To Miss Josephine MacLeod
GOPAL LAL VILLA, BENARAS CANTONMENT
7th Feb. 1902.
MY DEAR JOE —
We have safely reached Benaras, and Mr. Okakura [Kakuzo] has already done Benaras. He goes to see Sarnath (the old Buddhistic place) today and starts on his tour tomorrow.
He has asked Niranjan [Swami Niranjanananda] to accompany him and he has consented.
Kanay [Nirbhayananda] has supplied him with everything he asked for — and he asks me also to send you the accounts. This, on the other page.
I hope Nivedita and Mrs. [Ole] Bull have safely arrived. I am rather better than at Buddha Gaya. This house is nice — well furnished and has a good many rooms and parlours. There is a big garden all round and beautiful roses — and gigantic trees. It is rather cooler here than at Gaya. There was no hitch to our friends being admitted into the chief temple and [allowed to] touch the Sign of Shiva and to worship. The Buddhists, it seems, are always admitted.
With all love and welcome to Mrs. Bull and Nivedita — if they have arrived — and all to you,
VIVEKANANDA
[Enclosed in the above letter was the following accounts list.]
4TH FEBRUARY 1902. Rs 100
Rs. As. P.1
Train hire from Gaya to
Benares
20
4
0
Cab
hire
5
0
0
Tel
message
2
0
0
Refreshment Room
(Morning)
1
8
0
Cooly hire
Gaya
0
10
0
Tobacco
etc.
0
5
0
Refreshment Room
(Evening)
2
0
3
Cooly hire (at
Benares)
1
1
0
Cab hire at
Benares
1
10
0
——————————————————
Total 34 6 3
5TH FEBRUARY
Paid to Medicine for Mr. K.
Okakura
1
8
0
" [Ditto] Oatmeal & corn —
flour
1
4
0
"
Tobacco
etc.
0
6
3
"
Bread
etc.
0
2
0
Paid to
Barber
0
3
0
"
Fish
0
7
6
—————————————————
Total 3 14 9
—————————————————
6TH FEBRUARY 1902
Pickles
1
0
0
Sweetmeats
0
9
0
Carriage
hire
1
8
0
Priests of Vishvanath
etc.
10
4
0
————————————————
Total 13 5 0
————————————————
Things purchased for store at
Gopal Lal Villa before Swamiji's
arrival
17
11
9
————————————————
Total 69 5 9
Paid to Expenses from Calcutta to Buddh—
Gaya
30
10
3
————————————————
Rs. 100 0 0
(“P.” stands for pie-s, twelve of them making one Anna (As.) and sixteen annas making one rupee (Rs.).)