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May, 1911.)
THE MEDS OF MAKRAN
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THE MEDS OF MAKRAN.
BY RAI BAHADUR B. A. GUPTE, F.Z.S.; CALCUTTA. Tax Meds of Makran are at the present day fishermen and sailors. It is an especially interesting study to trace their ancient history in order to find out who they are, and from where or how they came to the Southern Coast of Baluchistan. Herodotus in Vol. VII, page 62, (Rawlinson) says, “ These Medes were called anciently by all people Arians, but when Medea, the Colchican, came to them from Athens, they changed their name." Ritter (V. 458) adds that those Eastern and proper Indians, whose territory, however, Alexander never touched by a long way, call the diselves in the most ancient period Arians (Arier). Manu (II, 22, X, 45) mentions & Dame coinciling with that of the ancient Medes." Sir Denzil Ibbetson, in quoting General Cunningham, says in his Panjab Census Report, 1881, that the Meds entered India about a century before Christ, that tbey followed the Jats or Jatii of Pliny and that the Jats and Meds of Sind were ruled over by Brahmin dynasty. MacCrindle in bis invasion of Ancient India by Alexander identifies the River Polver with Medos (page 33). The Encyclopædia Britannica tells us that Media is tlic ancient name of a country of considerable extent in Western Asia now forming portion of Persin, inhabited by Turanians called Medes, that they belong to the Aryan race, that they resemble the Persians, and that they have been traced to the countries beyond the Indus. They were conquered by Cyrus (550 B.C.) Balfour's Cyclopædia says that the Medes occnpied the Western tableland of Iran and the bordering mountains. Among the ancient Sanskrit works of India, the Meds have been mentioned in the Yama-Samhita. Vyasa is also said to have described them. I give the quotations for what they are worth. (A) VAN HÈ TETRY:
fu r ryst: Egar: 11 The washerman (rajaka) and the shoe-maker (charmakdra), Nat, Burud, Kaibartta, Med and Bhil are low-born (untouchables).
(B) TITTA - - - 499 :
एतेन्वजाः समाख्याता बेचान्ये च गवाशनाः ।। Together with Varâţa, etc., the Meds are counted low-caste (antyaja).
(C) Manu saysकारावरो निपादानुचर्मकारः प्रसूयते।
A regiugerat ll x 86. A Vaisyua's son from Brahman woman called Vaidebika gives birth to out-castes like Andhra and Med. Again
(D) forrai trwater: i threatura :
निषायां मेद इति मेधातिथिः॥ Medhatithi says that Vaidehs is born of a Vaisya from a Brahman woman, from this Vaideha Karavart woman gives birth to an Andhra, and a Nishada woman gives birth to a Med. · Road :
Road 47. Read vrata
• Road Toro The passivo aorist is wrongly used for the notivo vedia
