We lastly visited a remarkably fine wood of tamarind and mango
trees, under the shadows of which the ashes of a number of kings are
preserved in handsome monuments. These monuments consist of open
temples, with broad flights of ten or twelve steps leading up to
them. At the bottom of the steps, on each side, stand stone figures
of elephants. Some of the temples are ornamented with beautiful
sculptures.
The evening was passed in all kinds of amusements. The good doctor
would have made me acquainted with all the arts of the Hindoos;
however, the greater number of them were no longer new to me. A
snake-charmer exhibited his little society, which performed very
clever tricks, and also allowed the most poisonous serpents to twine
themselves round his body, and the largest scorpions ran over his
arms and legs. Afterwards, four elegant female dancers appeared
dressed in muslin, ornamented with gold and silver, and loaded with
jewellery,--ears, forehead, neck, breast, loins, hands, arms, feet,
in short, every part of the body was covered with gold, silver, and
precious stones; even the toes were ornamented with them, and from
the nose, a large ring with three stones hung over the mouth.
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