Parker, Elizabeth

Description

Journal contents: 1. Correspondence to Parents, W. W. and Nelly Gordon, from Benares, January 31, 1908, 2 pages [pages 1-2 of PDF]. Letters from family received while in Calcutta after more than one month of no news. Letter from General Hunter at Fort Said. Observations about servants, Madras, local beggars and the travails of travel. 2. Correspondence to sister, Mabel Gordon Leigh, from Benares, February 3, 1908, 8 pages [pages 3-10 of PDF]. Explanation of itinerary change to go immediately to Sialkot. Description of shopping in Calcutta, and equipment purchased for train travel. Experiences in Benares, a sacred city with both Buddhist temples and Hindu shrines where pilgrims purify themselves in the Ganges, and separate bathing of castes. Encounter with a wedding party consisting of 7 year old bride and 14 year old groom and discriminatory views of locals. Compares Ganges to Savannah River and describes having to leave without paying her hotel bill because of a closed bank. 3. Correspondence to Nelly Gordon, February 4, 1908, 5 pages [pages 11-15 of PDF]. Description of the residency and mutiny of 1857 at Lucknow, a visit to the Jemma Masjid built in the 1850s and siege at Cawnpore. Visited Tomb of 4th King of Oudh, and enjoyed a festival with streets lit for miles using bowls of oil/wicks. Description of palace of Kaiser Bagh and the houses of the prince's dancing girls. Arrived in Cawnpore on February 7th, described gruesome murders that occurred around the area. Describes the frustration of planning...

Record Contributed By

Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace

Record Harvested From

Digital Library of Georgia