Indian Antiquary Vol 17

Author(s): John Faithfull Fleet, Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 317

OCTOBER, 1888.]
MISCELLANEA.
293
longed intimate intercourse in India. Yet I tended for publication. The texts, thus obtained, comply with the request of the Editors of this were carefully examined and considered by Dr. Journal to write a notice of his life, because BhAQ Dáji and an able Pandit, Mr. Gopal I trust that I shall at least be able to do justice Pandurang Padhyê, who was a thoroughly good to his character, to his scientific attainments, and Sanskrit scholar. For doubtful passages the to the results which he achieved.
originals were compared afresh. Pandit BhagPandit Bhagvânlâl belonged to a highly respect. vânlal had again to visit the sites and to seek able Brahman family of Junagadh, which like the solution of the remaining difficulties. Somomany others for a long time has received support times he had even to wait there for criticisms or employment from the Musalmain rulers of on his new proposals, and to pronounce on the Sôrath. An elder brother of his used to be the possibility of readings proposed by his master. head of the Sansksit school, maintained by the As a matter of course, Dr. Bhad Daji consulted Darbár, and is, as I hear, still in the service of for his own articles the writings of the earlier H. H. the Nawab. As is usual with the children epigraphists and the translations of the Greek and of those Brahmans who cultivate the hereditary Chinese accounts of ancient India. He by no means learning of their caste, Pandit Bhagvânlal was confined himself to works written in English, but taught Sanskrit from his childhood, in addition had prepared for himself MS. translations of some to the subjects of the ordinary curriculum of the of the most important French and German books, vernacular schools. He acquired a fair knowledge such as Burnouf's Introduction à l'histoire du Boud. of its classical literature, but he cared little, as dhisme, the appendices to the Lotus de la bonne he has repeatedly told me, for the abstruse lore of loi, St. Julien's Life and Travels of Hiuen Triang. the sdstras. Like other compatriots of his who and Lassen's Indian Antiquities. In the conlive in the shade of the Girnir Mountain, he ferences with his assistants, he naturally brought felt more attracted by the historical traditions forward the views of the most eminent among of his native province which, as a matter of his predecessors in the same field; and showed necessity, are kept alive by its numerous ancient how the notes of the ancient travellers might be buildings and epigraphic monuments. His taste utilised. Pandit Bhagvånlal thus not only received and aptitude for antiquarian researches showed a good training in the method of treating inscripitself very early. When still a boy, he used to tions, but also became acquainted with the history pay visits to the venerable rock, on the road to of the science in which he worked, and learned to Girnår, on which the edicts of Aśbka and the appreciate the great importance which the notes of inscriptions of Rudradâman's and Skandagupta's foreign visitors possess for the history of India. lieutenants are incised. A little later he studied This training laid the foundations of the position their ancient characters with the help of a copy of as an epigraphist which he later gained. The Prinsep's tables of the Indian alphabets, and tried, aptitude and the zeal which he showed, induced availing himself of the transcripts of the earlier Dr. Bhad Dâji to confide to his assistant the epigraphists, to decipher their contents. These duty of transcribing all the numerons land-grants attempts, which were not altogether unsuccessful, which he purchased or received on loan, and to came to the notice of Mr. Kinloch Forbes, the employ him on a kind of epigraphic survey which, generous patron of native talent in Gujarat; and beginning in the Bombay Presidency, was grahe recommended the young amateur to Dr. Bhâûdually extended over the greater part of India. Daji, who was on the look out for a Pandit, able Pandit Bhagvinlal's journeys through Gujarat to assist him in his epigraphic researches. Pandit and Kathia vid, and those to Ujjain, Vidisk, Alla. Bhagvanlal eagerly availed himself of the chance habad, Bhitari, Sarnath and Nepal, as well as which offered, and in 1861 extered Dr. Bhad D&ji's some of their results are incidentally mentioned in service, in which he continued during more than Vols. VII. VIII. IX. and XI. of the Journal of twelve years. These years were his Lehr. und the Bombay Br. R. A. S. But these short notes Wanderjahre, the period of his apprenticeship and give by no means an adequate idea of the enor. travels. The introduction to the paper on the mous extent of his travels, and the very great Rudradaman and Skandagupta inscriptions (Jour. amount of work which he performed. In Weatern Bo. Br. R. 4. S. Vol. VII. p. 113), as well as that India, he travelled not only through the northern to the article on the Ajanta inscriptions (ibidem, half of the Bombay Presidency, but also through p. 53ff), tell us how Dr. Bhall Daji worked with the greater portion of eastern and western Rajpuhis assistants, and how he trained them. It tânâ, including the desert as far as Jaisalmer. appears Pandit Bhagvånlal prepared, sometimes In Central India he explored, besides Malvi alone and sometimes checked by another copyist, and Bhopal, also Scindia's territory, a part of the eye-copies and rubbings of the documents in Central Provinces, and the Agra, Mathuri,