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A CULTURAL STUDY OF THE NISITHA CURNI
jars on the four corners of a wooden frame. The tumba boat was made by filling up a net (jala) with a number of dry gourds ( alabu ).2 Udupa was a type of small boat; it was also know as kotthimba. In the paņņi type of boat two baskets of the paņņi leaves were tied together for the purpose of crossing the river ( samtarana ).* Besides, some other primitive devices like a plank (phalaga )', an earthen jar ( kumbha ) 6 and the leather bag filled with air ( dịti or dati)? were also resorted to for the same purposes.
On the basis of the description of ships available in the Jaina text Añgavijja, four varieties of ships are believed to have existed in ancient India. Of these nāva and pota were the largest ships, the koțțhimba, samghada, plava and tappaka were a little smaller; the kattha and vela were next in size, while the tumba, kumbha and dati were the ships of the smallest size.' Out of these different types of ships, the ņāva, pota, kotthimba, tumba, kumbha and dati, as noted above, have been mentioned in the NC. Besides, the NC. also refers to other types of boats like udupa, ghațaņāva and panni. It is doubtful if the kumbha and dati were actually the different types of ships or simply the 1. अहवा चउकटिठ काउं कोणे कोणे घडओ बज्झति, तत्थ अवलंबिउं आरुभिउं वा संतरणं
FiF -NG. 1, p. 70. 2. तुबे त्ति मच्छियजालसरिसं जालं काऊग अलाबुगाण भरिज्जति, तमि आरूढेहिं संतरणं
al-Ibid. 3. 357) Tilltal-NC. 3, p. 364; gì fa qilfitat-NC. 1, p. 70. The word
Kothimba or Koinba occurring in the various Jaina texts has been identified with Cotymta of the Periplus which was a variety of Indian ships sailing near the sca-coast of Bhrgukaccha to help the foreign ships which reached near the port.-Sce, Agrawala's introduc
tion to Motichandra's Sārthavāha, p. 10. 4. पण्णि त्ति पण्णिमया महंता भारगा बज्झंति, ते जमला बंधेउ ते य अवलंबिउं संतरणं
isfa–NC. 1, p. 70; also NC. 3, p. 364. 5. NC. 3, p. 269. 6. NO. 1, pp. 70, 72; NC. 3, p. 364. 7. aos forargruit laat, au ar Facuj-NC. 1, p. 70. 8. Agrawala's introduction to Sarth avāna, p. 10. 9. Ibid.
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