Indian Antiquary Vol 48

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

Page 107

JUNE 1919]
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death of Bhow's brother. Hurry Pant's army, which left Seringapatam at the same time,.. was not at all molested." In all probability, the Svami of Sringeri fell a victim to Bhau's hatred, because he happened to be the Sultan's subject. Another point that may surprise the reader of these letters is, that Tipu should help the Svâmf substantially in reinstalling the image. Tipu is generally represented as a bigoted follower of the prophet of Mecca, and we learn from the evidence of Hushein Aly-a contemporary and by no means a hostile historian-that Tipu was not at all favour. ably disposed towards the Hindus. Yet both Moore, an English writer and an enemy of Tipu, and Michaud, a French historian, testify to the happiness and contentment that ordinarily prevailed in Mysore, during Tipu's reign. According to Michaud, "the Sultan was very popular, very affable, and very well informed." Moore says: "It has fallen tarry sometime in Tippoo's dominions and to travel through them as much. as, if not more than, any officer in the field during the war, and we have reason to suppose his sub. jects to be as happy as those of any other sovereign; or we do not recollect to have heard any complaints
to
Our lot to
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or murmurings among them, although had causes existed, no time could have been more favourable for their utterance, because the enemies of Tippoo were in power, and would have been gratified by any aspersion of his character. The inhabitants of the conquered countries submitted with apparent resignation to the direction of their conquerors, but by no means as if relieved from an oppressive yoke in their former Government. On the contrary no sooner did an opportunity offer, than they scouted their new masters, and gladly returned to their loyalty again." About the intolerant doctrines of Muhammadanism, Michaud remarks that "the sweetness of peace removed all that is fierce in the doc. trine of Mahomet." This appears to be inconsistent with Hushein Aly's evidence, who says that the Sultan conferred on the Hindu population of Nargooad and Kittur, the good fortune of circumcision and conversion. The apparent contradiction is not however difficult to explain: Tipu tolerated the practice of Hindu religion within his own territories, and became popular with all his subjects, but the same toleration was not extended to the population of the enemy countries by the zealous Muhammadan ruler of Mysore.
Rajputana, like Nepal, possesses the unique distinction of never having been under Muhammadan rule, and here we see the gradual transformation of the medieval period of Indian History into the modern. Elsewhere in India, the medieval period of Indian History closes with a snap as soon as the native sovereign is overthrown by the Muhammadans. History becomes an imperfect ohronicle of the wars of Muhammadan princes and their subordinates on their neighbours or on
S. N. SEN.
SANGA, 1918, BY HAR BILAS SARDA, F.R.S.L., Scottish Mission Industries Company, Ltd., Ajmer.
The publication of these two memoirs marks the beginning of a new epoch in the study of the history of Rajputana. The author himself is well known to students of Indian History as tho author of Hindu Superiority. Those two monographs are the precursors of a series, as the author himself explains in his preface to Maharana Kumbha. Colonel Tod's celebrated work is now being amplified. corroborated by epigraphic and other literary evidence and checked by counterreference to the chronicles of Musalman historians on the subject. This, in fact, is the application of modern critical methods of historical research to the history of Rajputana.
MAHARANA KUMBHA, 1917, AND MAHARANA scattered Hindu principalities which had succeeded in maintaining a precarious existence in impregnable, out-of-the-way places. In Rajputana the situation is entirely different. Here old dynasties continued to rule and to defy the attempts of successive dynasties of Muhammadan kings to subdue the last strongholds of the infidels. Sovereigns of Northern India and their descendants sought refuge in this country when ousted from their ancestral territories by Muhammadans. In this respect the history of Rajputana is as valuable and as interesting to the student of Indian History as that of Nepal or of distant Tibet.
In the monographs under review Mr. Sarda has presented the history of the premier kingdom of Rajputana, i.e. Mewar, from A.D. 1364 to 1526. Incidentally he informs his readers of the major events of other States, such as Marwar, Sirohi, etc., as they are inseparably linked with the history of Mewar in this period.
The first monograph opens with the period of the reign of Rana Kshetra Simha, the song of the celebrated Rânâ Hammira Deva and the great. grandfather of Maharana Kumbha (chapter II). It gives a concise and very lucid suromary of the reigns of Kshetra Simha, Lâkhâ and Mokal, and describes the days of Rathor influence in the court of Mewar. The next chapter deals with the short