V. THE SACRED CITY
Few places on earth can boast of a more picturesque appearance or a prouder history than the holy city of Mathura on the Jumna. Reckoned as an ancient seat of religion and learning even in the fifth and seventh centuries, when pious Chinese travellers came to visit the shrines and monasteries of India, Mathura has retained its hold on the piety of the people ever since. And the cult of Krishna, with its many legends and rich poetry, has attracted pilgrims from the remotest Provinces of India to this far-famed town, where Krishna is said to have been born.
For among the many cults which have grown and flourished side by side within the all-embracing Hindu faith, none is more popular than that of Krishna or Vishnu. Siva inspired the sublime poetry of Kalidasa and Bharavi in the ancient times, and claimed worship in the mediæval temples of India from Kashmir to Orissa which are imposing even in their ruins. Siva is still the presiding deity at Benares and Dwarka, and has followers among many sects, and generally among the higher castes. But the faith of Krishna has a greater attraction for the multitude, and has spread with increasing rapidity among the masses in every part of India during the last thousand years.
The student of human religions traces this duality of faith through the entire course of Indian history, and perhaps also in the history of other nations and
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