পাতা:Vanga Sahitya Parichaya Part 1.djvu/৭৭

INTRODUCTION. 69 he had made to a man of the enemy’s camp is a striking and characteristic example of this fidelity. His wife Lakhā’s conduct is equally glorious and reveals the same loyal sentiments (p.443). With all his noble qualities, however, the Dom soldier shares the common flaws and foibles of a soldier's nature. The scene of drunkenness described on page 481 illustrates this remark. A glimpse of the administration of Hastings given in a street, song will be found on p. 1430-1432 and the inroads made into Bengal by Maharattas are described on pp. 1419–1420, 1421-1425. A poet of the 16th century describes how ships were built (p. 220.) Other particulars about the great sea-going vessels are mentioned on p. 230. The rites observed by merchants before undertaking a seavoyage are described on p. 230 and the commodities with which the ships were loaded are enumerated in full detail on p. 243. We find that during the rule of a good king in the Hindu period even the peasants were so rich that their children played with golden balls and a man of ordinary means in those days could keep an elephant in his house for travelling purposes (pp. 29, 96). The opposite picture is also given on pp. 29, 96, when the rigour of bad administration obliged the peasants to sell their babies in order to enable them to pay their rents. It is a very common thing to find in a description of the nobility the statement that they used to sleep on couches of gold and rest their feet on silver foot-stools (p. 52). Golden plates were frequently used in serving food (p. 198). A grand marriage procession described by Bijoy Gupta on p. 205 shows the immense resources of a Bengali merchant of those days. This is also indicated again on pp. 252-253, 1479. The architectural style and other particulars about the construction of temples are described on pp. 308, and 405, and the plan of building a garden house with separate compounds reserved for fruit-trees, flower-plants and medicinal herbs is indicated on p. 212. The architectural peculiarities of the Bengali buildings will be seen again on pp. 203-204 where the building of a steel house is described at some length. It was built in the fashion of a bungalow with curvilineal roofing. This according to Fergusson is the special style of Bengali architecture, which originated in Bengal during the Hindu period and has since been imitated all the world over. The varieties of cotton fabrics with or without stripes are described on pp. 244, 259 and 288. The details of figures woven with golden threads on women's bodices and on fans are described on pp. 271, 387 and 1345. The cotton industry and various classes of Benares silk are described on pp. 15181515. “Megha-dumbar” cloth used for umbrellas and female-dress seems to have been once in high favour (p. 251), and mention is made of various qualities of blankets some of which were manufactured in Bhutan