Indian Antiquary Vol 40

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 11

JANUARY, 1911.1
A, M, T, JACKSON.
in writing my paper on the Gurjaras, I sent him a letter giving out a summary of my views and asking him what he thought about them. This was the reply he sent: "Many thanks for your letter. I should not be much surprised to learn that the Mahodaya Dynasty also were Gurjaras, but I still think (till I see your evidence) that Bhinmal must have been their centre, at all events till the great extension of their power took place early in the 9th centary. I believe the Chohans, Parmars, Paribars and Solankis woro all of Garjara origin, though doubtless they also included other Central Asian elemente. For instance I would connect the Hara Chohins with the Hara Hûnas." I think Mr. Jackson's explanation of the name Hapa, a sub-division of the Chobâns, by connecting it with the Hara Húņas, whose existence is attested by the Mahabharata, is far more acceptable than any legends that are often cited to account for it. In my paper on the Gurjaras, I had called in question the identification of Yusu Chwang's Pi-lo-mo-lo with Bhiumil, bat, on thinking about the matter again, I have at last come to the conclusion that the identification upheld by Mr. Jackson is correct. Again, when I seat him a copy of my first paper on Lakulisa, this is what he wrote: “Very many thanks for the copy of your paper on the Eklingji Inscription. You have successfully proved that the origin of the Lakulisa sect must be dated not later than the early centuries of the Christian era. The history and relations of the Saiva sects form an interesting but difficult subject, which cannot be fully dealt with unless account is taken of the vernacular literature of Southern India, especially the Tamil works, some of which go back to at least the 7th century, while a few may be some centuries older. We, who are accustomed to look at Indian history from a Gauda' point of view, are perhaps apt to overlook the Drávida' evidence, which is not very easy to follow, now that the discontinuance of the Mudras Journal of Literature and
Science has deprived the Indian scholars of the south of their natural central organ. I cannot pretend to be able to give you a bibliographical list, but you will find one or two papers in the Indiin Antiquary, some remarks in Haltzsch's South Indian Inscriptions, and Mr. Pillai's book
The Tamils 1800 years ago,' worth coasidering in this connection, I believe also that much valuable work has been published by Indian scholars in the Madras Christian College Magazine and other similar periodicals." Mr. Jackson no doubt gave me a hint here that I should take up this work of writing out the history and relations of the Saiva sects upon the lines suggested by him. Such a paper would have been highly interesting and important for the bistory of religious sects in India. But I am sorry to confess that I have found absolutely no time for it, as one-half of every year I have to spend in touring and of the remaining hall no less than four months have to be spent in writing out our Annual Progress Report and doing other work in connection therewith. Would that some young scholar like myself, whether Indian or European, would undertake this work ! Though I could not attend to this hint of Mr. Jackson's, I am glad I have been able to follow another suggestion that he threw out nearly four months before his diabolical murder. About the middle of August 1909, I sent him copies of my papers, among which was my article on the Chitorgadh praiasti. With regard to it he writes: “You refer to the name Sapadalaksha in your paper in the Chitorgadh prasasti. I still believe it refers to the Siválik hills, which were, I think, the earliest seat of the Chohans who later moved on to Amber. This is indicated by the distribution of the Chohin class of Gajars, and if I remember rightly, Sapardalakshan' is found as the name of a province on some Indo-Sassanian coins (see Rapson). The Sválakh in Jodhpor territory I should take to have.been named after the more extensive territory further north. The close relationship between the sub-Himalayan dialects and Rajasthani I put down to the presence of Gujars in the