India's Sacred Monkey Temple

Ainong the thousand ür iuox-o temples and shrines with which the holy Hindoo city of Benares is endowed, visitors generally find the great temple dedicated to the worship of the goddess Durga one of the most interesting. It is known to Europeans as the monkey temple, because in and around its precincta many hundreds of sacred monkeys roam about without interference. The temple is situated in the southern extremity of the city. It was erected during the last century by the Ranee Bhawani of Natre, in honor of Siva's wife, the terrific goddess who is supposed to delight in death and slaughter, and of wnom the poor believers in the various attributes of the deities comprising the Hindoo pantheon stand in the greatest dread. A spondent of the London (j-raphic writes as follows regarding the place: "The Durga Kund is conspicuous in this city of temples for the grace and Bimplicity of its architecture. It adjoins a tank which is the fines't in Benares and occupies the central portion of a quadraugle, the walls being stained red with ocher. The sacred portion of the temple consista of 12 finely carved pillars standing on a marble platform and supporting a heavy roof. The platform is about four feet from the ground and is ascended by a flight of low steps on each side of the square. The temple is well provided with the necessary instraments for creating the frightfnl noises which emanate from these abodes of idolatry all over India. Drums of huge dimensions, gongs, bells and tomtoms are all at the service of the priests in performinfj the rites required of them. But the antics of the monkeys which make this temple their home are, next to its architecture, the most attractive feature of the place. "The goat's blood with which the walls are sprinkled and the sacrifices that are known to take place here to appease the wrath of Siva and his terrifying spouse are rather revolting to a Christian, but the grotesque play of the monkeys, their importúnate begging, the pranks they enact on one another and the graceful agility they are constantly displaying supply a perpetual source of amusement which one is apt to think must prove rather distracting to the devout Hindoos who come here to worship. These sacred monkeys are of the genus Semnopethecus entellus, popularly known as the long tailed Indian monkey. "A few years ago, as no one dared to molest these animáis, they not only inCfèased rapidly in numbers, but, growing to be extraordinarily bold, developed alarming thieving propensities. The annoyance they caused amounted to a public nuisance, for no house in the place was safe from their depredations. At last the trouble grew so serious that Bome reduction in the number of these adept thieves became a necessity, although the prejudices of the people were against any such steps being taken. In the end the government was requested to interfere, and waiving aside all other considerations but that of public polity the authorities had many hundreds - report says many thousands - captured and sent away. Nevertheless there are plenty of them left, and they certainly constitute one of the sights of a city that is probably in many respecta the most interesting in the world.'