. Winter India . peon andDaniel and lay brethren in hot haste to give thealarm, lest the function be delayed past sunset. Afew languid villagers stole in and stared, the longi-tudinal sect-mark of Vishnu on the forehead and theloosely drawn dhotee drapery around their shouldersgiving them a strong resemblance to our red Indiansof the prairies in war-paint and reservation more Avaiting succeeded, more messengers weredespatched with more vehement advices, and Daniel,with the air of great cares pressing on him, pacedthe arcades meditating, speaking now and then withmagnificent gestu
. Winter India . peon andDaniel and lay brethren in hot haste to give thealarm, lest the function be delayed past sunset. Afew languid villagers stole in and stared, the longi-tudinal sect-mark of Vishnu on the forehead and theloosely drawn dhotee drapery around their shouldersgiving them a strong resemblance to our red Indiansof the prairies in war-paint and reservation more Avaiting succeeded, more messengers weredespatched with more vehement advices, and Daniel,with the air of great cares pressing on him, pacedthe arcades meditating, speaking now and then withmagnificent gestures, like a real raja. My birthlyis Christian, he had informed us in the first sanctu-ary of heathendom, that we might feel free to com-ment and question at will. A band of Brahmans in fresh war-paint finallyarrived, and their fierce hawk-like gaze, their eager,excited, hurried air, might have given one qualms ofalarm at our isolation in this labyrinthine fortressof a temple, remote from any European settlement,. WITH CHIDAMBRAMS BRAHMANS 45 and miles from a white official or any pale-face. ButDaniel reassured one by his calm magnificence, hisgrandiloquent phrases and evident pride in theamazing spectacle which he, as grand impresario,was about to present. Three hundred of these high-est-caste Dikshatar Brahmans, or priestly ones, de-scended from a first Cholukyan king, they say, livewith their families within the temple inclosure. Allare rich, enjoying inherited wealth and the greatincome which this popular temple derives from itsvotaries and pilgrims. There were fine, intelligentfaces among them, and, barring the disfigurementof the painted sect-mark on the forehead, one couldeasily appreciate how much finer is the type and thecast of countenance of these long-descended aris-tocrats than the common Hindu face seen in bazaarsand street crowds. All had fine, straight noses, levelbrows, and well-formed heads, the hair shaved allaround the edges as though for a Chinese queue, and
Size: 1273px × 1962px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookidwinterindia0, bookyear1903
