The desire to see the gorgeous mountains again must have been the inspiration for my thought that the fog must have been gone today. Not at all! The fog was still there even though the stars were visible at night and we were spending our last morning in Darjeeling.

As the fog, by the way, was not too dense and one could see the blue sky peak through in some places, we decided to ride to the 2870 m high and about 10 km distant Mount Sentschal or Tiger Hill. From there one should have a splendid view on clear days of the Himalayas, especially on Mount Everest. It was bitterly cold and despite warm clothes and coats we were freezing like on a European winter day but the low temperature especially made us hope that the ride would not be in vain and the desired view upon the proud mountain peaks granted.

The path led from the hotel to the serpentines steeply upwards to the English sanatorium for fever-stricken soldiers who lived in a number of small houses and seek recovery from their ailments. A small English garrison too, probably the highest placed in the world, is stationed here.

On a mountain ledge that in the surging fog resembled a cliff in the moving sea stoo a fantastic temple of Buddha whose construction style is similar to the Chinese pagodas, an architectural sign of the combination of art forms from different peoples and their local points of contact.

Up to here we had expected the weather to clear up as even the sun had made an appearance from time to time. But in vain!  The fog became ever more dense, one could barely see the man in front and so we had to decide to turn back and acknowledge the lack of success of our exertions.

Due to the cold we dismounted from our ponies and ran down to our hotel. Then we visited the bazaar a final time where money changers sat on the ground offering coins from Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan among which we found rupees, peis (1 rupee = 16 Annas à 12 Peis) and Cowries ( 6400 Cowries = 1 rupee). The well known Cowries are sea snails that have served as coins since ancient times in the orient and especially in Africa (Cypraea moneta). Barbers followed their trade in the open road and merchants sold their goods in their stores.

A special mention merits a strange article available at every Tibetan merchant’s: Praying wheels made out of copper and silver. These consist out of a metal tube through which is inserted an iron bar on whose upper end is mounted a cylindrical box that can be turned. Inside this box is a long folded paper scroll with writings which is turned by the reel within the box.Even the turning of the prayers with the solemn pronunciation of them is considered by Buddhists as a confirmation of piety; the most pious prayers, by the way, also mumble the prayer while they turn the reel of the cylinder. A more drastic and easier form of prayer is the flying of long cloths inscribed with prayers which are fluttering in the wind on high bamboo poles near the temples and the houses and thus send away an protect the buildings from evil spirits.

We clearly have increased Darjeeling’s commercial life and have created the hope in many that it would be possible to make a large transaction especially favorable to the vendor at the last minute. As we were standing, fully packed, outside the gates of the hotel, we were ambushed by countless merchants with cloths, weapons, dogs, pheasants, hides, musical instruments of the most diverse kind and all kind of instruments both religious and secular. Among the devotees to trade stood beggar monks and lamas from Tibet and Mongolia who asked for alms for their temples.

„Lama“ is a honorific title of the priest of Lamaism that is a Buddhism transformed by  Tsongkhapa in the 14th century and popular among Tibetans, Mongols and Kalmyks. The highest priests  in this hierarchy are the Bogdo Lama in Tashi-Lhunpo and the more often named Dalai Lama, Ocean priest — that is the time and again reborn Buddha in human form — in Lhasa closed off to Europeans for the last decades and probably inaccessible for quite some years to come. Finally we had to end the commercial activities around us as time was pressing and fought our way through the standing crowd to reach the station.

Even though the weather had not been kind to us during our short stay here in Darjeeling, I still left Darjeeling very inspired and mentally refreshed. I felt that I could concentrate my mind in this gorgeous mountains an find a benevolent quietness which would make me more receptive for the amount of coming impressions on Indian soil. I had seen the jewel of the mountains, Kangchenjunga, even though for only a few moments. I had enjoyed the Alpine world in the tropical climate in its enchanting marvels, had been given a view on the confluence of peoples of so many races with all the resulting strange mixtures in all human endeavors of life and finally — last not least — breathed in my element, pure heart refreshing Alpine air after the fever and bacteria soaked atmosphere in Calcutta and the interminable smell of coconut oil, rose water, sandalwood and burnt Hindus.

Many of the large number of visitors to Darjeeling every year, despite a stay of two to three weeks, despite  the ascent of so many heights will not catch a glimpse of Kangchenjunga as the mountain giant keeps grumbling for months and refuses to show his honorable old head. I am thus not allowed to complain. As I was saying good-bye to Darjeeling, I felt a resolution growing in my breast to return one day to fully enjoy the attractions of this paradise to my heart’s content — if the powers of fate will mercifully permit it.

At 1 o’clock we departed Darjeeling. For the descent we first used the train but then had the good idea to ask the director for a handcar which offered a better open view. After some resistance against this too dangerous idea, our request was granted and soon we drove down the mountain at top speed in a handcar with twelve seats over curves and serpentines. The lower we came the more the clouds parted, the fog lifted and finally we were welcomed by good weather. What joy overcame us on this audacious drive! Nothing inhibited the full view upon the sea of green mountains, peaks, valleys and gorges over which we seemed to pass in the air as if we were swimming in ether, flooded by the golden breeze of the sinking sun, saying good-bye with its wonderful last rays.

When it started to get dark, the director who cared very much about our bones would not allow us to continue the drive under any circumstances; so we had to wait for the train back that took us to Siliguri. At night, train service is usually suspended on the mountain track. That is why there is no lighting of the tracks. For our trip, the locomotive was equipped with a powerful clear light  in whose shine the trees of the jungle, the lianas, the bamboo flew past like ghosts.

Finally we arrived in Siliguri to continue with the Eastern Bengal Railway on the small gauge track up to Manihari Ghat.

Links

• Location: Manihari, India
• ANNO – on 08.02.1893 in Austria’s newspapers. The government’s annual plans are still being discussed in the press. Paris still hot in turmoil even though some parties think that the relative cool down would be suitable to call for elections.
• The k.u.k. Hof-Burgtheater plays Shakespeare’s “Ein Wintermärchen”, while the k.u.k. Hof-Opermtheater repeats once more “Die Rantzau”.

In the Roman-Catholic cathedral of Moorgheehatta, dedicated to the Virgin Mary of the Holy Rosary, we assisted a festive mass celebrated by the archbishop Paul Goethals, a Belgian by birth and a member of the Jesuit order. In front of the church stood a honor guard company with a music band and the pupils of the Moorgheehatta orphanage who pleased me with a rendition of our anthem. „Gott erhalte“ was also sung by the choir in the church. The whole church was filled with believers among them I also discovered Braganca who had arrived that morning in Calcutta to spend a few months in India. We left the church to the sound of „O. du mein Österreich“.

I said good-bye to the archbishop, a most kind person, and drove to the St. Xaver Jesuit college where 800 students from various nations and religious creeds are taught the gymnasium curriculum. The numerous schools and colleges owned by the Jesuits in India are very popular among the natives. Attendance is growing year by year and even the English unanimously declare them to be the best schools in the country. The Jesuits follow the principle of not proselytizing for the Catholic religion in school but let them observe the creed of their fathers and only strive to train educated and honest men; a process in which they decisively defeat timidity and suspicion. The Fathers are almost all Belgians. The building is very large and contains a chapel, large school rooms, numerous living rooms for the Fathers etc. A large playground allows for recreation and physical training of the youth something the Jesuits rightly consider very important  The physical cabinet deserves a special mention. Its Rector, Father Lafont, demonstrated the instruments he has collected over the years with great enthusiasm. Among them are dynamos and multiple steam machines as well as a small phonograph which is the object he is most proud of and which played „Gott erhalte“ without any errors.

As the train to Darjeeling would depart only at 4 o’clock in the afternoon, the vice-king proposed to visit his countryside retreat in Barrackpur north of Calcutta. I accepted this proposal with pleasure. We embarked near the High Court on the steam launch „Maud“ and drove up the Hoogly amidst numerous ships, passed the large bridge, then the burial places where just three Hindus were transformed into ashes and then found ourselves soon between green smiling banks on which small villages and quite a number of modern Hindu temples alternated, as well as a few country houses of rich people from Calcutta which were partly visible through the rich green of the trees.

The Hindu temples are built in most varied forms. Some are round sugarloaf-like buildings, others are complexes of a number of smaller temples and structures whose individual parts resemble the dome-shaped roofs of Moscow’s churches. All temples have large open stairs that lead directly to the water of the holy Ganges river and are used by the believers to perform religious ritual cleansing at the foot of the stairs.

For quite some time we moved up the river. then „Maud“ landed at the park of the country retreat. Through a thick bamboo alley where I discovered a mongoose sitting near the road we reached the residence of  Barrackpur built by governor-general Marquis of Hastings. It is in Richmond style, characterized by its park of meadows and singly spaced trees.

Lord Landsdowne unfortunately suffered from a strong case of neuralgia which forced him to retire while we ate lunch with Lady Landsdowne and the wife of the personal physician  under a large Ficus religiosa tree. We had barely taken our seats when hundreds of red kites appeared and demanded to be fed on the spot and with such intensity that they had to be kept at bay with poles. During the lunch we fed the red kites with meat and enjoyed watching their ability to catch the pieces thrown in flight and also how tamely they took meat from our forks.

Naturally, there was the inescapable photographer present and only after countless takes we could say good-bye to Lord and Lady Landsdowne who had gained my complete sympathy by their kindness during my short stay in Calcutta. The vice-king used to be governor of Canada and resides now for four years in India and desires to return next year to his estates in Ireland when his regular term of five years ends. The office of governing and administering all of the Anglo-Indian Empire demands his fullest attention and he undertakes an annual inspection tour through the major cities of India and to the Maharatas, the hot season he spends at Simla at about  2700 m in North-western India in Punjab. He seems to be a passionate gardener and knows much about botany so that our conversations often were about the art of gardening and farming, areas he covers with much pleasure. Lord and Lady Landsdowne have two children who I also met. The son usually studies at Oxford while the daughter blossoms as a charming presence in Government House.

At 4 o’clock in the afternoon we departed from Calcutta. We left Barrackpur with the Eastern Bengal Railway, which crosses the Ganges plain in North-eastern direction and terminates at Damukdia Ghat on the right bank of the Ganges as a normal gauge track.  On a large steamboat we crossed the river and again used the Eastern Bengal Railway at Sara Ghat which leads from here in a northern direction to the foot of the Himalaya mountains on a narrow gauge track. To cover the distance from  Damukdia Ghat to Sara Ghat station is dependent on the season which influences the currents of the Ganges. Under favorable conditions it takes 20 minutes to cross. We used this time to eat dinner and, back on the railway, went to sleep early as far as the unfortunately also narrow gauged beds permitted. From Siliguri on, the Eastern Bengal Railway connects to the mountain railway to  Darjeeling.

Links

• Location: Siliguri, India
• ANNO – on 05.02.1893 in Austria’s newspapers. The Austrian annual government plan is revealed to the public and discussed in the press.
• The k.u.k. Hof-Burgtheater plays a comedy “Wehe dem, der lügt” in the afternoon and another comedy in the evening „Der Veilchentreffer“, while the k.u.k. Hof-Opermtheater is performing once again “Die Rantzau”.

Early in the morning we wanted to visit the famous temple of Kalighat, in which humans were once sacrificed (now, the sacrifices that are offered are only black buffaloes and goats). For this excursion, we crossed a district of the native city with numerous bazaars where small images of household gods are sold. This temple is dedicated to the black goddess Kali, the wife of Shiva, whom, according to legend, was torn to pieces by her husband in the air. At that point, a piece of her finger landed on the spot which the temple of Kalighat was built.

The name of the temple means „step (ghat) to Kali“. The same word is also, by the way, attributed to the name of Calcutta, which has been transformed with time from Kali-ghat to Kalkota, Kalikut, Golgota, even with the considerations of mortality in ancient Calcutta to Golgatha (place of the skull). According to other linguists, the ancient name of Calcutta has been Kalikschetra. As an aside, our naming of the turkey as a „Calcutta chicken“ is derived from Calicut on the Malabar Coast.

Unfortunately, we were disappointed to learn at our arrival that the animal sacrifices would be performed later and the Brahmins did not permit us to enter the temple. Even our presence in the antechamber seemed to instil ill will as a lot of crones (who had come to bring offerings for the goddess) were shocked in seeing the unbelievers here. They complained loudly and turned around cursing. In the antechamber, we at least saw the wooden prongs in the ground between which the heads of the sacrificial animals would be pushed.It was a sign of good fortune; it grants a wish if the Brahmin cuts an animal’s head of with a single strike, while the opposite is attributed to ill luck. The people thus made sure that the neck of the sacrifice is under sufficient tension to assist the strike, though much cruelty to animals is naturally happening. The butchering Brahmin has made a large fortune, it is said, as he collects up to a thousand rupees per day for his performance.

At 9 o’clock a visit to the royal mint in Calcutta was on the program. The mint has been praised for its performance and size of its machine equipment. A really colossal enterprise which delivers 300.000 to 400.000 rupees on a daily basis without reaching its capacity limits. The silver and copper coins are in separate buildings.  The former mint was built in Doric style, the latter is in a large composite of building blocks. The director guided us personally through the rooms and workshops, explaining the manufacturing process of all the steps and even pointed and demonstrated the counting and packaging. Where it was possible, the most practical and fitting machines are used. The machine, which sorts the punched out coins according to their weight, removes the pieces that are either too light or too heavy. This reminds me of a thinking being. The transformation of silver bars into blank and beautifully coined rupees is done at an astonishing speed thanks to these machines.  One automatically starts to muse about the function of the famous installation on whose one side hares are chased and thrown into the machine only to emerge as finished hats on the other side! It is unfortunate that even the grandest mint, the most ingenious machine of the world, can not stop the price from dropping on the value of silver. This phenomenon will cause the Indian government much trouble. Apart from the coins for Ceylon and India, the Calcutta mint produces also coins intended for Africa and numerous English war medals.

In the afternoon, I drove with the vice-royal couple in a high coach to the final number of the three hours long military sporting event, which took place on the racing course in front of a large tribune and a large crowd of spectators, among them many pretty ladies.

At the prize competition of driving multiple guns with their teams they had to do very sharp turns between pegs close to each other and do figures of eight. Only a single of four guns managed to complete the task without error.

A quadrille of the mounted Calcutta volunteers were well intentioned, but turned out only average at best. This formation is composed from members of the merchant community and other peace-loving professions, mostly of older people who meet twice weekly to so called exercises and vividly recall their own patriotic civil guards. Their riding skills and the condition of their horses lets one assume that this formation will not pose much danger to an enemy.

Rather well did the English non-commissioned officers and soldiers perform their deeds in gymnastics and leapfrogging. Participation and interest of the highest degree were given by the audience to the tug-of-war in which ten men from an infantry regiment competed against ten artillerymen. Specially chosen strong persons stood opposite each other and the struggle went on to and fro for a long time. A general commotion made the two regiments whose men were all sitting in the audience. Bets were placed and all the competitors encouraged with shouts. At one time the infantrymen had already drawn eight men on their side, but suddenly, their luck changed and after a quarter of an hour the artillerymen won. In this moment four men collapsed from exhaustion and fell to the ground, but later recovered after some time.

Very funny was the equine tug-of-war that followed and was first performed by six natives on each side on horses without saddles. The riders of both teams gave their best with dexterity and endurance to keep themselves on their horses and also push or pull the opponent off his horse. But the forces were almost equally distributed so that in the end both parties could move further, so it had to be declared a draw.

Lady Landsdowne distributed the prizes to the happy winners. Then we returned through thick fog to Government House where a gala dinner and afterwards a soirée were awaiting us. This fog is characteristic for Calcutta. Each evening it descends, mixed with smoke, in incredible density over the city and departs only in the morning. The very high humidity and the constant fog are said to be the main reason why Calcutta’s climate is considered unhealthy and causing fever.

The dinner which was attended again by 80 persons who were followed by soirée, to which over 2000 invitations had been sent out. I admit — otherwise not fond of such mass spectacles — that I will remember this evening as an interesting experience;  as the colorful crowd of gentlemen and ladies from all ranks of society offered an unexpected catching image. Besides Europeans, one could see Parsis, Tibetans and Indian merchants, even the wife of a raja made her appearance.

The highlight of the party were the numerous rajas wearing countless diamonds on their national dresses. But not only their exterior attracted our attention to the rajas. In earlier times an important element in Indian history they live now thanks to the English supremacy in territories with a relative independence but are without political influence if some individuals do not manage through their individuality or their wealth to play a role.  Representing the traditional noble class whose traditions date back to the Indian Golden Age and usually blessed with fortune and wealth the rajas stand in high public esteem by the natives. At the same time they are closer to the English rulers than to the large mass of the people. They loom as representatives of an old inherited culture into the present and are the next object to be influenced by European culture. Both elements — the old and the European culture — influence as they have not yet intertwined and combined into a common strong bond and they constrain one another, standing unconnected next to each other.

The Englishmen guide the education of the princely sons intended to become rulers — Maharajaas or Rajas — in special Rajkumar colleges, academies that teach English, history even and  economics according to the works of J.S. Mill. At times, the education of sons of individual, namely powerful princes is given into the hands of an English instructor.

Usually at the age of twenty a ruler comes of age and is enthroned; but the Nizam was given the reigns of the government of Hyderabad already having completed his 18th year of his life, while other rulers are considered minors beyond twenty years of age. The ruler usually delegates government to a Darbar (state councilor), who in turn is only nominally in charge while the real influence lies in the hands of the English resident. This explains why the administrations are so well run; where the English influence is limited, the state of affairs in these raja states reminds of our sayings about Oriental despotism with arbitrary administration. Among the princes one finds all varieties — not a few London fops and pleasure seeking playboys, sportsmen and hunter, even oriental barbarians.

Out of the coexistence of the old Indian and the new European culture explains the phenomenon that the rajas in their manner and acting present a sort of double culture or — if one is more of the opinion of a „too much“  than a „not enough“ — a half culture. Stagnation on the current level is probably excluded as is a total reversion to the ancient Indian culture or a complete assimilation into European culture. Given time, these developments will likely achieve a harmonious balance.  To the future state of things in India, it might be not without influence whether this or the other of motives will gain the upper hand. England’s social policy will have to solve a difficult, but satisfying, challenge.

Some of the princes and other outstanding persons invited to the party deserved to be mentioned here: Maharaja of Rewah, Maharaja of Pattiala, Maharaja of Darbhanga, Maharaja of Bettiah, Raja Sir Surindro Mohun Tagore, Raja Sir Norendro Krischna, Raja Durga Tscharn Lal, Prince Mirza Katnar Kadr — a son of the royal family of  the Audh Prince Mirza Jehan Kadr, Nawab Abdul Latif Khan Bahädur. Nawab Seid Amir Hossein.

Among the guests presented to me were officers of the Indian regiments in Calcutta who presented their swords and offered them to my touch — a strange custom in the tradition of ancient knights. This symbol should be express with the highest level of devotion.

Links

• Location: Calcutta, India
• ANNO – on 04.02.1893 in Austria’s newspapers. Due to the recent cases of cholera in Europe, the United States has declared a prohibition of importing used clothes without a special official confirmation from a cholera-free area. In Russia, the famous clown Durow, well known from his performances in Vienna, was thrown into the jail of the Peter and Paul fortress in St. Petersburg for importing nihilistic literature.

The Wiener Salonblatt No. 6 of 5 February 1893, p. 3, reports about Franz Ferdinand’s arrival in Calcutta and his reception by the vice-king and his wife.

• The k.u.k. Hof-Burgtheater plays a comedy “Gönnerschaften”, while the k.u.k. Hof-Opermtheater is performing Verdi’s “Hernani”.

A museum official had responded to my question that there was a salt lake near Calcutta with plenty of interesting waterfowl and advised to undertake an expedition there with the promise to personally show me the best spots. Thrilled by the chase we decided to devote this day to hunting and hastened early in the morning, armed to the teeth, to the meeting point where our guide should have been waiting for us. The ride went through many suburbs along the canals where we could observe the cumbersome moving of the ships and boats by the natives. Nearly every ship was loaded with wood and was drawn upstream by a rope fixed to the mast from the land. During this ride we learned about the strange method used by the natives to pump water for irrigation purposes from the lower canals to a higher one. They applied ropes to both sides of an ox stomach hide and then standing in pairs on each side catapulted the water with the help of this sack up into the higher canal, often to a considerable height. At  home one would use at least a simple pump. In India where labor is so cheap, this method seems to be more profitable.

Who did not show up at the meeting was our informant. He let himself be excused due to sickness. Instead we were met by a canal inspector who explained that there was nothing to hunt here but vultures. Boats could take us there to hunt vultures. Not very pleased with the bad news we decided to go to that place and everyone floated there in his own boat down the canal after the usual local discussions among the boatmen and their clamor. During the trip, one of my entourage shot two domestic ducks with a confident double shot which were pointed out to him as wild ducks by an Englishman.

After a short drive we saw a multitude of vultures and black kites circling in the air or sit in trees in their hundreds. We had reached the spot where we were supposed to disembark but soon noticed that it was the place where all of Calcutta deposited its garbage, rubble and waste — the transfer of the garbage was performed by a small railway. No wonder that thousands of vultures, harriers and black kites, among which the Indian pariah kite formed the largest group, had selected this place for foraging. We drove on lowries in between two not exactly clean walls of garbage and reached a flaying house around which lay many gnawed bones and a kettle of around 400 vultures. We shot some of them but gave up the hunt as these carrion-feeding birds could not really move in their fully cropped state and their despicable appearance in this place. They did not seem timid either as one could shoot one or the other with a bullet without the others taking off. I was glad to escape this disgusting place full of bacteria.

As we still wanted to fulfil the original goal of our excursion, namely the hunt for waterfowl, we had us rowed to the other side of the canal to enter the wet jungle of the salt lake. We waded up to the knees in the marsh but had to, at any moment, evade underground watercourses and fought our way through only with difficulty — all, only to realize that we had been completely misinformed. There was actually no game here, although I saw some herons and storks on a mango tree but these seemed to be just passing through the area,

With a few salty blessings for our advisor we left the marsh all wet, had breakfast in the boats and then returned to Calcutta. In the skyline of the city we could detect a marriage procession; At the front a shouting crowd and carriers of pictures of saints and artificial flowers; then in a palankeen the barely fourteen-year-old groom armed with a huge sun screen, In a closed  palankeen followed the bride which we couldn’t see, guarded by a mounted escort; the closest relatives in carriages with servants carrying wedding gifts and fruits in large tin bowls.

Towards evening Kinsky and I went for a drive through the avenues of the Maidan and watched for some time the military-sportive exercises among them tentpegging which were held on the racing track,

At sunset we returned home by the river. The last rays of the day star basked in gold every yard and  boom, the complete  forest of masts of the moored ships in the waves.

At 8 o’clock we met for a small comfy dinner organized by the Austro-Hungarian consul Heilgers in the Bengal club of merchants.

The day was to conclude with a musical choreographic soirée at Raja Sir Sourindro Mohun Tagore — a member of a noble family from a Brahmin caste and a multi-millionaire — who had developed a special passion for music and musical history. He is the editor and publisher of quite a number of related poetic works and even a composer. A number of his works ha been shown in the 1892 music and theater fair in Vienna.

After a long drive through the native city we reached our destination. The whole road in which the raja’s domicile, the Pathuriaghata Radsch Bati palace, was located was illuminated bright as daylight by lamps. The private and life guard of our host, a comically clad group stood in line when I entered through the gate of the palace and I was received by the Raja, a tiny old man with a kind timid face. He wore the  commander decoration with a star of the Franz Joseph order, happy about this distinction awarded by His Majesty. A dear friend of our country, he invites every compatriot he reaches to dinner and is a most friendly host.

On the steps to the private rooms of the palace stood a life guard clad in an ancient dress and armed with long swords and engraved shields. The large reception hall as well as all the spaces we visited are designed without a common style and are richly equipped with European paintings, mostly copies of works from the Italian school, so that we sat down under a whole series of Venus and Amor illustrations, when the first part of the production, the musical section, started.

It began with a blessing the raja had made in Sankrit in my honor in a meter called Särdülavikridita and using our anthem in Hindu style as melody, performed on Indian instruments and presented by multiple singers. The words of this blessing were : Dikpäläh paripälayantu satatan tväm Francis Ferdinand — Kirttis tvadgunamadhuripranayini nityam samälingatu — Sarvaträbhyudayo jayascha bhuv ane nityänuvarttyastu te — Kalyänarn kurutäm sadaiva bhavato Dhatä Bhavo Madhavah. In translation: May the (8) guardians of the world always protect you, Franz Ferdinand! May  Fama which holds your grace dear due to your virtues always embrace you! May victory and luck in this world never part from your side! And May Brahma, Mahadewa and Vishnu spill their blessings over you!

The following lists the numbers of the program:

1. A South-Indian song by Pandit Anantra Sästri, a virtuoso from Southern India, supported by the instruments Rudra Vinä, Tumburä, Bänyä and Tablä. The Rudra Vinä is a classic Hindu instrument, which is highly used in Maisur and other parts of Southern India.It has four gut strings, on a second field three musical wires and is played with the finger cups. The Tumburä is an old indoor Hindu instrument which is played with the tip of the index finger and was allegedly invented by the celestial musician Tumburu, who has given his name to the instrument. Usually it serves to accompany vocal and instrumental music and sets the base note. The Bänyä is played with the left, the Tablä with the right hand; they provide the beat. These instruments are recent inventions. As inspiration served Mridanga whose lower head presents Bänyä and whose upper one Tablä.

2. A presentation on the Surbahär by Sangitä Upadhyäya Kali Prosonno Banerdschi, a Calcutta native and professor at the Bengal Music School, accompanied on the Tumburä. The Surbähar is a large Setär, invented by  Mohammed Khan in Lucknow about 70 years ago and especially suited for the  Aläpa, i.e. melodious music.

3. A presentation on the Dschaltaranga by Babu Kristo Lal Banerdschi, a Bengal native, accompanied by the Tumburä, Bänyä and Tablä. For the Dschaltaranga or the musical bowls which are known in Sanskrit as Sapta Scharäva one used in ancient times Terracotta bowls while today porceline bowls are now commonly used. The tuning is done by water which is filled into bowls. The bowls are hit with two  sticks.

4. A presentation on the Nyästaranga by Sangitä Upadhyäya Kali Prosonno Banerdschi, accompanied on the Esrär. The Nyästaranga is an instrument  formed like a trumpet; It is placed on the outside of the larynx, so that the vibrations of the vocal chords produce a clear and strong tone. As stated, one finds this instrument only in India. In the Sanskrit language it is called Upänga. The Esrär is an indoor instrument which is played with a bow and is a combination of a Setär and a Särangi.

Satisfied by this highly interesting strange production we walked in a solemn procession in the palace courtyard where we sat down on a balcony to enjoy the second part of the program — large scale processions and a choir.

1. The songs of the Bäuls, accompanied by Änanda Lahari, Gopiyantra, Khanjäni and Mandirä. Bäuls are a sect of religious beggars which go in colorful dress from house to house, seeking alms by dancing and singing. Many of these songs contain simple and beautiful metaphors. The Ananda Lahari is a shepherd’s Instrument which Bäuls and other singing beggars use; it has but a singing beggars. It has but a single gut string which is touched with a wooden prong. The Gopiyantra is also an instrument,with which shepherd songs are accompanied. It has a single string which is made to sing by the touch of a finger tip. The Khanjäni is a shepherd instrument in the manner of a tambourine. The Mandiräs are small bowls made out of bell metal whose mission is to set the beat.

2. Nagar Kirtana, accompanied by the Khol, Karatäla and Kiimsringa. The Nagar Kirtana is a song invented in the 15th century by Tschaitanya, the great religious reformer of Bengal; This song should be heard according to the opinion of Tschaitanya in public streets to win the people over to Vishnu. The adherents of the Vishnu creed usually organize a Nagar Kirtana feast when they receive their spiritual councilor in their home. The procession consists of a group of singers that follow people with flags, Khuntis and other symbols of the Vishnu creed.

The Khol is a small drum covered in leather which usually accompanies the Kirtana and other religious chants. It is a sort of derivation of the classical Mridanga. The Karatälas are cymbals to play the beat. The Räm-sringa is an instrument played outdoors and used for religious processions to increase the ceremony’s festive nature.

3. Dschaträ, performed by a group of young girls from Manipore, in the North-east of Bengal. The Dschaträ is a sort of mythological presentation which unites the character of medieval mysteries in Europe with a primitive opera. This is very popular in Bengal. The content is usually about the shepherd games of Vishnu in the incarnation as Krishna and his affairs with shepherdesses from Brindäban.

4. Sonthal dance. Some Sonthals, members of one of the ancient tribes of India had been especially transported to Schamsandarpur fortress, a country retreat of the raja Sir S. M. Tagore — from Bengal, iin the district Bankura — and then to Calcutta.

The third part of the festive presentation performed in the reception hall was a dance called  Nautch,  performed by four young female dancers accompanied by the instruments Särangi, Mandirä, Bänyä and Tablä. The Särangi is an ancient instrument that serves to accompany female voices.  The Nautch girls (dancing girls) are known in cosmopolitical circles under the name of Bajaderes (from the Portuguese Bailadeira = dancer). The music is rather monotone. The dance is also not very varied; the girls sing and sway their hips, assume gracious positions and spin in circles like a gyro. The dance girls are indefatigable and dance for hours if one doesn’t stop them. Strange cases with pearls covered their ears. The girls‘ dresses were splendid and also covered with jewels. Three of the artists seemed to be of pure Indian origin with rather plain faces. The fourth dancer, however, was a beautiful young Jewess from Baghdad with most beautiful eyes which she, by the way, knew expertly how to use as she sent fiery glances in all directions much to the discomfort of our dignified host.

During the intermission the king of music showed me his valuable collection of instruments which is unique in the world and contains all instruments of India in their most original forms and shapes. He had sent part of it to the Vienna music exhibition. The walls of the collection are covered with membership and honor diplomas of musical associations and societies from all parts of the world; About these credentials of his artistic endeavor the raja is very proud.  In between the instruments stand small ornamented house altars; one od the altars contained objects used and worn by the raja’s ancestors: their clothes, their turban and as his father has been also a very keen musician, his compositions etc. This Hindu piety shown by our host towards his father amazed me very much. Also a vitrine with numerous decorations and medals of the raja had to be paid tribute to.

At the end of the festive presentation which I thanked our charming host very much we were decorated according to the Indian manner with wreaths and given gilded betel leaves, as well as sandalwood oil whose smell persists for a long time. Then the brahmin of the house spoke a long blessing. To the sound of the British and our anthem we returned home.

Links

• Location: Calcutta, India
• ANNO – on 03.02.1893 in Austria’s newspapers. In Paris, the defense of Gustave Eiffel gave their final speech in which they declared that Eiffel had acted correctly and only earned about 15 millions francs, half of it in Panama railroad shares of questionable value, instead of 33 or even 73 millions. In Copenhagen, three Norwegian seamen had been arrested for cannibalism. After a shipwreck, they had eaten their Dutch colleague.
• The k.u.k. Hof-Burgtheater plays Shakespeare’s comedy „Was Ihr wollt“, while the k.u.k. Hof-Opermtheater is performing Rossini’s „Barbiere die Sevilla“.

Kinsky, who had fortunately recovered from his fever, guided me in a small coach through the native quarters early in the morning, as I had wanted to see it but it did not offer as much of interest as Bombay and Hyderabad did. The streets are, if this is possible, even narrower, the houses not ornamented and presenting less variation. In the shops and on the streets there is the same bustling life as in the other cities but it is not as colorful as the natives here mostly wear dirty white clothes.

Our chain of visits we started today with the big museums in which are housed the zoological, mineralogical, geological, ethnographic and applied arts collections. The museum has quite some interesting and valuable treasures. To see them all would require many days. Only the arrangement and and grouping of objects, the lighting in some rooms, the cleanliness and care of the maintenance in all halls and rooms leaves much to be desired. First we were led through the rich mineralogical and geological department which houses also many parts from our countries. In a less pleasant state is the zoological collection, especially the mammals. The humid climate and the mediocre taxidermy were given as excuses. The animals are mostly stuffed according to a scheme and have nearly all the same stature and color so that it is difficult to distinguish at first glance an otter from a mongoose or a member of a similar species. Interesting in this room are the donated collections of antlers and horns of all of India’s cloven-hoofed animals  as well as a comparative display of human and ape skulls as proofs of the „Darwinian“ theory among whose supporters I do not count myself, by the way.

Next to the mammals were the reptiles which were in much better condition, whereas the birds are presented very unfavorably. Nevertheless I was highly interested as all the species of the Indian Ornis were represented here. With a bit of fantasy one could orient oneself and thus find information about the names and other dates for the next steps of our journey. The collection is very rich in fossils and scientifically structured. An especially large Megatherium stands in the middle of the hall. On the ground floor is the collection of conchylia, sponges and corals and is notably by various specimens from Singapore and the surrounding areas.

Our visit ended with the applied arts collection which offered an erudite survey about the various local products in this area. Everything is to be found here from the most simple domestic industry product to the most beautiful and artistically executed objects in which silver and copper play the most crucial role.

Spurred by the things seen in the museum I procured numerous objects in the Calcutta subsidiary of  S. J. Tellery & Co., among them musical instruments of the strangest kind as well as old painted pictures of illustrations of Indian sagas in which Vishnu as Ramachandra and in the incarnation as Krishna with his shepherd girl are the most common.

For the afternoon it was planned to visit the famous botanical garden in the company of the vice-king and his wife. The botanical garden lies on the right bank of the Hoogly, South-west of the suburbs of Haura.

In a charming steam yacht given the name of vice-queen „Maud“  we drove down the Hoogly river, through all the moored ships whose number is legion. Notable are especially large sailing ships,  English and American four-masters with two to three tons of loading capacity which are moored four to five next to each other. Between the ships drive countless boats of the natives, some fast as a dart, some more staid. Some use slender canoes, some square cloddish vehicles similar to a dahabeah which is rowed by its crew with hand and feet while the gesticulate like apes. Strangely formed are the river steamboats which have a large superstructure and a small draft, a rear wheel and a small machine; they look more like a swimming house than a steam ship.

A drive of 20 minutes brought us to the landing point of the botanical garden. On the opposite shore lies the palace of the deceased king of Awadh who has been dethroned by the British government due to his atrocities in the year 1856 and who lived in Calcutta afterwards. He was given a monthly stipend of 150.000 rupees. His hobby was a collection of many hundreds of living animals, especially snakes. He also maintained more than 10.000 trained colorful pigeons which could perform flight maneuvers according to flag signals. During his thirty year period of internment, it is said that he has never his palace and never entertained a single European.

The botanical garden was founded in 1786, is operated by the government and occupies a space of 110 hectares. As far as beauty and diversity of the plants and trees are concerned, this garden does not match that in Peradenia (neither did Victoria garden in Bombay); though it is a pretty place with many small ponds and streams supplied by the water from Hoogly river and well worth a visit. Just at the entrance the viewer’s glance is led to two beautiful straight avenues: One consists of Palmyra palms, lean and straight as an arrow, the other of  mahogany trees. Notable too are all kinds of Indian conifers, casuarinas and palm trees of different species as well as interesting climbing palms. In the middle of the park stand two large orchid houses and a greenhouse whose iron frame has been covered not with glass but only with climbing plants and coconut fibers to protect the plants against the overwhelmingly strong rays of the sun.

The pièce de résistance of the garden was one of the largest trees in India, a mighty Banyan tree (Ficus indica) which produces new trunks in the very well known manner of aerial prop roots. Counting all the aerial roots that emerge from the main trunk, the total radial area occupied by the tree covers about 300 m. Notable too are the Herbarium and the well-endowed library of the botanical garden.

On the return trip from the botanical garden, we went on an excursion with Lord W. L. de la Poer Beresford — the military secretary of the vice-king — a bright optimistic gentleman who is serving already his fifth vice-king and has spent 26 years in the country. The coach of Lord Beresford brought us to the surroundings of Calcutta and through many native villages, then through Haura and finally over Hoogly bridge back to Calcutta. Lord Beresford, who guided the four horse team himself, proved to be an excellent coachman; driving is a difficult task in streets full of children, beggars, animals and carriages.

In the Belvedere, the official residence of the lieutenant-governors of Bengal, beyond the zoological garden in the suburbs of Alipur with its interesting bamboo lined avenues we were invited to a dinner at half past 8 o’clock. The residence whose oldest parts have been built more than a century ago has been renovated and enlarged since so that the style of this pleasing building with its beautiful facade has to be called „mixed“. A shade giving park encloses the building.

Many dignitaries and generals and their wives participated in the dinner at which I sat between the governor’s wife and the consul-general’s one, baroness Heyking. Only one toast was spoken, namely to the health of Our Majesty the Emperor by the governor. This fact surprised everyone as it didn’t happen before that a toast to a foreign ruler was given without toasting at the same time to the health of Her Majesty the Queen. But the vice-king had expressively ordered this proceeding.

The dinner was followed by a soirée, attended by around 300 persons, among them a large number of exceedingly pretty young women whose looks would have qualified to have participated in the earlier dinner too. Also all the rajas currently residing in Calcutta and its surroundings had come and were presented to me. With the assistance of my interpreter I exchanged a few words with every one. One could observe strange types among these Indian princes and enjoy the majestic treasures they were wearing. Only those who have seen it in person can appreciate the splendor and value of the jewels which the rajas wore on their turbans and on their breast.

Especially a pair of brothers distinguished themselves among the rajas by the display of their splendor and wealth of their treasures. The younger one wore a collier of seven rows of pearls which in their sameness and size must have had a value of one million guilders. On the turban and on the breast of the older brother alternated colossal emerald drops lined with dove egg-sized diamonds in the latest style. These stones, it is said, had been part of the French crown jewel collection — Empress Eugenie is said to have worn them — which has been sold a few years ago by the French government. The dear rajas were all very friendly and gave the nicest assurances to the interpreter. Towards midnight we finally returned to Government.

Links

• Location: Calcutta, India
• ANNO – on 02.02.1893 in Austria’s newspapers. The Romanian crown prince Ferdinand is paying a visit to Vienna. In London, the Bonapartists try to raise 200.000 pounds to finance the election of Prince Victor in scandal-ridden France.
• The k.u.k. Hof-Burgtheater plays the comedy „Krieg im Frieden“, while the k.u.k. Hof-Opermtheater is performing Richard Wagner’s „Lohengrin“.