Indian Antiquary Vol 04

SR No.: 032496
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Jas Burgess
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1984
Total Pages: 410
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 18 MB

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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[OCTOBER, 1875.
a collection of marks, copied in Plate II. phabet. On European as well as on Asiatic 9, obtained by Mr. G. J. Chester at Tartûs buildings may be found Hindu caste-marks, (Tortosa) and Jebeil, in the north of Syria, Rosicrucian, Astrological, and Cabalistic signs, near Aradus, now Ruad, the Biblical and characters occurring in the Etruscan, Arvad, and communicated by him to the Com- Lycian, Old Slavic, African, Gnostic, Palmymittee of the Palestine Exploration Fund. At rene, and Cufic alphabets, as well as the proTartûs there is a castle, an immense structure gressional varieties of the Indian Alphabets. of massive drafted masonry of crusading date, The V, N, W, and A forms are of all countries incorporating probably still earlier constructions and ages. Indeed, not the least curious point and masonry: the stones exhibit many Masons' in this subject is the fact that nearly all the Marks. There is also a cathedral, described as Runic letters are found figuring far and wido a noble edifice, extraordinarily perfect, fit to be as Masons' Marks,-a circumstance not to be used at any moment for Christian worship, con- lost sight of by those who affirm that Odin, sisting of four bays, the east end with three "the inventor of the Runes," and his Aesir, apses, each square outside ; the roof of vaulted were a people from the East. Amongst our stone; the west front has a pointed doorway present instances from Persia the not uncommon with a large threefold window above it of ex- marks is the Runic S; this character also occurs quisite proportion, and there are elegant lancet in the Asoka and Western Cave Inscriptions, windows at the sides. The marks come chiefly in which it has the power of d; it is also found from these buildings. Mr. Chester considers in the Arianian Alphabet, as given by the late them to bo Christian and European, such as Prof. Wilson in his Ariana Antiqua, where it were used in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, represents ", and finally in the Himyaritic Inthough some are of all dates and countries. scriptions of Southern Arabia it is n :astroA few marks (10, 13) from the Holy Land are nomically it denotes Saturn. added from Mr. Godwin's collection, and some In connection with this subject the alphabets from ruins in Lycin (No. 15); also a line of Roman and inscriptions given in vol. I. of Prinsep's marks from Pompeii (No. 14), and examples Essays on Indian Antiquities; Prof. H. H. from Hadrian's wall (17) of the second century Wilson's paper on Rock Inscriptions of Kapurdi and Roman altars found in England (No. 16). Giri, Dhauli, and Girnår, in the Journal of the
Still further to illustrate the subject and Royal Asiatic Society, vol. XII., and the Arianian to assist comparison, several sets of marks Alphabet above mentioned; the progressional (Nos. 18-27) from medieval buildings all Alphabet in Hope's Inscriptions in Dhammar over Europe are selected from Mr. Godwin's and Mysore, and Plate 2 of Hindu Symbols collection published in The Builder of March
and Caste-marks in Moor's Hindu Pantheon 27, 1869 (vol. XXVII. pp. 245-246). The re- may be referred to: as also Mr. Burnell's markable identity of marks used in widely
Elements of South Indian Palæography. The separated countries and ages cannot fail to strike length of Masons' Marks, it may be mentioned, attention. Some are as universal as the svas
ranges from 1 in. to 5 in. or 6 in.; the majority, tika, and as full of mystical and typical mean. however, are from 2 in. to 3 in. long. When ings.* Such is the hour-glass form and the I became alive to the subject, I had no opporinvolved triangles, which when a pentacle are tunity of examining the great temples of an emblem of Siva and Brahmâ, and the famous Southern India, but only the remains of Jaina " Solomon's Seal," as well as a Masonic symbol; architecture occurring in Kanara. On those trident-shaped signs in the Indian and Persian I could find no mark, though it is far from marks, like the Greek , which are identical impossible they may exist. Search on buildings with the Vaishnava sect-mark, passes into the all over India, † as well as in Afghanistan and Government broad arrow mark, and (reversed) adjacent countries, would doubtless discover is a Gish character; and the T in the Runic al- multitudes, which it would be interesting to
• In a chamber of the Great Pyramid is cut the ball surmounted by a cross, the same as the coronation ball and that on the top of St. Paul's Cathedral : reversed it is the astronomical sign of Venus. Though now an eminently Christian symbol, it bore a widely different signification in
the preceding ages.
For a collection of Masons' Marks from the T j see the Freemasons' Quarterly Review, vol. XII. (1846) P. 319 and for other notice. ib. n. 441 ff. and wil. XII. (1846) p. 410-ED.