THE GODDESS DURGÂ 167 forces which are displayed in all their grandeur in the Himalayan regions. The fairy, snow-clad peaks, glorious in the sunshine, and full of solemn mystery by moonlight, pouring out from their violet depths the precious streams which fertilize the earth, are Umâ and Parvatî, kindly goddesses of light and beauty, and Shiva, the bountiful, moon-crested, blue-throated. EENRO"འན་ ་ ་ resplendent lord of bliss. Shrouded in fearful thunderclouds, torn by furious winds and raging torrents, their mighty sides heaving with earthquakes and scarred with landslides which bring sudden and awful destruction on man and beast-they become Rudra "the Roarer", Ugra "the fierce", Shiva "the terrible destroyer", and Durgâ "the inaccessible", Raktadanti "the bloody-toothed". Durgâ is especially appealed to for victory in war. She was the patron deity of Râvana, the demon-king of Ceylon, but Râma succeeded at last in bringing her over to his side, and thus overthrew his powerful foe. Probably she is one of the aboriginal deities adopted by the Aryans. As a fighting goddess she has a great reputation for destroying demons. Her chief exploit was the defeat of an Asura, called Durg, who had acquired extraordinary power by the practice of penances, and used it to bring the gods into subjection and to destroy religion on earth. To celebrate her victory she changed her name from Gauri, "the shining one", to Durgâ. In one of the corners of the quadrangle in this Durgâ temple is a shrine of Kâli. The idol, as is frequently the case in Benares temples, is nothing but a metal mask and a collection of gaudy draperies. These masks, however, are often fine pieces of repoussé work. An idol is sometimes provided with a series of masks with different expressions, to represent the different manifestations of the deity. An illustration is given here of a mask of Shiva, in gilt copper, from a temple in Nepal. Close by the Kâlt shrine there is a hole in the verandah floor, where the sacred fire for the hom AHMETY TEMPLE 169 ceremony is lighted, and offerings given to Agni, the god of fire. The temple, built about fifty years ago by the Raja of Ahmêty of Oudh, towering over Manikarnika ghât with its five deep-red spires and gilded pinnacles, is also dedicated to Durgâ. It is built on a terrace over looking the river, and is approached by one of those steep, staircased streets, leading from the ghâts up into the city, which suggest a town of southern Italy or Spain. Clambering up a side staircase, you pass under the Naubat Khâna, where musicians are chanting praises of the goddess with strange but not unpleasing accompaniments. On the right side of the entrance is a fine little bronze lion of Durgâ, and on the left Shiva's bull. The quiet and cleanliness inside are a relief from the bustle, sloppiness, and dirt, and IN THE AHMÊTY TEMPLE A Brahmin performing his sandhya. the somewhat sordid atmosphere of more popular Benares shrines. You will generally find here one or two Brahmins sitting devoutly at their sandhya, without pestering visitors for the eternal bakshish, and, unless there is some special festival, there is no great throng of pilgrims or other worshippers. The temple itself is one of the most elegant in |