The Diary of a Civilian's Wife in India, 1887-1882

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1884 Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XIII. JAIN TEMPLE AT DELHI ULWAR A SUBLIME COACH-HOUSE--LIBRARY AND ARMOURY JAIPUR SCHOOL OF ART PUBLIC GARDENS--AMBER AJMEER A CAVALRY SAINT TARA GURH--JAIN-MAHOMMEDAN TEMPLE A BIG COOK-ING-POT. Ulwar, Christmas Day, 1878.--We left the camp at two o'clock yesterday, going by rail to Delhi. As we had some hours to wait there we drove about the city, an ever-fresh pleasure to me. We went to see a Jain temple, to which we had to walk some little way through a narrow lane of high houses. We had once to take refuge under a carved wooden gateway while some panic-stricken cows rushed by; the instant they saw us they turned tail and fled helter-skelter. They saw we were not' mild Hindus, ' and feared us accordingly. It was the more tiresome as I wanted to examine some picturesque necklets they were wearing, made of cowries sewn in fanciful patterns on red cloth. However, they rushed by in such a way that no one could catch them. The Jain temple has a fine frontage of carved stone, carved so profusely in such delicate airy tracery that it is difficult to believe it is stone. We went up a flight of steps and came to a courtyard surrounded by what we call Moorish arches, with colonnades having groined roofs, every inch of which was painted elaborately with graceful arabesques, the effect being rich and soft in the extreme. On one side of the courtyard is the temple proper, on a raised dais four feet high. The building and decorations are exquisite; the shafts of all the arches are of polished white marble inlaid with flowing flowery patterns in coloured marbles. The walls and ceiling and every available inch are painted richly, the prevailing colours being blue and gold, but all so artistically blended that the eye only takes in the general effect, which is so..