CHAP. IX. Religious toleration of Jehangir, Native servants and slaves. Curiosity of most eminent merchants in Surat were anxious to At the time of Della Valle's visit to Surat the Moghul rule was tolerant in the extreme. The Emperor Jehangir was a Mussulman, but not a pure one; and Christians, Hindus, and people of all religions were allowed to live as they pleased, and in what style they pleased. The president of the English factory and the commendator of the Dutch factory went abroad with the same state as Moghul grandees, accompanied by music and streamers, and a train of native servants armed with bows and arrows, and swords and bucklers. Such weapons were not necessary for protection, but were part of the pomp which was affected by every great man in India. Native servants, says Della Valle, cost very little in India; three rupees a month was the regular rate of wages in the best families. There were also numerous slaves, who cost less; they were clad in cottons, which were very cheap, and lived on rice and fish, which were very plentiful. Della Valle was not interested in the Mubammadans. He had seen He had seen enough of them during his previous travels in Turkey and Persia. He was, however, anxious to see as much as possible of the Hindus, especially as they were allowed to practise CHAP. IX. all their religious rites at Surat, excepting that of widow-burning or Satí. He adds, however, that the Nawab of Surat might, if he thought proper, permit a widow to burn herself alive with her deceased husband; but this permission could only be obtained by bribes. Della Valle saw a marriage procession of two boy-bridegrooms and two girl-brides, but there was nothing in it beyond the usual pomp of music and streamers. Parvatí in the He form of a tree. Della Valle witnessed a religious rite in Surat worship of which is not often described by travellers.12 saw the worship of Parvatí, the wife of Siva, in the form of a tree. A circle was carved on the trunk of the tree, to represent the face of the goddess. It was painted flesh colour, and decorated around with flowers and leaves of betel, which were often renewed. It was set about with eyes of gold and silver, the gifts of pious votaries, who had been cured of diseases of the eye. Overhead was a great bell, and this bell was rung, not to summon the worshippers to devotion, but to call upon the goddess to listen to their prayers.13 worship. When the worshippers had rung the bells, they Forms of joined their hands in the attitude of prayer. They next stretched their hands down to the ground, and then slowly raised them to their lips, and finally ex 12 The worship of trees is universal in India, and the religious rites described by Della Valle are precisely those that may still be seen. The worship of trees and rivers finds expression in the Rámáyana (see History of India, vol. ii.). The worship of a mountain is described in the legends of Krishna (see History, vol. i.). 13 This idea of bells is essentially Oriental. A great bell was hung up in like manner in the palaces of Hindu Rajas, and even in the palace of the Great Moghul, and was rung by petitioners to induce the sovereign to listen to their complaints. CHAP. IX. Chapel for heal. ing barren women. Rebellion of Della Valle at tended them as high as possible over their heads. Some said their prayers standing; others prostrated themselves on the earth, or touched the ground with their foreheads, and performed other acts of humility. Next they walked one or more times round the tree, and sprinkled the idol with rice, oil, milk, and other like offerings. But there was no sprinkling of blood. Indeed the slaughter of animals, even for sacrifice, was regarded as a mortal sin. Some gave alms to the priest who attended upon the idol; in return they were presented with a portion of the flowers and leaves of betel which surrounded the idol. They kissed these flowers and leaves with great devotion, and placed them on their heads in token of reverence. Beside the tree was a little chapel with a narrow window which served for entrance. Barren women entered that chapel, and some time afterwards found themselves with child. This result was ascribed to the presence of priests within the chapel." Della Valle stayed only a few days at Surat. He was anxious to go to Cambay, about eighty miles to the northward, where the Hindus were more numerous. The times were troubled. Shah Jehan, the eldest son of Jehangir, was in open rebellion against his father, and marching an army towards Agra. On the eve of Della Valle's departure from Surat, news arrived from Agra that Jehangir had sent Asof Khan to Agra to remove the imperial treasures before Shah Jehan should arrive there. 15 Della Valle made the journey from Surat to Cambay 14 Similar abominations are carried on in India to this day, especially in the territories of Rajpút princes. 15 This incident has already been related in dealing with the reign of Jehangir. There are several authorities for the same story. Della Valle, however, fixes the date, 1623. in four days, and lodged at the house of the Dutch merchants, who treated him with great hospitality. CHAP. IX. birds and mice. The strangest things to be seen at Cambay were Hospital for the hospitals for sick and lame animals. The Hindus maintained these hospitals because they believed in the transmigration of the soul after death, and imagined that tending sick animals was equivalent to tending the souls of departed men. Della Valle visited a hospital for lame or diseased birds of all kinds, wild and domestic. Those which recovered were set at liberty: the wild ones flew away; the domestic ones were given to some pious person to keep in his own house. In the same hospital were certain orphan mice without sire or dam. An old man with a white beard, and spectacles on his nose, kept the mice in a box with cotton wool, and gave them milk with a bird's feather. goats, sheep, Della Valle also visited a hospital of goats and Hospital for sheep; some were sick or lame; others had been and cows. redeemed from Muhammadan butchers by the pay ment of ransom. There was another hospital of cows and calves; some had broken legs; others were old, infirm, or very lean. A Muhammadan thief, who had been deprived of his hands, was also maintained in the same hospital. prohibited by No ransom was paid for the redemption of cows or Cow-killing calves, as the Hindus of Cambay had prevailed on the Moghuls. the Moghul with a large sum of money to prohibit the slaughter of those animals under heavy penalties. If any man, Muhammadan or otherwise, slaughtered a cow or calf at Cambay, he was in danger of losing his life. In the neighbourhood of Cambay, Della Valle saw Hindu Yogis. a troop of naked Yogis, smeared with ashes, earth, CHAP. IX. Sack and out rage at Agra by Shah Jehan. and colours. They were sitting on the ground in a circle, making a ring round their Archimandrita or leader. This man was held in the highest respect for holiness, not only by the Yogis, but by the common people. Many grave persons went and made low reverences to him, kissed his hands, and stood in a humble posture before him; whilst he affected a strange scorn of all worldly things, and scarcely deigned to speak to those that came to honour him. The Yogis lived upon alms, and despised clothes and riches. They feigned to lead lives of celibacy, but were known to commit debaucheries. They formed societies under the obedience of their superiors, but otherwise wandered about the world without having any settled abode. Their habitations were the fields, the streets, the porches, the courts of temples, and under the trees, especially where any idol was worshipped. They underwent with the utmost patience the rigour of the night air or the excessive heat of the midday sun. They had spiritual exercises, and some pretensions to learning; but Della Valle discovered that their so-called wisdom chiefly consisted in arts of divination,. secrets of herbs, and other natural things; also in magic and enchantments, to which they were much addicted, and by means of which they boasted of doing great wonders. In March 1623 Della Valle returned to Surat. Further news had been received from Agra. Shah Jehan had taken and sacked the city, but failed to capture the fortress which contained the imperial treasure. Fearful barbarities had been committed by the rebel prince and his soldiery. The citizens of Agra had been put to the torture to force them to discover their secret hoards. Many ladies of quality |