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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
street and before the house where a marriage is taking place. The usual number is twelve, but some castes are restricted to eleven.
"Three corners' refers to the canopy carried
MAHESVARA, IN MALWA
BY RAOJI VASUDEVA TULLU, M.A., INDOR.
Maheśvara is an important city in Ne- | Besides the many curves and flourishes that
mâḍa, on the banks of the Narmadâ, and is believed to be second only to Ind or in size and population in H. H. the Maharaja Holkar's territories. Mahes vara was for a long time the capital of the Holkar family, and had attained a position of note in the time of Ahalya Bâî, one of the few model female rulers of India. "Mahes vara," says Major-General Sir John Malcolm, in his Memoir of Central India (vol. I. p. 14), "must be considered the principal and almost only place of note in Nemâda. This ancient city, which is pleasantly situated on the northern bank of the Narmadi, with a fort elevated above the town, has long been, as well as its attached lands, accounted a distinct portion of territory, probably from having been under the immediate management of the head of the Holkar family when it was their capital. That benefit which it formerly derived from being the resi dence of Ahalya Bâi is now given to it as containing the ashes of that great and venerated woman. Public buildings of different kinds are erecting, and a most spacious and highly finished flight of stone steps from the town to the river-meant, with the adjoining temples, to be dedicated to her memory is nearly completed."
deck the stone slabs of the steps, there are scenes of daily life carved with artistic skill:bands of players and musicians, hunting parties, marriage processions, singing and dancing girls, fights of bulls and elephants, pairs of lovers, scenes of war, &c. &c., all carved in the liveliest style. But, deservedly, the most esteemed is the magnificent tomb or chhatri of A haly à Bâî. To give the reader an adequate idea of her greatness, I proceed to extract from Malcolm's Memoir an account of her character:-"The character of her administration was for more than thirty years the basis of the prosperity which attended the dynasty to which she belonged; and, although latterly it was obscured by the genius and success of Mahâdâji Sindyâ, it continued to sustain its rank during her life as one of the principal branches of the Marâțhâ empire......... Her great object was, by a just and moderate government, to improve the condition of the country while she promoted the happiness of her subjects. She maintained but a small force independent of the territorial militia; but her troops were sufficient, aided by the equity of her administration, to preserve internal tranquillity; and she relied on the army of the state, actively employed in Hindustân and the Dekhan, and on her own reputation, for safety against all external enemies. . . . . . Ahalya Bâ i sat every day, for a considerable period, in open darbàr, transacting business. Her first principle of government appears to have been moderate assessment, and an almost sacred respect for the native rights of village officers and proprietors of lands. She heard every complaint in person, and although she continually referred causes to courts of equity and arbitration, and to her ministers for settlement, she was always accessible; and so strong was her sense of duty on all points connected with the distribution of justice, that she is represented as not only patient, but unwearied, in the investigation of the most insignificant
Having had an opportunity of seeing these buildings, I propose in this paper to give some account of them.
[NOVEMBER, 1875.
over the young couple during the marriage procession. In general all four corners are supported, but some castes are only allowed to support three.
Most of the buildings are temples; as the northern bank of the Narmada is studded with them, a boating excursion is the most convenient for seeing them in a short time. The temples are all built of stone, and generally crown the summit of the hill or rock on which the fort of Mahes va ra is situated. They are masterpieces of Hindu art, and though most of them are more than a century old they appear as fresh and strong as if newly built. Scarcely an inch of surface is devoid of carving. Generally there are g h â ts leading from the banks of the river to the ridge on which the temples are situated. On these is a good deal of sculpture.
