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BOOK-NOTICES
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BOOK NOTICES. HISTORY OF THE NAYAKS OF MADURA, by R. looked by the serious student of Indian
SATHYANATAA AIYAR, edited by S. KRISHNASWAMI History. Any book that throws light on its AIYANGAR. Madras University Historical Series. details is worthy of careful attention. Humphrey Milford, Oxford University Press. Mr. Sathyanatha Aiyar in his Introduction gives 1924.
an admirable general survey of Madura history. Wo have here an excellent book by a Madras
In his view the Hindu principality arose out of University historical research student who has set
the fall of a Muhammadan kingdom there, after about his work in the right way, no doubt under
the early Muhammadan raids, and its acquisition the experionced guidance of his editor. It is not by the Vijayanagar Dynasty was the foundation a new subject, for I well remember Mr. V. Ranga
of what was afterwards the great Vijayanagar chari's voluminous history of Madura in the
Empire. Madura then became a Viceroyalty of Inlian Antiquary, in 1914-1916 (Vols. XLIII. that Empire almost from the beginning, about 1360. XLV). But Mr. Sathyanatha Aiyar has been Then there were many troubles until about 1530 diving into all the available records, and here he when the Viceroyalty under the Nayaks became has had the invaluable assistance of Professor
semi-independent. Meanwhile the Portuguese Krishnaswami Aiyangar. The result is an
missionaries appeared on the scene and the whole. authoritative book.
Balo con version to Christianity of the coast fisher. The most interesting part of the work at present
folk, which made them ipso facto subjects of the lies in the Appendices on the remarks of the Jesuit
King of Portugal, raised difficulties. Presently Fathers on this part of India in the 17th century.
the Empire began to disrupt. and in the events By this observation I do not wish to detract from
relating thereto Madura took its share, always the value of the remainder of the book, but the
apparently seeking an opportunity to proclaim appearance of these travels of Jesuits at that period
itself independent. Then came the Muhammadan in South India at the same time as Father Wessell's
attack on the Vijayanagar Empire from ite Northern invaluablo Early Jesuit Travellers in Central Asia
boundaries from Golkonda and Bijapur-and its makes them of peculiar interest, as they show how
final overthrow. The fall of the Empire spelt the
doom of the Vioeroyalties, and then the Marathas indefatigable the "early" Jesuits were and how great were their inconscious services to Indian
appeared on the noone and Aurangzeb attacked History during the pioneer days of the European
the Nayaka' great enemies, the Dakhani Muham. invasion. In Father Wessel's book wo have the
madan States. The confusion was almost endless, groat doinge of Goes, Andrade, Azevedo, Caoella,
and in the end the Marathas put down the Madura Cabral, Grueber, Roth, d'Orville, Desideri and
Viceroyalty in the earlier half of the 18th century.
But Mysore baved herself and is still ruled by the many another, from Constantinople to the Great Wall of China and Pekin, and all through the
dynasty that made itaelf then conspicuous., Himalayas, from Kashmir to Nepal and Tibet and
Such is the morost outline of the story of so great on to Bhutan. Mighty travellers indeed were they.
importance to modern India generally, the details And we have the letters and reports in Father
of which are told with conspicuous ability in the Bertrand's La Mission du Madurd III from one
pages of Mr. Sathyanatha Aiyar and the notes of Father after another, relating as contemporarios
Prof. Krishnaswami Aiyangar. the historical events of their time in the extreme
R. C. TEMPLE. South of India. These are followed by similar
ANCIENT MOD-INDIAN KSATRIYA TRIBES. Vol. I., documents of the first decade of the 18th oentury
by BIMALA CHARAN LAW, PH.D., M.A.; with a from John Lockman's Travels of the Jesuite, iteelf
foreword by DR. L. D. BARNETT, M.A.; Thacker consisting of translations from Lettres Ediflantie
Spink and Co., Calcutta, 1924. and lastly we have extracts from John Nieuhoff's
Dr. Barnett in his foreword to Dr. Law's latest Voyages and Travels in Brasil and East Indies.
work calls attention to the change of attitude on It hardly need to be said that such evidence is of
the part of scholars during the last quarter of a first rate quality, and the more addition of those
century towards early Indian traditions,-partiappendices to the book justifies its compilation.
oularly those embodied in the Epice, Puranas, The kingdom of the Nayaks of Madura lasted and Buddhist and Jain canong. So far from about 300 years in the 15th to 18th centuries, and rejecting them en bloc as mere folk tales, they are played a great part in the protection of South now endeavouring to trace the skeleton of real India for the Hindus from Muhammadan aggression, history which is believed, probably rightly, to and thus its existence was a matter of vital import. underlie this huge mass of legend. The excavations ance to Hinduism generally as a religion. It was at Knossos and the discovery of the Minoan civilizaalso deeply involved in the rise of Christian power tion, which are now proved to have formed the in India. A study, therefore, of the history of the basis of more than one ancient Greek myth and Madura kingdom is one that cannot be over legend, are themselves sufficient to justify the
