Mathura: A District Memoir with Numerous Illustrations

' Though the groves of Brinclit in with Krishna disported with the Gopis no longer resound to the echoes of his flute; though the waters of theJamuna are daily polluted with the blood of the sacred kine ; still it is the holy land of the pilgrim the sacred Jordan of his fancy on whose banks he may sit and weep as dicl the banished Israelite of old for the glories of Mathura his Jerusalem.—T [...] I have also given a complete resume of all the results hitherto obtained in archeological research among the relics of an earlier age and have added a sketch of the development of the local style of architecture as it exists at the present day: Besides noting the characteristics of peculiar castes I lAve given an account of the origin and present status of all the principal residents in the dis [...] Its luxuriant crops and fine orchards indicate the fertility of the soil and render ' the landscape not unpleasing to the eye ; but though far the more valuallle part of the district for the purposes of the farmer and the economist it possesses few historical associations to detain the antiquary. [...] In all prbability the territory of Mathura at the time of Elwell Thsang's visit included not only the eastern half of the modern district but also same small part of Agra.and the whole of the Shikohabad and Mustafttibad parganas of Mainpuri ; while the remainder of the present Mainpuri district formed a portion of the kingdom of Sankasya which extended to the borders of Kanauj. [...] The sub-divisions are exceedingly numerous : one of the largest of them all being the Nohwar who derive their name from the town of Nob and form the bulk of the population throughout the whole of the No51111 pargana.