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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
(OCTOBER, 1927
the Conference; but it may be said without fear, scholar, Dr. J.J. Modi, has a characteristic article of refutation that Indologists will here find matter showing that the Huns, who invaded India, were to suit various tastes and various lines of research. followers of the ancient religion of Iran. Professor Mr. N. B. Pavjee's paper, in which he maintains M. Shafi is the author of a sound account of the that the famous Soma juice was not liquor, is 28
Nurbakshi sect. interesting in its way as Mr. M. Ramakrishna The volume has been arranged and prepared for Kavi's thesis on the relation of two dramas, Damaka publication by the Secretaries of the Congress, and Traivikrama, to the published dramas of
Professors S. K. Aiyangar and P. P.S. Sastri, who Bhisa. Dr. Daruwalla contributes a critical survey are justified in regarding with satisfaction the proof the political social and religious condition of
duction of a work which, compact as it is of learning, Iran in the time of Ardeshir Bapak, while the rather is bound to attract the attention of Orientalists. obecure development of Buddhism known as Vajra.
S. M. EDWARDES. yana, associated with the name of king Indrabhuti of Orissa, is discussed by Mr. B. Bhattacharya, who incidentally correcte some of the identifications of
THE LADY OF THE LOTUS, by AHMAD-UL-UMRI, places suggested by Waddell.
translated with Introduction and Notes, by The Dravidian languages and literature of South- L. M. CRUMP, Oxford University Press, 1926. ern India from the basis of several good papers,
This is an admirably printed work and the forincluding a lengthy one on "The Aryan affinities
mat is worthy of the Oxford Press. The illustraof Dravidian pronouns" by R. Swaminatha Aiyar,
tions also are extraordinarily good and interesting. another by J. R. Pantulu on "Dravidian Lexico
The book tells the story of the well-known 16th graphy," and a third on the date of Silappadikdran by Pandit E. M. Subrahmanya Pillai, who gives
century Rajput romance of Rupmati and Baz reasons for dating the burning of Madura in A.D.
Bahadur of Gujarat, but although Rupmati is des. 144 and the installation of Kannski in A.D. 149. cribed as "Queen of Mandu" on the title page, it A good deal might be added to Mr. G.V. Acharya's is pretty evident that she was in reality a dancing. brief paper on " Memorial Stores in the Bombay girl and never really married to Bazid Khan, ie, Presidency." The writer of this review discovered
Baz Bahadur. a curious stone at Junnar in 1904, which recorded
An immense amount of labour has been bestowed an eclipse of the Sun, and managed after some trouble to have it removed to the library of the
by Mr. Crump on the book, and his story of the B.B.R.A.S. Presumably it is now in the Prince of
discovery of a copy of the 17th century copy of Wales Museum, together with the Silahara inscribed
Ahmadu'l-Umri's Ms., and of the pictures connect. stones from Thana and Kolaba Districte. Mr. K. od therewith is in itself a literary romance of unChattopadhyaya has a suggestive paper on "Diony. usual attraction. He is to be congratulated thereon. sus in Megasthenes."; Mr. B. Bhattachraya gives He doecribes himself as being/no scholar and though good reasons for assuming that a hitherto unidenti.
one may take it that this self-depreciation is rather fied statuette in the Indian Museum represents
over-strained, in some of his many useful notes Mahari Tårå; and a learned essay by Mr. K. V.S. Ayyar on "The Earliest Monuments of the Pandya
there are errors in the spelling of personal names Country and their Inscriptions" will repay
and occasionally somewhat naive remarks as to perusal.
classical allusions. But these are only minor Several good papers are included in the Section blemishes in a work of much research. devoted to History, Geography and Chronology, Ahmadu'l-Umri was a Turkoman noble of Akbar's and much learning has been expended upon the
period and was obviously imbued with the exceed. papers concerned with Oriental Philosophy. The
ingly florid Persian style of his time. His proee is author of a discourse on electricity and magnetism in Ancient India deals mainly with the origin of the
therefore trying to European readers in places, but common Indian superstition that one should never
nevertheless the spirit of it is well reproduced by sleep with one's head pointing towards the north.
Mr. Crump. Rupmati, among other things, has I remember calling attention to the fact that the been credited with much popular verse, and Mr. street-sleepers of Bombay City during the hot Crump has been at great pains to unearth some of weather months invariably avoided lying with their this and to turn it into English verse. She was not beads pointing northwards, and was then informed
what one would call a great poetess, but it is of by a local wiseacre that it was owing to popular
value to have what she is credited with before us fear of the Pole star, and that the general opinion was enshrined in the adage; kibla muaf karta hai,
in a pleasing manner. Altogether Mr. Crump has par qutb hargiz nahin. Rao Sahib R. K. Bhonsle
been succesful in his efforts to bring home to Euroinvestigates the subject more fully. Professor
peans a story and a literary style much appreciated K. Rangachariar contributed an interesting paper by all Rajputs. on " Gotra and Prayara ", and the veteran Iranian
R. C. TEMPLE
