It was at this stage that the narrator had to visit Siral again. He had to obtain measurements of the spot where the ima
Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2022 1:41 pm
It was at this stage that the narrator had to visit Siral again. He had to obtain measurements of the spot where the image was found. He went to the village and plunged into the river and came up.
At that time a stranger came and sat near him. They started talking. The asistant told the stranger about his work. He listened to the assistant without emotion. The assistant told the stranger that the image had come from Rome. Since the image had been found in these parts, the stranger offered to tell the stranger something about it. The stranger led the assistant up the bank. Then they went through a jungle. They reached a small village. Then they came to a small shrine. In the inner sanctum of the shrine, there was an image of Mari with a garland of yellow chrysanthemums around her neck. On one side of the sanctum doorway stood a dwarapalak (doorkeeper). It was a winged creature a foot high. The stranger pointed at the image and said that this had formed a pair with the one he (the assistant) had picked up, and it used to adorn that side of the doorway. The assistant saw a pedestal without anything on it. He examined the figure and found out that the image was exactly like the image the assistant had found, but without its injuries. The assitant was then told by the stranger that this had been made by a stone image maker. He lived in another village. He and his companions gave him rupees seventy to build those two stone images. Then they installed them in the temple.On hearing this account, the assistant felt sad. The stranger asked the assistant why he was sad. The assistant said that he was unwell. The assistant then wanted to know why the image was found in the river. The stranger said that the priest in the temple was a drunkard. He performed puja in a drunken condition. The people went on tolerating this for quite some time. But then there is a limit to everything When it was decided to add these dwarapalaks at the doorway, he got a queer notion in his head. He began to say that two dwarapalaks constantly troubled him by looking at him. Their looks pricked him in the neck. Sometimes he would peep in from within to see if the images were looking away, and he would scream. He thought that they were still watching him and he would shout at them. This went on for two months. In course of time he began to tremble with fear whenever he had to pass these doorkeepers. He complained that if he took his eyes off these figures. they kicked him from behind and pulled his hair. He was afraid to look anywhere else. He walked cautiously with his eyes on the images. But if he had his eyes on one, the other knocked him from behind. He showed his bruises and scratches to the stranger and other villagers. The villagers told the priest that they would treat his complaints seriously if he went into the shrine without a drop of drink in him. He carried a small wooden hammer with him. Whenever he got a knock he returned a blow. It fell on a nose one day, on an arm on another day. The image on the left side received hammer blows. He was so fed up with all this that he knocked it off its pedestal and carried it to the river. Next morning he declared that he saw it walk off and plunge into the river. He must have felt that this would serve as a lesson to the other image if it should be thinking of any tricks.
This however never happened. The priest was taken to the court by the villagers The priest was then sent away from the temple. The stranger from the village ended his tale.
The assistant then asked the stranger if he did not pick up the image from the river and show it to the judge. The stranger said that this could not be done because the priest would not tell where he had flung it.
The narrator then went back to Madras. He was a different man. He told the doctor everything. The doctor felt furious. He said that they had made themselves big fools before the world. The assistant was sorry for what had happened
The doctor then told the narrator to throw all the manuscripts lying on the table into the fire before they were declared mad. The assistant set fire to the manuscripts without loss of time. Both the doctor and the assistant looked at the fire for a moment. Then the doctor asked his assistant what he would do with it. He suggested that it should be drowned.
The assistant had never seen the doctor in such a rage before. He then wrapped the image in a piece of brown paper and carried it to the sea-shore and flung it far into the sea. Later a brief message appeared in all the important papers. The news was: "The manuscript on which Doctor-and assistant were engaged has been destroyed, and the work will be suspended. "The doctor gave the assistant two months' salary and bade him good-bye.Describe the activities of the assistant after his departure for Chennai Subsequent to the discovery of the image from river Sarayu.
At that time a stranger came and sat near him. They started talking. The asistant told the stranger about his work. He listened to the assistant without emotion. The assistant told the stranger that the image had come from Rome. Since the image had been found in these parts, the stranger offered to tell the stranger something about it. The stranger led the assistant up the bank. Then they went through a jungle. They reached a small village. Then they came to a small shrine. In the inner sanctum of the shrine, there was an image of Mari with a garland of yellow chrysanthemums around her neck. On one side of the sanctum doorway stood a dwarapalak (doorkeeper). It was a winged creature a foot high. The stranger pointed at the image and said that this had formed a pair with the one he (the assistant) had picked up, and it used to adorn that side of the doorway. The assistant saw a pedestal without anything on it. He examined the figure and found out that the image was exactly like the image the assistant had found, but without its injuries. The assitant was then told by the stranger that this had been made by a stone image maker. He lived in another village. He and his companions gave him rupees seventy to build those two stone images. Then they installed them in the temple.On hearing this account, the assistant felt sad. The stranger asked the assistant why he was sad. The assistant said that he was unwell. The assistant then wanted to know why the image was found in the river. The stranger said that the priest in the temple was a drunkard. He performed puja in a drunken condition. The people went on tolerating this for quite some time. But then there is a limit to everything When it was decided to add these dwarapalaks at the doorway, he got a queer notion in his head. He began to say that two dwarapalaks constantly troubled him by looking at him. Their looks pricked him in the neck. Sometimes he would peep in from within to see if the images were looking away, and he would scream. He thought that they were still watching him and he would shout at them. This went on for two months. In course of time he began to tremble with fear whenever he had to pass these doorkeepers. He complained that if he took his eyes off these figures. they kicked him from behind and pulled his hair. He was afraid to look anywhere else. He walked cautiously with his eyes on the images. But if he had his eyes on one, the other knocked him from behind. He showed his bruises and scratches to the stranger and other villagers. The villagers told the priest that they would treat his complaints seriously if he went into the shrine without a drop of drink in him. He carried a small wooden hammer with him. Whenever he got a knock he returned a blow. It fell on a nose one day, on an arm on another day. The image on the left side received hammer blows. He was so fed up with all this that he knocked it off its pedestal and carried it to the river. Next morning he declared that he saw it walk off and plunge into the river. He must have felt that this would serve as a lesson to the other image if it should be thinking of any tricks.
This however never happened. The priest was taken to the court by the villagers The priest was then sent away from the temple. The stranger from the village ended his tale.
The assistant then asked the stranger if he did not pick up the image from the river and show it to the judge. The stranger said that this could not be done because the priest would not tell where he had flung it.
The narrator then went back to Madras. He was a different man. He told the doctor everything. The doctor felt furious. He said that they had made themselves big fools before the world. The assistant was sorry for what had happened
The doctor then told the narrator to throw all the manuscripts lying on the table into the fire before they were declared mad. The assistant set fire to the manuscripts without loss of time. Both the doctor and the assistant looked at the fire for a moment. Then the doctor asked his assistant what he would do with it. He suggested that it should be drowned.
The assistant had never seen the doctor in such a rage before. He then wrapped the image in a piece of brown paper and carried it to the sea-shore and flung it far into the sea. Later a brief message appeared in all the important papers. The news was: "The manuscript on which Doctor-and assistant were engaged has been destroyed, and the work will be suspended. "The doctor gave the assistant two months' salary and bade him good-bye.Describe the activities of the assistant after his departure for Chennai Subsequent to the discovery of the image from river Sarayu.