Page:The Indian Antiquary Vol 2.djvu/88

 78 THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY. [March, 1873. a Y&m and every week in a town, and reached on the 4th Shaw&l (Oct. 12th) the river Q a r a m 6 n, which is of the same size as the Jayhtin (Oxus). This river is spanned by a bridge of 23 boats chained together. Every chain is as thick as a man’s thigh, and ten cubits of it are on the land on both sides, and are attached to iron-posts of the thickness of a man’s body, fixed in the ground on the bank. The boats are moreover made steady by hooks and other chains, and are covered with planks ; the whole being level and immoveable, so that the ambassadors crossed the river without the least difficulty or in¬ convenience. On the other bank of the river there was a large town full of inhabitants and buildings: there the ambassadors were feasted more splendidly than anywhere else. The town also contains a tem¬ ple, the like of which does not exist in any place they had hitherto visited ; it contains likewise three taverns (klierdb&t), adorned with beautiful girls ; and although most of the Khatdy women are hand¬ some, this town is on account of their surpassing pulchritude sumamed ‘ the abode of beauty.’ Resuming their journey, they arrived on the 11th Dhulqadah (Nov. 18th), after passing through several towns, near a water which is twice as broad as the Jayhtin ; this they safely crossed in a ship, as well as several others, partly in boats and partly by means of bridges, reaching Ssadyn-Qdron the 27th of the same month (Dec. 3rd). This is a large city inhabited by a countless population. It con¬ tains a large temple with a corpulent brass-idol, which is gilded and 60 cubits high. This idol has bo many hands that it is sumamed the “ thousand¬ handed,” and is very celebrated in the Khatfiy coun¬ try. The foundation is very wonderfully made of cut-stone, on which this idol and the whole building rests ; around the idol rise galleries and verandas in several stories, the first of which reaches a little beyond the ankle, the second does not go as high as its knee, another passes above the knee, the next goes up almost to the waist, the next reaches the breast, and so on up to the head. The top of that build¬ ing is surrounded by muqranus, and is so covered that it is looked at with astonishment, and the whole number of stories which may be reckoned from within and from without, amounts to eight. The idol is in a standing position ; its two feet, the length of each of which is 10 cubits, stand on the two sides of the foundation, and it is stated that about one hundred thousand donkey-loads of brass were consumed in that work. There are other small idols of mortar and colours, at the side of each of which there are chapels with figures of monks and Jogis sitting in their cells, employed in religious observ¬ ances. There are also pictures of lions, tigers, dragons, and trees produced by the pencil of magic. The paintings on the walls of these idol-houses are executed with extreme skill, and the chief temple is higher than any other building ; this town possess¬ ed also a turning kiosk, larger and more elegant than that of the town of Qamju. The ambassadors travelled daily four farsangs, and arrived on the 8th of Dhulhejjah (Dec. 14) at the gate of Khdn-Bdlygh. They obtained sight of a very large and magnificent city entirely built of stone, but as the outer walls were still being built, a hundred thousand scaffoldings concealed them. When the ambassadors were taken from the tower, which was being constructed, to the city, they alighted near the entrance to the Emperor’s palace, which was extremely large; up to this entrance they proceeded on foot by a pavement formed of cut-stone, about 700 paces in length. On coming close they saw five elephants standing on each side of the road with their trunks towards it; after passing between the trunks the ambas¬ sadors entered the palace, through a gate near which a crowd of about a hundred thousand men had assembled. Within the precincts they found them¬ selves in a spacious, pleasant, airy court-yard, where they 8aw, in front of a kiosk, a basement about three cubits high, supporting a colonnade with three doors, the central one being the highest and serving for the Emperor to pass through, whilst the people went through the lateral doors ; above the kiosk there was a stage for the big drums ; two sentries stood on it waiting for the Emperor to step upon the throne. On that occasion about 300,000 men had assembled, and 2,000 musicians were performing a vocal concert in the Khatdy language and sing¬ ing the praises of the Emperor, whilst 2,000 stood with staves, javelins of steel, lances, swords, war- clubs, and others held Khatdy fans in their hands. All round were elegant houses with high columns, and the pavement was of cut-stone. When the sun had gone up, the band which was waiting for the Emperor on the top of the kiosk commenced to strike the great and the small drums, and to play on the musical instruments. Then the chief door was opened and the people rushed in quickly. According to the custom of the Khatdys, to see the Emperor means ‘ to run.’ After passing through the first court-yard, they arrived in the second, which was also extremely spacious, but of more pleasing aspect; it contained also a larger kiosk than the first, and a throne of a triangular shape measuring about four cubits [on each side] was placed in it, and covered with a gold-embroidered yellow atlas Khatdy carpet, with figures of the Symurgh and other birds on it. On this throne a golden chair was placed, near which the Khatdys were arranged in lines, so that Tomdn A mirs (commanders of 10,000 men) stood nearest, then the H ezarah (of thousands), and then the S sadah (of hundreds) in great numbers, every one holding in his hand a board one statute gaz in length and one-fourth of it in breadth, and not looking on any other object except on these boards. To the rear of these stood soldiers in countless numbers, dressed in coats, holding lances and bare swords in their hands, in lines so silent that it seemed they were not even breathing.