RAMISERAM. 341 
nificent appearance, and was drawn by Mr. Salt ; words cannot de- 
scribe it. There are two anti-rooms to Seta's temple, with an open 
space between them. We were permitted to approach the entrance 
of the second, and hence to view the inside of the Holy of Holies. 
The mysterious gloom was by no means sufficiently dissipated by 
the lamps to enable me to distinguish accurately, as the temple re- 
tired back a considerable way. I could perceive a brazen pillar 
ending in a vane of three cross bars, and surmounted by a bird. The 
goddess was beyond, seemingly richly dressed. The Pandaram him- 
self is not permitted to enter the innermost temple, nor any one 
but the attendant Brahmins, who live in the town, and have their 
share of the offerings. Rama's temple is, within, like his wife's, except 
that a large brazen Lingam is in front of him, where the pillar 
stood in the other. I was told that the deities were only raised a 
little from the ground, which was the reason I could not perceive 
them. They were extremely anxious that I should not press to go 
farther, as my declining it would be a precedent to them to refuse 
others. As I conceive it essentially advantageous to the British 
nation that it should never violate the religious prejudices of the 
natives, I did every thing that they requested. In the entrance- 
temples were a variety of statues, some painted red and black, 
some plain: the architecture was altogether handsome. Without 
the door were the carriages on which the gods were occasionally 
borne : they are of wood, ornamented with carving, and are drawn 
along by men. 
I next paid the Pandaram a visit at his habitation, where I was 
presented with fruit and wreaths of the Jasminum sambac, which 
were put round my neck and arms. Many compliments passed on 
