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3569 We are away up on a steep mountain rising abruptly from the low plains of western Hindostan, 350 miles east of the mouth of the Indus. We are standing now on the hallowed height, nearly 6000 feet above the surrounding country,—"a bubble of granite boiled up from the bed of a primeval sea." It is a hard climb getting up here. The path is narrow, steep and rough ; but at the end of the climbing we find this peaceful hollow in the rocks, where these exquisite marble buildings stand glistening in the sunshine. Seven hundred years ago rich devotees of the Jainist faith had all that marble quarried three hundred miles away and brought up the mountain trail, to be laid in place and patiently carved into elaborate architectural ornament in honor of their faith. The Jainist religion—closely resembling Buddhism through not identical with it,—dates back fully twenty-five centuries. For seven of those twenty-five centuries Jainist priests have lived in this mountain retreat, remote from the world, conducting worship according to the manner of their fathers. Modern Science has been born during that time. The western continent has been added to the civilized world. Nations have risen and fallen ; but on these serene heights it is as if the rest of the world did not exist. Jainist doctrines include that of reincarnation or the transmigration of the soul, but do not recognize caste. Jainist precepts inculcate especial tenderness for all living things, including not only men and animals, but even plants. From Notes of Travel No. 40, copyright by Underwood & Underwood Dilwarra with its famous temples on Mt. Abu, India. Dilwarra, avec ses fameux temples sur le Mont Abu, Indes. Dilwarra mit seinen berühmten Tempeln auf dem Berge Abu, Indien. Dilwarra con sus famosos templos en el monte Abu, India. Dilwarra med sina ryktbara tempel å Mt. Abu, Indien. Дилварра, съ ея знаменитыми Храмами, на горБ Абу, Индiя.
Transcription Notes:
I don't know how to do the last line
- added, needs checking. VB.