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IN THE BOMBAY CIRCLE.
A reference to Bhandarkar's account will show the difficulties that have to be contended with by those desirous of inspecting books that are in all probability of unique importance. Svarûpachandra Yati (whose recent death, be it said in passing, was the reason why I ventured to hope for success where Bühler and Bhandarkar had failed) positively refused to show his books. The owners or guardians of other bhandars had, in anticipation of his visit, removed their persons or their books from Patan. In the end Bhandarkar and his companion got access among others (Nos. 2, 3 and 4) to the large bhandar in the Phoplaliâ pâờo ; and if I have been able to glean something there after them it is for a reason which I will state, as it was stated to me, without vouching for the truth of it. Since his visit it has been discovered that a Large box in that bhandar, supposed to contain only vestments, is really a library in itself. It is full of palm-leaf manuscripts of great antiquity. These were all freely exhibited to me by the people in charge, who treated me throughout with the greatest courtesy ; and, thanks to the exertions of Ramchandra Shastri and assistants procured in the place itself, I secured extracts from upwards of 200 books of the kind I was most anxious to inspect. These will be given in extenso in my next Report, which is already in band. In the meantime the following is a brief acconnt of the more notable discoveries made in one of the eleven bhandars which Patan boasts. It is not too much to say that they raise curiosity as to what still remains to be discovered at Patan to a very high pitch; and I will not leave that side of the matter without urging on the authorities concerned the extreme importance of taking all legitimate steps to overcome the reluctance of the jailors of these books to let them see the light. By a strange chance my most important discovery at Patan is
closely connected with what must, I A commentary on the think, have been regarded at the time as Nyayabindutika by Mallavådyacharya.
the most important of the Cambay books
described in my Third Report. I refer to the Nyâyabindutika of Dharmottara, a commentary by a Buddhist writer, well known previously by name, on the Buddhist logical sutras. It will be remembered that while it was known from Tibetan sources, made available at Pekin, that Dharmottara had written sach a book, the Cambay copy was at the time of its
