The hospitality of Indian princes is something beyond description. They, who are most abstemious and simple both in food and drink, must look upon Europeans as a voracious and thirsty race. Whilst with Indians, we were everlastingly pressed to either eat or drink; and wherever we went—sight-seeing, hunting, boating, or riding—coolies were sent ahead of us with tents, provisions, and all the most luxurious appliances for comforting the inner man.
The Maharajah’s entertainment lasted until a very late hour. I should perhaps be nearer the truth if I said an early hour on the following morning.
We, however, turned out to breakfast in good time, as he had arranged to have carriages and horses to take us round the ghâts, temples, and palaces for which Benares is famous.
According to appointment, we proceeded first to the palace of His Highness the Maharajah of Vizianagram, situated in Bhelepur. This is one of the finest palaces in this city of palaces, having been specially reconstructed and decorated to receive His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales during his stay in Benares. In order to convey an idea of the magnitude of that princely residence it will suffice to say that the entrance hall is 100ft. by 50ft. The furniture and appointments in all the reception rooms are thoroughly European, but, as in most Indian residences, there is a certain incongruous mixture of the most costly articles side by side with ornaments or pictures of the commonest kind—real bronzes and costly marble statuary being placed in close proximity with plaster casts of the most trivial value. Gaudily-coloured prints, in cheap frames, are mixed up amongst original paintings by well-known masters.
H.H. of Vizianagram only visits this residence once or twice a year, on pilgrimage, but still keeps up the retinue and style of the place; and the officer in charge dispenses the most royal hospitality to visitors authorised by his master to have an entrée to this magnificent and really interesting place.
Our next visit was to the Golden Temple (Bisheshan) dedicated to Siva, the presiding deity of Benares. This temple is looked upon as being the holiest of all holy places in the sacred city. The symbol of the god is a plain Lingam of uncarved stone.
Prior to describing this temple I shall digress to explain this extraordinary “divinity,” termed the Lingam god, the original having, under the most extraordinary, binding, and strict conditions, been entrusted to my care to be exhibited in the Gem Gallery of the Calcutta Exhibition. I cannot do better than transcribe the printed form which was handed to me for distribution by the special attendants who were placed in charge of this valuable exhibit, and never lost sight of it during the whole period of the Exhibition.
“This unique object of interest, the original Hindoo Lingam god, from one of the most ancient temples of ‘Dilly,’ now Delhi, consists of an extraordinary chrysoberyl cat’s-eye, of great size and brilliancy, set in a very large topaz. The whole supports, on an Indian native gold base, encrusted with diamonds, and set round with nine gems of great value, called the ‘nine charms,’ represented by the following precious stones: diamond, ruby, sapphire, chrysoberyl, cat’s-eye, coral, hyacinthine, garnet, yellow sapphire, and emerald.
“This extraordinary historical relic has a two-fold interest, principally on account of its great antiquity and repute, and, secondly, as containing one of the most curious and brilliant cat’s-eyes known.
“The Lingam god is well known to all who have visited the East, as representing the deity to whom the Hindoo ladies pay devotion, with the object of obtaining lineal descent, and this identical god is the original one, to whom annually thousands of devotees of every rank journeyed from all parts of India to pay their devotions for a period of upwards of 1000 years, until about the year 1193, when the Mahomedan conqueror, Kulb-ud-din, having wrested Delhi from the Hindoo kings, destroyed twenty-seven temples to obtain the materials to build the great Mahomedan mosque of Kulb-Musjid, which to this day perpetuates his name.