19. Description of Bathing and Cooling

(6) LUXURIES—(1) BATHING—389 390 Although bathing has been a common daily routine in India, it was a normal luxury with an elaborate procedure in the case of royalty and wealthy people. Thus, the bath- -taking process of Prince Harivahana took a long time and it was performed by special maids entrusted with the task. Special arrangements were being made for fetching best, purest and holiest water possible from the distant famous lakes like Manasa and others, and it was then scented with 391 camphor and other fragrant substances. Not only that, 387. Tilakamanjari,p.363 (211.) dvidamad1ka malinitesu margajaladesu vidyuta ivadyotanta kamdanika kanakavaijayantyah -- 1 388. ibad.,p.419 (211) aropitakana paryana maru hya sam tejasturag ibid.,p.419(2ff.) -:; 370 ( 12 ) -- aropita nurupa ratnaparyana- garuda ke sari kuran ाvi ka avarhina pramukha karadharibhirvidha balakrtaih ratnam bahanavisesaih--- 1 389. ibid.,p.117(2ff.) -- abharana paryana kahi vrsopa skara samaicana - 390. ibid., p.369(23) majjanabalikabhih www.-- -- 1 samahata samagra snana managalopakaranabhih ----- snatva suciram -- 1 391; 1b 1d.,p.373(488.) purusa vasantike, vasaya-karpuravasaimanisa jalabhrta nambhah kumbhan - 1 /

573 the whole swimming-pool was being filled with scented 392 water. (ii) COOLING DEVICES :The climate of India being generally hot for the major part of the year, it was but natural that the people of these days had also invented ways and means of lessening the effect of heat on human body during the hot weather. Again, the cultural progress of those times also presupposed the evolution of such facilities as a part of their luxurious living. The principal expedients for keeping cool were 393; (i) Creeper bowers; (ii) Sport-hillocks; (iii) River banks; (iv) Yantra-dharagrha; (v) Candana-carca-vidhi; (vi) Puspa- -sayana; (vii) Moist fans; (viii) Keeping the doors and windows open; and (ix) Applying mirrors of moonstone to h palms and feet. Creeper bowers and the river banks were the common places were people used to retire in order to get relief from the scorching heat of the midday Sun. Sporthillocks and Yantra-dhara-grha were the luxuries available to the members of the royalty only. As has been referred to above, Yantra-dhara-grha was a room cooled with jets of 392. Tilakamanjari,p.373(5ff.) dvarika sthana puskarinim-- 1 praya sukhosana suraksina gandhasalilena bhartr- 393. ibid., p.180(14ff.); 69(7); 229(19); 311(10).

574 water incessantly flowing on all its sides. Such shower- -houses were generally situated in the gardens on the bank of the river outside the city. Members of the royalty, and perhaps well-to- do people too, applied a fine layer of sandal paste all over the body and at times lied down on specially prepared beds of a variety of moist lotuses like Kamala, Kumuda and Kuvalaya. The effects of the common fans prepared from the palm-leaves was enhanced by sprinkling. water on them for obtaining cool breeze. For full ventilation doors and windows were kept wide open. One peculiar device employed by royal personages for keeping themselves cool seems to be the smoothinly cool touch of moonstone mirrors applied to the palm and feet.