Indian Antiquary Vol 50

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

Page 71

FEB., 1921]
BOOK-NOTICE
61
nhuik, kon", kron', lan3 kon, man, safi, to, lulan, I hope to return to the subject of the transcrip swes sok, kywannup, namnak, rwel. The figures tion of Burmese and allied languages some day, 1, 2, 3 represented the accents or tones. I ask and in the meanwhile I content myself now with anyone familiar with Burmese if he can readily suggesting that it would greatly tend to the prac. make out what words are moant by the above tical value of the new Epigraphia if a translitera. forms. I can hardly see myself grasping a peti tion of the old inscriptions was given in modern tion from a reformed scholar desirous of helping Burmese and Talaing characters as well as in me by writing in Roman character, commencing Roman. In making the above remarks I do not with kywannup, which somehow ought to be wish in any way to detract from the value of this familiar.
first issue of the Epigraphia Birmanica or to exThe great object of the scientific" method is press aught but the highest Appreciation of the to aid comparison with the like or related tongues skill, care and knowledge with which it has hoen and tho investigation of the history of changing prepared. form. Sometimes it does, e.g. (p. 17) Canal, river.
R. C. TEMPLI:. B. khyors (pron. chaons) lolo, yi'cho (=B.yé chaons) Old B. khlon. Tibetan kluit and doubtfully chu.
Å BRIEF CHRONOLOGY OF THE MUHAMMADAN I am quoting the book, but it will be perceivel
MONUMENTS OF EGYPT TO A.D. 1517, by Capthat even here there is only a partial success, as
tain K. A. C. Creswell, R.A.F., Cniro. 1 Imprichu and cho are nearer the transcribed form chaos
merie de l'Institut Français d'Archéologie than the transliterated form khyon. Success is
Orientale. 1919. Large quarto. PP. 153
Alphabetic and numerical Indices, plates 12. better in the next instance (p. 18) Broadcloth. B. salkalat. Tibetan, sag-lad. Malayalam, sha
Captain Creswell, whose studies of Muhammadan lakalathu. The native script transcribed woull
architecture have already produced original congive B. thekkalat. But here we have the English
tributions of perinanent value to the subject in scarlet, which in the days of the early European
this Journal, has taken advantage of being attached travellers meent simply broadcloth' and not
to the Royal Air Force in Egypt during the war the colour ; that came later. The term would
to compile a work of such importance to students
that I desire to draw their special attention to it. seem to be Persian, saqalat, saqlat, a rich cloth of
In doing so, I am glad to be able to note the appoint. any colour, but most often of a bright red : whence Italian scarlatto, old French escarlate, English acar.
ment of Captain Creswell to an important posi
tion in Egypt, which will enable hina to pursue let, German scharlach. It would be interesting
his valuable researches and publish them on a larg to trace the Burmese sakkalat, directly to the
scale to the great benefit of those who desire to Persian saqalat, and not through any European form. Failure apparently comes next (p. 19);
learn all that is possible about a great school of
Oriental Architecture. The number 8. Old B. het; B. rhac (pron. shit).
Although the book is in the form of a chronoloMaru, shé ; Lashi, shet; Garo, shet; Chinbok, shit : 1
gical catalogue of the Islamic Monuments of Lolo (Kopu), hi-lo; Kachin, ma-sat; Tamlu (Naga), act. It makes one shudder to find the familia
Egypt, it is much more than a mere catalogue native form usually transcribed as shit written
raisonné, as the compiler has himself minutely down rhac. It is difficult to see how the last fpem
studied every one of the 239 monuments in tho
sories, and has touched in his description thereof helps us in etymology by comparison. To give
on many matters hitherto controversial, coming the devil his due, the method is no doubt useful
to definite conclusions concerning them, thanks at times, .9., pp. 26-27, where a valuable note on Phaya' is given. “Purha, now. written
to the fresh light which recunt excavation and his
own researches have enabled him to bring to bear bhurhd, but pronounced phaya and sometimes still
on them. His work is therefore no mero list of phr:1;" term applied to exalted personages and
monumente arranged in chronological order, but to temples, pagodas and statues of the Buddha.
a catalogue with an account of the evidence on In a long note it is shown that it represents the
which the date is arrived at in each case, wheru Sanskrit and Pali sara, excellent, noble, exalted;
there is no inscription setting the date without an Indian term, which the spread of Buddhism
further argument. As 48 per cent. of the monuhas caused to run the gauntlet of most Asiatic
ments described are undated, the amount of res and Far Eastern languages, and to take on such search, both literary and architectural, involved forms as polai, phola, poula, phrd, prah, vara) in fixing the earlist and latest examples of the and 'vrah.
architectural features, by which the limits of tho