THE BERNAR PAGODA. 
189 
him, diligently and constantly observe immemorial 
custom.” * 
On landing at Benares we passed a ruined bridge 
over the Bernar, one of the rivers from which the 
city takes its present name, and pitched our tents 
near the Bernar pagoda, situated upon the banks of 
that beautiful stream. From hence the view of Be- 
nares, looking up the Ganges, exactly realizes the in- 
teresting description given of it by the great Abul 
Fazil. “ Baranassey,” says this remarkable man, in 
the third volume of his history, commonly called 
Benares, is a large city situated between two rivers, 
the Bernar and the Assey ; in ancient books it is 
called Kassey the splendid. It is in the form of a 
bow, and the river Ganges resembles the bowstring.” 
The truth of this latter part of the description will 
be at once verified by a reference to the accompany- 
ing view of it, taken from the bank of the river near 
the Bernar pagoda. 
This latter structure has not much to recommend 
it to the notice of travellers, except its picturesque 
position on the bank of the river. It falls far short 
of the splendour of many similar sanctuaries of Hin- 
doo devotion ; it is, however, an agreeable object, and 
there is an air of simple antiquity about it which re- 
deems its less attractive features. We had pitched 
our tents so near it as to be considerably incom- 
moded by the swarms of devotees who frequented it 
with a most boisterous piety at so early an hour as 
greatly to interrupt our repose; and the situation, 
moreover, being exposed to the full action of the sun, 
* Institutes of Menu, chap. i. sect. 108. 
