“ pawn ” chewing, so common with the people of India,
it may interest some of my readers to know th a t a
similar habit exists amongst their antipodes, the
Bolivians and the Argentines, but they use the dried
“ coca ” leaf (Erythroxydon, a shrub) for that purpose,
with a little finely powdered unslaked lime, and they
sometimes drink an infusion of the leaf, which is said
to possess wonderful sustaining powers, and is used as a
narcotic and stimulant. American Indians on long
foot journeys generally carry a little bundle of coca
leaves to chew en route. I f taken too much, however,
the effect is very enervating, resembling that of opium.
Recently the “ coca ” plant has been introduced in Malabar,
where it thrives admirably, and is easily propagated
from seed. The value of its fermented and
kiln-dried leaves is ten shillings per pound in the
London market.
One of the pleasantest and most interesting excursions
from Bombay is that to the old cave-temple of
Karlee, situated some four miles beyond Lanowlee, a
railway station half way to Poonah. The guide book
recommends starting by the midday mail train, and on
passing Khandalla to drop a civil note for the station
master, asking him to send up ponies to Lanowlee by
five o’clock next morning, and no doubt this is
the best way of getting on without losing much
time.
The ascent of the Bhore ghaut is necessarily slow ;
it consists of a succession of steep hills mostly covered
with splendid forests and intersected by deep gorges
filled with thick junge—a very hot-bed of tigers. We
dined and passed the night at the station, and early
next morning, our horses having duly arrived, we rode
three miles along the Poonah road, and about a mile
across country to Karlee hill, through very beautiful
wild scenery.
The entrance to the temple, likewise cut into the
rock, although very inferior to that of Elephanta, has
a circular arch, and is roughly sculptured, representing
the usual Hindu deities; to the right are two small
chambers kept perfectly dark, excepting an illuminated
coarse mask at the furthest end with red cheeks and
protruding tongue, sufficiently grotesque and frightful
to send children away howling. The central hall,
however, has retained much of its original character;
for this, like so many others of the innumerable cave
temples of India—about a thousand have been dis7
covered, of which nine-tenths in the Bombay presidency,
75 per cent, of the whole constructed by
Buddhists, 20 per cent, by the Brahmans, and 5 per cent.