We also remarked, on our way to the village, an ellipsoidal block of rock, 68 feet in circumference, by 25 in height, which, from its very peculiar position, seems to shift every moment, and presents a very extraordinary appearance.
As we were proceeding to the beach, we came upon the Pagoda of Kovulgobrom, which is at present in use (first constructed in the days of Rajah Apatsch, 400 or 500 years since), situated on a large oblong plot of ground, which is surrounded by a wall from 6 to 8 feet high. We were not permitted to cross the threshold of the pagoda, the door of which always stands wide open, and the minor apartments of which, so far as we could discern at a little distance away, were quite empty. We could just descry a few sculptures on the walls.
The whole village contains at present about 400 inhabitants,[108] who reside in eighty small dwellings. Of these, three, built of bricks and with tiled roofs, belong to the caste of Brahmins, thirty to the Pariahs, five to families occupied in fishing, and two mere hovels of palm-wood to the Willis, the lowest and most wretched caste of all. The families of stone-cutters reside outside the village. One remarks here that the walls of the houses are hidden by heaps of cow and horse-dung, which the inhabitants, as in Egypt, use for fuel, and which they pile up to dry against those of the walls which are most exposed to the sun. The peon of the settlement, by name Randghajaneik, a sort of overseer, gave us a drawing of the various groups of houses, their inhabitants, and also the names of the various castes in Tamil, engraved as usual with an iron tool upon palm-leaves, and very elegantly rolled up in a small envelope. Among the customs and fashions of the inhabitants which attracted our notice, we were informed that they always burn their dead from four to five hours after life has departed—usually four hours and forty minutes—alleging that the released soul takes that length of time to reach heaven! The bones are collected and thrown into the sea. Widows are no longer required, on the death of their husbands, to ascend the pyre with them. Accordingly, the mortality upon this score is small enough in Mahamalaipuram. All seem hale and hearty, although for the most part they live upon rice and fruits, tasting flesh but seldom, as it is never used by the Brahmin caste. The Brahmins will not even eat eggs, because they are the produce of hens; nor drink milk because it is procured from cows! The girls generally marry at thirteen. They are, however, usually betrothed from the time they are two or three years of age, the bridegroom-elect taking the bride-elect to reside with himself.
[108] Of these inhabitants 50 belong to the Brahmin caste, 250 to the Malabar, Sentù, and Siva castes, and 100 are Pariahs.
All the natives whom we fell in with could read and write, but the Sanscrit inscriptions on the rock-temples were quite unintelligible to them, as they only spoke Tamil, Telùgu, and Malabar. The greater number had their foreheads painted according to the caste they belonged to. Those worshipping Siva wore, suspended by a cord round the neck, small silver amulets, called Lingams, which have images of Siva enclosed. The adherents of Brahma, as already mentioned, wear no distinguishing mark upon the forehead, except that those that are married wear a five-ply cord (panul), tied obliquely across the upper part of the body. One must not, however, attach too much faith to these varieties of external markings, since many tattoo their foreheads with red, or yellow, or ashen-gray punctures, which usually have no special signification, but simply imply that on account of the pressure of business requiring frequent absence, they have neither time nor opportunity to have the distinguishing insignia of their caste properly designed. According to the natives, the yellow colour is procured from the crushed, yellow-tinted root of the Curcuma longa, (a species of spice), the red from the Cardomum (Amomum repens), citron-juice, and red rice; while the white is prepared from common chalk.
BIVOUAC AT MAHAMALAIPURAN.
Lord Harris had, with true Indian hospitality, made the most admirable arrangements for our accommodation while at the Seven Pagodas. When, after our first survey of the locality, we came down to the beach, we found two large and two small tents ready pitched, and a number of men collected round a fire preparing our breakfast. But how great was our astonishment, on entering the first tent, to find it spread with carpets, with an elegant sleeping-apartment with two large commodious bedsteads, and fitted up with all the usual necessaries for the toilette; while, in the passage which ran between the inner and outer walls of the tent, stood two immense baths ready filled with soft water to reinvigorate our exhausted frames! Ere we had recovered from our surprise, we were advised of the voice of the Government Peon, apprising us that breakfast was served in the second tent. This was used exclusively as a dining and reception room, and was also furnished with every conceivable appliance to promote our comfort. His lordship was even so attentive as to send his own travelling canteen for our use on the excursion. This tent, likewise, had double walls, with a passage between; the exterior wall being lined with blue, by means of which the glare of the sun and of the blinding white sand was rendered less painful and more tolerable to the eye. A number of coolies were employed in sprinkling water from time to time upon the fine-grained sand, which produced a most refreshing coolness all around. The Government Peon, as also the chief of police of the district, wore their best uniforms of white, with bran new bandoliers over their shoulders, of broad deep-red scarves, with gold-lace edgings, and, in the centre, a gilt plate, with the words, "Government Peon" engraved on it. A number of men and children ran hither and thither,—in a word, the whole village seemed in an uproar to see the strange gentlemen, and supply them with flowers, in the hope of receiving some trifling present. At 12.30 p. m., the thermometer suspended within the tent marked 84° Fahr., although a gentle breeze was blowing from seaward through the fragrant luxuriant grass (Kus-kus, or Vetiveyr), which hung like a curtain over both entrances. It is an exceedingly happy idea to use this fragrant Kus-kus, (Andropogon muricatum) in the manufacture of mats, which are intended to be suspended in the entrance-halls of houses, and to be sprinkled with water, whereupon the penetrating, hot, parching wind is passed through the fine damp texture, which thus at once tempers the heat, and fills the air with perfume.
Towards 5 p. m., the heat having somewhat abated, we strolled to the Five Pagodas, distant about one English mile from our encampment. The prevalent tree in this locality is the Palmyra palm, which, though it does not boast the majestic proportions of the Oreodoxia Regia, or the cocoa-nut palm, presents, nevertheless, a very imposing appearance. Generally speaking, however, the district is quite bare and destitute of trees; and, in short, like all the rest of this coast, has very much the appearance of the flat coasts of Africa.