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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[JUNE, 1873.
Inscriptions and Sásanams.
of considerable elevation. The summit of this The numerous inscriptions at Hampi have all, at hill or mount is rounded, and the surface partially one time or another, been deciphered. A list of covered with scanty patches of dry grass, from them, with translations, will be found in Vol. XX.
which crop out masses of tufaceous scoriæ. The of the Asiatic Researches, appended to an essay by hills around are composed of a ferruginous sand. Mr. Ravenshaw, B.C.S. ... There are several stone in which minute scales of mica are found long inscriptions in the Hali-Kanarese character disseminated, but this mound is evidently com. at Kurgôdu, in the Belári Táluqa, but they are so posed of very different materials, and when struck worn with age as to be in many places illegible. it emits a hollow cavernous sound. Some have An inscription on the wall at Kenchengodu, in thought it of volcanic origin, but Captain Newthe same tAluqa, is not of much interest, for it bold thought it more likely to be the remains of only gives the names of the village officers at the an ancient furnace. The local tradition is that time the pagoda in that village was built. There this mound is composed of the ashes of an enoris another long inscription on a stone lying on mous Rakshaga or giant, whose funeral pile this the tank-band at Ohikka Tumbul, which has never was. The giant's name was Edimbassurali, and been deciphered. In such places as Belári, Guti, he was living here, when the five sons of king Raidlarg, Harpanhalli, and Pennakonda, where Pandu visited the country. The giant's sister inscriptions might have been expected, none are fell in love with one of them, named Bhimnow to be found. There has indeed once been an sena, and instigated him to kill her brother, inscription on one of the rocks at Guti, but it is who was opposed to the alliance. Another almost obliterated, and hardly two consecutive account is that a great battle acccompanied by letters can be made out. Diligent search would fearful loss of life was fought here. After the doubtless result in the discovery of other inscrip- conflict the wounded and the dead were gathered tions or dedications, the existence of which is together and placed so as to form an enormous unsuspected or unknown beyond the limits of the funeral pile, which was then fired. These ashes, or village where they are.
whatever they are, effervesce when treated with In connection with the subject of this chapter, dilute sulphuric acid, and thus show traces of mention must be made of a peculiar hill about eigh- carbonate of lime. Colonel Lawford thought the teen miles from Belári. Captain Newbold was ashes were such as were found at funeral piles, the first to call public attention to it, and his and very dissimilar to those formed in lime-kilns. account will be found at page 134 of No. 18 of the Dr. Benza thought it was limestone slab, but Journal of the Madras Literary Society.
certainly not pamice-stone, or in any way of volcanic About three miles beyond Kodutanni, and close origin. "The stone is white and osseous-looking, to the Antapar pass, on the right of the road, there and internally porous and reticulated." There are is a small hill about fifteen feet high and four two smaller mounds at the foot of the Copper hundred in circumference, and surrounded by hills | Mountain
MISCELLANEA.
NOTES ON EARLY-PRINTED TAMIL BOOKS. Some little time ago when reading Fra Paolino year 1679, at Ambalacate, on the coast of Malabar, Bartolomeo's Voyage to the East Indies the fol. From that period tie Danish missionaries at lowing passage attracted my notice, as indicating Tranquebar have printed many works, a catalogue a circumstance in the history of printing in this of which may be found in Alberti Fabricii Salutacountry which, as far as I was aware, was un ris Lu Evangeli, p. 395." known :
That the books mentioned as having been print. "The art of printing, in all probability, never ed at Ambalacatta, in the Cochin territory, in the existed in India. # # # The first book printed Tamil character, had a circulation in their time in in this country was the Doctrina Christiana of the Tamil country, seems evident from the follow. Giovanni Gonsalvez, a lay brother of the order of ing extract from Sartoriu' Diary for 1732, with the Jesuits, who, as far as I know, first cast Tamu. which I fell in also in the course of reading. On lic characters, in the year 1577. After this ap- & visit that this Danish missionary paid, in compeared in 1578 a book entitled Flos Sanctorum, pany with others from Tranquebar, to Paleiacatta which was followed by the Tamulic Dictionary [Pulicat, 23 miles N. of Madras), in February of of Father Antonio de Proenza, printed in the that year, he states: "The Malabar Catechist * pp. 295, 296.
Conf. Ind. Antiq. vol. II. p. 98.
