1837.] condition of Oujein or Uj jay ani. 827 



Oujein is surrounded on every side, but the south with an almost 

 uninterrupted belt of groves and gardens. Their names, had I room 

 for them, would be a history of the place and of its manners, — on one 

 side lies the garden of Dowlet Rao, on the other that of his car- 

 penter : here is the garden of a raja Mall, whose name has outlived 

 his history*, while near and in contrast to it is another, which, but 

 a few days ago, gloried in the name of the Baizi' Bai, now pub- 

 lished by a change of title the fickleness of fortune. The Mahurdj- 

 Bdgh, (Dowlet Rao's) was formerly the pride of five proprietors, but 

 the modern Ahab, coveted his neighbour's vineyard, out of five small 

 gardens made a large one, and deprived the owners of the inheritance 

 of their fathers. The best of the gardens seem to have been planted 

 by Musalmans, who, we learn from Baber, introduced the fashion 

 into India : few of them have walls or indeed any apparent boundary. 



The ghats before the town are neither numerousf nor handsome. 

 The largest has the name of Pisdch-mochan from a ling am near it, by 

 puja to which a demon (PisdchJ had the term of his punishment 

 abridged and became mukht or beatified. At the back of Pisdch- 

 mochan, a walled and shady enclosure contains the chattris of some 

 of the Sindia family. The most remarkable is that of Ranaji', the 

 founder of their greatness!. 



Opposite this ghat on the left bank of the river, and half concealed 

 in a grove, stands the Akhara or hospitium of Datta tre, an extensive 

 building containing temples, baoh's, and dharmsdlas for the accom- 

 modation of holy pilgrims, who have also food served out to them 

 from a fund supplied by the liberality of the sirkar or of the founder of 

 the place, Gopal Gir§ a gosain ; Datta tre is the 12th incarnation 

 of Vishnu. A rishi by his penances so pleased the holy trinity that 

 they promised to grant him any favor he should ask of them : he 

 requested a son like unto themselves. And they each put a portion of 



* There are two princes in the Malwa History whose names terminate in 

 Mall : all the natives could tell me of the founder of the garden was that he was 

 a Qadim kd Rdja. They scouted the idea of his being a modern. 



t The ghats at Oujein are 28 in number. But many of them are at a distance 

 from the city. 



X As Ranaji' was buried at Shujahalpore, the chattri here is merely 

 honorary. 



§ I much fear I have been misinformed here. The place is doubtless a 

 Vaishnava math, and unless the word be taken cum brintia, would hardly have 

 been built by a gosain. I was unable to have an interview with the mahant by 

 name Puran Gir who could have satisfied my doubts. Several Saiva mendicants 

 were about the place, but in this Sivapuri they are everywhere. 



