
the Sultans of Delhi. He was the first of the six "Great" Moguls (the
others being Humayun, Akbar, Jehangir, Shah Jehan, and Aurungzeb), who
ruled India with unparalleled magnificence for 150 years.
Mulberry, (_Morus sp_. Kashmiri _Tul_) A very precious tree in Kashmir, on
account of the silk industry. It grows to a great size, attaining a girth
of 25 feet.
Murghi, A fowl.
Murree, A hill station and sanatorium, 37 miles from Rawal Pindi, on a
hill 7500 feet above the sea. Its importance dates from 1850. Forster
speaks of it as a small village in 1786.
Musafferabad, ("The Place of Victory") Built by Masufer Khan, Rajah of
Chikri.
Mussick, Water-skin.
NAG, A mountain lake or tarn.
Nagas, Human-bodied, snake-tailed gods.
Nagmarg,
Nanga Parbat, A great mountain in the Chilas country, 26,620 feet high
(the fourth in point of height in the world), Mommery and two guides were
destroyed in 1895, probably by an avalanche, while attempting the ascent.
Nassim Bagh, ("The Garden of Delicious Breezes") A favourite spot in the
days of the Mogul Emperors. Akbar planted 1200 chenars.
Neem tree.
Neve, Dr. A. He and his brother are surgeons to the Kashmir Medical
Mission, where for many years they have carried on the somewhat
thankless task of benefiting the natives.
Nishat Bagh, ("The Garden of Drink")
Nopura, A village on the Pohru.
Nourmahal, ("Light of the Palace"), or, more properly, Nur Jehan Begum
("Light of the World"), was the wife of Jehaugir, celebrated in Mooree's
_Lalla Rookh_. Her life story was very curious. See Forster's _Journey
from Bengal to England_, London, 1798.
Nullah, A valley or ravine.
Numdah,
ONTALA,
Oodi Singh,
PADMANI, "The Lotus-lovely Lady."
Pagdandy, A short cut.
Pahlgam, "The Shepherd's Village," A Kashmiri summer resort for those who
like quiet. It is 27 miles from Islamabad up the Lidar Valley, and is
somewhat over 7000 feet above the sea.
Pampur, (Padma-pur, city of Vishnu, or Padmun-pur, "the place of beauty"),
principally noted now for its Pampur roti or bread, a speciality of the
place.
Pandrettan, or Pandrenthan, =Puranadhisthana, "the old capital." Was built
in the time of Partha by his Prime Minister, Meru.
Parana Chauni,
Patan. "The City" or "Ferry," the ancient Sankarapura, Sankaravarma having
built two temples there at the end of the eighth century.
Peechy, Afterwards, later, by-and-bye
Peri Mahal, "The Abode of the Fairies." Built on the hill above Gupkar by
Prince Dara Shikoh, probably for astronomical purposes
Piasse, The onion.
Pice, See Rupee.
Pichola Lake,
Pir Panjab, Pir=Dogri for peak Pantzal, Kashmiri for ditto Pir also meant
a saint, particularly one who lived in the pass in the days of Shah
Jehan and Aurungzeb and who was interviewed by Bernier. The Pir Panjal
was the route followed by the Moguls when coming to Kashmir, and, rough
as it is, they sent elephants along it. The highest peak of the Pir
Panjal is Tatakuti, 15,500 feet.
Pohru,
Poonch, A native state lying south-west of Kashmir, to which it is
tributary. The Raja Buldeo Singh is cousin to the Maharajah of Kashmir.
Poplar. There are two varieties of Poplar in Kashmir, the Italian or
Black Poplar, and the White, the latter attains a great size, one near
Gurais measuring 127 feet in height and 14-1/2 feet in girth.
Porcelain,
Port Said,
Puttoo, Native cloth.
RAINAWARI,
Rajput, The brave and chivalrous inhabitants of Rajputana. Bernier,
probably influenced by Mogul opinion, attributes much of their valour to
opium, as the following curious extract shows "Ils sont grands preneurs
d'opium, et je me suis quelque fois etonne de la quantite que je leur
en voiois prendre; aussi ils s'y accoutumerent des la jeunesse; le jour
d'une bataille ils ne s'oublient pas de doubler la dose; cette drogue
les anime ou plutot les enyvre, et les rend insensibles an danger, de
sorte quils se jettant dans le combat comma des betes furieuses, ne
sachant ce que c'est de fuir ... c'est un plaisir de les voir ainsi avec
leur fumee d'opium dans la tete s'entre embrasser quand on est pret de
combattre et se dire adieu les uns aux autres, comme gens qui sont
resolus de mourir."--Vol. i. p. 54.
Ramble-tamble egg, Scrambled eggs.
Ram chikor, The great snow partridge (_Tetragallus Himalayensis_).
Rampur. A small village in the Jhelum Valley, and a village on the way
into the Lolab _via_ Kunis.
Rawal Pindi,
Rassad, "Field Allowance" or extra rations given to coolies when doing any
mountain work or away from supplies.
Resai,
Roorkhee chair, An extremely comfortable and portable chair made by the
R.E. at Roorkhee.
Rope bridge,
Rupee=one fifteenth of a sovereign, or 1s. and 4d.
12 pice (or pies)= 4 paisa = 1 anna = 1 penny
16 annas = 1 rupee.
SAAF kuro, "Make clean."
Saktawats, A Rapjut clan.
Sari, A woman's garment, usually brilliant in colour, blood-red and dark
blue being favoured.
Sekwas,
Sellar,
Serow, _Nemorhaidus bubalerius_.
Sesodia, The ruling family of Udaipur, formerly known as Gehlote.
Shadipur, "The Place of Marriage"--probably with reference to the junction
of the Sind and Jhelum rivers.
Shah Jehan, The greatest builder of the Mogul Emperors. Ruled from 1627 to
1658, when he was deposed and imprisoned by Aurungzeb.
Shalimar,
Shalimar Bagh,
Shambrywa, One of the peaks of the Kaj-nag.
Shiah, A Mohammedan sect, usually much at variance with those of Sunni
persuasion.
Shikara, A light sort of canoe.
Shikari, A necessary joint in the "fighting tail" of the sportive visitor
to Kashmir. Usually a fraud, but, if not too proud, makes quite a good
golf caddy.
Shisha Nag, "The Glassy or Leaden Lake."
Silver fir, _Abies Webbiana_ (Kashmiri, _Sungal_). Grows to a great height,
being known 110 feet high and 16 feet in girth.
Sind Desert,
Sind Valley,
Singhara, Meaning "horned nut," the water chestnut _(Trapa bispinosa_).
An article of diet much prized by the Kashmiri.
Sogul,
Sonamarg, "The Golden Marg." A summer station high up the Sind Valley on
the route to Leh and Ladak.
Sopor, =Sonapur, or the Golden City. A somewhat unclean little town of
some 600 houses on the Jhelum, about eight miles by road and twelve by
water above Baramula.
Spill Canal, Cut in 1904, after the Great Flood of 1903, to carry some of
the river clear of Srinagar and ease the pressure on the bund.
Spruce, _Picca, Morunda_. (Kashmiri, _Kachal_.)
Srinagar, _Surga Nagur_, City of the Sun. Has a population of 120,000.
Became capital in 960 A.D., when the ancient city of Pandrettan was burnt
in the reign of Abimanyu. The city was called Kashmir until recently,
Martand being called Sringar by Jacquemont.
Sultanpur,
Sumbal, Said to be the site of the ancient city Jayapura.
Sunt-i-kul = "Apple-tree Canal."
TAJ MAHAL, The magnificent tomb of Mumtez Mahal, favourite wife of Shah
Jehan.
Takht-i-Suleiman, A steep isolated hill rising nearly 1000 feet above
Srinagar, crowned by a temple which is built on the ruins of a very
ancient edifice. The Takht or Throne of Solomon is, according to the
legend, the place which Solomon occupied during his mythical visit to
Kashmir.
Tangmarg, "The Open Marg". Is the village about 1500 foot below Gulmarg,
which is the nearest point to Gulmarg attainable by wheeled conveyance.
Tattoo, A pony.
Tehsildhar, The functionary who has jurisdiction over a tehsil.
Temples, For full description read Lawrence _(Valley of Kashmir_, chap.
vi.) Their ruined state is partly due to earthquakes, but probably still
more to the iconoclastic activity of Sikandar (_d._ 1416) and Aurungzeb.
Tilail,
Tonga,
Topaz, Name derived from the Greek "to conjecture"--because no one knew
whence they came!
Tower of Fame,
Tower of Victory,
Tragbal,
Tragam, A large village south-west of the Lolab, whence a route leads to
Musafferabad.
Tret, A station at the foot of the Murree hills on the road to Rawal Pindi.
Trieste,
Tronkol,
Turquoise,
UDAIPUR, The capital of the ancient and powerful Rajput State of Mewar,
founded by Oodi Singh after the fall of Chitor.
Uri,
VERNABOUG,
Vernag,
WALNUT, A valuable tree in Kashmir, where its fruit and timber are both
greatly esteemed; grows to a very large size, one in the Lolab having a
girth of 18 feet 10 inches.
Wangat,
Wardwan, The mountainous district on the east of Kashmir.
Water buffalo, An ungainly and "sneevish" beast beloved of Gujars and
nobody else.
Weights 2 lbs. (English)=1 seer. 40 seers = 1 maund.
Wood carving,
Wular, Means "cave". The largest lake in India, being 12-1/2 x 5 miles in
average extent. In floods it covers much extra space.
Wych hazel, _See_ Kilta.
YAKDAN,
ZIARAT, A Mohammedan shrine.
Zoji La, The pass at the head of the Sind Valley which is crossed on going
to Leh, height 11,300 feet.
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