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NOVEMBER, 1883.]
SOME NOTES ABOUT RÅJA RASÅLÔ.
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thirty Tumat maidens, while Botokhuitarkhun u'd-din tells us he belonged to the tribe Hushin. the widow of the Tumat ruler, was made over He at first filled the post of bukaul or head of to Khuduk habeki. We do not again read of the the kitchen in his establishment, and that of Tumats, and I am disposed to think they were baverji, i. e. chief marshal of the court. He incorporated with the Mongols and became the then joined the vanguard of archers, then ancestors of the modern Tameds of the Forty- became its commander, then head of a tuman, nine Banners.
and eventually second in command of the right In regard to Bugharul, who was one of wing under Boorchi. Erdmann, says Boorchi, Chinghiz Khân's most trusted officers, Rashid. I whom he calls Bughurjin, was under him."
SOME NOTES ABOUT RAJA RASALŮ.
BY CAPT. R. C. TEMPLE, B.S.C., F.R.G.S., M.R.A.S., &c. At vol. XI, pp. 346-349 ante, I gave a tale wise hard to solve, but he rarely gives specimens about Raja Rasûlû, the great Skythian hero of of his originals, and when he does give any, they Panjab legendary lore. Subsequently General are very faulty philologically, nor was he always (Major) Abbott's paper on this hero in the fortunate in catching the sounds of his words. J. A. 8. Reng. for 1854, pp. 123-163, was brought Thus he calls our old friend Sålivahaņa (whose to my notice. The paper is entitled, “On the Panjabi names are Salhahan, Salbahan, SaliBallads and Legends of the Panjab: Rifacimento båhan or Såhilwan), Sahl Byne and Sala Byne. of the Legend of Russaloo," and consists of a He does, however, to ase his own words (pp. longish poem in English heroics, with notes on 159-161), give one legend, "precisely as he took the legends the author had collected. General it from the lips of a minstrel when shut in by Abbott's tales were gathered apparently in what the snow in a rickety and dark bastion of one are now known as the Marhi (Murree) Hills, of the rude castles of the Dhoond (Malrhi) and therefore his poem represents the same mountains." This tale happens to be the same vernacular version of the legends as do the MSS. as that I gave previously in this Journal, and in given me by Mr. Delmerick, and referred to in order to make my remarks on it as clear as vol. XI, page 347 ante. There are, I find, several possible i think it best to transcribe it here versions in the Panjab of the Rasálů legends, exactly as he tells it in his old-fashioned way of both in Hindi and Panjâbî, and the use of General spelling the oriental words. Quoting him then Abbott's for the present purpose is that it can word for, word, he relates this tale as follows: be closely compared with that previously alluded
"Recitation. to by myself. In many respecte General "Rajah Russaloo, son of Rajah Sala Byne, Abbott's version is much fuller than mine, was sleeping in his tent in the castle of Sialkot, especially as to the names of the places and when the Panj Peer' appeared to him in a actors in the tales, and his great local knowledge vision, and said :has enabled him to clear up many difficulties "Go thou and slay the Rakuss.' of topography, which would have been other- “So the Rajah went to Ooda Nugr, and, " op. cit. pp. 132 and 138.
saintly orders-vis. 'Ali and his successors in saintship, * D'Ohsson, vol. I, p. 157 note. Erdmann, op. cit. p. 209. Khwaja Hasan Basri, Khwaja Habib 'Azimi, 'Abdu'l1 The Dhûnds are a tribe of converted Musalmans
wahid Kaft. See Herklot's Qanoon-e-Islam, Madras Ed., living about the Majhi Hills in the R&wal Pindi and
1863, page 190. Hazárd Districts. See Calcutta Review, vol. LXXV, 3 Rikhas : fem., Rakhasnt and Rakhi, are the modern pp. 272-274; Wace, Hasard Settlement Report, 1876, pp.
forms of Rakahasa and Rákshasf. They were evidently 58-59; Cracroft, Riwal Pinde Settlement Report, 1875,
Arace antagonistic to the heroes of Panjabi legends, and SS 218, 220, 226, 342-346.
perhaps in translations had best be called " giants" and • No doubt originally the Panj Për, or five saints, were a giantesses." See Abbott's account, page 150 and ante, the five holy persons, Muhammad, Ali, F&tima, Hasan vol. XI, p. 348. and Husain, but in modern Indian times they mean. • Adinagari, Hodinagari, 'Ohdenagari : ante, vol. XI, p. any five saints of fame known to the bard who is singing.
349, note 26, I have suggested Ohind opposite Atak on the In this case according to Abbott they are-(1), Baháu'l.
Indus as its rite. Abbott more than once says it is old haqq (he calls him Bhawulnug) of Multan; (2), ShAh Baga- Lahor, but that seems impossible. At p. 118 he says 1. Alam Hazrat of Lakhnau; (3), Shah Shams Tabriz of there is a site called ūdinagar on the right (west) bank Multán; (4), Makhdum JahAnia Jahangacht of Multan; of the river below Jhelam, where there are remains of a (5). Bábá Shekh Faridu'd-din Shakar Ganj of Pakpattan. largish town with ooins exclusively Hindd. The Bar or This may have arisen from a confusion with the Char forest in this tale being placed west of it; would seem to Per, from whom are supposed to be descended the modern fix that as the site, at any rate, for these legende.
