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

The See also:

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

Rocky hills occasionally occur, either detached or in See also:

groups, the loftiest being-Maher See also:hill about 12 M . S.E. of Gaya city, with an See also:elevation of 162o ft. above See also:sea-level . The eastern part of the district is highly cultivated; the portions to the See also:north and See also:west are less fertile; while in the See also:south the country is thinly peopled and consists of hills, the jungles on which are full of See also:wild animals . The See also:principal See also:river is the Son, which marks the boundary between Gaya and See also:Shahabad, navigable by small boats throughout the See also:year, and by See also:craft of 2o-tons See also:burden in the See also:rainy See also:season . Other See also:rivers are the Punpun, Phalgu and Jamuna . Two branches of the Son See also:canal See also:system, the eastern See also:main canal and the Patna canal, intersect the district . In 1901 the See also:population was 2,059,933, showing a decrease of 3 % in the See also: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 See also: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 See also:Buddhism, as containing the See also: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 See also:

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

See also:

Cunningham, Mahabodhi (1892) .

End of Article: WALTER GAY (1856– )
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