The “Well of Healing,” one of the holiest places in Benares, is dedicated to Vishnu.  He dug it himself, making a cavity in the rock.  Then, in the absence of water, he filled it with perspiration from his own body.  This remarkable assertion seems to be confirmed by the foul odor that arises from the water, which is three feet deep and about the consistency of soup.  It looks and smells as if it might have been a sample brought from the Chicago River before the drainage canal was finished.  It is fed by an invisible spring, and there is no overflow, because, after bathing in it to wash away their sins, the pilgrims drink several cups of the filthy liquid, which often nauseates them, and it is a miracle that any of them survive.

One of the most curious and picturesque of all the temples is that of the goddess Durga, a fine building usually called the Monkey Temple because of the number of those animals inhabiting the trees around it.  They are very tame and cunning and can spot a tourist as far as they can see him.  When they see a party of strangers approaching the temple they begin to chatter in the trees and then rush for the courtyard of the temple, where they expect to be fed.  It is one of the perquisites of the priests to sell rice and other food for them at prices about ten times more than it is worth, but the tourist has the fun of tossing it to them and making them scramble for it.  As Durga is the most terrific of all of Siva’s wives, and delights in death, torture, bloodshed and every form of destruction, the Hindus are very much afraid of her and the peace offerings left at this temple are more liberal than at the others, a fact very much appreciated by the priests.

Another of the most notable gods worshiped at Benares is Ganesa, the first born of Siva and one of his horrible wives.  He is the God of Prudence and Policy, has the head of an elephant, which is evidence of sagacity, and is attended by rats, an evidence of wisdom and foresight.  He has eight hands, and from the number of appeals that are made to him he must keep them all busy.  He is invoked by Hindus of all sects and castes before undertaking any business of importance.  It is asserted that none of the million deities is so often addressed as the God of Wisdom and Prudence.  If a man is undertaking any great enterprise, if he is starting in a new business, or signing a contract, or entering a partnership; if he is about to take a journey or buy a stock of goods or engage in a negotiation, he appeals to Ganesa to assist him, and leaves an offering at one of his temples as a sort of bribe.  If a woman is going to make a dress, or a servant changes his employer, or if anyone begins any new thing, it is always safer to appeal in advance to Ganesa, because he is a sensitive god, and if he does not receive all the attention and worship he deserves is apt to be spiteful.  Some people are so particular that they never begin a letter without saluting him in the first line.