DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.614#0073
37
CHAPTEE III.
Puraotc form of Modern Hinduism.— Increase of Temples in" Northern
India.—Number of Temples in Benares.—Temple of Bishes'war, the
idol-king of Benares.—Ancient Temple of Bishes'war, now a Moham-
medan Mosque.—The Well Gyan Bapi.—Temple of Xd-Bishes'war.
—The Well Kas'i Karwat. — Temple of Sanichar.—The goddess
Annpurna and her temple.—Temples of Ganes and S'ukres'war.
The form of religion prevailing among the Hindus in
Benares, and throughout a large portion of India, is
Puranic, which, in all prohability, originated in the
country generally at the time when the Buddhist re-
ligion "began to lose its hold upon the people, or about
the fifth or sixth century a.d. Vedantism more or less
tinctures the philosophical creed of many; but the staple
religion of the masses is the lowest and grossest form of
idolatry — the worship of uncouth idols, of monsters,
of the linga and other indecent figures, and of a multi-
tude of grotesque, ill-shapen, and hideous objects.
Some of them are wild parodies on the animal kingdom,
representing imaginary creatures made up in a variety
of ways. There is no city in India in which the
reverence paid to images is more absolute and complete
than in Benares. It is remarkable, too, as showing the
extent to which the spirit of idolatry has permeated all
classes, that pandits and thinking men, who ought to
know better, join in the general practice. The only
CHAPTEE III.
Puraotc form of Modern Hinduism.— Increase of Temples in" Northern
India.—Number of Temples in Benares.—Temple of Bishes'war, the
idol-king of Benares.—Ancient Temple of Bishes'war, now a Moham-
medan Mosque.—The Well Gyan Bapi.—Temple of Xd-Bishes'war.
—The Well Kas'i Karwat. — Temple of Sanichar.—The goddess
Annpurna and her temple.—Temples of Ganes and S'ukres'war.
The form of religion prevailing among the Hindus in
Benares, and throughout a large portion of India, is
Puranic, which, in all prohability, originated in the
country generally at the time when the Buddhist re-
ligion "began to lose its hold upon the people, or about
the fifth or sixth century a.d. Vedantism more or less
tinctures the philosophical creed of many; but the staple
religion of the masses is the lowest and grossest form of
idolatry — the worship of uncouth idols, of monsters,
of the linga and other indecent figures, and of a multi-
tude of grotesque, ill-shapen, and hideous objects.
Some of them are wild parodies on the animal kingdom,
representing imaginary creatures made up in a variety
of ways. There is no city in India in which the
reverence paid to images is more absolute and complete
than in Benares. It is remarkable, too, as showing the
extent to which the spirit of idolatry has permeated all
classes, that pandits and thinking men, who ought to
know better, join in the general practice. The only