INDIA, OR HINDOSTAN. 



941 



mired. There is here a canal 120 miles in length, which serves to bring water from the moun- 

 tains to Delhi, for purposes of irrigation. Hurdwar is famous for its situation at the confluence 

 of the two head branches of the Ganges, which attracts an immense number of pilgrims, esii" 

 mated at some seasons to exceed 1,000,000. 



Juggernaut^ in Orissa, is renowned throughout all India for its temple, esteemed by the na- 

 tives the most sacred place of pilgrimage. It consists of a number of buildings, surrounded 

 by a high wall, within which is a second enclosure, containing the sanctuary of Juggernaut, 

 the lord of the universe, a pyramidal building 200 feet high. At great festivals, the Juggernaut 

 is placed in an enormous car, and dragged to his country residence, whence, after spending 8 

 days, he is conducted back to the temple. It is at this time, that the wretched devotees throw 

 themselves under the wheels of the car, esteeming it a passport to happiness in the next world 

 to be crushed under its weight. 



AladraSy the capital of the presidency of the same name, is a large, populous, and well-built 

 city, with 462,000 inhabitants. It presents a singular mixture of pagodas, minarets, mosques, 

 and gardens, and consists of 2 distinct quarters, the Black and the White Town. Its cotton 

 manufactures are extensive, and its commerce considerable. In the vicinity are the celebrated 

 ruins of JMahabalipuram^ consisting of immense excavations, groups of innumerable figures of 

 men and animals ; and beneath the waters of the sea, which has swallowed up a part of its site, 

 some buildings are still visible. 



Trichinopoly, one of the chief military stations of the British, contains 80,000 inhabitants, 

 and Tanjore, in the neighborhood, once the capital of a kingdom, has about 30,000 inhabitants. 

 On the island of Seringham, in the Cavery opposite Trichinopoly, is an immense pagoda, 

 composed of 7 enclosures, the walls of which are 25 feet high, each containing 4 large gates, 

 surmounted by towers ; the exterior wall is 4 miles in circuit ; tlie towers, gates, and interior 

 of the buildings are covered widi sculpture, and the canopy of the interior temple is of massive 

 gold, set with precious stones. JMasulipatam^ on the Krishna, with 75,000 inhabitants, has 

 the best harbor on the Coromandel coast, and its manufactures and commerce are extensive. 

 Seririgapatam, on the Cavery, in the kingdom of Mysore, belongs to the English ; it was once 



_ _ the residence of the celebrated Tippoo 



Saib, and the capital of a powerful king- 

 dom, but it is novv much reduced, and its 

 150,000 inhabitants have dwindled down 

 to 10,000. 



Bombay, tlie capital of a presidency, 

 is built upon a small island, defended by 

 a vast citadel, and is the chief naval sta- 

 tion of the English in India. Its harbor 

 is the best on the western coast, and Bom- 

 bay is the great mart of the Indian trade 

 with Persia, Arabia, Abyssinia, and the 

 Indian Archipelago. The Parsees or 

 Guebres, and the Armenians are the prin- 

 cipal merchants. Population, 200,000. 

 At Elphanta in the neighborhood, is a temple of great size, hewn in the solid rock ; it has 5 

 entrances between 4 rows of massive columns, and contains a colossal statue of Siva. At 

 Kenneri^ on another island, is a cave-temple still more lofty, and a whole hill is there cut out 

 'nto tanks, stairs, &c. Poonah is a large and handsome town, with spacious streets ; popula- 

 tion, 115,000. Surat, on the Tapty, is one of the chief commercial towns of India. It has 

 a good harbor, but the streets are narrow and crooked, and the houses very high, with the upper 

 stories projecting. The Guebres are numerous and wealthy ; Indian charity has here erected 

 a vast hospital for animals, comprising monkeys, toi'toises, fleas, and other vermin. Population, 

 160,000. 



Ahmedahad, formerly one of the largest, richest, and most splendid cities of Asia, still con- 

 tains a population of 100,000 souls, and several remarkable edifices, which attest its ancient 

 magnificence. 



The ruins of Bisnagar, in the province of Bejapor, exceed in extent and gigantic propor- 

 tions anything of the sort in India. Its enormous walls are constructed of colossal blocks of 

 stone, and its desfted streets, one of which, exceeding a mile in length, and 100 feet in breadth, 



Seringapatam . 



