BENARES CITY 191
the venerated symbol of the god, a plain lingarm of uncarved stone.
The building is not of striking dimensions and has no great pretensions
to beauty, but is crowned by a dome and spire covered with copper,
which was gilded at the cost of Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Lahore. It
was built by Ahalya Bai, the Maratha regent of Indore. Subordinate
to Bisheshwar is Bhaironath, who acts as his minister and magistrate.
The other temples to which pilgrims are specially directed are those
of Bhaironath, and his staff or Dandpani, Ganesh or Dhundi Raj,
Vindumadhava or Vishnu, Durga, and Annpurna. These were chiefly
built by Marathas during the seventeenth century, and are all compara-
tively small. The Durga temple is, however, remarkable for its simple
and graceful architecture, and is situated in the outskirts on the bank of
a large tank. Along the river front the Dasashwamedh, Manikarnika,
and Panchganga ghdts are the most esteemed. At the first of these
Brahma is said to have performed ten horse-sacrifices. Near the second
is situated the famous well, which Vishnu dug with his discus and filled
with his sweat, forming one of the chief attractions for pilgrims,
thousands of whom annually bathe in the fetid water. The Panchganga
ghdt is so named from the belief that five rivers meet at it, but
the Ganges alone is visible to the gross material eye. Raja Jai Singh's
observatory, built.in I693, is a handsome and substantial building
overlooking the Man Mandirghdt. It includes a number of instruments
which have been allowed to fall out of repair. Close by stands the
Nepalese temple, which is ornamented by a series of obscene wooden
carvings. The huge mass of Aurangzeb's mosque, built from the
remains of a temple, towers high above a steep cliff over the Panchganga
ghal, and is the most conspicuous building in the city when seen from
the river. Another mosque, also built on the remains of a temple
of Bisheshwar, stands close to the Gyan Bapi or 'well of knowledge,'
where Siva is said to reside. The older buildings and remains are
found chiefly in the north and west of the present city, and the ancient
site appears to have been situated on both banks of the Barna. This
stream flows into the Ganges about a mile beyond the present northern
limit of the city. West of the city lies the suburb of Sigra, the seat of
the chief missionary institutions. Northwards, the Sikraul cantonments
and parade-ground stretch away to the bank of the Barna, which is here
crossed by two bridges, of stone and iron respectively. The civil
station, including the courts and Central jail, occupies the northern bank.
The most noteworthy of the modern buildings are the Mint, the
Government College, the Prince of Wales's Hospital, built by the gentry
of Benares in commemoration of the visit of His Majesty to the city in
1876, the police station, and the town hall, a fine building constructed
at the expense of a Maharaja of Vizianagram. Benares is the head-
quarters of the Commissioner of the Division, who is also a Political
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