Indian Antiquary Vol 50

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

Page 37

FB., 1921 ]
ARYAN MOTHER RIGHT
31
The king never departed from this routine, and even in the field, when the officers of the guard had to attend for orders, and when writing had to be done at night in the matter of issuing orders for the drawing up of troops, neither these duties, nor the daily round already mentioned were neglected. The king would ride out and inspect in person the defences, the gun-carriages and waggons and the positions of all the troops in camp, lest intervals should be left unguarded, and would issue orders to remedy defects. Nothing escaped his eye and nobody could venture to be out of his place by a hair's breadth, or to display any lack of vigilance. At all great feasts, on birth-days, and especially on the birthday of the prophet, great banquets were held, at which food and drink of various kinds were served to the whole army. The Sayyids, from the love which the king had to the house of the prophet, were specially honoured, for he poured water over their hands himself. This laudable custom established by Burhan Nizam Shah is still (A.H. 1000= A.D. 1591-92) observed by his successors. Every petition presented during the days on which these feasts were held received the king's special attention, and it rarely failed of receiving a favourable reply, no matter from whom it came, and gifts and robes of honour were freely distributed. These customs are still observed by the Nizâm Shâhi dynasty.
(To be continued.) ARYAN MOTHER-RIGHT? BY PROFESSOR H. J. ROSE.
Introductory Note by the Editor. I have much pleasure in bringing the following remarks and the request accompanying them to the readers of the Indian Antiquary in the hope that some of them may be able to help him in what he wishes to achieve.
Mr. Rose desires to have evidence--ancient and modern-sent him from India to prove or disprove the existence there now, or at any time, of Mother-rigbt among the population usually classed as Aryan (as distinguished from Dravidian, Aboriginal and non-Aryan), i.e., among that part of the population which is allied to the Indo-Germanic races. Mr. Rose, on the present evidence available, does not favour the proposition that it ever existed among this race. The point now is to prove the allegation one way or the other if possible.-R.C.T. 1
Since the days of Morgan, McLennan, and Bachofen, much has been written, a good deal of it very loosely, about the system formerly known as matriarchy, but now, by the help of a loan-word from German, better labelled mother-right or mother-kin. This system I need not describe to anyone who knows even the rudiments of Indian sociology. It is that of the Khasis and of the Nairs, to give no other examples. Under it, relationship is traced through the mother as in father-right it is traced through the father. The father is legally no kin to his own children, and therefore in strict forms of this system may be found marrying his own daughter; and the head of the family is usually the mother's brother, or in default of such a one, her nearest male relation on the distaff side. Modifications and corruptions of such an arrangement are common enough, e.g., among the Veddahs of Ceylon, who practise eross-cousin marriage, an easy way of providing the husband with a legal relationship towards his children, if any are born.
I do not propose in this article to attempt a survey of Indian mother-right, which I am quite incompetent to do, but to appeal to those who know India, past and present, to contribute from their knowledge towards the accomplishment of a work of common interest.