THE PRINCE IN INDIA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18424, 9 December 1921, Page 6

THE PRINCE IN INDIA

'ARABIAN NIGHTS SCENES. SPLENDOUR OF THE ORIENT NATIVE STATES EN FETE. The following despatches, descriptive of the. Prince of Wales’ tour in India, are contributed by Sir Herbert Russell, the special correspondent of Reuter’s Agency. i>z\ivOiJA, iSoveimier <-o. !To day, the Prince ot Wales liac! his nrst experience ot tne splendour ana iiospitaluy oi tne Indian native States. JJaroUa looked cool amid its prolusion ot toliage tor all the tingling sungiure as the tram puiled up. Tne town and station were lavisnly decorated. It was a great scene ot Oriental brilliance us tlie Prince stepped out ot his carriage, to the thunder ot a native buttery, to be greeted by tne Maharaja and his sinning retinue. Entering tne estate barouche, scintihunt with goid anti jewels, tne Prince, with me tiuekwur, drove slowly through the town. The sound ot tomtoms and shrill j.iipes muigled wmi the running roar of cheering. ' Near .the Nyaya Mandat- the famous gold and silver guns, and tlie silver carriages with their richly caparisoned horses, were arrayed, together witn six colossal elephants bearing gilded and silver thrones. The Prince was much 'interested in those maguiticent beasts, which were camouflaged ' into dazzling shapes, one bearing a great tiger’s, head painted on his forehead. passing through the luxuriant grounds of the.Laxnii Palace, reminiscent of Versailles Gardens, the Prince alighted and inspected the guard of honour composed of the 98th Infantry. Translated, the name of the palace means “beauty and wealth,” and very fully does it realise this description. The durbar hall, with its goldspun carpel, marble and teak •,walls, and rows of statuesque guards, presented a deeply impressive scene. DISPLAY OF PRICELESS JEWELS. The durbar at the Laxnii Palace, constituting a State visit by the Guekwar to the prince, the Prince returned it by attending a durbar in the Nazur Beg Palace haff-an-hour later. The Maharaja, meeting the (Prince of Wales at the door, conducted him to a gold throne on the right of his own seat, behind which was ranged a fine group of State huzuras, with morchals and chowries. After a short conversation, followed by the presentation of Ministers, sardars, and officers, who offered tribute of mohurs, the Gaokwar garlanded the Prince, presenting him with a bouquet, rosewater, attar of roses, and palm oU. The Maharaja then invited the Royal guest to inspect the jewellery which, had been specially arranged for the purpose, and formed a display literally materialising wealth beyond the dreams of avarice. , ..The ceremonies at the palaces were rendered deeply impressive by the stately dignity,, of it all, amid environments of a grandeur no words can reproduce. The •wide and well-kept streets of Baroda, teeming with variegated crowds through- . out the day—which was a general holiday—were animated by marching troops and bands blaring forth very up-to-date music, tomtoms being especially popular. Great dislike was manifested by the horses of the cavalry lining the routes for the elephants tramping in dignified unconcern betwixt their cavorting ranks. ELEPHANTS WITH GOLDEN HOWDAHS. UDAIPUR, November 25. ' The Prince of Wales arrived at Udaipur this morning, after a 17 hours’ journey across Maharastra through a wonder- . ful ring of hills and under the ancient Debari Gate, spanning the railway. The unfortunate indisposition of the Maharana rendering it impossible for' him to leave his palace, necessitated a modification n f the .'original programme. The Prince was met on his arrival by the Maharana’s i eldest son, Prince Bhupal Singh, of Bedla, it aiid 12 Meewar Sardars. whose Ijigh rank was shown by their golden anklets, and lacquered shields symbolising their descent frony the sun. Alighting from the train, the . Prince inspected a guard of honour of scarlet Sepoys of Shambha Paltan, and then’ entered a resplendent State barouche , with Prince Bhupal. ! The | route to the British* Residency, | where the Prince was to stay, led past j blue lagoons set amid lofty, jogged hills, 1 and was lined by guards of the Mewat Bhil Corps, mounted kettle-drummers at . frequent intervals sounding rataplans. Heavily-bejewelled elephants, with golden howdahs, were placed at the disposal .of the Prince and his staff. Dense crowds, palpitating with garish colours, were massed all the way from the station to the hoary city walls, but unlike previous experiences, there was no cheering, but an intense babble, manifesting great interest and satisfaction. _At the Suraj Pol Gate the Royal procession was met by a gorgeous medley of State police, elephants, and cavalry, Jagirdar contingents, and bands of tomtoms. SCENE OF FAIRY-LIKE ENCHANTMENT. UDAIPUR, November 27. The Prince’s visit to Udaipur has been largely in the nature of a rest, owing to the modification of the official programme. The; Prince tramped 10 miles, snipe shooting, on Saturday afternoon, astonishing the Rajputs with his energy. He was much amused at the wild Bhil pipe and drum hand which serenaded him at the Residency. His suite organised a big-game shoot among the surrounding hills, which swarm with wild boar, cheetahs, and buck. The Prince’s procession, to the Maharana’s palace on Friday night was a scene of faixyliko enchantment. Pichola Lake is , a. great artificial lagoon dotted with islands j and encircled by bare, jagged hills, I crowned with watch towers built in the days of the Mogul invasion. The islands mostly- bear stately pleasure domes and palaces, which rise in lofty white proportions sheer out of the water. The whole had been , transformed into a tracery of lambent fire by myriads of lights. Shrines, temples, colonnades, and minarets were i silhouetted in shimmering outlines, finding A a sparkling reflection in the glass-smooth lake. , The Prince embarked in a motor launch and proceeded slowly down this exquisite panorama of soft golden light to Samp Sagas - Ghat, close under the pallid mass of the palace zenana. Stepping ashore, he • j took his seat in a “Tomjon,” a species • of palanquin, but without u roof. This was raised shoulder high by bearers and carried to' the palace entrance, surrounded by torch bearers in lurid red costumes. The venerable - looking Maharana. although so ill that ho has fainted several times in the last few days, managed to meet the Prince in the reception hall, with drawing as the guests entered to the banqueting hall. Saturday the Prince spent quietly. The unmistakable impression which one gets in moving about among the people is that they are suffering considerable poverty, j end hope that the Prince’s visit may he the j harbinger of better times. ‘ AT AJMERE. PRINCE REVIEWS VETERANS. PLAYS GAME OF POLO. AJMERE. November 28. The Prince arrived at Ajmere at 8.30 am., and on alighting commented upon the English crispness of the air. which was delightful after tho sultriness of the plains. Following tho usual inspections and presentation, of honours, the Prince drove in procession to Bara Dari, a Rialto-like bund . flanked by beautiful pagodas. Tho Ana. Sagar Tank, which usually forms a lake between this and the towering range of hills, is now dry, looking like a vast ploughed tract. Anjid-..luxuriant trees was assembled a greak pageant of British and Indian troops. Boy Scouts, students, and native sightseers, combining into a high variegation of coloum., The Prince dismounted from his barouche at Bara Dari and inspected a. company of the Worcester Regiment, chatting with several of the men who wore war decorations. . Following a reception of A.imcre-Morwara Thakurs (Rajput nobles), the Prince received an address of welcome from the i municipal authorities, reed by the chair- , roan. In replying, the Prince expressed great pleasure at meeting those whp had “ helped in the noble effort which AjmcreMieirwa.ra made in the Groat War.’ He said that he saw , before him some of those who devoted their energies (_ •(;.•>• securing victory, and lie looked for■if’war to meeting in the afternoon pensioned ? Indian officers and men who had played a t- .part in the great struggle. He hoped that r y B brief visit would assure them of hi? • 1 interest in the city and province as the " jfcjtish centre of Rajputana-

The Royal party proceeded to the Residency for breakfast, after which the Prince played tennis. After lunch the Prince played polo until it was time to visit Mayo (College, which was founded for the education of Rajputana nobles. On the way he stopped at the pensioners’ camp, where he was met by Colonel Hare and the Nasirabad Brigade Staff. Five hundred pensioners of the Aj-mere-Merwara district paraded before the Prince, their officers being personally presented, The Prince would have liked more time to chat with the veterans. Large crowds lined the circular road along which he drove, the day being a holiday, but his reception was of a quite undemonstrative character. The hartal proclaimed by thoj Gandhists produced no visible result. \ Mayo i j College, a magnificent white pile, reproducing the pure antique Indian architecture, and crowded with minarets, is admittedly the handsomest educational building in India. On arriving at the main gate the Royal narty was met by the college riding troop, which formed an escort to the great entrance, where the Prince was received by Colonel Patterson, Commissioner Leslie Jones, and the principal members of the staff. The Prince, standing on the dios in the hall, listened to an address of welcome. He replied, and distributed prizes ' given by the Viceroy and 25 native princes and nobles. ■ The principal mentioned that ,25 ruling princes or their direct heirs had been educated at Mavo College. The Prince afterwards attended a garden party in the college grounds, and dined quietly at the Residency. He left Ajmere at 11 p.m.