Indian Antiquary Vol 60

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

Page 31

JANUARY, 1931 ]
BOOK NOTICES
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To appreciate the antiquities of Sind, it is essential at the site, but it remained for Mr. Cousens to reveal to visualize them in their geographical and historical the details of the structure, which presents some Bettings, 80 Mr. Cousens has appropriately prefaced features of special interest. He found that the his descriptions by two chapters dealing with the whole stdpa had apparently sunk, owing to the ever-shifting rivers and the history of the province. weight of the superincumbent tower and defective His researches in these directions have enabled him foundations, at the time of its completion or very to establish certain identifications which should soon after, and had been buttressed up all round help towards & correct conception of the configura - with deep and solid brickwork, to which was due the tion of the lower Indus valley in early times. The remarkable proservation of the seven half-lifemort interesting sections are those describing the size figures of the Buddha found in their original Brahmanabad, Mirpur-Khas and Thathah sites. positions. The Mir Rukan stúpa, on the other More than thirty years ago Mr. Cousens, after two hand, which had also been explored by Mr. Gibbs or three seasons' work at the first-named sito, in 1858, had not had any such protection, and little confirmed the identification of the ancient city had escaped from plundering hands. The most of Brahmanabad or Bahmanabad made by Mr. interesting feature of the Sulheran-jo-dhado stúpa, Bellasis in 1854, and proved that the thul, or tower' when openod up by Mr. Bhandarkar, was the find was the remains of a Buddhist stúpa. The Muham. ing of a dagoba made of sun-dried bricks covered madan city of Manşûra had evidently been built with plaster, completely built in and imbedded in the upon the ruins of the old Hindu city, while the tower. Mr. Bhandarkar came to the conclusion detached block of ruins to the south-east represent, that this stúpa could not be of later date than in his opinion, the site of the fort called Mahfuze. the time of Kanishka. Having regard to the legend Deper Ghángro, six miles to the north-east, where about the king of Kashmir recorded in the Mujmal he discovered the remains of another Buddhist stúpa, at tawarikh, Mr. Cousens suggests it is possible that he is inclined to identify with the Buddhist colony | Kanishka, whose dominions included Sind, may of Sawandi, mentioned in the Mujmal at-taudrikh have had a line of stúpas down the valley of the as having boon built by the king of Kashmir, and Indus erected to commemorato a visit to that he guggests that this king may have been the great province, and he calls to mind in this connexion Kanishka. These identifications appear somewhat ! the remains at Sue Vihår and Shorkot. conjectural. The Mujmal at tawdrikh states that I In many ways the most interesting chapter is the name Såwandi was derived from the Hindi | that on "Dewal-Thathah.” More than 30 years word for • ocean'; if that be so, we should expect ago Mr. Cousons pointed out that Dewal (the Dobal it to have lain in the vicinity of the sea, but even of the Arab geographers) would seem to have been so in Kanishka's time the coast-line cannot have been called on account of a fine temple, which stood in anywhere near that site. It is possible that the or near the town, and that close by Thathah wo name S&wandi may have meant simply the village of have the remains of such a temple rebuilt by the the dramaras (or Buddhiste).' The "chessmen" of Muhammadans into their old tombe. For instance, Mr. Bellasis he has clearly shown to have been the tomb of Jâm Nirâmu'd-din (circa 1508) had merely balusters or spindles for insertion between boen" built in great part of materials from an old rails and knobs or finials to be let into top rails as an Hindu temple, which, judging from the beautiful ornamental finish. Whether the original name sculptured details, was of great magnificence," of the ancient city was Bahmanabad or Brahmand- and around this tomb are "several other buildings båd he leaves an open question. Different views supported upon Hindu columns from which all figure have been expressed as to how the old city came to sculpture has been etiaced, and which have Hindu be abandoned and the site deserted. Mr. Beilasis domes and finials." His further researches would favourod the theory of an earthquake. Mr. Couseng appear to have confirmed him in the view then prefers to think that the city was sacked by an formed, and ho now definitely links "Dewal - enemy, tho inhabitants being put to the sword. Thathah " as one site. We may say that a rocent He suggests that the silence of the Muhammadan study of the records of the old Muhammadan geohistorians might be due to the fact that this sack graphers and historians in another connexion leads was carried out by the Hindus; but this would to a very similar conclusion, viz., that twelve hardly explain the complete destruction of all the
hundred years ago the sea was close by the southern buildings or the total abandonment of the site, end of the Makli hills, and that the old town of which had been a Hindu one previously. It seems Debel referred to in the Chach-ndma and by the moro ronsonable to suppose that some other cause early Arab geographers was either on, or in the had operated. An earthquaku might not only have immediate vicinity of, these hills. The question wrecked the buildings, but also diverted the course cannot be fully dealt with frere; but two references of the river, which we know from so many accounts may be cited perhaps, as these would seem to mave flowed by Mangars on the east: in fact what hap- boen overlooked in previous discussions. In the pened at Alor may have happened at Manşara. Chach-ndma we are told that Nirûn wae 25 farsange
The existence of the stúpa at Mirpur-Khle has been from Debal, and the fort at, or close to, Sohwin cap. known since 1859, when Mr. Gibbs made excavationstured by Muhammad bin Qisim was 30 farsange from