82.Travels of Swarnakumari Devi 2

 

   The travels of Bengalis in the past 

                        Sumana Dam

                (Continued from the last part)

In 1912 AD, Swarnakumari Devi went to Prayag or Allahabad. In the Bengali years 1319 and 1320, parts of her travelogue were published in several issues of the Bharati magazine. During this journey, her companions were her elder brother Satyendranath Tagore and her son and daughter. In this writing, she referred to Satyendranath Tagore as “Socrates Dada.” She vividly and humorously described the train journey, explaining how Satyendranath prevented other Bengalis and Englishmen from entering their compartment. Her children were overwhelmed with joy when they saw hills for the first time through the train window.

Swarnakumari Devi once narrated her first experience of traveling by train. She had boarded directly from a palanquin onto the train, which Satyendranath found quite odd. He thought bringing a palanquin to the platform in front of everyone was a matter of shame and laughter. Earlier, Swarnakumari believed that shame lay in mingling with the public, not in riding a palanquin to the carriage. Yet, that night, when she had to get down at the station amidst a crowd, she felt extremely uneasy, and all joy of travel vanished. Even now, she admitted, she feels uncomfortable boarding the train in a crowd. But after hearing Satyendranath’s thoughts, she began to feel uncertain. She wrote: “Who knows what changes society will see over time. Who knows what more will happen in the future.”

The next day at 11 AM, the train reached Danapur. The train halted there for half an hour. Rice and vegetables had been arranged at the station for them. Her brother took her son to bathe at the station. Though all the windows and doors were closed, she kept fearing someone might walk in. An Englishman tried to enter the compartment but left after hearing "zenana, zenana." Then came Buxar, the boundary of Bengal under British rule. After that, they passed through Chunar or Chandalpur, Mirzapur, and crossed the Yamuna bridge to reach Allahabad.

Despite the severe cold in Prayag, she once wanted to bathe in the Ganga. But she heard that without offering something to the priests and shaving one's head, the bath would be fruitless. As she refused to shave her head, she gave up the idea. She went to see the Triveni Sangam by boat. The boat passed under the Yamuna bridge and came near the fort. Just beneath the fort is a flagpole. Beneath it, they say, lies the river Saraswati in a well. Towards the confluence, the Ganga and Yamuna seemed like two co-wives rushing wildly to reach their husband first. The confluence reminded her of Krishna’s Mohini form.

Across the Ganga lies a hilly region called Jhusi. Remains of several forts are visible there. At Beni Ghat, priests have planted flags to mark their territories. Everyone bathes here and offers money to various deities’ idols. During monsoon, this ghat gets submerged.

One day, the writer entered a tunnel in the fort and saw the immortal banyan tree (Akshay Bat). The architecture of the fort is superb. Inside the armory, they entered with a pass and saw various guns and swords. Beyond the third gate, in the garden, they saw the Ashoka pillar. Inside the tunnel, a panda (priest) showed a stone idol, claiming it to be Triveni Madhav. The site of the fort was once full of Ganga’s water, they say. Akbar supposedly requested Triveni Madhav to move the Ganga slightly for 500 years, and the deity, pleased, moved the river for thousands of years, allowing Akbar to build the fort. The tunnel is 25-30 hands long. On both walls are many niches with stone idols. Near the Akshay Bat, on the tunnel floor, are several stone Shivalingas, one of which is partially broken. The priest claimed Aurangzeb broke it, and blood flooded the tunnel instantly. Seeing the Akshay Bat, the writer was astonished. Despite being in a dark, airless space, the tree had sprouted new leaves — it was alive. She felt it should be one of the seven wonders of the world. The end of the tunnel isn’t completely sealed; a person can pass through. The priest said the tunnel extends all the way to Kashi. He also mentioned Akbar’s past life as the monk Mukund Sannyasi — a story previously described by Jadunath Sarbadhikari in Tirtha Bhromon. The writer observed that this story shows how pleased the people were with Akbar. The priest said Akbar himself constructed the tunnel to the Akshay Bat. After the British took over the fort, access to the Akshay Bat was allowed for a few hours in the morning and evening.

One of the prominent attractions here is the Khusrau Bagh, built by Jahangir’s son Khusrau. His tomb is located here. The garden is filled with velvet-like grass and diverse flowers. The abundance of roses particularly impressed the writer. Besides Khusrau’s tomb, there are also tombs of his mother, wife, and two young sons. Shah Jahan, Khusrau’s brother, is said to have had him and his two sons killed. The fakir who showed them the tombs shared this story and read out some Persian verses engraved on the tomb walls — such as how greed for wealth leads sons to disobey fathers, and brothers to kill each other, etc.

One day, while sailing on the Yamuna, they went to a hilly island in the river called Sujan Island. On the hilltop stood a Shiva temple. Stairs led up from the river to the temple. There was no human presence in the temple. The writer was surprised to see Persian inscriptions on the temple walls. In front of Sujan Island, in the water, stood another hill with two temples — one of Krishna-Radha and the other of Shiva. People live on this hill. A priest told her that Nawab Shah Shuja had these temples built upon the request of a beloved Hindu employee and named the temples and island after himself. Then she understood why there were Persian inscriptions.

The writer went to see the Bharadvaja Ashram Temple. Lord Rama had stayed there for three days during his forest exile. But the solitude was gone, and noise and filth from people, along with shouting female priests, frightened them. In the city, they saw a king's temple with golden spires. They also visited the Basuki temple and the Shivkoti temple on the banks of the Ganga.

In the month of Bhadra 1320, Swarnakumari Devi's piece titled Samudre (On sea) was published in Bharati, describing her steamer journey. On May 6 (1913?), they boarded a large Europe-bound steamer named Dunera. Twelve years earlier, she had once taken a three-day sea journey from Bombay to Karwar. This time, the destination was the Nilgiris. Boarding the ship filled her with a strong desire to visit England. The food arrangements on board were royal. In the morning, light refreshments were served — bread, butter, tea, coffee, etc. At 9:30 AM, a heavier breakfast followed — fried fish, porridge, 2-3 types of meat, bread, butter, jam, fruits, etc. Lunch at 1 PM consisted of the morning items plus soup. Dinner included all of breakfast and lunch items except porridge, ending with two types of pudding. There was an unlimited supply of tea, coffee, and alcohol. The writer was surprised at how the English gentlemen and ladies consumed so much food without any physical work. Electric lighting was present throughout the ship. She wondered when such lighting would be available in every home and street of Calcutta. On the morning of May 7, the ship left Khidirpur and anchored at Diamond Harbour that night. The next day, it left Diamond Harbour and entered the Bay of Bengal.

On the morning of May 11, the ship docked at Madras port. From the ship, Madras looked beautiful — high court, college, and large buildings were visible on elevated land. But there was no jetty, so passengers had to take boats to reach shore. Inside the city, she didn’t see many good houses, and the roads were dusty. Compared to Calcutta and Bombay, Madras seemed unimpressive to her.

In Ashwin 1319, Bharati published her article about Puri. The writer described the Puri sea, the sandy expanse, and sea bathing. The local fishermen who guide bathers in the sea are called Nuriya. If one bathes with a Nuriya, there’s no fear. They are paid two annas each. The writer was impressed by their courage. She wrote Nuriya means non-Odia — they are Telugus from Madras. She also described the pompousness of the Jagannath temple pandas (priests).

She greatly enjoyed visiting the Jagannath temple in Puri. There are 120 small and big temples within the walls. Four gates lie in the four directions. The eastern gate is the Singhadwar, guarded by two lion statues. The southern gate is Ashwadwar, the northern Hastidwar, and the western gate, without a guardian statue, is called Khanjadwar. It is said that the Arun pillar at the entrance of the Jagannath temple was brought from the Sun Temple at Konark. The Navagraha idols above the Bhogmandap entrance were also taken from Konark. Seeing the image of Jagannath, she felt that the unornamented beauty of the idol symbolized the formless divine. That is why devotees see the universe in this form. Chaitanya went mad after seeing this form. A temple priest said Jagannath is an incarnation of Buddha and formless. Inside the dark temple, Jagannath, Balaram, and Subhadra resided, lit only by lamps. Seeing the Anna Chhatra of Shri Kshetra brought her joy. In a land flooded by Hindu casteism, the magnanimity of Buddha’s liberal religion is visible in this system of food donation — without caste or ritual barriers. Even Chaitanya couldn’t remove caste distinctions. He couldn’t even take a Muslim devotee inside the temple. It is said that out of this regret, he established a Jagannath idol on top of the temple — one visible to all, regardless of caste.

There are more places to visit in Puri. Gunjabari is the summer temple of Jagannath, where the deities reside during the Rath Yatra. The Atharanala (Eighteen Piers) is a bridge built without arches. Each of the 18 piers holds a stone row on top, slanted, upon which the bridge rests. The water of Chandan Sarovar (Lake) is extremely pure. In its center is an artificial island, and it is surrounded by bathing ghats.

81. Travels of Swarnakumari Devi 1

 

     The travels of Bengalis in the past 

                        Sumana Dam

Swarnakumari Devi (1855–1932) was one of the first Bengali women poets, novelists, and composers. She was the first bengali woman editor of a magazine. She was the daughter of Maharshi Debendranath Tagore and the elder sister of Rabindranath Tagore. In 1877, her elder brother Jyotirindranath Tagore started a magazine named Bharati. After Jyotirindranath and Dwijendranath Tagore, Swarnakumari Devi was elected to the post of editor of this magazine in 1884. After that, she worked as the editor of the Bharati magazine in two phases for a total of 18 years, till 1914. She was also involved in political activities. She was the first woman to participate publicly in a session of the Indian National Congress. In 1896, she established the “Sakhi Samiti” to help orphans and widows. Her novels include Dipnirban, Chhinnamukul, Hugli'r Imambari, Phuler Mala, etc., and she also has many poetry books and plays. She composed more than 300 songs. She received the Jagattarini Gold Medal.

News of Swarnakumari Devi’s first travel episode is found in the 1883 journey to Karwar. She went to Karwar in the Bombay Presidency, the workplace of her second elder brother, ICS Satyendranath Tagore. Her companions were her brothers Satyendranath, Rabindranath, and sister Saudamini. Some information about this journey can be found from the writings of Swarnakumari Devi’s daughter Sarala Devi and Rabindranath Tagore. But no writing of Swarnakumari Devi herself has been found.

Then in the same year, 1883, Swarnakumari Devi went to Bolpur with her family. Jyotirindranath’s wife Kadambari Devi also went with her. Some information about this Bolpur journey is found in the writings of Swarnakumari Devi’s daughter Sarala Devi.

In 1887, Swarnakumari Devi went on a trip to Darjeeling. Her companions were Rabindranath, his wife Mrinalini Devi, their young daughter Bela, sister Saudamini Devi, and Swarnakumari Devi’s two daughters. In the Bharati magazine of 1295 (Bengali calendar), from the Baisakh to Bhadra and Kartik issues, this writing was published serially under the title Darjeeling Patra (Letters from Darjeeling). At first, she was ill and bedridden. Then every evening, a reading session was held, which she enjoyed. They stayed at Castleton House, the old residence of the Lieutenant Governor. To the south of this house was Mall Road, and a 500-feet-high hill called Observatory Hill surrounded the road next to the house. There is no better flat walking place than this road. There is no jungle of trees and plants here; instead, trees full of flowers line the road like the roads of Kolkata. On the western side of the road, on slightly steep grassy land, there are bushes of ferns and roses. Below this slope to the west, some way down the road, are the well-decorated shops of the English. On the green body of the mountain, beautiful white houses rise in layers. Sunlight falls and the houses shine like glass. At night, the lights of the houses shine like stars on the body of the mountain. The opposite side of Mall Road, which the writer calls “park,” has preserved some marks of how Darjeeling used to be a jungle before becoming a city. The old jungle is preserved on both sides of the wide road. One day, while going to the park, she lost her way and went elsewhere.

The beauty of Darjeeling starts from the way to reach it. Just after Jalpaiguri is Siliguri, which is the valley of Darjeeling. From there, one has to climb the hills by a train. This train is even smaller than the horse-drawn tram of Kolkata. While riding in the train, one can easily touch the plants on both sides of the road.

After becoming healthy, the writer always wanted to go outside and see the open views of Darjeeling. They went for 2–3 days to see Victoria Waterfalls or Kakjhora. They climbed up to Observatory Hill. From there, views can be seen beautifully in all directions. Also, the deity Durjay Ling resides there. Some say the word “Darjeeling” came from “Durjay Ling” or “Ling.” But Sarat Chandra Das (note: 'Expedition to Tibet'), who went to Tibet, said “Darjeeling” is a Tibetan word. It came from “Dorje.” “Dorje” means thunderbolt. In the Tibetan language, thunderbolt is used in the sense of supreme. That is, “Darjeeling” means the supreme place. Sarat Chandra Das said that the Raja of Burdwan came here and established the Durjay Ling deity. Before that, there was no such deity here. But according to the writer, in 1844, the father of barrister Manomohan Ghosh (Ramlochan Ghosh, who built the old palace of Pathuriaghata and who was the Dewan of Warren Hastings) came here. There were almost no roads then, yet he came and saw Durjay Ling.

After that, the writer saw a round-domed temple in the Bhutia Basti, the main settlement of the Bhutias, a little below Darjeeling town. Here, the teeth and nails of a lama have been kept in memory. And there is a gompha (monastery), where in the veranda there are large prayer wheels. The more the wheel spins, the more the mantra rotates and the more sins are destroyed. Inside the gompha, there are idols of Mahakal and Mahakali. As the main deity of the temple, there is an idol of Buddha and Kali. Even after asking several times, they couldn’t understand the name of the third main deity. The Buddhism here is mixed with Hinduism, like in Tibet. Non-violence is not the supreme religion here. Alcohol and meat are not forbidden for the lamas. Then she wrote about the play of clouds and sunshine in Darjeeling.

Sinchal is about ten thousand feet above Darjeeling. The British used to have a military camp here. But as the soldiers could not tolerate the cold here, their barracks were transferred to Jalapahar. With hundreds of chimneys and broken walls, Sinchal is now just the ruins of a city. Tiger Hill is 500 feet higher than Sinchal; from here, parts of Dhavalagiri (Mount Everest) can be seen. The road to Tiger Hill is very bad, palanquins can't go here. One has to walk very carefully on narrow paths. Reaching the top, the mind was filled with a wonderful view. That day, the peak of Dhavalagiri was not visible as that side was covered in clouds. The Kanchenjunga range was seen quite well.

The writer and her companions once went to Rangit. Rangit is a river in Sikkim. The surrounding area is also named after the river Rangit. It is 11 miles downhill from Darjeeling. Across the river is the independent state of Sikkim. They reached near the river, traveling through a forested path in palanquins while watching Kanchenjunga. The water of this river is green. Along the way, ferns, wildflowers, parasites, and big trees — things not seen in Darjeeling — were present. That evening, they returned home via Mall Road in palanquins. Mall Road was then filled with English men and women, music bands were playing, the whole place was lively. When the British, in exchange for taxes, took this place from the King of Sikkim to make a settlement for health purposes, Darjeeling was a jungle region. There were no roads from Bengal to come here. Recently, after Macaulay’s Tibet Mission, the British have completely stopped giving that tax to the King of Sikkim.

In 1888, Swarnakumari Devi went to Gazipur. Rabindranath Tagore also stayed there for a few days with his wife. In 1296 (Bengali calendar), Gazipur Patra was published in the magazine Bharati. It contains many details about the journey, including the train ride from Howrah. Along with that, the writer shares humorous and lively conversations with Rabindranath. From Gazipur, she also traveled to Kashi with him.

In 1891, Swarnakumari Devi visited Pune, Solapur and such places in Maharashtra. Here too, her elder brother Satyendranath Tagore was residing for work purposes. In 1298 (Bengali calendar), she wrote about this travel in the Bharati magazine under the title Patra (Letters). In Pune and Solapur, she wrote about visiting art galleries, exhibitions, British fancy dress balls, horse races, and various sports exhibitions. At this time, she also visited Pandharpur and Akkalkot by train. 

On arriving at Akkalkot station, they were taken by a carriage sent by the local king to the royal palace. The queen was very tasteful and had decorated the house beautifully. The king himself showed them the palace, fort, court, school, royal market, treasury, and the hall where the highly valuable elephant throne was kept. This king was enthroned with British support and spent lakhs of rupees to please the British.

                      (To be continued)