Indian Antiquary Vol 60

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 106

THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[MAY, 1931
Bargeer.—The following quotation from the Afn-s-Akbari makes the "transition of meaning," which seemed obscure to Yule, fairly clear.
"His Majesty [Akbar) from the regard which he pays to difference in rank, believes many fit for cavalry service ..When their services are required, they are furnished with a horse on a written order of the Bitikchi (writer); but they have not to trouble themselves about the keeping of the horse. A man so mounted was called Bargîrsawar." (Trans. Blochmann, I, 139.) The original meaning of bargir seems to be 'baggage-horse,' and of bargir-suwdr, rider of a baggage-horse,' which latter was subsequently abbreviated into bargir.
I may add that for the man who brought his own horse-our Silladar' (q.v. HobsonJobson, p. 836), Barani (c. 1358) uses khad-aspa, i.e., 'man with his own horse'l Adelsge ). -Tarikh-i-Firúzshahi, Text, p. 86, 1. 2.
Batel, Batelo, Patello.-The origins of the names of sailing vessels of the old world are exceedingly obscure and all but impossible to trace. Sir Henry Yule says 'Batell' occurs in the Roteiro de V. da Gama, that Batel, Batelo is the name of a sort of boat used in Western India, Sind and Bengal, and that 'Pattello' is used for a large flat-bottomed boat on the Ganges. Whatever the source of the Portuguese Batell,'1 it is certain that the Bombay Batelo, or the Bengal' Pattello' is not directly derived from it, as the form batlanhäng) occurs in the Tarikh-i-Firúzshahi of Barani, which was completed in 1358 A.C. (Bibl. Indica Text, p. 490, 1. 7).
Bayparree, Beoparry.-As no early use of this word is cited in Hobson-Jobson, the following extract may be of interest.
[c. 1516.] "In this Kingdom of Malabar there is also another casto of people whom they call Biabares, Indian merchants natives of the land."-The Book of Duarte Barbosa, trans. Dames, II, 55-56.
Bendara.—The earliest use of this word by an English author quoted by Yule is of 1810.
[1669-1679.) "And, againe, the hearts of the Syamers in generall were wholy sett against this Sort of Goverment, for the Radja had noe Sooner Seated himselfe in his place in Janselone, but he immediately turned out of Office most of the Syamers, both Councellours, Secretaries, Shabandares Bandarees, etc. .. and in their Stead he placed Chulyars." -T. Bowrey, Countries round the Bay of Bengal, ed. Sir R. C. Temple, p. 256.
The Editor notes that the Bendahara was a very high degree of nobility amonst the Malays; the bendaharis were the treasury-officers. The two words seem to be blended together in Yule's quotations.
(To be continued.)
1 The Portuguese word is batel, which, be it noted, Dalgado does not include in his Glossário Lusoasiático. Whatever be the origin of this word, the pataild (also written and pronounced pafeld) of the Gan. getic basin, which appears in a great variety of forms, such as 'patella,' patello,' 'pattella,' bettilo,' eto., in the journals and records of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, is a well known form of boat, widely distributed over north-eastern India. The boat is so called from the way it is built, or boarded' (TTT), the side planks (Hindi, TT; Sanskrit, 97:) being laid from bow to storn, the upper overlapping the lower, or, as we should call it, clinker-built. The change of the initial long a into short a is in accordance with rule.
A very correct drawing of a pafaild will be found in B. Solvyns' Etchinge description of the Manners, Oustoms, eto, of the Hindoos, Caloutta, 1799, Section 8th, Plate no. 7. In his rare lotterpress Solvytis calls this "A Pataily, flat clinker built boat from the Provinces of Behar and Bonaros." Pafail is simply the diminutive form of pafaild.-0. E. A. W. O., JOINT EDITOR.
Dalgado writes, under BENDARA: "from the Malay bånddhara, 'trongurer,' Javanese bandara Sans. bhandart," which seems probable-Glossário Lo-aridhico, I, 118.-0. E. A.W.O., JOINT EDITOR