Indian Antiquary Vol 40

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

Page 12

THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY..
[JANUARY, 1911.
south transformed into Rajputs) in both." How true and eradite the words are! What a versatile reading also! His idea will be found, gladly seized and developed by me in my paper on the * Foreign elements in the Hindu population " which follows this. About the beginning of September 1909 I sent him proofs of my paper on the Guhilots for his favour of opinion. And this was what he wrote: "You have undoubtedly proved your case as to their being Någar Brâhmaņs, and I think it very probable that they belonged to the Maitraka swarm of invaders. As another casu of a family of kings claiming Brahman descent I would note the Kadambas (see the Talgund pillar inscription). I have little doubt you are right in regarding the Brahma-Kshatris as Brâhmans, who have adopted a Kshatriya mode of life. But I do not think it is possible to point to any particular time when the caste system became a rigid one. In theory it was always rigid (subject in early times to the permission to the higher twice-born castes to take wives from the lower) wbile in practice it was very elastic, owing to the legal fictions by which tribes originally non-Hinda were regarded as Hindus who had neglected their proper rites and ceremonies, but could be brought back into the fold on repentance." In short, the more I think of the valuable hints be threw out from time to time, the more I think that his powerful and critical brain contained far more than what he actually had time to write down. Truly has Dr. Bhandarkar said: “The loss that the horrid deed of the fiendish young man inflicted on the cause of Indian research is incalculable." And I cannot belp exclaiming at this moment :
Jackson ! thon shouldst be living at this hont
Savants have need of thee. About the middle of August last year I delivered a lecture, as I have said above, in the Wilson Hall when he was president. At the close of my lecture he addressed the students in the capacity of the president. He regretted that the volumes which our Archeological Department was issuing were very expensive, and were thus beyond the reach of men of limited means. He also desired me to write a book to attract the Indian students to the study of Indian Archwology. A few days after, I wrote to him and asked what sort of book be wished me to write. He replied: "As regards the book on Archæology which I suggested your writing, I bare had in mind for a . long time the need for something intermediate between Böbler's Grundriss and a Hand-book for High School students similar to your Introduction to school classics. The class I aim at reaching is the University student, and I would arrange the subjects more or less on the lines which I followed in my lecture on Method. If you should be willing to join me in such an undertaking, by writing the sections on Architecture, Epigraphy, Iconography and Numismatics, we might discuss the details at leisure. The book must not be too large and must be cheap, to reach the class in question, and moreover it must be illustrated, at any rate, with outline drawings of typical buildings and sculptures." We bad thus intended bringing out a "Hand-book for University Students," giving in a small compass elementary notions about the different branches of Indian Research. Need I say I was proud of having the prospect of working in conjunction with a scholar, whose know.adge of Sanskrit literature and Indian antiquities was as deep as it was sound? We had very nearly settled the chapters we were separately to write, when the news of his cruel murdur reached my ears. In the words of Mr. Enthoven, a most intimate friend of Mr. Jackson, " the Nasik tragedy is a grievous affair. We have lost a scholar, a kind-hearted friend, and one who took a warm interest in India. Few had such a grasp of the intellectual life of the country, past and present, and there was hardly & less suitable victim for the insane passion of these political fanatics."