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the place of skulls, nothing remained of her but her bones.
And this, thought I, is the worship of the Brahmins of Hindoostan, and their worship in the sublimest degree! What then shall we think of their private manners, and their moral principles! For it is equally true of India as of Europe;—If you would know the state of the people, look at the state of the Temple.
As to the number of worshippers assembled here at this time, no accurate calculation can be made. The natives themselves, when speaking of the numbers at particular festivals, usually say that a lack of people (10,000) would not be missed. I asked a Brahmin how many he supposed were present at the most numerous festivals he had witnessed. ‘How can I tell,’ said he ‘how many grains there are in a handful of sand?’
The languages spoken there are various, as there are Hindoos from every country in India: but the two chief languages in use by those who are resident, are the Orissa and the Telinga. The border of the Telinga Country is only a few miles distant from the Tower of Juggernaut.’
I felt my mind relieved and happy when I had passed beyond the confines of Juggernaut. I certainly was not prepared for the scene. But no one can know what it is who has not seen it.—From an eminence, on the pleasant banks of the Chilka Lake (where no human bones are seen,) I had a view of the lofty tower of Juggernaut far remote; and while I viewed it, its
