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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[JULY, 1878.
common in the nomenclature of Western India, p. 255, and particularly the nse of the name . Vira as Virdwal,' Bhusåwal,' 'Lâkiw'li, &c., and Chola' for Eldra, rest on obsolete surmises of apparently means 'a street of huts. The first or Dr. Wilson's, and are of no value. characteristic syllable is more mysterious, but Leaving, however, this ground, we come to the our author's conjecture that it designates "Chinna Portuguese period, in respect to which, probably, Deva Silahara" is as unlikely a derivation as is Dr. Da Cunha's opportunities are only equalled possible to conceive, seeing Chhittadeva (as by those of some of the Catholic clergy, one of his name is now properly deciphered) lived long whom, we believe, assisted him somewhat in his after the name had become well-known. Choul' labours. It is a pity that none of the reverend is modern Cheechee' language, and it is most Fathers of the Company of Jesus have as yet unfortunate that this 'pigeon' term should have favoured us with any treatise upon subjects been selected for 'Hunterization' and official and which must be amply treated of in their own scholastic use as 'Chaul.'
archives. For there is no chronicle of Portuguese Dr. Da Cunha, however, as we have said, India which does not bear witness to the untroubles himself comparatively little about the ceasing activity of the Paulistines (Indian early Hindu period, and, indeed, is hardly the Jesuits), and even now their position in the Presisafest guide upon it. For instance, on the authority dency of Bombay is one which must give every (apparently) of the Bhånddp plates, he says that the opportunity for research. Sil& håra family reigned ' at Sri Stha naka, An error may be noted at p. 181, where our which, as far as nomenclature can be trusted, | author quotes (without acknowledgment) from must be the modern Thân ê or Tanna, the capital this journal certain fortifications near Bhivandi of the island of Salsette. Now there is no evidence as built by the Portuguese at Thân. They are in the plates that they reigned at Sri Sthânaka ten miles from that place, and stand to it as at all, but merely over it; and the grantee is called Kars or Batoum, and not as the castles of the * sovereign of 1,400 villages'; whereas Salsette or Dardanelles, do to Constantinople. It is quite Shatshash ti seems never to have contained evident the doctor has either not seen them, or not more than 66 (as its name implies), so that it was studied military engineering and topography. The but a small part of his dominions, and Thànê forts built'at Think' were doubtless those still was but the head-quarters of the sub-division invisible from the railway bridge. The great fort which the grant was made; strictly analogous are there, now the jail, was begun after 1728, and was the cases of the Portuguese and English, under both still incomplete in 1739. of whom grants have been made of land in Salsette The late English and French authorities are by authorities not ruling in Thånå, in which the available to most students on the spot; and Dr. latter refer, like the old copper-plate grantors, to
like the old copper-plate grantors, to Da Cunha would seem not to have been partithe local authorities of Thånå. The conjecture cularly well qualified to deal with the latter, since therefore taken up by Dr. DaCunha, that Puri, he speaks, apparently on his own authority, of which the Silahara plates mention as their capital, the spiritueua Du Perron,' a term not admitted was Thân, the capital par excellence,' has no by the Academy as applicable to any wit--except foundation; and, as most authories are agreed in perhaps Monsieur Ponch.' the opinion that Gharapuri, ' Eleplanta,' never can It is unnecessary, therefore, to follow him further, have been the site of a capital city, R&japuri, I and most of his readers will, we think, agree with which was, within our own days at least, the capital the conclusions that he could have done a good of a tAluks in the North Konkan, under the Mari- deal more if he had tried to do less; and that it thâs and English, may be taken as the most likely is a great pity he did not, as we have certainly place, the more so as there is some shadow of no other work on the subject equal to his; and royalty hanging about the name.
he blocks the way so effectually that unless he A still more obvious improbabability attaches should take advice, cut his book again into the to the identification (p. 167) of Kalyan in the original two portions, and substitute for his useKonkan with the capital of "Raja Bhuvar the less illustrations some sort of an index, and a Solankhi, in the year of Vikrama 752", derived few notes on the Hindu and Mohammadan periods from the Ratnamdid. Surely Dr. DaCunha knows approaching the present state of knowledge on the that the name of the royal Solankhi race conjures subject, we are not likely to get anything better up no memories of the western sea-board. for a good while. Similarly the observations on cave-temples at Conf. Ind. Ant. vol. V. pp. 276, 277.
Kanya kubja, and Ind. Ant. vol. III. p. 41, vol. IV. p. • Conf. Ratnam did in Jour. Bo. B.R.As. Soc. vol. VIII. 146, vol. VI. p. 188.-ED. p. 76, where Bhavad is distinctly said to have come from
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