BENARES
266
CITY.
furniture and jewels. The by numbers of devotees. But the Bisheswar or golden temple, dedicated to Siva, may perhaps be selected without first
and
in wealth
temple
in the richness of its
daily attended
is
among
invidiousness as the holiest It
all
stands a short distance from
venerated symbol
of
the god,
the holy places of the sacred city.
the
a
Bisheswar rules Benares as spiritual
observatory,
and contains the
Linga of uncarved stone. monarch, under whom Bhaironath plain
and magistrate. The building has a central and each corner is crowned by a dome. The temple was erected by Ahalya Bai, the Maratha Princess of Indore. The Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Lahore had the spire and domes covered with gold leaf, from which the temple derives its ordinary title. The Buddhist remains at Sarnath, about 4 miles from the city, will be described under their acts merely as minister
spire,
proper heading.
The most remarkable relic of early antiquity in Benares itself is the Lat Bhairo, a broken pillar, supposed to be a fragment of one among the many columns set up by the great Buddhist Emperor Asoka in
the
century
third
monuments
Many
b.c.
other fragmentary or
strew the ground outside the
or form
city,
mutilated
portions of
Muhammadan edifices, into which they have been built as ready-made Few buildings of European origin deserve special mention.
masonry.
The most noteworthy
is
the
Government
college, a large structure in
the perpendicular style, faced with Chanar freestone.
Next
to
rank
it
the Prince of Wales Hospital, built by the gentry of Benares in com-
memoration of the the
Town
visit
of His Royal Highness to the city in 1876
and
Hall, a fine building, constructed at the expense of the late
Maharaja of Vizianagram, where the special magistrates hold their and where public and other important meetings are held. The wealth of Benares depends largely Manufactures., Trade, etc upon the constant influx of opulent pilgrims from every part of India, whose presence lends the same impetus to the local trade as that given Many of the to European watering-places by the season visitors. courts,
.
—
pilgrims are Rajas or other persons of importance,
able retinues,
Hindu
temples.
ing up a
and become
‘
who
bring consider-
and upon keepBut besides the wealth which
large benefactors to the various shrines
princes of distant States pride themselves
town residence’
in holy Kasi.
thus flows passively into the bazars of Benares, a considerable trade
is
on by the merchants and bankers. The sugar, indigo, and The trans-Gogra saltpetre of the District find a market in the city. products of Gorakhpur and Basti, and the raw materials of Jaunpur, Manchester goods form large items in the through traffic of Benares. are imported in considerable quantities, and distributed to the neighbouring local centres. The chief manufactures comprise silks and carried
shawls,
cloth embroidered in
gold and
silver
thread,
gold filagree
