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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[SEPTEMBER, 1874.
ON THE BOUNDARIES OF THE MARATHI LANGUAGE.
BY W. F. SINCLAIR, BO. C.S. The Reverend Dr. Wilson, in the Bombay may not be." Marathi is spoken on the Narmada Administration Report for 1872-3 (Ind. Ant. in Holkar's Nimar, viz. by certain Kunabis vol. III. p. 222), gives the Narmada (Ner- descended from a colony established in the budda) river as the northern limit of the Peshwai (vide Forsyth's Report upon the SettleMarathi language. With all due respect to the ment of Nimar, head “Castes," article "Thedoctor, who is perhaps our first living authority role"). Bat the Bhills of the Western Satpudas upon the subject, I think the Tapti, or at speak among themselves a dialect of Gujarati, most the Satpuļå Range, would have been more and those further eastward one approaching to accurate. The only parts of this Presidency Nemadi. Most of them know a little Hindu. which touch the Narmadà are included in the stäni or Marathi, and employ it in speaking undisputed Gujarât below the ghâts, the Rewa to Europeans or men from the plains; but their Kantha states, and the collectorate of Khandesh. own gibberish is unintelligible to both, whenever In the two former I suppose there is no question they please to make it so. The Gujarati Kuthat Gujarati is the vernacular. In the only nabis, who hold nearly all the cultivated land part of Khandesh which lies on the Narmada, in the trans-Tapti portion of Khandesh, still viz. the Akrånî Pargana, the inhabitants are a speak Gujarati among themselves, and very pure wild race called Pauryas, who neither under- too, as I found by setting a Pandit from stand nor speak any civilized tongue, but whose Ahmadabad to talk to a Gujar Pâtil. Marathi dialect approaches most closely to the Gujarati, only holds its place there at present as the e.g. "Moi toino ghorman goloi thoio," =" I went language of Government; and even south of into his house," in the mouth of a Paurya. the Tapti the colloquial dialect of the Nawapûr It will be observed that though the participle Peta, the Pimpalner and Nandurbar Talukås, goloi approaches the Marathî gelon, the geni- is characterized by the use of the Gujarati tive in "na," and the substantive verb thoro genitive. are more Gujarati. This curious dialect, as the The use of Marathî, however, in Governexample shows, abounds in rolling vowels ment offices and schools, is fast changing all and diphthongs almost as much as the Homeric this, and in another generation or two the Greek. It is never written; they are always reverend doctor's statement will be literally examined in court by interpreters, and their accurate, the more reason that the present answers taken down, in Marathi, "since better state of things should be recorded.
THE PERAHERA FESTIVAL IN CEYLON.
(From the Final Report of the Service Tenures Commission, 1872.) The Perahera is a festival observed in the the temple in a lucky hour. I This is done by month of Ehala (July) in Dê wala temples, the Kapurala. During the first five days the chief ceremony in which is the taking in the insignia || are taken in procession round the procession the insignia of the divinities Vishnu, inner court of the Dewala; the five days so observed Kataragama, Nata,t and Pattini for are called Ku mbal-perahera, from kumbala, fifteen days. All the Dew&la tenants and a potter, who provides the lamps with stands, officers attend it, buildings and premises are called kalas, generally used in the Dêwalas at the cleaned, whitewashed, decorated, and put in festival. During the next five days, called Deproper order. The festival is commenced by w&la-perahera, the procession goes twice bringing in procession a pole and setting it up at daily round the Widiya or outer court of the
Dewlaya is a temple dedicated to some Hindu destined, when born on earth, to be the Buddha of the Deviyo or local divinity. The four principal DewAls are
next kalpa, under the name of Maitriya Buddha.those dedicated to Vishnu, Kataragama, N&ta,
Report, p. 73. and Pattini Deviyo. There are others belonging to tutelary deities, such as the Mah&sa man Dew&laya
The day is called Kaphitundarasa (Report, p. 67), in Sabaragamuws belonging to Saman Deviyo, the
and the post is called Edanda (p. 63). tutelary Deviyo of Sripade; Alutnuwara Dew&18
S Kapur &18 is a Déwåla priest; the office is herediin the Kegalls district, to Dedimundi dewat. tary. (p. 67.) bandar, prime minister of Vishnu, &c.-Report, p. 62. Habarana-insigain of a Deviyo ; vessels of gold and
Nata is said to be now in the Divyalokay, but is silver, &c. in a Déwale. (p. 58.)
