RAMA. 
125 
educated by Mahadeva* on Kailasa,f with a portion 
of his divinity,, and sent him forth to combat the 
Rajah ; who, after twenty battles, was slain, the mili- 
tary race of Khettri annihilated, and his usurped 
kingdoms were relieved from oppression.” J 
The ancient city of Oude having been the capital 
of this fictitious deity, we can readily account for the 
tradition of its extraordinary antiquity, extent, and 
magnificence. The interior of the modern town, ex- 
cept on the banks of the river, where the buildings 
are regular and uniform, presents but a sorry ap- 
pearance compared with Lucknow and other cities of 
a similar class. Beyond the immediate neighbour- 
hood of Oude, the aspect of the country is anything but 
inviting. A long tract of jungle meets the eye, with 
here and there huge masses of rubbish, among which 
are the reputed sites of ancient temples once dedicated 
to Rama and other worthies of the Hindoo Pantheon. 
The modern town is the constant resort of religious 
mendicants, who make pilgrimages to the shrines of 
those divinities and canonized mortals, whose tem- 
ples are reported to have stood in the sacred vicinity. 
These bloated beggars, who deem every other occupa- 
tion unholy, are chiefly of the Rama sect; and here they 
may be daily seen perambulating the consecrated spots 
where altars were once raised to the object of their ido- 
latry, performing their numerous ablutions in the hal- 
lowed tanks, and going through the various mummer- 
ies imposed by the canons of their superstitious creed. 
* A name of Siva, the third deity of the Hindoo triad, 
t Kailasa was the paradise of Siva. 
+ Moor’s Hindoo Pantheon, pp, 190, 1. 
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