built in the European fashion.  In an extensive orange garden, close outside the fort, he is building a very handsome tomb over the spot where his father’s elder brother was buried.  The whole is formed of white and black marble, and the firm white sandstone of Rupbas, and so well conceived and executed as to make it evident that demand is the only thing wanted to cover India with works of art equal to any that were formed in the palmy days of the Muhammadan empire.[3] The Raja’s young sister had just been married to the son of the Jat chief of Nabha, who was accompanied in his matrimonial visit (barat) by the chief of Ludhaura, and the son of the Sikh chief of Patiala,[4] with a cortege of one hundred elephants, and above fifteen thousand people.[5]

The young chief of Balamgarh mustered a cortege of sixty elephants and about ten thousand men to attend him out in the ‘istikbal’, to meet and welcome his guests.  The bridegroom’s party had to expend about six hundred thousand rupees in this visit alone.  They scattered copper money all along the road from their homes to within seven miles of Balamgarh.  From this point to the gate of the fort they had to scatter silver, and from this gate to the door of the palace they scattered gold and jewels of all kinds.  The son of the Patiala chief, a lad of about ten years of age, sat upon his elephant with a bag containing six hundred gold mohurs of two guineas each, mixed up with an infinite variety of gold earrings, pearls, and precious stones, which he scattered in handfuls among the crowd.  The scattering of the copper and silver had been left to inferior hands.  The costs of the family of the bride are always much greater than that of the bridegroom; they are obliged to entertain at their own expense all the bridegroom’s guests as well as their own, as long as they remain; and over and above this, on the present occasion, the Raja gave a rupee to every person that came, invited or uninvited.  An immense concourse of people had assembled to share in this donation, and to scramble for the money scattered along the road; and ready money enough was not found in the treasury.  Before a further supply could be got, thirty thousand more had collected, and every one got his rupee.  They have them all put into pens like sheep.  When all are in, the doors are opened at a signal given, and every person is paid his rupee as he goes out.  Some European gentlemen were standing upon the top of the Raja’s palace, looking at the procession as it entered the fort, and passed underneath; and the young chief threw up some handfuls of pearls, gold, and jewels among them.  Not one of them would of course condescend to stoop to take up any; but their servants showed none of the same dignified forbearance.[6]

Notes: 

1.  January, 1836.

2.  ‘Balamgarh’ is a mistake for Ballabgarh of I.  G. (properly Ballabhgarh), which is about twenty-four miles from Delhi.  In 1857 the chief was hanged for rebellion.  The estate was confiscated and included in the Delhi District, under the Panjab Government.  From October 1, 1912, that District ceased to exist.  Part of the Ballabhgarh sub-district has been included in the new Chief Commissioner’s Province of Delhi, and part in the Gurgaon District.