Indian Antiquary Vol 49

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

Page 120

116
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[JUNE, 1920
rials) shown on plate V, as these are the counter. of sanitation which the villagers had about two parts of the family mural tablete and bas-reliefs
centuries and a quarter ago." to be found all over Europe in churches and other
It is indeed interesting to note that villagers sacred buildings. The two fine specimens of the
in South India in the late 17th Century A.D. recog. dipa-stambhas or lamp-pillars on plate III are
nized the danger of percolation into wells from extremely interesting and one is glad to note three
insanitary surroundings, considering the univergood plates of inscriptions of the Gangas and the sal old world theory in India that water of any Hoysalas.
kind of itself purifies. But epigraphs such as this There are however two points in the Report are always worth recording wherever found, that are of special interest to myself. The in
since one of the things that strikes observers of scriptions reported of two of the Nayaks of Ikkeri old and even ancient India and Asia generally dated A.D. 1660 and 1662 (Venkatapps II and is the modernity of the ways and thought of the Bhadrappa), because of the visits to that now lost people. Take the extraordinary "modern-ness" capital in the days of Virabhadra and Venkatappa
of mind that is in the Arthaidstra of Chanakya respectively by the European travellers Peter
with its “ on and off” drink licences; take the Mundy and Della Valle. In such cases we have
"Domesday Book" of Kulottunga Chola in the the records of these ephemeral local dynasties
very year of that of William the Conqueror as left by themselves, and the stories of their Courts (A.D. 1086); take the self-governing municipalities As they appeared to contemporary European
and local areas of ancient India. Even if these last visitors. For instance, Peter Mundy in 1637 thus be looked at in the light of relics of the Oriental quaintly describes Virabhadra, "I dare say there policy of Alexander the Great, the idea is old is hardly such another grosse proportionable man enough in all conscience. Take the futile effort to bee found in all his owne dominions off aboutt on the part of a Babylonian King to stop official 30 yeares of ago." (Travels, ed. Temple, Hakluyt corruption; the equally fruitless attempt of Society, vol. III, p. 82).
Tibetan ruler to equalise the social position and The other point is a note on p. 12 regarding an property of every one in the State ; the long War inscription which is worth quoting in full: "At
of Liberation in Annam; the close parallel between Rampura near Kadaba is an inscription, EC.
the rise of the Popes of Rome and the Dalai Lamas, XII, Gubbi 27, dated 1696, which is of great
though it is not perhaps generally known that the interest from a sanitary point of view. It states
for her long preceded the latter. The fact is that that it was decided at a meeting of the villagers
the social methods of civilized man have a family that no corpse should be buried within an arrow.
likeness at the various periods and places of his shot of a well that had been newly built, and that
existence, and it is therefore of value always to in case any burial took place the buriers and the
note them wherever they are found faithfully buried should be outcastes in this world and the
recorded without any ulterior motive. next. We have some evidence here of the ideas!
R. C. TEMPLE.
NOTES AND QUERIES. NOTES FROM OLD FACTORY RECORDS. uttmost to gett & Voice weight of the mid 17. Alligators' Gall and Hunting (Poligar) Dogs. I
Gaul, I eamestly desire your Worship to procure
it. Some great persons who are my freinds at Court ( February 1682.) Letter from Brameny Podula
have desired me to procure for them some hunting Lyngapah (the Brahman agent, Podela Lingappa )
Dogs, and I was en form'd your Worship had some from Conjevaram (Kanchipuram) to William
there abouts. If it be so I desire your Worship Gyfford, Governor of Fort St. George. I enjoy good
to make choice of those which are handsome cours health wishing to hear the like from your Worship.
gious and fleet to catch wild hogge, and to send His Lordship Brameny Accana ( the Brahman
two couple of them, and in so doing it will be as Minister, Akkanna ) hath great necessity for one
if your Worship had given me a Lack of Pagodas: Vieco [viss, visai ] weight of Alligators Gaul
30 I entreate your Worship to send them to me (A native laxative medicine) and that I should by
and to keep a continuance of your Love towards all means procure it and send it to him and there.
me. (Records of Fort St. George, Letters to Fort fore I beg the favour of your Worship to order
St. George, 1682, Vol. II, p. 16.) your Mussula and Cattimarran (madla and catamaran, katmaram, boat ] men to use the
R. CT.