Indian Antiquary Vol 11

SR No.: 032503
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Jas Burgess
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1984
Total Pages: 396
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 19 MB

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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
investigations. The introduction, which is still the most valuable part of the work, contains an outline of all that was known at the time it was written (in 1828) of the history of the dynasties of Southern India; but that was before Prinsep had started the Bengal Asiatic Society's Journal, or the Royal Asiatic Society had begun their Journal, in the fourth volume of which Sir Walter Elliot published his paper on South Indian Inscriptions-a paper which laid the basis of Chalukyan chronology and indicated how rich a field was to be found in the South for historical investigation, a field which has been largely investigated since. The value of Wilson's introduction now lies mainly in indicating what was then known and by comparison what great advances have been made since.
As Wilson himself clearly perceived, the Sanskrit MSS. collected by Mackenzie and described in the Collection were of no special interest with the exception perhaps of the Mahatmyas and Charitras. The vernacular works are of very unequal importance,-some of the local histories and biographies being still deserving of attention. The long appendix of 270 pages in the 2nd volume of the original work, and occupying pp. 393-621 of this reprint, consists chiefly of lists of the local tracts, copies of inscriptions, MSS. translations, plans and drawings, coins, images, antiquities, &c., collected by Mackenzie and deposited at the India Office. Hence it will be seen that the work can be of use only to a very limited number of students; and any reprint of it to be serviceable would require to be carefully edited with numerous references to the multitude of papers bearing on the same subjects that have appeared during the fifty-four years that have elapsed since it was published.
Messrs. Higginbotham of Madras have issued the original work, however, reprinted verbatim, with only the addition of a short notice of Col. Mackenzie's life, "complete in one" (volume). So little care has been taken in editing it that the errata which Dr. Wilson himself indicated have not been all corrected, and some of them miscorrected, e. g., "Agnisward" (p. 129) for Agniswara," Koteswara" (p. 133) for Kotiswara, "Terruvargam" (p. 211) for Teruvichakam, "dandakávali" (p. 257) for dandakávali, and "Dandakaveli" and "Donda kaveli" (p. 504) within two lines, "Mallayendr" (p. 225) for Mallayenar; and such manifest ones as were not noticed in the first edition are still left, such as "Brahmada" (p. 129) for Brahmánda, " Tumra parni" (p. 259) for Támraparni, &c.; and to these have been added, such as arabic" (p. 75) for 'Arabic,'
46
[OCTOBER, 1882.
"Abulfedo Tabula" (p. 622) for Abulfede Tabulæ,' &c.
This reprint might, however, be still serviceable to local officers interested in the history and legendary lore of the districts, by calling their attention to the large number of local tracts connected with the villages and early chiefs and kings that are almost everywhere to be found: Col. Mackenzie's collection included 483 in Telugu alone, arranged in 64 volumes, besides more than a hundred loose translations. These histories' are so generally legendary that little store has been set by them, but the whole have been too much discredited on account of the character of the majority, and while careful search would be rewarded by the discovery of histories and biographies substantially historical, many of the legendary ones would be worth publication for the side lights they throw on the manners, customs, and modes of thought of the people. It is to be regretted that, neither in the original nor the reprint, does the index include references either to the introduction, extending to 91 pages in the reprint, or to the vast mass of these tracts collected by Col. Mackenzie; no addition was more required in a reprint than this, as they are the most interesting parts of the book: in fact the index extends only to 301 pages (92-392), while 320 pages, or fully half the volume, is without any references in the index.
The "List of Drawings" (p. 581) so summarily passed over by Wilson in a single page, was deserving of a more careful analysis. It was from the IXth volume of these that Dr. Fergusson drew so many of the interesting plates that illustrate the second part of his Tree and Serpent Worship, and which has since been analysed in detail by A. W. Franks, Esq. Similar analyses of some of the others might also be useful.
YUSUF and ZULAIKHA, a poem by Jami. Translated
from the Persian into English verse by Ralph T. H. Griffiths. Trübner's Oriental Series, 1882.
The Salámán and Absdl of Jâmî was translated not very long since by Mr. Fitzgerald, and now Mr. Griffiths presents us with a version of about three-fourths of his Yusuf and Zulaikha in good lively English verse. Its only predecessor in English appears to be the Analysis and Specimens of the Joseph and Zulaikha by S. R., published by Williams and Norgate ten years ago, and apparently founded on the version of Rosenzweig (Wien, 1824) in German blank verse.
The author Naru'd-din Abdu'r-Rahman was born at Jâm, a small town of Khurâsân in A. D. 1414, and studied at Herât and Samarkand where he greatly distinguished himself by his abilities.