JUMNA A^'D BHAGIRAT'HI RIVERS; 197 



This water is much hotter than that before taken notice 

 of at y^<2rt G^rA, as well as in greater quantity; the hand cannot be 

 borne in it for a moment, and ic emi's a very confiderabie quantity of 

 vapour. I could not detect the lead: acidity to the tafte, nor any ful= 

 phtireous, or other fmell : it was perfedly pure, tranfparent and tafle- 

 iefso' A great quantity: of a red crud, v/hich feemed to confiH: of an ' 

 oxid of iron, with fome gritty eanh, covered all the ilones around 

 and under the flream, and Was to all appearance depofited by the 

 . water. This by expofure to the air, hardened into a perfect, but very 

 porous fcOne ; whilfl below the water it was frequently mixed v/ith a 

 llimy~ fubftance of a very peculiar charader i very tenacious ; of a. 

 dull light yellov/ colour, fome what like Ifinglafs: it was certainly as • 

 well as the above defcribed crufi:, produced from the water, for it: 

 covered the fl ones, over which the flream ran, and was very abundant, 

 Thefe warm fprings are of great fanctity, and the fpot for bathing is 

 at the point before mentioned, where the cold and warm water mingle 

 and form a pool about milk warm. The fprings have all particular- 

 names fuch as Gauri Cund,. Terbet Cund, &c. and as ufu?.! fome, fu-=' 

 perlUdous tale is related of their origin. It is faid, that the fpirits of 

 the 12 Ris his, or holy men who followed Mahd Deo from Lanca^ 

 after the ufurpation of the tyrant Ravan, to the Hinidta, range, in- 

 habit this rockj and continually worfhip that Divinity; why this fliould 

 produce warm water, is not quite.. fo clear. Here bov/ever, all the 

 people bathed while the brahmin faid prayers and received his dues. 



Almost every fort of flone and rock, which wc have feen in our 

 courfe through the hills, is obferved in the bed, and on the banks of 

 the upper part of the ^J"'^^^* Of thcfe, two predominated, that iirfi: 

 met with in the courfe of the Paber, in large rounded maifes, was par= 

 ticularly plentiful, confifting or compofed of much mica, quartz^ and 



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