‘The travels of Sig. Pietro della Valle, a noble Roman, into East-India and Arabia Deserta. In which, the several countries, together with the customs, manners, traffique, and rites both religious and civil, of those Oriental princes and nations, are faithfully described: In familiar letters to his friend Signior Mario Schipano. Whereunto is added a relation of Sir Thomas Roe’s voyage into the East-Indies’ [‎174] (195/508)

I he Irdvcls of Peter LJclls. V^l.e^
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tude ofthe,Sun 5 whom I found to decline from the Zenith 35
degrees and 20 minutes. He was now in the 18 degree of Sagit-
tar}) and declin d towards the South 22 degrees 55'. 2 which,
detracted from the 35 degrees 20 / . wherein I found him, there
remain 12 degrees 24'. 93 // . and fo far is Manga lor diftant from
J?q U inoftial towards the North, and hath the Northern Pole
fo much elevated. ' At this time the heat at Mangalor is fuch as
7
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Hi
'■■'t
11.
it is at Roff/e in the moneth of Jnues or the end oiAuguji,
December the eleventh, I went in the Morning about half a
^ League from MangaUr to fee the Hermitage^ where lives and
' e - reigns the Archimandrita of the Indian whom the Por-
^ tugals (ufually liberal of the Royal Title J ftyle King of the
i & Gioghi) perhaps becaufe the Indians tearm him (b in their Lan-
g ua g e 5 al, ^ in effed he is Lord of a little circuit of Land, where-
in, befides the Hermitage and the habitations of the Gioghi are
fome few Houfes of the Country people, and a few very fmall
^/// ^ ' Aj Villages fubjeft to his Government.The Hermitage (lands on the
J fide of a Hill, in this manner. ^ % J
On the edge of the Plain, where the afcent of the Hill be
gins, is a great Ciftern or Lake, from which afcending a pair
of ftairs, with the face turn'd towards the North, you enter
into a Gate, which hath a cover'd Porch, and is the firft of the
whole inclofure, which is furrounded with a wall and a ditch
like a Fort. Being enter'd "the faid Gate, and going ftrait for
ward through a handfbme broad Walk, beftt on either fide with
fundry fruit-trees, you come to another Gate, where there are
ftairs and a Porch higher then the former. This opens into a
fquare Piazza or great Court, in the middle whereof ftands a
Temple of indifferent greatnefs, and for Architecture like the
other Temples of the Indian-Gentiles ^ onely the Front looks to
wards the Eaft, where the Hill rifeth higher, and the South fide
of the Temple ftands towards that Gate which leads into the
Court. Behind the T emple, on the (ide of the Court, b a kind
of Shed or Pent-houfe with a Charriot in it, which ferves to
carry the Idol in Proceffion upon certain Feftivals. Alfo in two
or three other places of the fide of the Court, there are little
fquare Chappels for other Idols. On the North fide of the
Courtis another Gate oppofiteto the former, by which going
out and afcending fome few fteps, you fee a great Ciftern or
Lake of a long form, built about with black ftone, and ftairs
leading down to the furface of the water 5 in one place next the
wall 'tis divided into many little Cifterns, and it ferves for the
Minifters of the Temple to v afh themfelves in, and to perform
their Ceremonies. The Gate of the Temple, as I faid, looks
Eaftward, where the Hill begins to rife very high and fteep.
From the Front of the Temple to the top of the Hill, are long
and broad ftairs of the fame black ftone which lead up to it, and
there the place is afterwards plain. Where the ftairs begin,
ftands a high, ftrait, and round brazen Pillar, ty'd about in fe-
veral