Indian Antiquary Vol 53

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Stephen Meredyth Edwardes, Krishnaswami Aiyangar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 52

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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[ FEBRUARY, 1924
the whole a kindly, sensible man, with strong family similar epidemio, of which the symptoms were de affections, affable and open-handed.
scribed by Khafi Khan, broke out in 1698 among The author likewise exonerates Jahangir from Aurangzeb's forces in Bijapur. The modern theory the charge of having instigated the murder of Sber of the responsibility of the rat in the disaemina Alkhun, in order that he might secure for himseu tion of the disease is curiously foreshadowed the beautiful wife of the latter, Nur Jahan. Apart by the remark of a contemporary writer, Motamoud from the improbabilities of the story iteoll, which Khan, that when it (the plague) was about to break the author fully explains, he shows that the acc068- out, & inouse would rush out of its bole, as if med. tion against the Emperor was never heard of till the and striking itself against the door and the walls second half of the seventeenth century, and was of the house, would expire. If, immediately after transformed and embellished by Dow and other this signal, the occupants left the house and went writers during the eighteenth century. A close away to the jungle, their lives were saved ; if other study of contemporary authorities and of well- wise, the inhabitants of the whole village would be
stablished facta indicates that Sher Afkhun died swept away by the hand of death.' The author in 1607, under suspicion of complicity in a seditious of the Igoalnama may claim credit for having conspiracy in Bengal, and that Jahangir did not indicated three centuries ago two axioms in regard meet and marry his widow until the early months to plague which are generally accepted by medical of 1611. The happiness of his married life with science to-day, vis the association nf the rat (or Nur Jahan and her own very remarkable strength mouse) with the spread of the disease, and the of character render it extremely unlikely that their vital necessity of evacuating infected areas without
crime. The union was facilitated by an odious crime. The
delay. author dwells at some length upon the exceptional Considerations of space forbid further reference qualities of the Padishah Begam or First Lady of to the contents of Professor Beni Prasad's well the Realm, as Nur Jahan was styled on the death arranged work. The chapters on Mughal Govern of Sultan Salima Begam in 1613, and upon her great ment, Mewar, Shah Jahan's Rebellion, Mahabat beauty. The contemporary portraits of her, which Khan's coup-de-main, and on Nur Jahan, deserve are preserved in the India Office and British Mu- close study, and constitute a valuable addition to seum, help one in some degree to realise her loveli- our knowledge of the period. The obvious care now, and, while amply explaining Jahangir's lasting taken to sift all available evidence, and the manner affection for her, som to repel the suggestion that of presenting his conclusions to the reader render she would willingly have linked her fortunes with Professor Prasad's study of Jahangir a worthy comher first husband's murderer. Jahangir is not the panion volume to Dr. V. A. Smith's well-known first Indian potentate against whom charges of i monograph on Akbar. One can only hope that the murder have been made, which later inquiry has author will tind leisure to publish a similar volume proved to be unfounded.
on Shah Jahan. The present book is furnished with Professor Beni Prasad regards the opidemic an exhaustive bibliography and a good index. which swept through Ahmadabad in 1618, during
S. M. EDWARDES. Jahangir's visit, es identical with the so-called
No. 1, vol. 3, of DJAWA, THE QUARTERLY JOURNAL 'influenza which caused such appalling mortality OY THE JAVA INSTITUTE (Weltevreden). in India in 1918, and points out that on both occa. Djawa contains articles on Eastern and Wester sione the epidemio followed a period of scarcity culture, on facial expression in Hindu-Javanese sculpand a war. Assuming that the disease was the
ture (with illustrations, and an important communisame in both instances, its incidence in the case of
cation on musical scales and instruments of WestEuropeans and Indians does not appear to have been
ern Java, in continuation and completion of the similar. For, according to contemporary accounts, previous article on Sudanese music (Djawa, vol. 1, the disease generally proved fatal to Europeans in
pp. 235 ff.), by. J. Kunst and O. J. A. Kunst. It 1618, whereas three centuries later the mortality
gives particulars of many different kinds of among this class was trivial by oomparison with the
orchestrus with descriptions of the instrumente effects of the epidemio on Indians. The identity used in them, and numerous tables and diagrams of the two outbreaks appears to me by no means of musical scales, etc. definitely proved, though I am quite prepared to
J.M.B. agree with Professor Beni Prasad that the generio term 'influenza' is now often loosely applied to DJAWA: No. 2 (1923), Driemaandelijksch Tijdsobecure visitations, of which medical science has so
chrift uitgegeven door het Jave-Instituut bij far failed to discover the precise character and origin.
G. Kolff and Co., Weltvreden. On the other hand, there is little room for doubt Djawa maintains the excellence of this series that the spidemio in the Doob in 16161624 was in illustrations and articles. The first paper is Adonioal with the bubonio plague which appeared on Javanese dancing, of which there are two type, in the Mandvi ward of Bombay in 1896. A precisely the sol and the Jogja. The poses assumed in