Indian Antiquary Vol 51

SR No.: 032543
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1985
Total Pages: 374
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 15 MB

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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
known data on Javanese culture, reviews of resear ches on that subject published in other journals and in books, and efforts to add to the knowledge of it.
The first number, January-April, 1921, has appeared, published for the Java Institute by G. Kolff and Co., Weltevreden. It is admirably illustrated and contains articles of much interest. The first deals with a stone figure of great antiquity found in South Sumatra, the date and origin of which the author, L. C. Westenenk, endeavours to fix with the aid of legend and history. He includes in his article an account and a reproduction of an ⚫ inscription found in Palembang. Other original articles are concerned with the customs of the Sundanese, the drama of Java and the form of theatre best suited to its representation, various Javanese legends, the language of the school children, new lines of development for Javanese art, the songs and games of Sundanese children, and secret language in Javanese. A very full notice is given of Prof. Hazeu's inaugural lecture at Leyden on Javanese literature, ancient and modern. There are bosides short notices of articles in other publications on Javanese subjects and a very full classified list of books and articles on the language, geography and ethnography of Java.
The Institute has also issued a beautifully produced and illustrated programme of the Congress at Bandung, June 17-19 and a catalogue of the exhibition of wood carving held in connection with the Congress. Besides the customary speeches and debates, performances of Javanese music, dancing and drama are included in the programme,
M.J.B. STUDIES IN PARSI HISTORY, by SHAHPURSHAH HORMASJI HODIVALA, Principal, Bahauddin College, Junagadh. Bombay, 1920.
This stout volume of 349 pages contains a series of lectures or papers read before the Society for the Promotion of Zoroastrian Research during the last 10 years by a well-known Professor of - History. It need hardly be said that they are invaluable for their purpose, the "throwing of fresh light on some dark corners of Parsi antiquities, by offering new solutions of old difficulties or unearthing facts that have hitherto escaped discovery."
Professor Hodivala's methods are after my own heart. He goes to the root of things: examines his dates from original sources, both Musalman chronicles and Hindu inscriptions bearing on his subject: studies the colophons of medieval AvestaPahlavi MSS. for the history they may reveal; and finally he addresses himself to the very im. portant subject of the true dates of the Persian Reedysts or Epistles of the 16th and 17th centuries, The historical importance of ascertaining the dates of these documents accurately will become obvious
[DECEMBER, 1922
to the student from the fact that the Revdyels were "the replies and information collected by some special messenger who had been sent, by some of the chief Parsis in India, to obtain the opinions of the Parsis in Persia, regarding certain particulars of religious practice which were duly specified in writing, or to apply for copies of MSS. which were either unknown or scarce in India." A Reviyet, to the modern Parsi must therefore be very like what an Epistle in the New Testament is to the modern European Christian.
The question of transliteration is again becoming acute, owing to the great increase of scholarship among Orientals of various races, pronouncing the classical languages, Semitic, Aryan and Dravidian, in various ways, and to the fact that Orientalists are not even yet agreed on the subject. Practically every modern book that comes my way raises it for me. It troubles every Indian student and professor apparently, and excuses for not adhering to "uniformity" crop up in nearly every Indian scholar's writings. Each European writer goes his own way without making an excuse. This book, too, says: "It has not been possible to observe a strict uniformity in the transliteration of Oriental words and names." Alas, it never is, and yet the importance of uniformity is paramount to the makers and users of indexes, even though the Indian books are still usually lacking in that valuable addition.
Within the limits of a book-notice it is impossible to examine this important book in detail.. Suffice it to say that Professor Hodivala explores his sources thoroughly wherever he finds them-Parsi, Persian, Hindu, Portuguese, English-with 8 fairness and a candour that makes his book one that no student of Parsi History and Chronology will be able to pass by undigested. So careful is he to sift tradition in the matter of chronology that he makes it clear that up to quite recent times the Parsi Dastur propounded the dates of the main facts of the history of his religion with the same confidence and the same amount of accuracy as did the Anglican Bishop of the present writer's boyhood. It is more than interesting to find that the traditional date of 716 A.D. for the landing of the first Parsi refugees from Muslim tyranny at Sanjân (the St. John of Lord and other early English writers in India) and of 1475 A.D. for the bringing of the holy fire to the Parsi temple at Navsari are on a par with the 4004 B.c. for the date of Adam in the annotated Bible still in my possession from the time when I was a small boy, and won "the Bible Prize," because I could remember such dates better than the other little boys in a typically Mid-Victorian School.
R. C. TEMPLE.