Transcriber’s Note: This book was published in two volumes, of which this is the first. The second volume was released as Project Gutenberg ebook #74043, available at [https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/74043].
SRI GŬNÉSHŬ.
WANDERINGS OF A PILGRIM,
IN SEARCH OF
The Picturesque,
DURING FOUR-AND-TWENTY YEARS IN THE EAST;
WITH
REVELATIONS OF LIFE
IN
THE ZENĀNA.
BY
فاني پارکس
ILLUSTRATED WITH SKETCHES FROM NATURE.
“Let the result be what it may, I have launched my boat.”
IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. I.
LONDON:
PELHAM RICHARDSON, 23, CORNHILL.
1850.
LONDON:
GILBERT AND RIVINGTON, PRINTERS,
ST. JOHN’S SQUARE.
To the Memory
OF
MY BELOVED MOTHER,
AT WHOSE REQUEST IT WAS WRITTEN,
THIS NARRATIVE IS DEDICATED:
AND IF ANY OF THE FRIENDS,
WHOSE KIND PARTIALITY HAS INDUCED THEM TO URGE
ITS PUBLICATION,
SHOULD THINK I HAVE DWELT TOO MUCH
ON MYSELF, ON MY OWN THOUGHTS, FEELINGS, AND ADVENTURES,
LET THEM REMEMBER THAT
THIS JOURNAL WAS WRITTEN FOR THE AFFECTIONATE EYE
Of Her
TO WHOM NOTHING COULD BE SO GRATIFYING
As THE SLIGHTEST INCIDENT CONNECTED WITH HER
BELOVED AND ABSENT CHILD,
فاني پارکس
श्री
INVOCATION.
Work-perfecting Gŭnéshŭ! Salamut.
Gănésh!—Gănésh!
Two-mothered! One-toothed!
Portly-paunched! Elephant-faced Gŭnéshŭ!
Salām!!
Moon-crowned! Triple-eyed!
Thou who in all affairs claimest precedence in adoration!
Calamity-averting Gănésh!
Salām!!
Thou who art invoked on the commencement of a journey,
the writing of a book,
Salām!!
Oh! Gănésh, “put not thine ears to sleep[1]!”
“Encourage me, and then behold my bravery;
Call me your own fox, then will you see me perform
the exploits of a lion[2]!”
“What fear need he have of the waves of the sea,
who has Noah for a pilot[3]?”
First-born of Mahādēo and Parvutī!
God of Prudence and Policy!
Patron of Literature!
Salām!!
May it be said,
“Ah! she writes like Gănésh!”
“The Camels were being branded for the Public Service and the Spider came to be marked also.”
In stone by Major Parlby
فاني پارکس
श्री
INTRODUCTION.
GĂNÉSH, THE PATRON OF LITERATURE.
“WHATEVER THE WANDERING TRAVELLER SAYS, HE DOES SO FROM HAVING SEEN THAT OF WHICH HE SPEAKS[4].”
So many admirable works have appeared of late, illustrating scenes in India, both with pen and pencil, that I offer these sketches in all humility, pleading the force of example.
“THE CAMELS WERE BEING BRANDED WITH HOT IRONS FOR THE PUBLIC SERVICE, AND THE SPIDER CAME TO BE MARKED ALSO[5].”
For four-and-twenty years have I roamed the world,—
“I NEITHER WENT TO MEKKA NOR MUDĪNA, BUT WAS A PILGRIM NEVERTHELESS[6].”
The [Frontispiece] represents the idol Gănésh, the deified infant whom I have invoked.
The sign Sri, at the top of the page, implores his triple eyes to look with favour on the undertaking,—in the same manner that this sign, ♃, the old heathen invocation to Jupiter, sought his blessing; and is equivalent to the usual invocation of the poets to the Muses,—the Muhammadan authors to the Prophet,—or the “Laus Deo,” with which merchants’ clerks formerly began their books,—a practice not yet quite extinct.
“Sri” is written at the top of all Hindi writings; the meaning of the word is “prosperity;” it is put as a title of respect before proper names; frequently they write the same word twice over (“Sri, Sri,”)—or they write “Sri Gănésh.” The Muhammadans, in a similar manner, dedicate their writings to God by a character on the first page, which, as in short-hand writing, implies a whole sentence.
The history of Gănésh is as follows:
“I SPEAK TO THOSE WHO HAVE DAUGHTERS, AND LET THOSE WHO HAVE SONS LISTEN[7]!”
Parvutī, the mountain-born, the daughter of the Himalaya, the mountain goddess, the mother of Gănésh the wisest of deities, on the birth of her son, charmed with his beauty, and proud of the infant, in the presence of the gods assembled in council, requested their congratulations on the happy event.
Shivŭ the destroyer, although he paid the compliments necessary on the occasion, ever avoided looking upon the child. The mother naturally reproved him; Shivŭ, annoyed at the rebuke, gazed upon the infant, whose beautiful head instantly withered away beneath a glance which none can endure and live.
Indra, the abode of the gods, resounded with the lamentations of Parvutī, who, struck with dismay, was inconsolable.
Brahma, having pity on her distress, bade her be comforted, and commanded Shivŭ to bring the head of the first animal that he should find lying with its head to the north.
This sleeping with the head to the north is unlucky, and ever to be avoided, it being forbidden by the Shăstr, and the penalty thereof death.
Shivŭ went forth: the first animal he encountered in the above-mentioned unlucky position being an elephant, he cut off its head, and, returning to the assembly of the gods, fixed it upon the body of Gănésh. Seeing this, the mother became frantic, nor could she be consoled until Brahma thus addressed her: “Lament not the fate of your child;—with the head of an elephant he shall possess all sagacity. In pūja Gănésh shall be invoked ere any other god be worshipped, hence shall he be greater than all the gods. Ere a pious Hindū commence any sort of writing, the sign of Gănésh shall he make at the top of the page, otherwise his words shall be folly, and his traffic a matter of loss. He shall be the patron of learning, his writing shall be beautiful.
“‘Behold! he writes like Gănésh!’ who shall say more?—with the simplicity of the child shall be united the wisdom of the elephant, his power shall be all-seeing—The patron of literature and work-perfecting.”
The daughter of the Himalaya listened to the words of Brahma, and the heart of the mother found consolation in the honours bestowed upon her child.
He is called two-mothered, uniting the elephant’s head to his natural body, therefore having a second mother in the elephant.
In the wars of heaven he lost one tusk, hence his appellation one-toothed.
His quadruple hands and arms denote power. In one of his hands is the ānkus, the instrument with which the elephant is guided; in another a battle-axe. Being a child, and therefore fond of sweetmeats, a third hand bears a small cup filled with pera, a sweetmeat common in all bazārs; in the fourth he carries a short rosary, wherewith he counts his beads. Around his neck is twined the Cobra-di-capello, the holy serpent, whose hood is outspread upon his breast. This image is dignified by a frontal eye, signifying the sun, encircled by a crescent, a sol lunar emblem and mystical mark, hence “moon-crowned,” “triple-eyed.” His attendant, a rat, holding a pera, sweetmeat, is placed at his side: on his head is a crown, and around his limbs a yellow dhotī, a cloth of Benares tissue edged with gold. His body is covered with ornaments of rich jewellery, such as are worn by men in the East,—his single tusk is bound with gold,—his hands and feet are dyed with menhdī, hinnā. On each of his four arms are two bāzūbands, or armlets; and chūrīs, or bracelets, of massive gold, adorn his wrists. A golden plate on the back of the hand is fastened round the wrist by chains of gold, and from the upper part similar but finer chains pass over the back of the hand, and unite with rings on all the fingers and the thumb. This ornament is very peculiar; both hands are thus adorned. The chaunrīs above his head, emblems of royalty, are used by the attendant Brahmāns to keep off the flies; they wave them over the head of the idol during pūja.
Gănésh is seated on an altar, such as is used in the mut’hs, Hindū temples, surrounded by divers idols, sacred shells, and instruments of worship; small brass cups filled with oil, called chirāghs, are burned as lamps before the shrine. The worshippers pour oil and the holy water of the Ganges over the head of the god, which is thus bathed daily, and offerings of boiled rice and flowers are made at the time of prayer. The conch shell, which lies before him, is blown by the Brahmāns during the hours of pūja at different times—it is considered very holy—the priest holds it clasped in both hands, and blows into it from the top. The sound can be heard afar off, especially when on the river at the time of evening worship; it resounds from every side of the water, mingled with the ringing of the priest’s bells and the sound of a sort of brass castanet, which they strike whilst chanting forth their prayers.
The opening of these shells is on the left side; but they say a shell is sometimes found with the opening on the right side, and its spiral involutions reversed; it is then called Dūkshina Vŭrtŭ, and is valued at from three to five hundred rupees. Vishnŭ is said to hold a shell of this sort in his hand. Shells are placed with flowers around the idol, the bull-mouthed is considered sacred, and often adorns the shrine.
Small brass bells are used in worship; some are decorated with the image of Hŭnoomān, some with the sacred cow. They are rung during pūja, not only, it is said, to amuse the god, but to keep off evil spirits.
The shape of the spoon with which the rice or oil is put upon the head of the image is remarkably beautiful and antique. The top of the spoon bears the image of Gănésh, crowned by the Nāgā, or holy serpent, with a hundred heads, which are outspread, to screen him from the sun.
This idol is made of solid white marble, and weighs three hundred weight and a quarter. It is painted and gilt, as in the [Frontispiece]. It was brought down from Jeypūr to the sacred junction of the triple rivers at Prāg, at which place it came into my possession.
Although a pukka Hindū, Gănésh has crossed the Kālā Pānī, or Black Waters, as they call the ocean, and has accompanied me to England.
There he sits before me in all his Hindū state and peculiar style of beauty—my inspiration—my penates.
O Gănésh, thou art a mighty lord! thy single tusk is beautiful, and demands the tribute of praise from the Hājī of the East. Thou art the chief of the human race; the destroyer of unclean spirits; the remover of fevers, whether daily or tertian! The pilgrim sounds thy praise; let her work be accomplished!
Salām! Salām!
فاني پارکس
CONTENTS
TO
VOL. I.
| PAGE | |
| INTRODUCTION. | |
| Gănésh, the Patron of Literature—Parvutī—The Gods in Council—Chaunrīs of the Yāk—The Conch Shell—Bells used in Pūja—The Sacred Spoon—The Kālā-Pānī—The Salām | [vii] |
| CHAPTER I. DEPARTURE FROM ENGLAND. 1822, April. | |
| Flying Visit to Switzerland—The good Ship ‘Marchioness of Ely’—H. M. 16th Lancers—Porto Santo—Fellow-Passengers—Isle of Palma—Divine Service—The Band—Quadrilles—The first Shark—Bristol Water—Skip-jacks—Prickly Heat—Crossing the Line—Amusements on Board—A Blue Shark—Sucking-Fish—Bonito—Santa Trinidada and Martin Vas Rocks—The Albatross—Thoughts of Home—A Calm—Shooting Season on the Ocean—Three Days of Battue—Whale-Shooting—A deep Calm—Scarcity of Water—Anchored at Carnicobar | [1] |
| CHAPTER II. CARNICOBAR. 1822, October. | |
| Appearance and Attire of the Islanders—Canoes—Visit to their Village—Ornaments of the Natives—Departure from the Island—The Andamans—Anchorage at Saugor—The Hoogly—Arrival in Calcutta | [14] |
| CHAPTER III. LIFE IN INDIA. 1822, November. | |
| Calcutta—First Impressions—Style of Indian Houses—Furniture—Mats—Arabs—Departure of the Marquis of Hastings—Fogs—Christmas-Day—Indian Servants—The Sircar—Thieves—The Hot Winds—Pankhās—Fire-flies—North-Westers—The Foliage—Musquitoes—Elephantiasis—Insects—The Chŭrŭk Pooja—Religious Mendicants | [20] |
| CHAPTER IV. RESIDENCE IN CALCUTTA. 1823. | |
| Baboo Ramohun Roy—Nāch girls—Children in India—Sickness in the Fort—The Rains—Vessels for a Voyage on the Ganges—Indian Fever—Arrival of Lord Amherst—Introduction of Steam-boats on the Hoogly—Interest of Money in Calcutta—Robberies—Jamh o Deen, Prince of Mysore—The Doorga Pooja—Images of Clay—The Races—Chinese Screens—The Dog Crab | [29] |
| CHAPTER V. RESIDENCE IN CALCUTTA. 1824. | |
| Advantages and Disadvantages—Interest never sleeps—Barrackpore—Cairipoor—The Fakīr—The Menagerie—Hyena—Change of Residence to Chowringhee Road—Mouse and Spotted Deer—Bengallee Goats—Lotteries—Trial by Rice—The Toolsee—Epidemic Fever—Burmese War—Major Sale—Haileybury—The Hooqŭ—Dr. Kitchener—Death of Lord Byron—Early Marriages—Pleasures of the Cold Season—Indian Hospitality—Knack of Fortune-making lost | [37] |
| CHAPTER VI. RESIDENCE IN CALCUTTA. 1825. | |
| A Day in March—The Furlough and Pension Funds—Bandicote Rats—The Strand—The Cutting System—Harrow-on-the-Hill—Sickness in Amman—The Golden Feet—Arrival of Lord Combermere—Bhurtpore—La Pucelle—Marsh Fever—Change of Residence to Middleton Row, Chowringhee—Fogs up to the Second Story—Burrā Bazār—Seed Pearl | [50] |
| CHAPTER VII. DEPARTURE FROM THE PRESIDENCY. 1826. | |
| Fulbertus Sagittarius—Billiards—The Recall of Lord Amherst—Zenāna of an opulent Hindoo—The Death of Bishop Heber—Affliction in the Family of the Governor-General—Appointment to Allahabad—Sale of ‘Scamp’—March up the Country—Dāk Bungalows—Fakīrs en route—The Soane River—Sassaram—Suttees at Nobutpoor—Benares—Pooja in a Hindoo Temple—Brāhmani Bulls—The Minarets—Beetle Wings—Hindoo House—Benares Hackeries—Dāk to Allahabad—Visit to Papamhow | [58] |
| CHAPTER VIII. LIFE IN THE MUFASSIL. 1827, January. | |
| First Visits in the East—Papamhow—Runjeet Singh’s Illness—Death of Lord Hastings—Lord Amherst created Earl of Arracan—Marriage of a Neem to a Peepul—The Bacäin—A Koord Arab—Visit to Lucnow—His Majesty Nusseer-ood-Deen Hyder—Lord Combermere—Kywan Jab—Presents not allowed to be accepted—Fights of Wild Beasts—Quail—Departure of Lord Combermere—Skinner’s Horse—Return to Prāg | [70] |
| CHAPTER IX. RESIDENCE AT ALLAHABAD. 1828. | |
| Sinking a Well—Hurriannah Cows—Delhi Goats—The Jumnapār—Doomba Sheep—Buffalo Humps—Water-cresses—Marrowfat Peas—Carrots—The Chatr—The Oleander—The Ice-pits—Cream Ice, how to freeze—Burdwan Coal—Indian Fevers—Mr. Bayley, Viceroy—Fear of the Invasion of the Russians and Persians—Intense Heat—Deaths in the Farm-yard—Chota Jehannum—The Verandah at Noon—Mad Pariah—Trelawny—Châteaux en Espagne—Height of the two Rivers—Death of the Bishop of Calcutta—An Hummām—The first Steamer at Prāg | [77] |
| CHAPTER X. LIFE IN THE ZENĀNA. 1828, October. | |
| Zenāna of the King of Oude—Regiment of Females—The Favourite Wife—The English Begam—The Princess of Delhi, the Begam par excellence—Colonel Gardner—Mirza Sulimān Sheko and his fifty-two Children—The Forty Princesses—Mootee, the Pearl of the Desert—Hunting Season at Papamhow—Jackals and Foxes—A Suttee at Prāg—Report of a Suttee—An Ill-starred Horse | [87] |
| CHAPTER XI. RESIDENCE AT PRĀG. 1829. | |
| March to Benares—Misfortunes en suite—The Hummām of the Rajah—Flowers of Wax and Ubruk—Return to Prāg—Storm en route—Gram—A Central Government—Thieves, Domestic—Snake in the Stable—Death in a Pālkee—Power of the Sun to change the Sex—Lord William Bentinck—Half-Batta—The Jaws of the Crocodile—The Clipper—Discontent of the Army—Recovery of the Stolen Rupees—The Gosāin—Ram Din—The Ancient Temple | [98] |
| CHAPTER XII. SKETCHES AT ALLAHABAD. 1829. | |
| The Snake-charmer—Ram Leela—Board of Works—The Hukāk—Kurand Patthar—Pebbles from the Soane and Cane Rivers—Raj Ghāt—The Dhrumsāla—The Ginee—Temple of Hŭnoomān, Ram, and Seeta—Ravuna the Giant—Bene-Māhadēo—The Adansonia—Little Jack Bunce—Encampment of the Governor-General—Ashes of a Rajah consigned to the Ganges—Christmas-boxes | [107] |
| CHAPTER XIII. REMOVAL TO CAWNPORE—CONFESSIONS OF A THUG. 1830, January. | |
| Removal to Cawnpore—Failure of Messrs. Palmer and Co.—An Appointment at Cawnpore—Removal from Allahabad—The Mowa Tree—Futtehpore—Dead Body in a Well—The Kutcherry—Confessions of a Thug | [121] |
| CHAPTER XIV. RESIDENCE AT CAWNPORE. 1830, March. | |
| The Iron-shod Lāthī—Coins of Sekunder al Sāni—Hindostanī Song—The first Thermantidote—Dāk to Cawnpore—The Barkandāz—The Station—Sand-storm—Indian Method of Washing the Hair—Pukka Houses and Bungalows—The Ayha’s Revenge—Horses Poisoned—The Isle of France—The Visionary Old Man—Influence of Women in India—Gambling—Eating the Air—The Ayha’s Trowsers—Darzees—Refuge of the Distressed—Signet-rings—The Durwān—Ganges Water—Small-pox—Grass-cutters—Beauty of a Night in India—Forgery—Qui hy?—Winged Ants and Bugs—The Moon—A Set-to—Revenge of a Sā’īs—Soldiers in Hospital—Arrak—The Chārpāī—A New Servant—Unpopularity of the Governor-General | [132] |
| CHAPTER XV. THE THUG’S DICE. 1830, October. | |
| The Thug’s Dice—Execution of Eleven Thugs | [151] |
| CHAPTER XVI. RESIDENCE AT CAWNPORE—THE DEWĀLĪ. 1830, October. | |
| Aghā Meer the Nawāb—Elephants Swimming the Ganges—Cashmere Goats—Discontent of the Soldiers—Buffaloes—Methodism—Desertion of Soldiers to Runjeet Singh—Marks of Age on Stud-bred Horses—Abolition of Sŭtēē—Pilgrim Tax—The Dewālī—The Phŭlŭ-hŭrēē Festival—Arrival of Aghā Meer and his Zenāna—Vicious Horses—Turquoise Mines in Persia—Lament of the Hindoo Women—Burning the Dead—The Mug Cook—Brutal Punishment—Plagues of Egypt—Conversion of Hindoo Women—The Races—The Riding School—Kishmish Bakhshish—Apples and Grapes from Cabul—Arab Merchants | [159] |
| CHAPTER XVII. SCENES IN OUDE. 1831, January. | |
| New Year’s Day—Meeting of the King of Oude and the Governor-General—Visit of Lord William Bentinck to Lucnow—A Native Christian—Elephant, Tiger, Buffalo, and Bear Fights—Constantia—Beautiful Buildings—Departure of the Governor-General—The Padshāh Bāgh—The Royal Hummām—The King’s Stables—The Party at the Residency—Dil-Kushā—Zoffani’s Picture—Doves released from Captivity—The Menagerie—A Zenāna Garden—Letter of Introduction to the Begams at Delhi—Gardner’s Horse—The Sorrows of the Begam | [173] |
| CHAPTER XVIII. REVELATIONS OF LIFE IN THE ZENĀNA. 1831. | |
| Pedigree of the Kings of Oude—Lucnow Mohurs—Anniversary of the Coronation—The Prime Minister—Khema-jah—Feredooa Buckht—Evil Omens—Mossem-ood-Dowla—Largesse—Hārs, Pān, and Atr—The Zenāna—Sultana Boa—Mulka Zumanee—Gosseina—Tajmahŭl—Plurality of Wives | [186] |
| CHAPTER XIX. THE RETURN TO ALLAHABAD—EXECUTION OF TWENTY-FIVE THUGS. 1831, February. | |
| Removal to Allahabad—Crocodiles—Aurunzebe’s Fort—The Old Well at Kurrah—Arrival at Allahabad—The Thermantidote—The King’s Picture and the Celestials—Pattū—Execution of Twenty-five Thugs—Cholera—The Effect on the Insane—The Arabian Leprosy—Elephantiasis—Asylums for the Blind and for Lepers—Lachhmī, the Goddess of Prosperity—Intense Heat—Early Rising—Danger of a Thermantidote—List of Servants | [196] |
| CHAPTER XX. SCENES AT ALLAHABAD—PILGRIMAGE TO THE TRIVENI. 1831, July. | |
| The old Brahman—The Triveni—The Achivut—The Pātal Pooree—Temples of Bhardoajmun—Radha Krishnŭ—Hindoo Oath—The Tulsī—The Peepul-tree—Skeleton Leaves—Lamps in the Air—Paintings on Ubruk—Impressions on Leaves and Flowers—The Mootee Musjid—The Crows a Pest—Byā Birds—Haymaking—The Silver Tankard—An Earthquake—Transferring Diseases to Flowers—Perjury—Farming Operations—Oats—Bhoodder Ram the Dwarf—The Camel—The Powder Works and Rocket Manufactory | [212] |
| CHAPTER XXI. LIFE IN THE ZENANA. 1832, February. | |
| Devotees at the Great Fair—Wild Ducks—Quail Shooting—Price of English Hounds—Colonel Gardner—Life in the Zenāna—The Grass Cutter—Dūb Grass—The Gram-grinder—The Chakkī—Jack Fruit—Duty of a Sā’īs—Arrangement of a Turban—The young Princes of Lucnow—Archery—Indian Bows and Arrows—Whistling Arrows—The Bows, Arrows, and War Hatchet of the Coles—The Pellet Bow—Witchcraft practised with a charmed Bow | [227] |
| CHAPTER XXII. ADVENTURES IN THE EAST. 1832, May. | |
| Gaiety of Allahabad—Lucnow Chutnee—Tails of the Yāk—Horn of the Unicorn—The Looking-glass Shawl—The First Flight of Locusts—An Adventure—The Rats’ Granary—Balls—Profiles—The Leaf Grasshopper—Appointed to Allahabad—Ramohun Roy—The Bottle of Horrors—Narrative of a Thug—The Quicksand—Meteors and Falling Stars—Hanging oneself for spite—The Sipahī Guard—The Ghurī—The Sitar—The Ektara—The Gynee Club—Soonghees—Colonel Gardner | [238] |
| CHAPTER XXIII. THE GREAT FAIR AT ALLAHABAD. 1833, January. | |
| Booths at the Fair—Diamonds, Pearls, Shawls, Sable, Coral—The Triveni—Suicide—Religious Mendicants—The Sacred Ginī—Consecration of an Idol—Household Gods—Rosaries—Pilgrims, Carriers of Holy Water—Snakes—Arrival of Lady William Bentinck—Visit to the Fair—Description of the [Frontispiece]—Chamelee, the Brahmanical Bull | [253] |
| CHAPTER XXIV. THE NUT LOG. 1833, February. | |
| The Hounds—A Gumuki—The Eade—Trelawny—The Rev. J. Wolff—The Nut Log—Balancing Goat—Sirrākee Grass—A Dividend—Ear-rings of Jasmine—A Rat given to a Cow—The Mādār—Enamelled Grasshoppers—The Shaddock—The Agra Gun—Corruption of Words—Variegated Locusts—Beautiful Flowers | [267] |
| CHAPTER XXV. THE CHOLERA. 1833, August. | |
| Hindū Method of Frightening away the Cholera recommended to the Faculty—Death of the Darzee—Necromancy—The New Moon—A Bull laden with the Pestilence—Terror of the Natives—The Pathan—An Earthquake—Sola Hats—Importation of Ice from America—Flight of Locusts—Steam Navigation—The Civil Service Annuity Fund—The Bāghsira—Rajpūt Encampment—Hail Storm—Delights of the Cold Weather | [280] |
| CHAPTER XXVI. THE MUHARRAM. 1834, May. | |
| The Imāms the Leaders of the Faithful—The Muharram—The Procession—The Banners—The Band—The Sword-bearer—The Mourners—Dhul Dhul—The Reader—The Fakīr—The Taziya—Tomb of Kasim—Palkī and Trays of Mehndi—Charkh-charkhī Wālā—The Bihīshtī—Camels—Elephants and Charity—The Chameleon—The Ghirgit—An Alligator—The Tiger on his Travels—A well-educated Snake—Indian Fevers—Depression of Spirit | [293] |
| CHAPTER XXVII. THE BRAHMANICAL THREAD. 1834, June. | |
| The Janao—The Fakir—The Fair—Pūja of the Cow—Cusa Grass—The Flying Fox—Air Plants—Musk Deer—Nāg-panchamī—The Snake—The Pinnace—City of Allahabad—The Pillar in the Fort—Sealing-wax—Butea Frondosa—The Dewālī—The Bower—Climbers and Creepers—The Humming Birds—The Pellet Bow—White Ants—Chintz—The Horseradish Tree—The Ichneumon—The Garden—The Bouquet—Cold Mornings for Hunting—The Moustache | [304] |
| CHAPTER XXVIII. PILGRIMAGE TO THE TĀJ. 1834, December. | |
| The Seagull—The Patelī—Chapātīs—Sujawan Deota—Burriaree Rocks—Thieves—Parbosa—Temple of Parisnāth—Darogahs—Utility of a Pellet-bow—The Cane River—The Leak—A Storm—Kalpee—Belaspoor—Alligators in their own Wildernesses—River Shells—Passage through the Rocks—A Pilot—Badowra—Fossil-bones—The Chumbal River—Bhurrage—Burning the Dead—A Woman Drowned—Cutting through a Sandbank on a Chain Cable—A Leak—White Ants—Picturesque Scenes—A Tufān—The Mem Sāhiba’s Speech—River Dogs—Presents of Sweetmeats | [321] |
| CHAPTER XXIX. PILGRIMAGE TO THE TĀJ. 1835, January. | |
| Etaweh—Moonlight Ride—The Wolves—Bird-catchers—Peacocks—The Bar of Sand—The Good Luck of the Mem Sāhiba—Narangee Ghāt—Betaizor—The Silk-cotton Tree—Fields of the Cotton Plant—The Chakwā Chukwaee—Eloquence of a Dhobee—Aladīnpoor—Noon, or Loon—Modelling in Khuree—Cotton Boats—The Ulāk—Vessels on the River—Plantations of the Castor Oil Plant—Cutting through a Sandbank—First Sight of the Tāj—Porcupines—Bissowna—Quitted the Pinnace—Arrival at Agra | [336] |
| CHAPTER XXX. THE TĀJ MAHUL. 1835, January. | |
| The Tāj Mahul—Arzumund Bānoo—Shāhjahān—The Screen—The Echo of the Dome—Momtâza Zumâni—Her Sons and Daughters—Asaf-jāh—Noormāhul—Ruins of the second Tāj—Offerings at the Shrine—The Wall—The Kālūn Darwāza—The Fountains—Melā of the Eed—The Burj—The Jāmma Khāna—The Masjid—The Bāo’lī—Tomb and Masjid of the Fathīpooree Begam—Tomb of the Akbarābādee Begam—Ground-plan of the Tāj—The Minarets—Stones used in the Mosaic—Tomb of the Simundee Begam—The Sitee Khanam—A Farewell to the Tāj | [348] |
| CHAPTER XXXI. PLEASANT DAYS IN AGRA. 1835, February. | |
| The Fort—The Mosque of Pearl—The Jahāngeeree Mahul—Mher-ul-Nissa—Selīm Ghar—The Palace in the Fort—The Dewanī Khas—Noor-jahān Burj—Zenāna Masjid—The Shīsha-Mahal—Hall of Audience—The Vault of Secret Murder—The Black Marble Slab—The Throne of Akbar—The Steam Baths—The Worship of the Rising Sun—View from the Bridge of Boats on the Jumna | [360] |
| CHAPTER XXXII. REMARKABLE BUILDINGS AROUND AGRA. 1835, February. | |
| The House of the Wuzeer—The Jāma Masjid—Tomb of Jahānārā Begam—The Tripolia—The Mahookma Masjid—The Madrissa—Etmad-od-Doulah—Cheen-ke-Masjid—Rām Bagh—Syud Bagh—Secundra—The Chamber of Gold—Miriam Zemānee—Kos Minārs | [370] |
| CHAPTER XXXIII. REVELATIONS OF LIFE IN THE ZENANA. 1835, February. | |
| Invitation to Khāsgunge—Kutchowra—The Zenāna—A Timoorian Princess—Opium-eating—Native Dishes—The Evening Party—The Beautiful Begam—Musalmanī Attire and Ornaments—Timūr-lung—Gold and Silver Beds—Atr of various sorts—Perfume of the Body of the Prophet—Dye for the Hands and Feet—Churees | [378] |
| CHAPTER XXXIV. LIFE IN THE ZENĀNA, AND CHĪTĀ HUNTING. 1835, February. | |
| Plurality of Wives—Intrigues and Hatred—Arrival at Khāsgunge—The Four Walls—Arwarī Shooting—The Pūtlī-nāch—The Lynx—Introduction to Colonel Gardner’s Begam—The Morning Star—The Evening Star—The Nawab of Cambay—The Beautiful Gardens—The Bara Deri—Rattler—Chītā Hunting—Antelopes—The Sulky Chītā—Heera Sing—Chītā Hunting attended by Native Ladies | [390] |
| CHAPTER XXXV. FATHIPOOR SICRI AND COLONEL GARDNER. 1835, March. | |
| Pilgrimage of Akbar Shāh to Fathīpoor Sicri—Shaikh Selīm Cheestie—The Jodh Bā’ī—Birth of Selīm—The Tomb of the Saint—The Gateway—A Tradition—The Temple of Magic—The Zenāna—The Pachīsī Board—The Mint—Akbārābādee Rupees and Gold Mohurs—The Elephant Minār—A Child destroyed by a Wolf—Tomb of the Jodh Bā’ī—Agra built by Akbar—Sketches of Remarkable Living Characters in India—Legality of a Marriage between a Christian and one of the Faithful—Colonel Gardner’s Letter—Letter of Colonel Tod—Insult offered by Holkar—Colonel Gardner’s Marriage—Tomb of Colonel Hessing—Cure of Influenza within the Four Walls—Death in a Steam-Bath | [401] |
| CHAPTER XXXVI. THE MARRIAGE. 1835, March. | |
| Pedigree of the Bride and Bridegroom—Reports concerning the Beauty of the Bride—Anxiety of English Gentlemen to marry into Colonel Gardner’s Family—Mirza Unjun Shekō—The First Procession—The Bride’s Dress—Necessity of Weeping—The Oily Mixture—Strict Seclusion—Dress of the Bridegroom—The Oily Mixture complimentary—The Hoolī—Bridal Songs—The Sāchak—The Bridegroom’s Procession—Nāch Girls on Platforms—The Menhdi—The Grand Display in the Bride’s Procession—The Parda—The Prince dyed with Hinnā—Midnight the Fashionable Hour for Dinner—Wedding Dishes—Silvered Food—Conclusion of the Day—Mr. James Gardner—Mulka Begam highly respected; her will is law | [420] |
| CHAPTER XXXVII. THE BURĀT. 1835, March. | |
| The Bridegroom fights for his Bride—The Grand Procession—Superstition of the Prince—Bridal Attire—The Bride’s Consent—Signing the Contract—The Nose-ring—Dress of the Bride—The Prince enters the Zenāna—He beholds his Bride—He carries her off—Colonel Gardner’s Distress—Fanī Bhū’a—The Bride’s Dower carried in Procession with the newly-married Couple to the Prince’s Tents—A Singular Custom—Pān | [437] |
| CHAPTER XXXVIII. THE CHĀOTREE. 1835, April. | |
| The Chāotree—Timūrian Dance—Churees—Finale of the Wedding—Jhanee Khanum—The Zenāna Doll—Jealousy of the Natives—Meals of the Slave Girls—Tara, the Pretty Slave—Conduct of English Ladies considered extraordinary—Poppy-heads—Devotion of Native Women to their Husbands—Illness of Colonel Gardner—Burial-ground of the Family—My Departure—Death of Colonel Gardner, and of his Begam—Orders of Knighthood—Remarks on the Muhammadān Religion, and the Punishments of the Grave | [447] |
LIST OF PLATES
TO
VOL. I.
| No. | To face page | |
| 1. | [Frontispiece]—Gănésh, to face the Title. | |
| 2. | Introduction—The Camels | [vii] |
| 3. | The Albatross | [8] |
| 4. | Carnicobar | [14] |
| 5. | The Sircar | [21] |
| 6. | The Chŭrŭk Pūja | [27] |
| 7. | Pūja of the Tulsī | [43] |
| 8. | Bengali Woman | [60] |
| 9. | The Ice Pits | [77] |
| 10. | Temple of Bhāwanī, and Suttees, Alopee Bāgh | [95] |
| 11. | A Dhrumsālā, Bene Mahādēo Ghāt | [107] |
| 12. | Adansonia Digitata | [116] |
| 13. | A Kutcherry | [121] |
| 14. | Hindōstanī Song | [133] |
| 15. | A Barkandāz | [135] |
| 16. | The Durwān | [142] |
| 17. | The Thug’s Dice | [151] |
| 18. | Elephant Fights | [173] |
| 19. | Pedigree of the Kings of Oude | [186] |
| 20. | Lachhmī, the Goddess of Beauty | [207] |
| 21. | The Grass-cutter | [231] |
| 22. | Hebrew Hymn | [270] |
| 23. | The Imāms the Leaders of the Faithful | [293] |
| 24. | The Tāj | [348] |
| 25. | Ground-plan of the Tomb of the Tāj | [357] |
| 26. | The Tomb of Akbar Shāh | [374] |
| 27. | Tomb of Shaikh Selim Cheestie | [403] |
| 28. | Pedigree of Colonel William Gardner | [420] |
GLOSSARY.
A.
Āb, water. Ābdār, water-cooler.
Abīr, red powder used in the Holī.
Ābnūs, ebony.
Achchhā, good.
Ādāb, salutation, respects, politeness.
Adālut, court of justice.
Ādam-ḵẖor, a cannibal.
Afgan, overthrowing.
Afg̱ẖān, the name of a race of people who inhabit the country to the north-west of Lahore; called also Pathans. They are supposed to be of Jewish extraction.
Afīm, or aphīm, opium.
Agārī pichhārī, the ropes with which horses are tied.
Agast, æschynomene grandiflora.
Āghā, lord master.
Aghan, the eighth Hindū solar month.
Aghorī, professing ughorpanth, an order of religious mendicants, who eat every thing, however filthy, even human carcases; hence, a gross or filthy feeder.
Ā’īna, a mirror.
Ākās, the sky, the firmament.
Ākās-bel, the air-creeper; it has no root nor leaves, but grows on the tops of trees.
Ākās-diya, a lamp which the Hindūs hang aloft on a bamboo in the month Kārtik.
Akbar, very good, greatest.
Akbarābādī, of Akbar.
’Alam, a spear, a standard.
’Alam-dār, standard-bearer (Abbās).
’Ālam-gīr, conqueror of the universe.
Allāh, God. Allāhu akbar, God is great!
Ām, mango (mangifera Indica).
Amarī, a seat with a canopy to ride in on an elephant.
Ānā, a copper coin, the sixteenth part of a rupī.
Anannās, pine-apple.
Āndhī, storm, tempest.
Angethī, chafing-dish, brazier.
Angiya, a native boddice.
Ankus, the elephant goad.
Arghā, a vessel shaped like a boat, used by the Hindūs for making libations in their devotions.
Ārsī, a mirror, particularly a mirror in a thumb-ring.
Āsan, a seat or small carpet.—[See Vol. ii. p. 385.]
Asārh, the third Hindū solar month (June and July).
Aswina, the first month of the Hindū lunar year.
Ātashbāzī, fireworks.
Ātash-khwar, fire-eater; name of a bird, the chakor.
Atr, perfume. Atr-dan, perfume-box.
Avatār, a descent.
Ayb, or aib, spot, mark, defect.
Ayha, a lady’s maid.
Azan, the summons to prayers, generally proclaimed from the minārs or towers of a mosque.
B.
Baboo, a Hindū gentleman, a Calcutta merchant.
Babūl, mimosa Arabica.
Badrī-nāth, a celebrated place of pilgrimage.
Badshah, or pādshāh, a king.
Bāgh, a tiger.
Bāgḥ, a garden.
Bāghsira, gryllus monstrosus.
Bāghīchar, a small garden.
’baghnā, an ornament made of tigers’ claws.
Bahādur, champion, boaster.
Bahangī, a stick with ropes hanging to each end, for slinging baggage to, which is carried on the shoulder.
Bahut, much, most.
Bā’ī, mistress, lady amongst the Mahrattas.
Bailī, bullock carriage.
Bairāgī, a fakīr.
Bājrā, panicum spicatum.
Bakāyan, melia sempervirens.
Baḵẖshish, a gift; bakhshnā, to give.
Bakrā, he-goat.
Bandar, a monkey.
Bandh, an embankment.
Banglā, a thatched house.
Baniya, shop-keeper.
Bāns, the bamboo.
Bā’olī, a large well.
Barā, great.
Barā-dīn, a holiday.
Bāra-singha, twelve-horned stag (cervus elaphus).
Barāt, marriage procession.
Bardār, a bearer.
Barha’ī, a carpenter.
Bārī, a garden house.
Barkandāz, a native policeman.
Basantī, yellow, the favourite colour of Krishna.
Bastī, a village.
Baṭer, quail.
Batū’ā, a small bag.
Baunā, a dwarf.
Bāwarchī, cook.
Bayā, loxia Indica.
Bāzār, market.
Bāzūbands, armlets.
Begam, lady.
Bel, ægle marmelos (cratæva religiosa).
Belā, jasminum zambac.
Bengālī, a native of Bengal.
Bér, or bar, ficus Indica.
Besan, flour or meal of pulse, particularly of chanā (cicer arietinum).
Betī, daughter.
Bhabhūt, ashes which the fakīrs use.
Bhagat, a devotee of a religious order, peculiar to the low tribes, whose initiation consists in putting a necklace of beads around the neck, and marking a circle on the forehead; after which the initiated person is bound to refrain from spirituous liquors, flesh, &c.
Bhāgulpūr, the town of.
Bhagwān, the Deity, the Supreme Being, fortunate.
Bhains, buffalo.
Bhaiyā, brother.
Bhang, or bhengh, cannabis Indica.
Bhātā, an extra allowance to troops on service.
Bhū’a, a father’s sister.
Bhūsā, chopped straw.
Bichchhū, the scorpion.
Bidrī, a kind of tutanag, inlaid with silver, used to make hukka bottoms, cups, &c.
Bīghā, a quantity of land, containing 20 katthās, or 120 feet square, or 1600 square yards, which is nearly one-third of an English acre; in the Upper Provinces it is nearly five-eighths of an acre.
Bihisht, paradise.
Bihishtī, a water-carrier.
Bilva, or bilwa, cratæva marmelos (Linn.).
Binaulā, seed of the cotton tree.
Biskhopra, lacerta iguana.
Bismillāh, in the name of God.
Boxwālā, an itinerant merchant with a box of goods.
Brahm, or Brŭmhŭ, the one eternal God.
Brahma, the first person of the Hindū trinity.
Brahman, an Hindū priest.
Brahmand, the mundane egg of the Hindūs.
Bṛindāban, the forest of Bṛindā, in the vicinity of Mathurā, celebrated as the scene of Krishna’s sports with the Gopīs.
Burāk, Muhammad’s steed.
Burhiyā, old woman.
Burj, a bastion, tower; burūj, pl.
Burjī, a turret, a small tower.
Burka, a dress, a disguise.
C.
Chabenī, parched grain.
Chābuk, a whip.
Chabūtāra, a terrace to sit and converse on.
Chādir, Chādar, mantle, garment.
Chakkī, a mill-stone.
Chakor, partridge (perdix chukar).
Chakwā, Brāhmanical duck.
Chakwī, the female of the chakwā.
Chamār, currier, shoemaker.
Champā kalī, a necklace.
Chanā, gram (cicer arietinum).
Chānd, the moon.
Chandnī-chauk, a wide and public street or market.
Chandnī kā mār-janā, a disease in horses, supposed to proceed from a stroke of the moon. “The moonlight has fallen on him,” is said especially of a horse that is weak in the loins.
Chāotree, or chauthī, a marriage ceremony, the fourth day.
Chapātī, a thin cake of unleavened bread.
Chaprāsī, a messenger or servant wearing a chaprās, badge.
Chār, four.
Charḵẖī, a spinning-wheel, &c.
Chārpāī, bed, four-legged.
Chatā’ī, mat.
Chatr, umbrella.
Chauk, market.
Chaukīdār, watchman.
Chaunrī, fly-flapper.
Chhach hūndar, musk-rat.
Chhallā, thumb or great toe ring.
Chhappar, a thatched roof.
Chhat, roof.
Chhattak, about an ounce.
Chilamchī, washhand bason.
Chirāgh, lamp.
Chirāgh-dān, stand for lamps.
Chiṛi-mār, bird-catcher.
Chītā, hunting leopard.
Chītthī, note.
Chob-dār, mace-bearer.
Chor, or cho’ār, thief.
Chūlee, a fire-place.
Chūnā, lime.
Chūrī, bracelets.
Chŭrŭk-pūja, a festival.
Chyūnta, black ant.
Compound, ground around a house.
Conch, a shell.
Corook. See Kurk.
D.
Dabāo, pressure.
Daftarī, the paper-ruler, penmaker, &c.
Dāk, post, post-office.
Dakait, or dākū, a robber.
Daldal, bog, quagmire.
Dālī, basket of fruit.
Damṛī, a coin, four to a paisā.
Dānd, oar.
Dāndī, boatman.
Darbār, hall of audience.
Dārogha, head man of an office, inspector.
Darwāza, a door; darwān, doorkeeper.
Daryā-i, or daryā, the sea, river.
Darzī, a tailor.
Dastkhatt, signature.
Dastūrī, perquisites paid to servants by one who sells to their master.
Daulut-khāna, house of fortune.
Derā, a dwelling, a tent.
Devī, a goddess.
Dewālai, dewāl, or dewālaya, temple of idols.
Dewālī, an Hindū festival, celebrated on the day of the new moon of Kārtik; when the Hindūs, after bathing in the Ganges, perform a shraddhā, and at night worship Laksḥmī; the houses and streets are illuminated all night; and in Hindostan the night is universally spent in gaming.
Dhān, rice before it is separated from the husks.
Dhanuk, a bow, a bowman.
Dhobī, washerman.
Dhotī, a cloth, passed round the waist, passing between the limbs, and fastening behind.
Dighī, a large tank or reservoir, in the form of an oblong square.
Dil, heart; dil-kushā, heart-expanding.
Dillī, or Dihlī, the metropolis of Hindūstan; generally called by Musalmāns Shah-jehan-abad, and by Europeans Delhi.
Dinghee, a small boat.
Dīwak, white ant.
Dīwān-i-am, public hall of audience.
Dīwān-i-ḵẖās, privy-council chamber.
Dog̱ẖ, buttermilk.
Dohā’ī, or duhā’ī, mercy.
Dolī, a kind of sedan for women.
Domra, the name of a caste of Musalmāns, the males of which are musicians, and the females sing and dance in the company of females only.
Donī, a native vessel or boat.
Dopatta, or dupatta, a sheet of two breadths.
Do-shāla, or du-shāla, two and shawl, two shawls being always worn together by the natives.
Dosūtā, two-threaded cloth.
Dūb, name of a grass (agrostis linearis).
Dūdhiyā, milky.
Duldul, a hedgehog; the name of the horse of ’Ali, the prophet’s son-in-law.
Dūlhā, or dūlha, bridegroom.
Dulhān, bride.
Dumba, a kind of sheep with a thick tail.
Durga, one of the names of Bhawānī, the goddess Durgā.
Durga-pūja, the festival in honour of Durgā.
Durgah, a tomb, a shrine.
E.
Eed, a festival, a solemnity.
F.
Fajr, morning; barī-fajr, early dawn.
Faḵẖr, glory, nobility.
Fakīr, a religious mendicant.
Falīta, fusee; falīta-dār, a matchlock.
Fānūs, a shade to keep the wind from a candle.
Fatḥ, victory.
Fāṭīma, the daughter of the prophet, and the wife of the caliph ’Ali.
Fidwī, devoted (your devoted servant).
Fīl, elephant.
Fīl-ḵẖāna, elephant shed.
Fīl-pāī, elephantiasis.
G.
Gaddī, sovereign’s throne.
Gāgrī, a water-vessel of brass.
Gainā, a species of small bullock.
Gaini, a carriage for a gainā.
Galahi, forecastle.
Gal’haiya, boatswain, forecastle-man.
Gālī, abuse.
Gāndar, a kind of grass, of which khas-khas is the root (andropogon muricatum).
Ganjha, or gānja, the young buds on the leaves of the hemp-plant.
Garh, a fort, as fatīh-garh.
Garī, a cart, a carriage.
Garī-wan, carter, driver.
Gaur, an ancient city, formerly the capital of Bengal.
Ghantā, a clock.
Ghar, a house.
Gharā, an earthen water-pot.
Gharāmī, a thatcher.
Gharī, an instrument for measuring time, a water-clock.
Gharis, division of time.
Ghariyāl, a crocodile, a plate of brass for beating time.
Ghariyālī, the person who attends the gharī, and strikes the hours.
Gharna’ī, a raft supported by empty pots (gharā, an earthen water-pot).
Ghī, clarified butter.
Ghirgut, or girgut, lizard, chameleon.
Ghulām, slave.
Ghunghrū, a small bell, or little bells on a string for the ankles.
Ghur, or ghorā, a horse.
Ghur-daur, race-course.
Ghuwā, a coarse kind of cotton cloth.
Go-mukhī, a cloth bag, containing a rosary, the hand being thrust in counts the beads; the chasm in the Himalaya mountains, through which the Ganges issues.
Gobar, cow-dung.
Gola, a granary.
Gop, a cow, a caste.
Gopī, feminine of gwālā, a cowherd.
Gor-istān, burying-ground.
Gosā’īn, a holy man.
Gul-āb, rose-water.
Gul-badan, a kind of silk cloth.
Gulistān, rose garden.
Gun, track rope.
Gūnth, a pony.
Gurū, spiritual director.
H.
Hājī, pilgrim.
Hajjām, a barber.
Hakīm, a physician, a learned man.
Hakrī, a cart.
Hammām, a hot bath.
Hān, yes.
Hāndī, a pot, a small cauldron.
Hār, a necklace of pearls, a wreath, a chaplet of flowers.
Hargilla, the adjutant, or gigantic crane.
Harkāra, running footman.
Harphārewrī, or harphāraurī, the name of a sour fruit (averrhoa acida, Linn.).
Hāth, the hand, a cubit, or eighteen inches.
Hāthī, an elephant.
Hathī-wān, elephant-driver.
Hawāldār, a native military officer of inferior rank.
Hāzim, digestive.
Hāzir, present.
Hāzirī, breakfast.
Ḥaẓrat, a title addressed to the great; majesty; highness.
Ḥaẓrat’īsā, Jesus Christ.
Hinnā, the tree lawsonia inermis.
Hirdāwal, the name of a defect in horses.
Hisāb, accounts, computation.
Howā, air.
Howdah, a seat to ride in on an elephant, without a canopy.
Hubāb, a bubble.
Hubāb-i, bubbling.
Hukāk, stone-cutter, lapidary.
Huḳḳa, or hooqŭ, a pipe.
Huḳḳa-bardar, pipe-bearer.
Hukm, order.
Huzūr, the presence.
I. J.
Jādū, enchantment.
Jādū-garī, magic.
Jafari, lattice-work.
Jāgīr, land given as a reward for service.
Jahānārā, world adorning.
Jahān-gīr, world-taking.
Jahān-pannāh, world protection, his majesty, your majesty.
Jahannam, the infernal regions.
Jahaz, a ship.
Jahāzi, a sailor.
Jai, or jaya, triumph, victory, bravo! huzza! all hail!
Ja’ī, oats.
Jamadār, head of the harkāras.
Jān, life, soul, spirit.
Janao, Brāhmanical thread.
Jangal, forest.
Janglī-kawwa, a raven.
Janwār, an animal.
Jawāb, an answer.
Jhaīhar, cymbals or bells for the ankles.
Jhāmā, pumice-stone, bricks burnt to a cinder.
Jhāmp, a matted shutter.
Jhārū, a broom.
Jhārū-bardar, a sweeper.
Jinn-ī, genii.
Ikbal, good fortune.
Imām, a leader in religious affairs.
Indra, the Hindū heaven.
Joār, or jwār, millet (andropogon sorghum).
Ishk-peshā, ipomea quamoclit.
Islām, the religion of Muhammad.
Istrī, a smoothing iron, a wife.
Jum’a, Friday.
Jum’a-rāt, Thursday, eve of Friday.
Izār-bund, the string with which trowsers are tied.
K.
Ka’ba, the temple of Mecca.
Kabr, a grave, a tomb.
Ḳabūl or ḳubūl, consent, assent.
Kābul, the capital of Afg̱ẖanistān.
Kacharī, or kacherī, court of justice, an office.
Kachchhī, a horse with a hollow back, from the province of Kachchh, on the banks of the Sind.
Kachnār, bauhinia variegata.
Ḳadam, a footstep.
Ḳadam-bos, one who kisses the feet of a superior.
Kadam-chūṃṇā, to kiss the feet, to bid adieu.
Kāfir, infidel.
Kāfūr, camphor.
Kāghaz, paper.
Kāghazī, paper-case.
Kāhan, an aggregate number, consisting of 17 pans, or 1280 kaurīs.
Kahār, a palkī bearer.
Kahwa, coffee.
Kālā, black.
Kālā chor, an unknown person, a domestic thief.
Kālā namak, a kind of rock salt, impregnated with bitumen and sulphur.
Kālā pānī, the ocean, the black water.
Kālā zīra, the seeds of the nigella Indica.
Kalam, a pen, a reed.
Kalam-dan, inkstand.
Kalg̱ẖī, an ornament on a turban, an aigrette, a plume.
Kālī, the goddess; or, Kālī Mā, the black mother.
Kalsā, the spire or ornament on the top of a dome, a pinnacle.
Kam-baḵẖt, unfortunate.
Kam de’o, the god of love.
Kamān, a bow.
Kamān-dār, an archer.
Kamarband, a girdle.
Kammal, a blanket.
Kanāt, canvas enclosure, walls of a tent.
Kanauj, the ancient city.
Kangan, an ornament worn on the wrists of Hindū women, a bracelet.
Kangni, millet (panicum Italicum).
Kanhaiyā, a name of Kṛisḥṇa.
Kans, or Kansa, the tyrant whom Kṛisḥṇa was born to destroy.
Kapās, cotton undressed, the cotton plant (gossypium herbaceum).
Kaprā, cloth.
Karbalā, the name of a place in Irāk, where Ḥusain, the son of ’Ali, was murdered.
Karbī, the stalk or straw of jo’ār or bājrā (holcus sorgum and spicatus).
Kār-khāna, workshop.
Kark-nath, a fool with black bones.
Karn-phūl, a kind of ear-ring.
Karor, ten millions.
Kārtik, a Hindū month, our October and November.
Karwā-tel, oil made from mustard-seed, bitter oil.
Kās, a kind of grass of which rope is made (saccharum spontaneum).
Ḳaṣā’ī, a butcher, cruel, hard-hearted.
Kāshī, the city of Benares.
Kāsid, courier, a runner.
Kath, an astringent vegetable extract.
Katmiram, (vulgo: catamaran,) a very small raft, used as a fishing boat on the coast of Madras.
Kaurī, a cowrie, a small shell used as a coin (cypræa moneta).
Kāwar, the baskets in which the holy water is carried.
Kawwā, a crow.
Kāzī, a judge.
Ḵẖāla, mother’s sister.
Ḵẖalāsī, a sailor, a native artilleryman, a tent pitcher.
Khān, a lord, a title of respect.
Ḵẖāna, a house.
Ḵẖānā, food.
Khāna-pīnā, meat and drink.
Khānsāmān, head table-servant.
Ḵẖarītạ, bag, a letter.
Khas-khas, root of gāndar.—See Gāndar.
Kḥatrī, the second of the four grand Hindū castes, being that of the military.
Kazānchī, treasurer.
Khet, a field.
Khidmatgar, table-servant.
Khil’at, dress of honour.
Khīsā, a rubber used in baths.
Khraunchī, a native carriage.
Ḵẖudā, God.
Ḵẖudā-wand, master.
Ḵẖudā-yā, O God!
Khūnd, a well, a spring.
Khush-bo, perfume, odour.
Khusrū, the king; Khusrau, the sultan.
Kibla-gāh, the place turned to when at prayer; a father, or the one beloved.
Kibla, Mecca, an altar.
Kimḵẖwab, silk brocade worked in gold and silver flowers.
Kishan, the Hindū god Kṛisḥṇa.
Kishtī, (prop. kashtī), a ship, boat, barque.
Kismat, fate, destiny.
Kitāb, a book.
Kohī, mountain.
Kohī-nūr, the mountain of light, the great diamond.
Kohirawān, the moving mountain, i.e. the elephant.
Kot, a fort.
Krānī, a clerk.
Krishna, a descent of Vishnŭ.
Kū’ā, a well.
Kudalī, a small pickaxe.
Ḳulfī, a cup with a cover, in which ice is moulded.
Kumbhīr, an alligator.
Kumhār, potter.
Kum’hir, a crocodile.
Kur’ān, (vulgo: koran,) the precepts of Muhammad.
Kurand, corundum stone (adamantine spar).
Kurk, an order made public, that no one may be seen on the road on pain of death.
Kurtā, a kind of shirt, a tunic.
Kurtī, a short garment for women, jacket for soldiers, coat.
Kusūr, fault.
Ḳuṭb, the polar star, the north pole.
Kuttā, a dog.
Kutwāl, native magistrate, head of the police.
L.
Lachḥman, the half-brother of Rāmachandra.
Lachḥmī, the goddess of beauty.
Lailī, also Lailā, the beloved of Majnūn.
Lākh, one hundred thousand; gum lac, a kind of wax formed by the coccus lacca.
Lāṭ, or lāṭh, obelisk, pillar, club, staff.
Lāṭhī, staff, stick.
Lāw, a rope, cable.
Līchī, a fruit (dimocarpus litchi).
Līl, indigo.
Log, people.
Lon, salt.
Lota, a drinking vessel.
Lubāda, or labāda, a wrapper, great coat.
Lūnī, the salt that effloresces from walls.
Lunj, or langrā, lame.
M.
Mā, mother.
Mā-bāp, mother and father, parents.
Machh, or Machchh, the name of the first avatār.
Machchhar, a gnat.
Machhlī, or Machhī, a fish.
Madrasa, a Muhammadan college.
Magar, an alligator.
Magrela, a seed (nigella Indica).
Mahā-bhārat, the great war.
Mahādēo, or Mahā-deva, a descent of Shiva.
Mahā-kalī, or Kalī-mā, a terrific form of Durgā, the consort of Shiva.
Māhā-nimba, melia sempervirens.
Mahārāj, great king, excellency.
Mahārājā, an Hindū emperor.
Mahạl, house.
Mahāwat, elephant driver.
Mahū’ā, or mahu’ā, bassia longifolia, bearing flowers which are sweet, and from which a spirituous liquor is distilled; the nuts afford an oil used instead of butter.
Maidān, a plain.
Makka, vulgo: Mecca.
Makrī, a spider.
Mālā, Hindū rosary, a garland.
Mālī, gardener, florist.
Mālik, lord, master.
Manḍap, or mandul, a house, a temple.
Mangūs, or newalā (viverra mungo), ichneumon.
Mānjhī, master of a vessel, steersman.
Maṣālaḥ, spices, drugs, materials.
Mash’al, a torch.
Mash’al-chi, torch-bearer.
Mashk, water bag.
Masīḥ, or Masīḥā, the Messiah, Christ our Lord.
Masjid, mosque.
Masjid-i-jāmī, a great mosque.
Masnad, a throne, a large cushion.
Māyā, idealism, illusion; a deception depending on the power of the Deity, whereby mankind believe in the existence of external objects, which are in fact nothing but idea.
Melā, a fair.
Mem sāhiba, madam, the lady of the house.
Menhdī, lawsonia inermis.
Mihtaranī, sweeper’s wife.
Mik’hal, the instrument with which collyrium is applied to the eyes.
Mirg, a deer.
Mirg nābbī, musk, a bag of musk.
Mirzā, a prince.
Misī, or missī, a powder to tinge the teeth black.
Misrāb, a steel frame for the fore-finger when playing on the sitar.
Motī, a pearl.
Muazzin, the call to prayers.
Mufassal, the country.
Mugdar, a club.
Muḥammad, the Arabian prophet.
Muḥarram, the first Muhammadan month.
Mulākāt, interview.
Mulk, kingdom, realm.
Mumtāz, distinguished, exalted.
Mŭn, a weight, forty ser.
Mund-māl, a necklace of human heads.
Munh, mouth.
Muniyā, amadavat.
Munkir, Nakīr, the names of the two angels who examine the dead in the tomb.
Murabbā, a preserve, confection.
Musāfir, a traveller.
Muṣāhib, aide-de-camp, companion.
Muṣallā, a carpet to pray upon.
Musalmān, a Muhammadan.
Musalmanī, fem. of Musalmān.
Mushk, musk.
Mut’h, Hindū temple.
N.
Nāch, an Indian dance.
Nadī, or naddī, a river.
Nadir-shāh, the king.
Nā’echa, a small reed, hukka snake.
Nāgā, the holy serpent.
Nahīn, or nā’īch, not, no.
Nālā, a rivulet.
Nālkī, a sort of litter used by people of rank.
Nānd, a large earthen pan.
Nārangī, an orange.
Nārjīl, cocoa-nut, or cocoa-nut tree.
Nasīb, fortune; balā-nasīb, unfortunate.
Nawab, vulg. Nabob.
Nazr, a gift especially offered to a superior.
Newala, mungoose (viverra mungo).
Newār, tape.
N’hut, a nose-ring.
Nīl-gāw, lil-gā’ī, or rojh, the white-footed antelope of Pennant, antilope picta of Pallos.
Nīm, or neemb, margosa tree (melia azadirachta).
Nīmbu, or līmu, a fruit, the lime.
Nūn, non, or lon, salt.
Nūr, light.
Nut-log, tumblers.
P.
Pābos, kissing the feet.
Pachāsī, a game, so named from the highest throw, which is twenty-five.
Padshāh, a king.
Pāgal, fool; pāgal-i-nāch, a fancy-ball.
Pahār, a mountain.
Pahar, a watch of three hours.
Pahare-wālā, a sentry.
Pahār-i, a hill, a mountain.
Pā’ī, the fourth part of an ānā.
Paisā, copper coin.
Pājāma, trowsers, long drawers.
Pakkā, exact, expert, built of brick.
Palang, couch, cot.
Palīta, match (of a gun).
Pālkī, or palkee, a palanquin.
Palwār, a boat.
Pān, leaves of piper betel.
Panchāyāt, a court of inquiry.
Pānī, water.
Pankhā, a fan.
Pā-posh, slipper.
Pāras-patthar, the philosopher’s stone.
Pārbatī, pārvatī, mountaineer.
Parbut, mountain.
Parda-nishīn, remaining behind the curtain.
Parī, fairy.
Pāt, a leaf, ornament worn in the upper part of the ear.
Pātā, a plank on which washermen beat clothes.
Pātāl, the infernal regions.
Patelā, or patailā, a flat-bottomed boat.
Patelī, a small flat-bottomed boat.
Pāthur, or patthar, a stone.
Pattar, puttī, or pattī, a leaf.
Pattū, a kind of woollen cloth.
Pera, a sweetmeat.
Peshkār, minister, deputy.
Peshwā, Mahratta minister.
Peshwāz, a gown.
Phāns, a bamboo.
Phānsī-gār, a strangler, a ṭhag.
Phānsnā, to noose.
Phurr, the noise of a bird, as a partridge or quail, suddenly taking wing.
Phuslānā, to decoy.
Phuslā’ū, wheedling.
Pīlī-bhīt, the name of a town in Rohilkhand, famous for the smallness and fineness of its rice.
Pinnace, a yacht.
Pīpal, ficus religiosa.
Pīr, a saint.
Pitārā, a basket.
Piyāla, a glass, a cup.
Prāg, the ancient name of Ilāhābād, commonly Allahabad.
Pūjā, worship, adoration.
Pul, a bridge.
Pulā’o, a dish of flesh and rice.
Pur, a town, a city.
Purā, a large village, a town.
Purāṇ or purāṇa, the Hindū mythological books.
Putla, a puppet, an image.
Pūtlī, a small puppet or image.
Puwāl, straw.
R.
Rahīm, merciful, compassionate.
Rahmān, forgiving.
Ra’īyat, tenants, subjects.
Rāj, kingdom.
Rājā, a prince, a king.
Rāj-rānī, a queen, royal consort.
Rājput, a descendant of a rājā, the name of a celebrated military caste.
Rākkī, a bracelet or amulet, which the Hindūs tie on their arms on a certain festival, held in the full moon of Sāwan, in honour of Ḳrisḥṇa.
Rām, the seventh Hindū incarnation.
Rām-rām, a Hindū form of salutation.
Rāmtur’aī, hibiscus longifolius.
Rānī, a Hindu queen or princess.
Rā’ō, a prince.
Rās, the circular dance performed at the festival of Krishna.
Rās-dhārī, a dancing boy.
Rasūl, a messenger.
Rāt-alū, the yam (dioscorea sativa).
Rat-aundhā, blindness at night (nyctalopia).
Rath, a four-wheeled carriage.
Rauza, mausoleum.
Rāwtī, a kind of tent.
Ṛezai, or razā’ī, a native counterpane.
Rikhi or ṛisḥi, a sage, a saint.
Rohū, a fish (cyprinus denticulatus).
Rotī, wheaten cakes baked on an iron plate, called tawā.
Rūpiya, a rupee.
Rustam, a hero.
S.
Sach, truth.
Sāchak, hinnā presented to the bride on the day of marriage.
Sadr’adālut, supreme court of justice.
Sāgar, the sea, the ocean.
Sāgūn, teak, a forest tree.
Sahajnā, horseradish tree.
Sāhib, master, gentleman of the house.
Sāhiba, lady.
Sā’īs, a groom.
Sajjāda, a carpet or mat on which the Muhammadans kneel at prayers.
Sālagrām, a stone containing the impression of one or more ammonites.
Salām, salutation, peace, safety.
Salāmut, salvation, safety.
Sallam, cloth.
Sālotarī, horse doctor.
Samāt, signs.
Samudr, the sea.
Sānchā, a mould.
Sang-i-miknātīs, the loadstone.
Sang-i-sulaimānī, agate, onyx.
Sang-tarāsh, a stone-cutter, lapidary.
Sang-i-yashm, a kind of jasper or agate.
Sangtara, an orange (cintra).
Sankh, a conch which the Hindūs blow, a shell.
Sānkho, shorea robusta.
Sarā’e, a native inn.
Sarā’ī, a small cover.
Sārangī, a musical instrument like a fiddle.
Sāras, a species of heron (ardea antigone), saras phenicopteros.
Sardar, headman.
Sarhang, (corrupt: serang,) or galaiya, master of a vessel, commander.
Sarī, a dress, consisting of one long piece of cloth or silk, worn by Hindū women.
Sarkār, a superintendent.
Sarp, a serpent.
Sarpat, a kind of reed or grass (saccharum procerum).
Sarpesh, an ornament worn in the turban.
Sarposh, cover, lid.
Satī, a woman who burns herself on her husband’s funeral pile, chaste, virtuous, constant.
Sawār, a horseman.
Ser, two pounds.
Shab-bo, polianthes tuberosa.
Shaddā, the banners that are carried with the Taziya in the Muharram.
Shādī, a wedding, marriage.
Shāh, king.
Shāh-bāsh! bravo!
Shāh-zāda, a prince.
Shāhī, kinglike.
Shaikh, (vulgo: Shekh,) a chief, a venerable old man.
Sharāb, wine.
Sharm, shame.
Shāstr, Hindū scriptures.
Shatrang-i or sutraengī, a kind of carpet.
Sher, a tiger, a lion.
Shī’a, a follower of the sect of ’Alī.
Shikār, chase.
Shīsha, glass.
Shīsha-mahul, a house adorned with glass.
Shīsham, dalbergia sissoo (Roxb.).
Shiva, the third person of the Hindū triad.
Sholā, (commonly pronounced sola,) æschynomene paludosa (Roxb.).
Sihrā, a chaplet worn on the head by the bridegroom and bride at the marriage ceremony.
Silā, the stone on which cooks grind, with the looreea or rolling pin of stone.
Singhārā, trapa natans.
Sipāh’ī, (whence seapoy,) a soldier.
Sir, head.
Sircar. See Sarkār.
Sirjāh-tālū, black mouthed.
Sītalpatī, a fine and cool mat.
Siwālā, or shīwālā, a temple dedicated to Mahadēo.
Sonā, gold; sonahla, golden.
Sontā, a club.
Sonte-bardār, a mace-bearer; a person in the retinue of the great, armed with a short curved club, generally covered with silver.
Sraddha, funeral obsequies in honour of ancestors.
Srī or Shrī, a name of Laksḥmī, the wife of Visḥṇu. It is written as a mark of respect at the beginning of Hindū proper names of persons.
Sū’ar, a hog.
Sūbadār, governor of a province.
Sulaimān, Solomon.
Sultān, king, emperor.
Sunn, hemp.
Sunnī, an orthodox Muhammadan, who reveres equally the four successors of Muhammad. The Turks are Sunnīs, the Persians are Shī’as.
Sūp, a kind of basket for winnowing corn.
Supyāri, betel nut.
Surāh-ī, a long-necked goblet.
Surma, collyrium.
T.
Taat, paper made of hemp, i.e. sunn.
Tāj, a crown.
Takā, a copper coin, equal to two paisā.
Takht, a throne; padshah-i-takht, the king’s throne.
Taksāl, the mint.
Tamāshā, fun, sport.
Tana, a spider’s web.
Tanjan, a chair carried by natives.
Tarāi, marsh meadows.
Tasar, a cloth.
Tattī, a screen or matted shutter.
Tattoo, a pony.
Tawā, the iron plate on which (rotī) bread is baked.
Taziya, the representation of the tomb of Hasun and Husain, used during the Muharram.
Thaili, purse, bag.
Thiliyā, water pot.
Tīkā, a mark or marks made with coloured earths, or unguents, upon the forehead and between the brows, either as ornament or sectorial distinction; an ornament worn on the forehead.
Tilak, a mark the Hindūs make on the forehead.
Tiriyā, wife.
Tiriyā-raj, Amazon country, petticoat government.
Top, cannon.
Tope, plantation.
Tri-benī, or tri-venī, the junction of the three sacred rivers.
Tūfān, a hurricane, a storm of wind whirling round.
Tulsī, a plant, basil (ocymum sanctum).
U. V.
Uchchat tilak, a religious ceremony, see [vol. ii. p. 385].
Visḥṇu, the second person of the Hindū triad.
Ulāk, a small boat.
Ummed-wār, an expectant.
Voirājī, or bairāgī, a religious mendicant.
Uplā, cakes of dried cow-dung.
W.
Walī-uhd, heir apparent.
Y.
Yāk, the small cow of Thibet.
Yug, or yuga, an age of the world. The Hindūs reckon four yugas, or ages, since the creation of the present world.
Yugānt, the end of the four yugas, or ages, when, according to the Hindūs, a total destruction of the universe takes place.
Z.
Zaban-i-urdū, the court language.
Zāmin, guarantee.
Zamīndar, landlord.
Zanāna, or zenāna, female apartments, feminine, effeminate.
Zūl-jana, the horse of Husain, i.e. the winged wolf.
Zunnār, the Brahmanical thread.