The Hindus under the umbrellas are Brahmins, who collect the fees for
bathing from the steps; and they sell certificates of purification,
indulgences, and amulets."
The boat continued on her course, and they did not wait to see the bathing,
though the heads of the swimmers were soon in view. A staircase is reserved
for women, who are watched over by the elders of their sex. But they could
be seen in the distance, frolicking in the water; and they were so
hilarious that their shouts could be heard on board of the Sylph, as the
boat was called.
The steamer next came to a long row of palaces on the high ground, whose
fronts were profusely ornamented with staircases that exceeded in extent
and beauty anything they had before seen. Every rajah has a residence here,
not permanent, but where he comes to celebrate the religious festivals. The
king of Nagpore has the finest one, with one hundred stairs of white
sandstone reaching down to the water.
"Now we come to a building worth looking at," said Sir Modava, as they
passed beyond the assemblage of palaces. "This is the mosque of Aurungzeb.
Those two lofty minarets are one hundred and forty-seven feet high. They
are very slender, and look like a couple of needles; but, though they are
only eight and a quarter feet in diameter on the ground, they have spiral
staircases reaching to the top.
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