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JUNE, 1917)
MISCELLANEA
133
MISCELLANEA. NOTES ON SIND.
Songades == Songal, the name of a
Makin north of Karachi. The Position of Mt. Eiros.
The accompanying maps fully bear out the It is often considered that the task of identifying doscriptions in Arrian. ne stations along Alexander's route bordons 80 Then the first harbour after Rerhi, the large nearly on the impossible that more conjecture will and commodious Alexander's Haven. is Ghizri do for the purpose of argument. For instance,
Crook, the mouth of the river Malir. It was Mr. V. A. Smith is quite willing to assume that
protected by an island which has now become Hyderabad corresponds with the position of Patala, "tied." The subsoil water around the lower curse though he does not believe it. It will be some
of the Malir River is very brackish, 39 son water thing gained therefore if we can fix some points.
porcolates through this sandy soil. The bay Alexander's gront difficulty in leaving India was
sheltored by the island of Domai must be Karachi to arrange for water supply across Karachi Taluka
Harbour lying under the leo of Manora, and water and Baluchistan, i.e., the barani limestone area would be obtained by sending fatigue partios inland north-west of the Indus delta. Similarly to dig in the bod of the Lyari. Nearchus with the fleet had to take overy precau. tion, and one may be very sure and the authorities
Those identifications appear to be exact. Now are clear-that from his base in
Krokala was 120 stadia-following the windings
the dolta Alexander explored the route to the west very
of the coast" from the mouth of the rivor. This carefully before setting out.
distance (fourteen milos) corresponds almost Now where is water available in the Karachi
exactly with that of the Khudi "croek", a creek Taluka? In the River Habb, the western frontior of
| which is in reality a huge lagoon. Now the Khudi Sind, in the bed of the Lyari (by excavation), in
creek is the soa-ward ond of the abandoned Khânthe bod of the Malir (by excavacion) and at
wah, & canal which was once a bod of the Indus Rerhi from springs at the foot of the cliff. In the
Again Alexander know of two mouths of the Indus, neighbourt.ood of Rerhi is
of which the "right" one was too treacherous for a fissare specially
use by his floot. It follows then that the sacred to crocodilo and still known as Waghodar, the crocodilo's
Khanwah was the "left" branch and the Khudi
doorway. Of the antiquity of the cult of the crocodile in the delta
estuary, the lake in which bathing resulted in of the Indus there can be no doubt, nor can
"Sind sores." there be any doubt of the fact that Kukala roally
One can only conclude then that the Gharo means the "erocodilo's place for the name is not
Greek was the "right" arm, that Bhambhor was given as a local name.
the island of Killoutis and that Patala was some Now the identificatio.us proposed are these where near Gajo, where the Khanwah and Gharo Eiroy - Rerhi.
channels bifurostéd. Krokala = WAglodar.
G. E. L. CARTER.
BOOK-NOTICES AITIH SIKA RASA SAMGRAKA. BY VIJAYA DHAR- the periods and personages to whom they refer
MA SORI. Fasciculi I and II, (1916-17): pp. 96 and which place they are to be given in the classi. and 74 resp. Bhawnagar, Saraswati Press. (In fication of the materials for the mediaval history Gujarati).
of India. The Series which the distinguished Jain Acharya That the Editor himself wishes to consider this Vijaya Dharma Sari is inaugurating with the two legendary literature chiefly from an historical point fasciculi mentioned above for tho publication of of viow, is borne out not only by the titlo given Jain rasas possessing some historical value, is cer- to the Series, but also by the introduction to the tain to be welcome to different classes of readers first fasciculus, and still more by the erudite notes the student of Jain religion and literaturo, the given in illustration of names of persons and places student of Old Gujarati, and the student of the occurring in the texts. These notes, teeming 88 medieval history of Gujarat and Rajputana. The they do with references to historical works and in. Serios promises to throw a now and considerable scriptions-often inedited, discovered by the Editor light on a very important section of tho vernacular in the course of his vihdras through Rajputana or literature of the Jains in Western India, which Gujarat- and supplying as they do names and has been so imperfectly known to this day, and in datos in an accurate form, constitute, perhaps, the particular to help to establish what real value most useful and gonial part of the work. Each these rasas bevo in connection with the history of fasciculus is divided into three parts: the first
