Indian Antiquary Vol 01

SR No.: 032493
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Jas Burgess
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1984
Total Pages: 430
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 22 MB

Page 35

JANUARY 5, 1872.]
PANINI AND ANCIENT GEOGRAPHY.
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of nearly 1,200 feet, and the ruins have a very | must be remembered he made his measurements inconsiderable elevation. Bastions are clearly outside the ditch, very faint traces of which visible at the following distances from the south- are visible on two sides of the wall. I have east angle, viz., 200, 320, 420, 520, 620, 720, endeavoured to trace carefully the rampart and in 820, 920, 1,020, 1,120 and 1,200 feet. Mont- many places removed the heaps of brick which gomery Martin considers the heaps of brick to covered it. In most cases I succeeded in unbe the remains of a second set of fortifications covering the original wall, which uniformly prebuilt by Shir Shah, but I am rather inclined to sents a thickness of 14 feet. As regards the outer regard them as the ruins of the ancient towers, the walls which are said to have existed, if the two monasteries and the royal palace which we heaps of stone which are found at different disknow to have existed in the town and parts of tances from the fort are traces of them, they which as well as other buildings were doubtless are so imperfect that any attempt to follow built on the city walls. General Cunningham them wonld be simply futile. gives a much larger area to the ruined city, but it
(To be continued.)
PANINI AND THE GEOGRAPHY OF AFGHANISTAN AND THE PANJAB.
BY PROF. RAMKRISHNA GOPAL BHANDARKAR, M.A. The chief native authorities for Ancient comprised in each group ought not, because the Indian Geography hitherto made use of by Anti- Gana-pâtha is attributed to Pâņini; to be requarians, are the Purâņas and the Itihasas. But | garded as having been laid down by him. Several there is another, and a very important one, which of the ganas, or groups, are what are called akriti is not frequently referred to. The great Gram- ganas, i.e., such as each subsequent writer has marian Pâņini and his commentators, often give the libérty of adding to.; and we have no doubt, very useful information in cases where the that even such as are not now considered to be Purâņas and the Itihâsas afford no hint. We of this nature, must have fared similarly at the propose in the following remarks to show by ex
hands of the early successors of Panini. For amples, what use may be made of this branch of
instance, the name of the mediæval Kathiawad Sanskrit literature, in illustrating the Ancient
town Valabh i, occurs at the end of the group Geography of India.
called Vars na di(Pân. IV-2-82) and of UjjaIn teaching the formation of the names of
yini, in the same group, and also at the end of
Dhûm adi (Pån., IV.-2-127). No one would, places and of the inhabitants thereof, Pånini,
we believe, push his scepticism, as to the age of as is usual with him, gives general rules where
Pâņini so far as to urge that this proves him to possible, and where not, he groups together cer
have flourished after V ala bhi came into importain names, in which the grammatical peculiarity
tance under the dynasty of Bhatarka. And is the same. These groups are distinguished
if any one were to do so, it would not be from each other by the name of the first in the list,
difficult to satisfy him. For, independently of with an expression which is equivalent to and
the mass of evidence hitherto brought forward others' added to it. In the body of the work,
to prove that Pâņini flourished long before the names of the groups so formed, and the gram
the Christian Era, we may state that in the matical or etymological changes characteristic
copperplate grant* of Dhara se na IV. we find of them, are only given, while the words consti
puns on a good many of the technical terms tuting each group are set forth, in what may be
of Panini, and the great grammarian himself considered as an appendix to the work, called
is alluded to under the name of Shalaturiya, gana-patha. Instances of the general rules are
(native of Shalâtura). This shews that Pâņini given by the commentators, but they are not, on
was at that time a person of established that account, to be considered as recent. There
reputation, and consequently, was even then an is internal evidence to show that most of these ancient author. The groups or ganas, therefore, must have been handed down from the time of seem to have been tampered with by his succesPånini himself. A good many are given by sors, but we think we are safe in ascribing the Patanjali, the author of the great commentary on first three names at least, in each, to him. Panini's work. On the other hand, all the words The number of names of towns, villages, rivers,
• Translated at page 14.