Chapter I: Preface

Although many books descriptive of India and Indian life have recently appeared, even a short visit to that wonderful country presents so extraordinary a series of spectacles to the European, especially to one seeing the East for the first time, that it occurred to me that a few notes and fresh impressions from an artist’s point of view, accompanied by sketches made on the spot, as well as illustrations of the lighter side of travel, might not be without interest to the public.

Even apart from the enormous artistic interest and architectural splendours of India, which are so rich and abundant that one feels that hundreds of drawings would be necessary to give any adequate idea of their beauty, there is the human interest of these vast populations, among whom so many streams of race, language and religion are found, not to speak of the problems of government and administration they present.

I cannot claim to have had any special facilities in seeing the country—no more at least than might be at the command of an ordinary English tourist, and have trusted chiefly to what powers of observation I may possess in describing the various cities visited, and the districts traversed, and I offer these notes strictly as personal impressions.

Owing to ever increasing facilities of travel, the East is, in a sense, drawn nearer to the West, or, rather the West to the East, but nothing strikes the traveller so much as the apparently vast gulf dividing the dark-skinned races from the white—a gulf deeper and wider than the oceans.

I mean the profound differences in ideas, in religion, in sentiment, in life, habit and custom. Western influence where even it has had any apparent effect—apart from commercial enterprise—seems to be but a thin veneer, and it is a constant wonder how the British should have been able to acquire and maintain their grasp over this vast peninsular, and to hold the balance between antagonistic races and creeds so long.

But it is not a comfortable thought for an Englishman, loving freedom, and accustomed to the principles of popular and representative government at home, to realise that this vast empire is held under the strictest autocratic system; and that the national aspirations that are now beginning to make themselves heard and felt should be entirely ignored, and the voice of native feeling sternly suppressed.

One can only hope that the great British people will take more trouble to study and understand their great Dependency, and not be prevented by official explanations from making independent inquiries and observations for themselves, and finally to “be just and fear not.”

If, however, in any way and from any point of view, these impressions may serve, in however slight a degree, to increase the interest of my own countrymen and women in India, I shall be very glad.

WALTER CRANE

KENSINGTON, _July 1907_

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE
PREFACE vii

I. THE VOYAGE 1

II. BOMBAY AND THE CAVES OF ELLORA 21

III. AHMEDABAD 48

IV. AHMEDABAD TO AJMIR 62

V. CHITORGARH AND UDAIPUR 74

VI. JAIPUR 96

VII. AGRA 112

VIII. GWALIOR 127

IX. DELHI 144

X. AMRITZAR AND LAHORE 161

XI. LUCKNOW 185

XII. BENARES 200

XIII. CALCUTTA—DARJEELING 218

XIV. MADRAS AND THE SOUTH 239

XV. NOTES OF CEYLON 290

INDEX 319

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT

PAGE
ROUGH SKETCH MAP OF INDIA xvi

LONDON TO PORT SAID, A HIEROGLYPHIC OF OUR VOYAGE 3

COALING AT PORT SAID—AND AFTER! 6

SPOILING THE EGYPTIANS? OR BEING DESPOILED BY THEM! 7

SENSATION IN SOLAR TOPIS 7

THE SUEZ CANAL 9

THE PASSAGE OF THE RED SEA (THERM: 88° OR SO!) 12

IN THE SAME BOAT—A CONTRAST AT ADEN 14

SOME TYPES AMONG OUR FELLOW PASSENGERS 17

LANDING AT BOMBAY 22

AWAITING THE CUSTOMS—BOMBAY 23

STREET PERFORMERS—BOMBAY 24

INTERVIEW WITH CANDIDATES FOR THE POST OF BEARER—MOSTLY
UNBEARABLE! 31

A BED AT THE DAK BUNGALOW! MUNMAD (KEEP IT DA(R)K) 35

WE ARE INTRODUCED TO THE CAVES OF ELLORA 39

AND ITS WASPS 42

THE FEET OF PILGRIMS (AT MOHAMMEDAN MOSQUES) 50

POOR RELATIONS 52

A FAMILY PARTY—CRANES ON A MANGO TREE (SARBARMATI RIVER) 54

STREET SCENE, AHMEDABAD. ENGLISH TRAVELLERS SKETCHING AND
MAKING PURCHASES 57

THE CAMEL’S CRINOLINE (SUGAR CANE) AJMIR 71

FIRST ELEPHANT RIDE. (CHITORGARH) 78

RAJPUTS AND THEIR RARITIES. (UDAIPUR) 85

HOTEL ACCOMMODATION (JAIPUR), “FOR YOUR EASE AND COMFORT” (OR
RATHER FOR THE EASING OF YOUR RUPEES?) 98

TO AMBER ON AN ELEPHANT 106

SHOPPING IN JAIPUR 109

AGGRAVATING AGRA 115

THE MAINSTAY OF INDIA. AQUARIUS—THE WATER-BEARER 119

TO GWALIOR FORT BY PALANQUIN 129

CALLERS AT THE GUEST HOUSE, GWALIOR 137

A DASH FOR THE DINING-CAR AT AGRA ROAD 146

DELHI DRIVING. WANTED—A RULE OF THE ROAD 159

SHE WON’T BE HAPPY TILL SHE GETS EVERYTHING PACKED UP 162

DEMON HOTEL TOUTS AT AMRITZAR FIGHTING FOR THEIR PREY 163

THROUGH AMRITZAR—SIT TIGHT AND HOLD A SMELLING BOTTLE! 165

AN INDIAN AUTOLYCUS 168

ENJOYING A LOG FIRE AT LAHORE 172

“THE WOMAN IN WHITE” AT LAHORE (SUGGESTION FOR A DISGUISE
PARTY) 175

THE MERCHANTS OF KASHMIR 182

IN HOSPITAL, LUCKNOW. THE OPERATING TABLE (PATIENT HAD A BIT OF
GRIT IN HER EYE AFTER A TRAIN JOURNEY)—SIXTEEN RUPEES WERE
EXTRACTED! 186

JUGGLERS AT LUCKNOW—THE MANGO TREE TRICK 187

BETTER LUCK AT LUCKNOW—THROUGH THE CHOWK ON AN ELEPHANT 195

THE MAHARAJAH PLACES HIS CARRIAGE AT OUR DISPOSAL 202

BENARES: VIEWING THE GHATS FROM THE MAHARAJAH’S PEACOCK BOAT 207

WE SEE SNAKES AT BENARES 209

THE MAHARAJAH’S RECEPTION, DECORATING THE VISITORS 214

THE SOOTHSAYER AT CALCUTTA—(OR PALMISTRY UNDER THE PALMS) 220

THE DARJEELING TOY-RAILWAY TRYING TO CATCH ITS OWN TAIL! 225

CHARACTERS IN A TIBETAN MASQUE, DARJEELING 228

THE SHY PEAK OF KINCHIN JUNGA 233

A RIDE AT DARJEELING: “UP HILL SPARE ME” 234

A HAILSTONE CHORUS—DEPARTURE FROM DARJEELING 236

CALCUTTA TO MADRAS—SECTION OF SLEEPER—OR SOMETHING LIKE IT 240

LADIES OR GENTLEMEN? (FASHIONS IN SOUTHERN INDIA) 243

MADRAS—A JIN-RICKSHAW MADE FOR TWO 250

TANJORE—NATIVE THEATRE—HOUSE FULL. PERFORMANCE FROM 9 P.M. TILL
2 A.M.—BUT WE DIDN’T STOP TO SEE IT THROUGH 265

TRICHINOPOLY—OX TONGA—VITA BREVIS! 271

THE SACRED ELEPHANTS OF SERINGHAM—SECURING TWO-ANNA PIECES 274

THE RIVALS. OUR MOONSAWMY AND THE MADURA GUIDE 277

TUTICORIN. DEPARTURE FOR COLOMBO. THE LAST OF THE KITES AND
CROWS 287

LANDING AT COLOMBO 291

COMMON OBJECTS OF COLOMBO. (JIN-RICKSHAWUS BIPEDES) 293

A CINGALESE WAITER 294

IN CEYLON—EXTREMES MEET—THE MOTOR AND THE OX-CART 296

TEA PLANTATION, CEYLON 303

TEA AND RUBBER IN CEYLON—A RISING INDUSTRY 309

A FEW TRIFLES THE WIFE WISHED TO BRING HOME FROM INDIA 316

LIST OF PLATES

THE MANIKARNIKÁ GHAT, BENARES _Frontispiece_

TO FACE PAGE
THE KYLAS, CAVES OF ELLORA 38

ARRIVAL OF MR DADABHAI NAOROJI AT BOMBAY, DECEMBER 14, 1906 46

TOMB OF GUNJ BAKSH, SARKHEI 58

SHRINE OF THE KWAJA, AJMIR 66

THE MAHARAJAH’S PALACE AT UDAIPUR, FROM THE JAGMANDIR PAVILION 88

THE MAHARAJAH’S STATE ELEPHANT, JAIPUR 102

THE TAJ MAHAL, FROM THE GATEWAY 116

IN THE BAZAAR, GWALIOR 134

APPROACH TO THE PALACE OF MAN MANDIR, GWALIOR 138

THE JAMA MUSJID MOSQUE, DELHI 152

LAHORE—THE MOSQUE OF WAZA KHAN 182

IRRIGATION WELL, LUCKNOW 196

KINCHIN JUNGA FROM DARJEELING 232

TANJORE—THE GREAT GATE OF THE TEMPLE 254

SACRED TANK OF THE GREAT TEMPLE, MADURA 282

UNDER THE PALMS AT THE GALLE FACE, CEYLON 292

INDIA IMPRESSIONS