The castle is covered with iron nails, but this is not the most eye-catching part of the entire gate, the most impressive thing is the handprint engraved on the wall on the left side of the gate, there are 31 handprints here. www.biquge.infoExcept for a lonely one printed in the first row, the others are neatly arranged in five rows, but there is not much difference in size and shape, the hands are very petite, all right-handed, and the red edges seem to be dripping blood.

At this time, Ah Misha suddenly asked Shakru in a foolish manner: "Brother Shaklu, do you say that the legends of these handprints are true?" ”

There is a legend about these mudras, and it is said that at the grand funeral of the lord of Jodhapur, a total of 31 princesses were sacrificed alive in the fire.

Regarding burial, those former ancient civilizations are no strangers. In Egypt, mummies in the pyramids accompanied lonely pharaohs to sleep day and night. In China, the terracotta warriors and horses in the burial pits have been guarding the lonely Yingzheng for generations to spend the night. However, whether it is a mummy or a terracotta army, they are all involuntarily. And only in India are the women who have been martyred willingly use their bodies to override their husbands' souls.

Therefore, Shakru nodded and said, "This should be true, after all, the system was like that at that time." ”

"Then are these thirty-one princesses really willing to go to the vassal king's funeral?"

On this point, Shakru really once heard an expert explain, what is the force that makes these women so willing, so pious, so brave? The first is the power of edification. Indian women have been instilled with the concept of three obedience and four virtues since childhood, with daughters following their fathers and wives following their husbands. On the day of the wedding, the husband will draw a red dot on his wife's forehead. The popular saying is that you are my person from now on. The religious significance is that from this day on, the husband is transformed from an ordinary man into the only god of the wife, and the wife is transformed from an independent woman into a part of the husband's body. According to this religious logic, once the husband dies, his only believer on earth, the wife, should follow him to the kingdom of heaven, continue to obey him, take care of him, maintain him, and continue to fulfill the duties of a wife. The so-called life is like death, and death is like existence.

The second is the fear of living in widowhood in the future. There are always widows who don't have the courage to die or run away. From then on, they became the lowest women, doing the heaviest work, and eating the worst food. They are still unclean women, spurned by all. They could not remarry, they could not retouch their makeup, and they lived a life of asceticism and abstinence for the rest of their lives. Rather than stealing a life, it is better to die honorably when you can most enjoy the sympathy and respect of the world.

Finally, there is the instigation of the priests. What a glory it was, and the priest painted for her in an exaggerated tone the magnificence of the world after death. You will be one with the fire, one with your man, one with God. You will see miracles, you will ascend to Heaven, and you will have eternal life!

Those blood-red handprints were the last remnants of the concubines before they died. At that time, they had already put on the most gorgeous sari and the most dazzling jewelry, and they regarded the funeral as a wedding, which star didn't want a perfect curtain call for a farewell performance? The onlookers jumped, shouted, excited, and shouted! Sing for their loyalty, rejoice in their bravery. This made them walk to the crematorium not only willingly, but also calmly. The beauty of another world has constructed a grand blueprint in their hearts. Let's go, sisters. One meter away, there is heaven.

After listening to Shaklu's explanation, Ah Misha's expression became even more dull, and she said sneeringly: "Then won't they hurt when they are burned by fire?" ”

"When they set themselves on fire, do they feel a burning pain?" Shakru muttered a repeat, then said, "From the point of view of physics, biology or medicine, it should be." But from a religious point of view, I'm afraid not, the power of religion will only make them feel a burst of fanaticism, not the body, but the mind, and the firmness formed by faith in that moment is enough to make them pass through the iron wall of the sword mountain and the sea of fire. After an instant, there is no more consciousness, no more body, no more man, no more God. Everything disappeared with the burning firewood, with a long wind. ”

Seeing Shaklu's heavy expression, Ah Misha comforted: "Fortunately, such a miserable thing will not happen in India now." ”

Shakru did not answer this sentence, because he knew that to this day, in some remote parts of India, this kind of thing still happens repeatedly. When human history has entered the 21st century, when mummies and terracotta warriors and horses are only displayed in museums, when the cruelty of the pharaohs and the tyranny of the government are only small notes on the cards next to them, in today's India, there are still people who are willing to use flesh and blood to make the most modern explanations of the words of the slave society. What makes people shudder more than cruelty and violence turns out to be ignorance.

But there is obviously no need to say these things to Amisa, anyway, she can't touch these things at the bottom, so why spoil her mood, so Shakru hugged her waist and said, "Okay, let's not think about these past things, let's go to the castle to have a look." ”

When you enter the city gate, you will see the main body of the castle. Merangar Fort is distinguished by the fact that it is one of the most comprehensive and complex of the many ancient forts in India.

First of all, it consists of many annexes, such as the Motimahal Palace, the Sheeshmahal Palace, and the Daulatkhana Pavilion. The palaces themselves are exquisite works of art, with ceilings, doors, windows, and walls, all of which are colorful and varied.

Secondly, since the castle was built entirely on the mountain, although the exterior is unified, the interior palaces are located in different planes, connected by a cloister staircase. This architectural model of outer circle and inner square is still worthy of investigation and study by people in the architectural field

Several special exhibition rooms. The Sedan Chair Museum has a collection of authentic sedan chairs that the vassal kings rode when they left the palace. The most distinctive is the elephant sedan chair, which is placed on the back of the elephant when riding, and two people can sit before and after. The sedan body is decorated with a lion pattern, I don't know if it is because the lion can overcome the elephant, or the vassal king compares himself to the king of the jungle and the king of troubled times.

The Royal Gallery, which exhibits ancient Indian paintings. Most of them were written by court painters, and the content was mainly about royal life, such as horse racing, archery, ball games, night banquets, etc. The painting method is similar to the ancient Chinese Gongbi painting, with slender and neat brushstrokes. The pigments are extracted from natural plants or rocks and retain their brightness for hundreds of years.

Council Hall. Above the far corner of the hall you can see a chain of five built-in platforms. When the vassal kings received foreign envoys or discussed state affairs with their courtiers, the concubines could watch and listen from these distant platforms. After the meeting, he will discuss family affairs, state affairs, and world affairs with the vassal king. This is similar to China's curtain listening to politics.

At the top of the castle is a casemate, and dozens of cannon cannons guard this blue city with centuries of undulating history. Looking out at the city from here, you will find that the Blue City is much more worthy of its name than the Pink City. The blue world is even a little dazzling in the afternoon sun. (To be continued.) )