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Three miles from the smoke and dust of Kumbh Nagari, the upscale tents offer a rare commodity at the festival — quiet.

A few paces beyond lay a small book; it was the sacred book of the Faringis printed in Nagari, and on the first leaf, which was held down by a stone, was writing in English.

The usual character employed for writing Bihari is that known as Kaithī, a cursive form of the well-known Nagari character of Upper India.

I grant it is a little dangerous, but not so bad as walking along a shelf in the Nagari pass, with a Belooch behind every stone, taking aim at one with his long matchlock.”

They are written in the Nagari alphabet and record various pious foundations.