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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[ NOVEMBER, 1927
conditions." In several respects, particularly as When we find a modern present tense so changing for regards official oppression and tyranny, conditions gender, we may be certain that it is derived from a under the kings of Burma approximated to those participle, and not from any finite tense. I have existing in India under some of the loss officient more than once observed that this guide has not mulere hoth Hindu and Muslim : but it is doubtful been taken advantage of by inquirers." Readers whether any Indian potentate, except porhape of this Journal will be grateful to Sir George. Sultan Balban or Muhammad bin Tughlak, was
R. C. TEMPLE. guilty of such sanguinary cruelty as that which characterized successive rulers of Burma. In his ANCIENT INDIAN TRIBES, by Dr. B. C. LAW, M.A., note on "Cholas in the Delta," Mr. Harvey rightly Calcutta ; Published in the Punjab Oriental exposes Mr. Taw Sein Ko's error in attributing the (Sanskrit) series. erection of two stone posts at Pegu to Rajendra It is generally admitted that, like most countries in
It is generalls ad the Gangaikonda Chola Kidaram or Kadaram, which the world, ancient India in prehistoric days evolved has been identified with Kedah in the Malay States,
out of a tribal stage into & settled order of society. is identical with the Katha of tho Tiruvalangadu What were the names of these tribes, where and how copperplate inscriptions and with the Kalaham of the live
they lived, whence and from which place they came, the ancient Tamil poem Pattinappalai. The Raja
and what led finally to their absorption are questions, of Kadaram was also ruler of Sri Vishaya or Vijaya,
an examination of which would afford supreme which appears to have been Palembaug on the !
interest to antiquarians. We know Vedic literature east coast of Sumatra. At page 320 there is an
contains mention of a few tribes. Again these and interesting note on "Myosado," the Burmese name
other tribes are not unknown to post-vodic literature for a human victim buried alive under a building,
-- clear inference that tribal systems of organisation a custom which was once well-known in India also.
continued to thrive even in the epic and the Pauranic Enough has been said to indicate that Mr. Har.
periods. vey's work is a valuable contribution to the historical
But there are striking pieces of evidence to literature concerning England's eastern possessions.
indicate that even in pre-epic days, and at least It bears the impress of steady research and firsthand knowledge of the country; and as Sir Richard
by the epic ago, India had evolved a settled system Temple writes in an excellent foreword, it will
of government and administration. It is not possi. form a starting point for searchers of the coming
ble for us to say whether tribal systems of organisa. generation. It has blazed a way through the
tion continued side by side with the orderly forms of jungle, so that others may build the road." What government. But it is just possible that each tribe a jungle it is, can be to some extent understood gradually developed a sense of state consciousness from a mero perusal of the genealogical tables, which with the result that each became dominant in that are printed after the explanatory notes. To have region. Or it may be that originally there was woven a consecutive story, replete with new facts, great family of princes and rulers like the tradi. out of that medley of strange names, and inciden- tional race of the Ikşvåkus, the different mem. 'tally to have thrown most interesting sidelights bers of which occupied neighbouring territories and upon the social condition, customs, and civilization became in course of time independent rulers. Whatof Burma under its own rulers, is an achievement ever it was, the fact was that there were small worthy of the Service to which Mr. Harvey belongs. separate kingdoms occupied by different monarchs
S. M. EDWARDES.
and possibly different peoples
An attempt is made in the book under review to THE Root AccH-IN MODERN INDIA, IN SONDER
trace the history of five such tribes which played a DRUCK AUS DER GARBE-FESTGABE, 1927, by SIR
prominent part in the history of ancient India. GEORGE GRIERSON.
These are the Kasis, the Kosalas, the Asmakas, In this learned contribution Sir George Grierson
the Måghadas, and the Bhojas. The study of each
tribe is an exhaustive one, from its origin to its final commences with the statement : "Much has been
disappearance or absorption into other powerful written concerning the origin of the Prakrit Vacch
territory. This is not the first endeavour of Dr. LAW -'be'." Then after taking us through the modern
in this direction. He has already published similar Indian languages he winds up with the invaluable remarks: "The most important general point to
studies with an eernestness all his own. Almost all note in the above is that the forme derived from
his authorities are literary, and each one of them is
furnished with a wealth of detail that one must the primitive past participle, may be, and often are, used in the sense of the present. It is im
call it & study complete by itself. portant, because the same phenomenon also occurs We trust that the distinguished scholar will in the case of other verbal basos used as verbs sub- pursue his studies further and give us an authoritastantive. In such cases the participial origin is indicat. tive and exhaustive treatise on all the tribal kinged by the fact that such a present tense is liablo todoms of Hindu India both in her prehistoric and change for gender, a thing which could not happen if historical periods. the tense were derived from the primitive present.
V.R.R. DIKSHITAR,
