DURBAR CEREMONY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1344, 23 January 1912, Page 3

DURBAR CEREMONY.

INDIAN PRINCES DO HOMAGE. A MARVELLOUS PAGEANT. Delhi, December 12. The great event which has brought the King and Queen from England, and hundreds of thousands of his subjects from various, parts of his Empire to greet him, is over, and yet another page has been added to the long records of Indian history. The Durbar ceremony, in which all the great Princcs and Chiefs of India and the great officers of the Crown assembled to do homage to their,, King and Emperor, presented a'scene of superlative magnificence such as can never be forgotten by those who were privileged to witness this magnificent sight. The gorgeous East, perhaps _ not even the world itself, has ever witnessed such' a scene of glory and splendour before. Lord Curzon's Durbar ui 1903, when the Coronation of Edward VII was announced, ■ was admittedly of superlative grandeur, but then the great gathering was presided over by a Subject only. Oil the occasion, for the first time in British history, the Emperor himself was present, along with his illustrious Con- ■ sort. This fact had for all Indians an immense significance. Presenting himself in this ancient seat of the Great Moguls, he appeared to all the Indian peoples the legitimate successor of Akbar, Sivali Jehan, and Aurungzeb. He was no longer merely a British King, the representative of a foreign, race, but their own legitimate Sovereign, seated on the throne of the great rulers of the past. The morning, as every morning has done during these ceremonies, rose bright and fair. This is one of the tliinw that add so much to the success of Eastern functions: fine weather with brilliant sunshine is practically assured. But long before the rising of the sun, the million souls in Delhi had risen lo greet the day. Drum laps and bucle calls stirred the sleeping camps; lines of troops were on the march; civil and military officials hurried to their various pasts; the streets began to fill witli people. By 8 o'clock a scene of the greatest animation was presented; the roads became thronged with a dense press of carriages and motor-cars, with glittering escorts and liveries; a squadron of Lancers dashed along: vehicles of every description appeared—wagons drawn by camels, trottinu bullock carts, tongas innumerable. ekkas—surely one of the strangest little carriages ever devispd by man; fours-in-hand, brakes, barouches; chariots plated with gold or silver, with attendants dresfd in all the colours of the rainbow. In the "immediate vicinity of th» Durbar arena enormous crowds had assembled. They appeared _ to bo villages for the most nart. each with his bundle and brass pot, but with them were a lar?e number who evidently belonged to Hie city. Others, aeain. poured into the ar«na, and took tip positions on eliairs and benches rising in tiers on the great mound. The Proccssion. The King and Queen drove from the Koval camp up the broad Kingsway, llaiiked by the chief's encampments bright with Hags ami glowing with colour, under triumphal arches and past Ij'S' l gateways with mottoes of welcome, 'Ihcy were escorted by a large military escort, whilst the long lines of troops that guarded tho roads added lo I ho martial effect, 'l'heir way had been heralded a little while before by the passing oi' the lioyal household, with whom was the Earl of. Crewe as Minister-in-Attendance, : and by the carriage of the _ Govei'JiorGeasral, with a large escort. Expectation ■ hadalready been raised to a high pitch ' by this vivid and exhilarating approach, i but upon reaching tho immediate scene of the Durbar the full sense of the un- J approachable state and brilliancy that i uas lo attend the Imperial spectacle ! broke l'or tile first time upon the mind, j : Away to the horizon upon every side a vast plain stretched out with the dim j ( foliago and distant tents against the blue ( haze ot the skyline, crowded willi mnlti- , tucles of natives in dresses of wonderful | richness of colour. In Hie centre of this | plan rose (he imuieme and graceful j ; structure ol' the amphitheatre, conspicu- j ous for miles. It is on the same site as j .that in Which Lord Lvtton, and alter- i wards Lord Curzon, proclaimed (lie Im- 1 perial title. It. is horseshoe in shape, ( running above the plain from an immense < artificial embankment, of which the inner 1 slope is lined with tiers of seats accom- 1 modating 50,000 persons, of whom GOOO ; were school children. Tho seating ac- j conimodation in the official amphitheatre J is 12,000, whilst, I suppose, another 30,0110, > of whom 20,000 were soldiers, were on tho 1 Hoot' of tho amphitheatre or its op- 1 proachos. Properly speaking, indeed, " there were two amphitheatres facing one j another, with a spaco between, thus form- , ing a circle that would be decidedly over a mile in circumference. Taking the j smaller one first, its simplicity of white colouring, with the small minarets tipped with gold points, was very effective in the c bright sunlight. At the b.ick, perforated t screens guarded the purduh ladies, whilst ? in front was a low balustrade in which c frelied woodwork was pierced to re- f senible marble. At I ho inner base of tho ( ] horseshoe, projecting slightly into the I arena and facing Hie ceremonial entrance 1 and the great mound of spectators, stood o the Kova! pavilion with its two golden 111 rones raised high, so that all niiirht see li Ihem, and its gilded dome glittering n in the c|in. Nearer to the smaller d amnhitheatre was another raised J' platform with considerable floor-space n and fretted balustrade. This was the I Durbar Shinmsiiin. a study ill crimson a and gold, with its golden coles, its rich b

ramiliv overhead, it* golden thrones •dunning on a covered with cloth of g.dd; ils loiter platform carpeted villi while and mild. Facing the slnimiana 'or I,'lit mid led iveiv ranged 1 lie vassals ot'the Indian I'rewn, from tin: Nizam, first. in Mivereignty, down t i chiefs Irom the wild mountain? of Ihe Hindu Ku>li and Ihe forest' of Burma. Further away the tier?- nf led cloth were full vl minor chiefs and notables, imiui'ng the invitid gue.-ds and represontat.Te:- . I' the prcv,. amongst whom the pro.-cni writer had his .-eat. The jewelled .-plennoiir rf these princely or distinguished persons reduces language t'."* despair, 'llie lower anil central tiers were ablaze with thi* brilliancy of the jewels and robes worn by the chiefs grouped in readiness to do homage to their Sovereign. Diamond?. rubies, emeralds, pearls, etc.. sparkled with every movement of their wearers. | never saw such a display of jewels in my life. Some of the rajahs seemed to he literally covered with them. Great ropes of pearls, aigrettes of diamonds. uec.klaces of every conceivable stone, lovely earrings, and finger rings, and precious stones worked into the fabric of I heir dress—the ransom of not, one King but of many Kings—gleamed before us. And then the robes of lustrous silks and brocades, the gold embroideries on stud's of exquisite shades, tho flowing vests, tho turbans of gold and green, blue- and orange, amethyst and violet —all together made a picture indescribably rich and beautiful, upon which the eye feasted with delight. Near to the princes and chiefs wero tho great officers of the Crown, civil and military, in uniforms that were almost covered with gold lace; ladies, also, in lovely hats and gowns. And then, on tho other side, in the greater i amphitheatre, wero tho people, 50,000 of them, massed, on tiers of seats. From where I sat one could seo thousands upon thousands of snow-white turbans, then parterres of colour formed by the headdresses of the children being placed together in sections, one section yellow, another green, a third blue, and so on, the scenic effect being singularly beautiful. Then, between the two amphitheatres, with their 62,000 spectators, were massed 20,000 troops in their bright uniforms and accoutrements, whilst all tho time that we were waiting massed bands wero playing beautiful music. No wonder we waited well content, gazing upon such a wonderful scene. Then, suddenly, the music changed from its soft harmonies to ''See, the Conquering Hero Comes," and loud cheers broke out, and we soon knew what they meant, for immediately in front of us we saw tho scarred veterans of the Mutiny being conducted to their places. Thoughts of Lucknow and of Delhi flashOil into the mind. They marched in irregular ranks now, but wo remembered that in days gone by they had stood in serried ranks to meet the storm 1 of war, and that through the heroism of:such men our Indian Empire had been saved. The King's Arrival. Shortly after 11.30 (many of us had been waiting since 9), the Governor-Gen-eral and his wife arrived, and took their seats upon tho platform, their pages, beautifully dressed, having already gathered there. Then, a few minutes before noon, the first gun of the salute of 101 wag fired, indicating that their Majesties had rcachcid the entrance to the amphitheatre, and their cavalry escort was seen filing rapidly off to make way for the Royil carriage, which soon appeared in full state and drew up at the shamiana. Its progress had wen marked by loud cheers, and these continued as everyone rose in a spontaneous outburst of loyal feeling, and the Royal Standard flew out from its high mast. The guards of honour and all the troops saluted, and the bands played the National Anthem. Ou this occasion the King and Queen rodo together in the Royal carriage, and, to . tho great delight of us all, both wore their Coronation robes and crowns, with the Order of the Garter and the Star of India. The King's Imperial Crown was resplendent with diamonds, emeralds, and sapphires; the Queen -wore, in addition, a niatrnificent necklace and brooch to match. The Imperial pair alighted, and proceeded hand in hand to their thrones, tho train-bear-ers being young Indian pages in' light dresses shining with gold. It was a most impressive and exhilarating moment. For the first time in history the King of England and his Consort appeared to their Indian subjects in all tho glory attaching to their persons as Emperor and : Empress. Facing them were 12,100 princes', chiefs, officers, and other distinguished and privileged persons, all handsomely attired, the brilliancy of Oriental robes mingling with tho blaze of military uniforms and the dainty grace and fashion of European toilettes. Around them on the arena were tho 20.000 troops in scarlet and blue; behind them. 50,000 of tho general public seated on the great mound,' and as many others as oould iind nnv point vantage to view the splendid sight. Tho Durbar Opened. Then, as the echo of the last shot died away, the Master of the Ceremonies advanced and obtained permission to open the Durbar. The flourish of trumpets and roll of- drums followed, whereupon the Viceroy delivered a scroll to the King, who stood up and read his speech. As soon as this was finished, the ceremony of doing homage began, the Governor-Gene-ral, advancing first, followed by, I suppose, 200 great personages. The homage of the princes ami chiefs, of course, formed the most interesting sight. As each one advanced alone—magnificently attired, loaded with gold and-jewels, the cynosure of all eyes—he halted in front of the throne, making obeisance according to the manner of his country, sometimes simply bowing scneatedly' and salaaming in Oriental fashion; at other times prostrating himself. forehead to earth, before the King. Some before their obeisance laid their jewelled swords at the King's feet; others, costly presents of silk. Then, having made their homage, they retreated backwards whilst another approached. To me there was something touching and nit.hctic in these proud princes Df the Orient prostrating themselves , before a Euronean monarch, and thus acknowledging.. their own inferiority and his over-1 Innl.ship. The yoke is made as comfortable as possible, stil) there i* no ccttini? away from the fact that they have to wear if, and to obey where miuired the dictates pf the paramount. Power. At the same lime. I am convinced that almost all accent the situation cheerful!v. recognising its necessity for all rnrties. and are thoroughly loyal to the British Crown. But more of this hereafter. Now came another stage in this remarkable ceremony. Their. Imperial Majesties rose to their feet and descended from their thrones, the golden umbrellas h»ld oyer their heads. The pages in their glittering apparel ranged themselves behind, and fused (he (on;; trains. Their Majesties then turned outwards, the Kins to the right, the Queen to th? left, and descending mot at the other side of the s'nmiana. The whole multitude rose to its feet, and remained standing, ['receded by two gentlemen ushers carrying wands, who walked backwards, the l-'miKMor and Empress walked to the lloyal Pavilion. ascended the lofty steps to the golden thrones, and faced the vaster audience, representing the people of India. these exalte;! seats they \vere clearly visible, and presented a splendid spectacle. '.'hen. vi!"!i ;• roll of drums, the Innds -t'a-k up thi summons to Ihe heralds, who forthwith rode into the arena, followed l.r their '2- trumpeters. 12 European and 12 native, their crimson coais almost covered with ebt.h of gold, and bearing the Hoyal cypher, G.R.T. Tile two heralds, one British, the other Indian, wore rich tabards of satin, emblazoned with the Royal arms tack and front. They sounded another flourish, advanced towards the dais, halted, another flourish rang out sharp and crisp, like the herald's challenge in "Lohengrm": then they saluted and received the King's command to read the Proclamation. They wheeled their chargers sharply round and, facing the vast popular assemblage, the Proclamation was read first by the BritMi herald in English, and then by the Indian in Hindustanee, both subsequently returning and saluting the King. Each in turn then called in stentorian tones for three cheers for the Emperor, to which we all enthusiastically responded. Then the trumpets once more rang out; the 20,000 l'itles clicked in the Royal salute; the massed bands struck np "God Save Ihe King"; the people cheered again; the rattle of a feu de joie swept up and down the long lines of rifles; the batteries without, again boomed forth their 101 guns—and the Great Durbar was over. It had been, a wonderful sight, and T have not met a single spectator who did not confers that words failed him to describe the impression it produced. Overwhelming emotions must have filled Ihe heart of every Englishman as ho beheld the glorious scene. I myself have been a spectator at many splendid pageant*, but never saw anything to compare with

tliis. and in all probability so magnificent a spectacle has. never been seen in (he world before. The fervour and loyalty of the people was unmistakable, and there H nu doubt whatever that the great functions culminating in the Durbar have profoundly affected the imagination of India, and impressed upon it* princes and peoples the greatness of the Imperial idea. The terms uf the. Proclamation and of the Royal Announcement, too, have given immense satisfaction, especially ilioac rotating to I lie reunion of Bengal and the adoption of Delhi as the capital. 1 must not dilate on Ihe latter act now, except to say that it is a' very momentous and, I believe, a wise one, likely to have great and beneficial results.