. Indika. The country and the people of India and Ceylon . go when it once sets out on its absurdities. Naturehas nothing to do with suppressing superstition or destroyingfaith in grim images in wood and stone. The fairest sky andmost beautiful scenery beneath it say nothing against even sogross a corruption as a great temple to even the spurious toothof a spurious god. The temple and the many dependent build-ings about it are at the farther end of the lake. One can de-scend the sacred steps and walk down the stone way to the wa-ters brink. There they stand, the Sacred Tooth Temple in themidst
. Indika. The country and the people of India and Ceylon . go when it once sets out on its absurdities. Naturehas nothing to do with suppressing superstition or destroyingfaith in grim images in wood and stone. The fairest sky andmost beautiful scenery beneath it say nothing against even sogross a corruption as a great temple to even the spurious toothof a spurious god. The temple and the many dependent build-ings about it are at the farther end of the lake. One can de-scend the sacred steps and walk down the stone way to the wa-ters brink. There they stand, the Sacred Tooth Temple in themidst, and the rest only as accessories to it. Happy the Buddhistwho can once look upon that pyramid which he calls his mostsacred temple. Wherever he lives, far up under the shadow ofthe Himalayas or across in Burma, it is all the same. This tem-ple is his Paradise. The Buddhist kings of all lands send costlypresents to it, as they have been doing for ages; and these manyshrines are very jewel-boxes, which the wealthy, the strong, and KANVY AM, ITS COFFEE-PLANT AND BLOSSOMS. the beautiful, from great distances, have overburdened with theirmost precious stores. All the things which the Buddhist regards as most sacred cluster here. The Buddhist Libbaby. There is an octagonal building, which hangs near the templefront, on the bank of the lake as a birds nest against a is the Library. Can there be anything like it in all theworld? It contains two thousand precious manuscripts, on olas,or prepared leaves of the talipot palm. Paganism, with all itsignorance, professes to be built on books. There is nothing 270 INDIKA. Buddhist thinks more of than his records. They confirm him,however weak they are, in his wildest faith. These manuscriptsare in long leaves, and slide along up and down two connectingstrings. The outer parts of each manuscript are protected bycases, some of which are of richest workmanship. Here is oneof ivory, whose fine miniatures must have taken a lif
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Keywords: ., bookauthorhurstjfjohnfletcher18, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890
