WONDERS OF THE EAST.

Dunstan Times, Issue 3382, 11 July 1927, Page 2

WONDERS OF THE EAST.

(Daily Telegraph Correspondent.)

It is in some respects a new idea to regard India, as a country which has possibilities for the tourist. If the conception of India as a land of insufferable heat, poisonous reptiles, and unknown perils has been dissipated in these enlightened days, then the obstacles of time and money have presented themselves to the average individual. As far as the first of these conceptions goes the cold Aveather period from about November to March is delightful in most parts of India, comparatively cool with unalloyed sunshine from morning till night, day after day. It is like an exceptionally good English summer lasting four months,' though. The unknoiyn perils are literally unknown, non-existent in fact, and one can travel for thousands of miles in the cold weather without eA'en the excitement of a mosquito bite. First-class in India compares more than favorably Avith similar travel in this country; it is luxurious in some cases, as for example that of the new “Blue” special, .which meets the mail at Bombay and deposits passengers forty-one hours later at Calcutta, The compartments on this train are specially constructed for the comfort of passengers travelling in a tropical climate, and it is in every sense a train de luxe. The chief railway centred on Bombay is the Great Indian Peninsular. Bombay itself, Avher© East and West meet, contains enough variety to tempt the tourist to linger. Streams of luxurious motor cars on first-class roads would remind one of Western cities but for the fact that coavs and goats still assert their independence_ by trickling leisurely across the busiest thoroughfares. From the top of Malabar Hill, the chief residential quarter, the magnificent sweep of Back Bay can be seen. The ToAvers of Silence, Avhere the Parsis place their dead to be eaten by vultures, the famous caves at Elephanta, the croAvded bazaars where bullock carts and tramcars congest the narrow roads, all deserve attention. But Bombay, the gateAvay of India, Avhere townplanning and industrial development go on side by side Avith the old order, cannot be considered typical of the East. The stranger must soon leave this fascinating island city and start out to the Victoria terminus of the G.I.P. Railway tq commence his journey. One of the most profitable routes on the G.I.P. for the visitor AAuth limited time at his disposal to traverse, is that to Delhi, the capital. The first place of great interest passed by this railroad is Gwalior, and the visitor must not miss the opportunity of a glimpse of a native State. The great fort at Gaa'Ulior, standing on an isolated rock, is one of the most famous strongholds in the country. . Agra, on the same route,_ contains the world’s most famous building, the Taj Mahal. Much has been Avritten about this beautiful tomb of white marble, built by a Mogul Emperor in memory of his favorite AA’ife. Suffice to say that few visitors are disappointed in. their first sight of the Taj. The symmetry is perfect, the beauty of the marble domes in the moonlight or the gIoAV of the sunset defies description • to see the Taj Mahal from the outside, moonlight; to see the inside, with its delicate marble screens and inlayAvork in precious stones, _ daylight. Agra, standing on the sluggish Avaters of the Jumna River, contains-also other relics of the Mogul dynasty, such as the red sandstone fort Avith its crenelated ramparts. Delhi, where the Avhite walls of the new capital at Raisina provide a modern contrast to the ruins of former capitals streAvn about the plains, contains enough relics or India’s past to recontruct the history of the country from the daAvn of Aryan civilisation to the present day. The Hindus have left behind them, in a former Delhi hoav in ruins, an iron pillar Avhich bears the inscription: “So long as I stand the Hindu Kingdom shall endure.” The Empire Avhich inspired that boast has long since passed aivay. but the iron pillar stands in a wonder ml state of preservation to this day, a metallurgical mystery. There are many oilier places on the G.I.P. lino Avell worth visiting, Avhere rock ewes and temples can be seen, but it is impossible within the scope of this article to deal with all. Reference, lioAvever, should be made to the G.I.P. route to Kashmir, a through train making the run from Bombay to Raivalpindi in about 52 hours, Avhence travellers can proceed to Srinagar, the capital of Kashmir, by motor-car. Another line along Avhich much that is of historical, geographical, and archaeological interest is situated is the East Indian Railway, starting from Calcutta, formerly the_ capital of India. The East Indian line passes in a north r Avesterly direction Irom the port of Calcutta through - the provinces of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa, and the United Provinces of Agra and Ondh, thus serving the entire Gangetic Valley of India, and the country lying between the Jumna and Ganges rivers. Through its junctions Avith the NorthWestern Railway, with the Bombay, Raroda, and Central India Railway. Avith the Bengal Nagpur Railway, and the Eastern Bengal jlaihvay, the East Indian Railway also affords direct access to all parts of India. Calcutta, still the “second city” of the British Empire, and known as “the City of Palace's,” on account of > the general magnificence of its buildings, is the main terminus and headquarters of the East Indian Railway. On this line also is Gaya, the Holy City of the Hindus, second only to Benares in sanctity, about twelve miles from which are the Barabar caves, dating back to 200 B.C.

While there are also many other places of historical and archaeological interest on this line, a journey to India must include a visit to Benares, 481 miles from Calcutta, and the holiest cities in the world, and became the headmiarters of Gautama, who founded Buddhism in the sixth century 8.0. Nearby an ancient tower marks the spot where Gautama first preached the doctrine of Nirvana. The modern temples number upwards ol 1.500. and the citv presents a very picturesque scene, the Ganges here making a. fine sweep of about four miles in length. Shrines and temples line the hank of the river, but above all rise the minarets of the mnsnue of Aurangzob. Thousands of pilgrims from all parts of India journey to Benares everv vear to bathe in the sacred Ganges, and it is here that one can sec the rather gruesome sight of fakirs and mendicants with limbs distorted and twisted through long continuance in one pose I ion.

Lucknow, “the City of Gordons.” is another place served by the "East-Indian Bailway, and contains perhaps the finest specimens of Mohammedan architecture. It was the scene of many famous incidents during the Tnchnn Mutiny. chief amongst them being the defence of the Besideney: and another place that should Ij.e included ' in a tour on this line is Cawnpore. I bo M n.ncbester of Northern India, which is full of memorials of the mutiny. To A"Ta and Delhi, which are also served by this line, reference has been already made. Tu addition, a number nF popular hill resorts situated in the Himalayas can bo reached by the

E.1.R., such as Simla, Mussoorie, and Naini-Tal.

Though it is of no direct concern to tourists, a description of the East Indian Railway would not be complete without some reference to the enormous goods traffic handled, which during the year 1025-26 totalled 21,864,067 tons, a tonnage. nearly twice as large as on any other railway in India. This enormous tonnage is chiefly due to the very heavy coal traffic^carried, the E.I.R. forming the chief channel for the output of the coalfields of Bengal and Bihar and Orissa. That, the growth and development of the East Indian Railway has not ceased is evidenced by the fact that it has at present under construction or examination no fewer than 30 projects for extension of the system, involving about 1300 miles of new line.