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WALTER GAY (1856– )

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Originally appearing in Volume V11, Page 542 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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WALTER GAY (1856– )  ,
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American artist, was born at
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Hingham, Massachusetts, on the 22nd of
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January 1856 . In 1876 he became a pupil of Leon
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Bonnat in Paris . He received an honourable mention in the
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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
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Secession, Munich .
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Works by him are in the Luxembourg, the Tate Gallery (
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London), and the Boston and Metropolitan (New York) Museums of
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Art . His compositions are mainly figure subjects portraying French peasant
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life . GAYA; a city and
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district of
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British India, in the
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Patna division of Bengal . The city is situated 85 m . S. of Patna by
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rail . Pop . (1901) 71,288 . It consists of two distinct parts, adjoining each other; the
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part containing the residences of the priests is Gaya proper; and the other, which is the business quarter, is called Sahibganj .

The

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civil offices and residences of the
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European inhabitants are situated here . Gaya derives its sanctity from incidents in the life of
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Buddha . But a
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local legend also exists concerning a pagan monster of
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great sanctity, named Gaya, who by long penance had become
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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
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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
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lay should be delivered from the terrors of the
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Hindu place of torment . This may possibly be a Brahmanic rendering of Buddha's life and
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work . There are
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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
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Calcutta by Mr A .
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Money . The city contains a government high school and an hospital, with a Lady
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Elgin branch for
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women . The DISTRICT OF GAYA comprises an
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area of 4712 sq. m . Generally speaking, it consists of a level plain, with a ridge of prettily wooded hills along the
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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
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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
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principal
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river is the Son, which marks the boundary between Gaya and
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Shahabad, navigable by small boats throughout the
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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
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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
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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

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interest is a temple of great antiquity, which crowns the highest
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peak of the Barabar hills, and at which a religious
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fair is held each September, attended by ro,000 to 20,0000 pilgrims . At the
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foot of the hill are numerous rock caves excavated about 200 B.C . The opium
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poppy is largely cultivated . There are a number of
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lac factories . Manufactures consist of
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common brass utensils, black stone ornaments, pottery, tussur-
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silk and cotton
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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,
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sugar, blankets, brass utensils, &c . The imports are salt, piece goods, cotton,
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timber, bamboos,
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tobacco, lac, iron, spices and fruits . The district is traversed by four branches of the East
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Indian railway . In lgor it suffered severely from the plague . See District Gazetteer (1906);
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Sir A .

Cunningham, Mahabodhi (1892) .

End of Article: WALTER GAY (1856– )
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