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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[OCTOBER, 1908.
Bat evil-minded Auro-Mainyus cried :
Answer made "O emite not my creation, Zarathust!
The holy Zarathust: "Sacred vessels Thou art King Pourushaspa's son, and thou
And boly prayers, these are my trust.y arms. Art born of human mother : lo! renounce
With these words will I smite and every way The Law of Mazda, and thou shalt receive
Destroy thee, baneful-minded Auro-Mninyus! Reward as great as Vadaghno the Chief."
The Holy Spirit made these sacred words, But Zarathustra: "I will not renounce
And the Immortal Saints, the strong, the wise, The boly Law of Mazda ! Sooner may
Have them proclaimed !" Body and soul and intellect dissolve!”
And thereupon he prayed Quoth Auro-Mainyus: " By what weapon, say, The sacred prayer. The demons yelled aloud, - Wilt thou then swite P or how wilt thou destroy | The wicked, Evil-minded Ones, and fled, My creatures and creation P"
Fled to the lowest depths of murky hell I
NOTES AND QUERIES, THE LIFE-INDEX: BUILDINGS.
to the establishment of a new capital by a new Some time ago I was told that a wealthy ruler. The new capital would then give its name bania (trader) of LudhianA in the Punjab never
to the State, and so we should have the frequent loft off building or rebuilding his house,
and bewildering appearance of new kingdoma in becauce it was deemed to be unlucky for a
ancient Hindu history. It would be of interest man not to be constantly adding to or renew
to know how far the custom prevails. ing his dwelling. This is undoubtedly a 08.86
H. A. Rose, of the Life-Index. Masson, in his Journeys in Bilochistan, eto. (Vol. I. p. 49), notes a similar
Supdt. of Ethnography, Punjab. idea. He says that the Naw&b of Tank never
8th Jan. 1909. left off building, as a faqfr had told him that his prosperity depended on his never ceasing to
[Changes of capital in Burma were frequent, build. In Egypt there was a tradition in the but not necessarily dynastic and not necessarily family of Mahomet Ali, the Khedive, that the made on the accession of every ruler. Il a family was doomed to fall if it left off
dynasty lasted long enough, the capital, as I building. (Dicey's Story of the Khedivate,
understand, was changed about every 40 years, p. 68.)
and generally to a site but a few miles off, advanDoes this belief, (or some similar idea), explain
tage being taken of a fresh accession to the throne why eastern rulers always endeavour to found a
to make tbe change. It is, of course, possible that now capital P In Pergia and in Egypt the the custom had a superstitious origin, but in palace of the ruler is not used after his death,
practice two practical points came into considersbut a new one is built for the new ruler, and the
tion: a political one in connecting a new or shaky old one deserted. The necessity for a new palace
dynasty with a famous site, a medico-religious one naturally louds to the establishment of a new
in departing from a site that the insanitary habite capital.
of the people bad practically made no longer in
habitable. There is no doubt that Mandalay This tendency to move the site of the ruler's
would in ordinary circumstances have been enocapital is exemplified in many of the Punjab
ceeded by a now site on King Thibaw's death for States. Thus, Sirmar is the oldest known capital
sanitary reasons, just as the Burmann told me of the State of that name, and several capitals
that the change from Amarapura to Mandalay were founded and abandoned before the modern
(8 miles or so) was made after King Mindon's capital of Nahan was built. Delhi itself is ap
accession (1852 or thereabouts) fundamentally on parently an illustration of the same custom,
sanitary grounds. Mandalay Hill was an old and The point is of some historioal interest. famqas Burmese shrine. This mixing op of The sudden appearance of a new capital in the practical and religions or superstitious customs ancient history of India or the East may not indi- is, of course, a very old human phenomenon.cate a change of dynasty, but may merely be due ED.] • The mortar and oup for the baoms sacrifice
The Ameshob pentas. • This last vorse is taken from the very end (147) of the Fargard. It appears to have been misplaced and to balong hore,
