Book Title: Indian Antiquary Vol 58
Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications
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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[ NOVEMBER, 1939
by the pilgrim but more particularly by the square government of the country, Sir Aurel has now restones like couches" that he saw there. These vealed to us most of the secrets of ancient Uddiyana large slabe are clearly shown on plate 97. The --the Udyana of later texts and the Wu-chang-na " large flat stone with the Buddha's footprints " of Hsuan-tsang. The only portion of that country so was found still intact near Tirât ; and "the rock on hallowed in the minds of Buddhists that he has which Buddha had washed his robe," near Ragast. not scanned from some mountain top or another The stúpa ascribed to King Uttarasens and the are the gloomy and precipitous gorges of the Indus suggestively shaped rock face that marked the spot in the Kohistân south of Tangir, so where "his large white elephant bearing the pre
described to us by Fa-hsien and Hsian.tsang. cious relics had suddenly died and become a rock"
C.E.A.W. OLDHAN. have also been identified at Shankardår andGhalagai. It may be noted, further, that the remains found at. 7 TRITA ARTYA. Eine Vedische Gottheit. I In.
augural Dissertation von K. Rönnow. Uppsala and in the vicinity of, Manglawar have satisfied Sir
Universitets Arsskrift 1927. Filosofi, Sprakwe. Aurel of the identity of this site with Hsuan teang's feng-chick-li, thus confirming the view of Sir Alexan.
tenskap och Historiska Wetenskaper 5. Uppsala : der Cunningham and of Sir Harold Deane.
A. B. Lundequistska Bokhandeln (1927).
This is the first part of a book in which the author Ever since General Court, the soldier archaeologist
proposes to make clear the true character of the in Ranjit Singh's service, first proposed (in JASB,
Vedie deity Trita Aptya and to explain the myths 1839) a definite location, at Raja Hodi's fort, oppo.
Associated with his name. This part consists, site Attock, for the "Rock" of Aornoe, the question
besicles the preface, bibliography, list of abbreviaof the site of Alexander's great exploit has intrigued
tions and errata, of an introduction (pp. 7-xxviii) scholars. Cunningham (1848, and later) favoured
in which are set forth in brief the opinions of all Rånigat, some 16 miles north by west from Ohind
earlier Western writers on this subject, and (4. G. of I., Plate V). General Abbott, in 1854,
three chapters on (1) Trita as a water deity, (2) the proposed MahAban: and this latter identification
water of life, and (3) Trita Aptya and Sona. In all was widely accepted until, in 1904. Sir Aurel Stein,
the chapters, the author brings together interesting after investigation on the spot, showed conclusively
parallels to Vedic rites and beliefs from the customs that the local features could not be reconciled and beliefs of primitive peoples and also from post
une cletas given in the Greek account. The Vedie Indian literature and the book is therefor tinal solution of this problem, which Sir Aurel
11seful as throwing a clearer light upon the meaning generously ascribes to a clue suggested by his of certain Vedic passages and Vedic rites. Pp. friend Col. Wauhope many years ago, was found in 110-134 on svadhá deserve particular mention in April 1926. The evidence, historical, topographical this connection. So far as his chief theme is concernand philological, has been set forth so ably and so ed, however, I have to confess that the author's lucidly that it cannot fail to carry conviction. reasoning has failed to convince me that Trita Aptya
The extent and importance of the topographical is a water deity or even that aptya is a doublet and orographical work carried out during this tour of ápya and derived from ap water. As a matter will only be fully realized when the details have of fact, the details mentioned in connection with been incorporated in the Survey sheets concerned. this deity are so diverse in character that it does Some idea, however, of the close attention devoted not seem to me to be possible to bring them all to this matter can be had by examining the contour under one head. Compare in this connection the maps of the Bir-kot hill (p. 38), the heights overlooking opinions of Hillebrandt (Ved. Mytologie, 3,340 ff.) Ude-gråm (p. 52) and Pir-ear and environs (at end). and Spiegel (Die Arische Periode, p. 257 ff.) which That so much was accomplished within the time
the author has cited on pp. vii-viiiot his Einleitung. available is due to the genius of the author, his
The book contains a not inconsiderable number exceptional power of organization, his unerring of typographical errors. Some of them are noticed grasp of topographical detail, his remarkable and corrected in the Errata: amongst those not linguistio attainments, tireless energy and Yaculty
noticed, I may mention áptyó (for dptyó p. 20.27), of animating all associated with him with his own samipa (for samipe 21.30), ádridhiḥ (for adribhih enthusiasm-qualities that have already placed
23.22), abhí (for abhi 23.30), tato (for táto 34.27 him in the forefront of a long line of great Asian
and 31), phenam (for phendi 34.29), dhattá (for dhatto explorers. The story so modestly told in these pages
43-21), rténa (for rinie 89.9), reatu (for rechatu will command world-wide attention, and no one
50.20), arayah (for arayyah 53.30). ittáh (for interested in the history and antiquities of the East
tal 67.18), arangama (for aramgamá 67.23), krá will fail to secure a copy. The volume has been excel
à pah (for kvà ápah 86.14), baryanavati (for baryalently printed and the numerous beautiful photo
návati 87.25), tridhatu (for tridhät 166.15), ich graphs admirably reproduced by Messrs. Macmillan.
(for ist 175.5). In addition to Zubaty's article in Taking into consideration his records of explora. KZ. 31, the author could with advantage have re. tion in 1898 in Buner, in 1904 at Mahâban and in ferred (on p. 153) to Ind. Antiquary 56.34 ff. in 1913 in Tangir and Darel, which latter the early connection with svadhd-sudhá and similar word-pairs. Chinese accounts describe as the old seat of the
A. VENKATASUBBIAH.
