A MAGNIFICENT SPECTACLE

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14906, 3 February 1912, Page 5 (Supplement)

A MAGNIFICENT SPECTACLE

GLIMPSES AT THE AMAZING DUBBAK.

"THE great Coronation Durbar has occupied the thoughts of India for more than a year, has involved the most elaborate preparation, and has brought a. quarter 0 a million peoplo together from every part of the Indian Empire, on the vast plains beyond Delhi," wrote the Times* special correspondent in a very fine account of tho Durbar.

" Enthroned on high beneath a golden dome, looking outwards to the far North whence they came, Their Majesties the King-Emperor and Queen-Empress -were ■acclaimed by over 100,000 of their subiects The ceremony at its culminating Lint exactly typified the Oriental conception of the ultimate repositories of Imperial power. The monarehs sat alone, „mote but beneficent, raised far above the multitude, but visible to all, clad m rich vestments, flanked by radiant emblems of authority, guarded by a glittering arrav of troops, the cynosure of the proudest Princes of India, the central Lines in what was surely the most majestic assemblage ever seen in the East. & Great Triumph. « It was a sight which will remain indelibly engraved upon the memory. Not a soul who witnessed it, not even the poorest coolie who stood fascinated and awed -upon the outskirts of the throng, can have been unresponsive to its profound significance. There can be only one verdict upon it. The Durbar has been far more than a mere success. It has been a triumphant vindication of the wise prescience which conceived and planned it. The King-Emperor's mission to his Indian peoples has been fulfilled with a completeuess which places it beyond the reach of criticism.

A Profound Dignity. "AU these proceedings were invested with profound and moving dignity. There was not, either at this moment or later, a single jarring note—no slip in the ceremonial, no awkward pauses, no lapse into merely histrionic effect. From first to last the Durbar partook of tho character of a solemn rite performed with stately and almost sacramental fervour, tinged with high emotions, the outward manifestation of an episode which touched the lives and destinies of countless millions. One is forced to write mainly of its spectacular side, but no one who stood on the plains of Delhi can have failed to feel that it recalled and symbolised the long and majestic story of two races whoso fate has become interwoven, that it expressed the promise of a still moTe glorious and more closely united future, ,

History in Epitome. "It epitomised the centuries; it made visions of the years to come seem real and ' immediate. Ships sailing into unknown seas, handfuls of men battling amid myriads, had set in motion a train of events culminating in this mighty gathering ; all the past strife and turmoil of India, the splendour and the misery, the conquests which flowered and bore fruit and were overwhelmed in chaos, had been a i preparation for this day of days, in which princes and peoples gathered, after more than 50 years of tranquility, to do glad homage to a British Emperor who came as guarantor of peace and upholder of justice and freedom.

t " One felt, as one gazed upon the scene, that the Durbar was not the apotheosis of a tinsel Imperialism it was the ritual of that unreasoned but increasing faith which has linked the people of a distant island with the ancient nations of the East in a common striving towards an exalted end. Despite past differences, the mutual aims of Indians and Englishmen to-day found united expression in joyful devotion to the Crown."

Here are some glimpses of the Durbar scenes as described by the Times.

At the conclusion of the Emperor's speech he said :—

" ' May the Divine favour of Providence watch over my people and assist me in my utmost endeavour to promote their happiness and prosperity. To all present, feudatories and subjects, I tender our loving greeting.'

, " For a full minute Their Majesties remained erect, calm and motionless. Then they seated themselves, far above the tens of thousands surrounding them, while cheers rolled along the spectators' mound." "A Unique Ovation.

After the reading of the Declaration by Lord Hardinge stating the concessions made in commemoration of the day, " the trumpets sounded again, whereupon tho herald, quickly wheeling his horse, rose iii his stirrups and, waving his helmet, called for three cheers for the King-Em-peror. The effect was electric and instantaneous. Heedless of the still undiscovered .Declaration, with their minds fixed solely On the two Imperial figures, 100,000 people burst into wild cheering. Princes and populace, officials and soldiery, all that immense throng, sent, up a roar of applause which seemed to reverberate to the skies. The Governor-General. "Probably no monarch in the world ever received so unique an ovation or one •pore sincere, for be it remembered that, whatever views the people of India may hold about British rule, they are permeated ty a profound veneration for kingship. i'' As the Governor-General's (Lord HardWge) procession passed through the arena tile massed bands played the grand march wm 'Scipio,' selected by himself. When Ilia carriage halted the whole of the hoops, including the guards of honour, presented arms, tho regimental colours Were lowered, the bands played a ' general Salute,' and the entire vast audience rose tod remained standing. The GovernorGeneral, a tall and stately figure in political uniform and wearing the robef of the Order of the Star of India, was received ».V his staff and conducted to his seat beneath the canopy. The little ceremony was exceedingly impressive, and even spectators unversed in Indian politics must »v« realised that, the King-Emperor had most wisely not allowed the position which his Viceregent holds in the eyes of India t° be in any way diminished or impaired. The Ladies.

-'Many ladies were present in brilliant toilettes, and at the back of the amphitheatre were several closely latticed enclosures in which the wives of Princes and m *ny other prominent Indian ladies were accommodated. The very elaborate arrangements made on this occasion for Zenana ladies have been a. striking feature °* the whole Delhi assemblage.''