WALTER

See also:

• GAY, JOHN (1685-1732)
• GAY, MARIE FRANCOISE SOPHIE (1776-1852)
• WALTER GAY (1856– )

GAY (1856– )  , American artist, was born at Hingham, Massachusetts, on the 22nd of January 1856 . In 1876 he became a pupil of Leon Bonnat in Paris . He received an honourable mention in the Salon of 1885; a gold medal in 1888, and similar awards at Vienna (1894), Antwerp (1895), Berlin (1896) and Munich (1897) . He became an officer of the Legion of Honour and a member of the Society of Secession, Munich . Works by him are in the Luxembourg, the Tate Gallery (London), and the Boston and Metropolitan (New York) Museums of Art . His compositions are mainly figure subjects portraying French peasant life . GAYA; a city and district of British India, in the Patna division of Bengal . The city is situated 85 m . S. of Patna by rail . Pop . (1901) 71,288 . It consists of two distinct parts, adjoining each other; the part containing the residences of the priests is Gaya proper; and the other, which is the business quarter, is called Sahibganj .

The

civil offices and residences of the European inhabitants are situated here . Gaya derives its sanctity from incidents in the life of Buddha . But a local legend also exists concerning a pagan monster of great sanctity, named Gaya, who by long penance had become holy, so that all who saw or touched him were saved from perdition . Yama, the lord of hell, appealed to the gods, who induced Gaya to lie down in order that his body might be a place of sacrifice; and once down, Yama placed a large stone on him to keep him there . The tricked demon struggled violently, and, in order to pacify him, Vishnu promised that the gods should take up their permanent residence in him, and that any one who made a pilgrimage to the spot where he lay should be delivered from the terrors of the Hindu place of torment . This may possibly be a Brahmanic rendering of Buddha's life and work . There are forty-five sacred spots (of which the temple of Vishnupada is the chief) in and around the city, and these are visited by thousands of pilgrims annually . During the Mutiny the large store of treasure here was conveyed safely to Calcutta by Mr A . Money . The city contains a government high school and an hospital, with a Lady Elgin branch for women . The DISTRICT OF GAYA comprises an area of 4712 sq. m . Generally speaking, it consists of a level plain, with a ridge of prettily wooded hills along the southern boundary, whence the country falls with a gentle slope towards the Ganges .

Rocky hills occasionally occur, either detached or in

groups, the loftiest being-Maher hill about 12 M . S.E. of Gaya city, with an elevation of 162o ft. above sea-level . The eastern part of the district is highly cultivated; the portions to the north and west are less fertile; while in the south the country is thinly peopled and consists of hills, the jungles on which are full of wild animals . The principal river is the Son, which marks the boundary between Gaya and Shahabad, navigable by small boats throughout the year, and by craft of 2o-tons burden in the rainy season . Other rivers are the Punpun, Phalgu and Jamuna . Two branches of the Son canal system, the eastern main canal and the Patna canal, intersect the district . In 1901 the population was 2,059,933, showing a decrease of 3 % in the decade . Among the higher castes there is an unusually large proportion of Brahmans, a circumstance due to the number of sacred places which the district contains . The Gayawals, or priests in charge of the holy places, are held in high esteem by the pilgrims ; but they are not pure Brahmans, and are looked down upon by those who are . They live an idle and dissolute life, but are very wealthy, from contributions extorted from the pilgrims . Buddh Gaya, about 6 m . S. of Gaya city, is one of the holiest sites of Buddhism, as containing the tree under which Sakyamuni attained enlightenment .

In addition to many ruins and sculptures, there is a temple restored by the government in 1881 . Another place of religious

interest is a temple of great antiquity, which crowns the highest peak of the Barabar hills, and at which a religious fair is held each September, attended by ro,000 to 20,0000 pilgrims . At the foot of the hill are numerous rock caves excavated about 200 B.C . The opium poppy is largely cultivated . There are a number of lac factories . Manufactures consist of common brass utensils, black stone ornaments, pottery, tussur-silk and cotton cloth . Formerly paper-making was an important manufacture in the district, but it has entirely died out . The chief exports are food grains, oil seeds, indigo, crude opium (sent to Patna for manufacture), saltpetre, sugar, blankets, brass utensils, &c . The imports are salt, piece goods, cotton, timber, bamboos, tobacco, lac, iron, spices and fruits . The district is traversed by four branches of the East Indian railway . In lgor it suffered severely from the plague . See District Gazetteer (1906); Sir A .

Cunningham, Mahabodhi (1892) .