Indian Antiquary Vol 42

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

Page 167

JUNE, 1913.)
EPIGRAPHIC NOTES AND QUESTIONS
159
S
In Pabang the tampang bave been turned into mere tokens (money) by hollowing them out. The slape is preserved and they fit each other like a series of bats.
According to Wilkinson, Malay Dict., jongkong is applied to the hollowed-out tokens to distinguish them from the tampang or solid blocks, which were also called raman. It is bowever certaioly applied in the first place to the slab of tin (köping), vide Klinkert. Tampang means a flattish square slab ; the term is also applied to the fort” or ramparts round a Raja's palace in the sense that these are four-square. It is also used sometimes even for the Pahang jongkong. 37. Perak and Selangor. Currency table for block tin. 5 cents
make 1 buaya (crocodile) 2 buaya
i tampang (block) 6 tampang? 2 bidor
„ i 'mas or jampal (} dollar) 10 tampang 2 'mas
1 dollar The weight of the tampang is said to have been about 1 kati in Selangor.
The entire currency is now obsolete and very hard to get. One of the minting places of the tin-block coins was Kerayong in the K'lang, Selangor. The tampang there minted were stamped with 4 mark called ta mpol manggis, or mangosteen rosette, which it was meant or thonght to resemble X .
The value of tin when these coins were current may have been not more than 12-15 dollars the pikul. It has lately gone up to 80-90 dollars, but for a good many years it varied from 20 to 40 dollars.
Some of the small varieties of the coins were carried on a string, but not all, and it is perhaps some 40 years or more since they were in vogue. A duit in Selangor was formerly called a pese. Four duit or pese, went to a cent.
(To be continued.)
EPIGRAPHIC NOTES AND QUESTIONS
BY D. R. BHANDARKAR. M.A.; POONA.
Continue.l from Vol. XLII, p. 28.
XVI.Sambodhi in Asoka's Rock Edict VIII. A much discussed passage in this edict rans as follows, according to the Girnar text:
Alika lain antaran rajano dihara-ydlán nayds' ela mnaga yvd aráni cha elárisani abhirama dni ahusu so Devdnapiyo Piya lasi rdid du sa-vas-dbhisilo sailo aydyu sana 5o thin len-esd dharuna. ydia.
Now, what is the meaning of the expression, aydya sambodhin? According to Pandit Bhagwanlal Indraji, it means, "reached true knowledge". M. Senart translates it by," set out for perfect intelligence". Bühler renders it by "weut forth in search after true knowledge". Mr. V. A. Smith's translations is " want forth on the road to wisdom". According to Prof. Rhys Davids, it means " set out for the Sambolhi-that is to say, he had set out, along the Aryan Eight-fold Path, towards the attainment (if not in his present life then in some futaro birth as a man of the state of mind called Arahatship". Dr. Fleet's interpretation is entirely different from any yet proposed. He regards so Deodnampiy» Piya lasi raja dasa-vasAbhis ito as a sentence in itself, and takes santo to stand for santaḥ and to refer apparently to the Buddha. And he gives the following translation of the passage : "In times gone by, the kings want forth on pleasure-tours, on which there were hunting and other similar a musements: (so did)