Doubt be charitably dealt with, and will find her
proper position somewhere within the limits of a "hideous witch"
and a "celestial being."
[12] - This place is mentioned in the "Tuzuk Jehangeery," or "Precepts
of Jehangeer," in a way which shows that the Conqueror of the World
had not included himself among his victories.
The name appears on a Persian inscription as Wurnagh, but is called
by the natives Vernagh, and is mentioned by Jehangeer in his journal
as Tirnagh: -
"The source of the river Bhet (Jhelum)[*] lies in a fountain in Cashmeer,
named Tirnagh, which, in the language, of Hindostan, signifies a
snake - probably some large snake had been seen there. During the
lifetime of my father (Akbar) I went twice to this fountain, which
is about twenty kos from the city of Cashmere. Its form is octagonal,
and the sides of it are about twenty yards in length.
"I accompanied my father to this spot during the season of flowers. In
some places the beds of saffron-flowers extend to a kos. Their
appearance is best at a distance, and when they are plucked they
emit a strong smell. My attendants were all seized with a headache,
and though I was myself at the time intoxicated with liquor, I felt
also my head affected. I inquired of the brutal Cashmeerians who were
employed in plucking them, what was their condition, and they replied
that they never had a headache in their lifetime."
[*] - The Jhelum is called in Cashmere, Behat - a contraction of the
Sanscrit VEDASTA, which the Greeks slightly altered to Hydaspes.
[13] - The title of Noor-ul-deen is also mentioned by Jehangeer in
his Journal from Lahore to Cabul, and its origin is thus accounted
for in his own words:
"Now that I had become a king, it occurred to me that I ought to change
my name, which was liable to be confounded with that of the Caesars,
of Rome.
"The Secret Inspirer of thoughts suggested to me that, as the business
of kings is the conquest of the world, I ought to assume the name of
Jehangeer, or Conqueror of the World; and that as my accession to the
throne had taken place, about sunrise, I ought therefore to take the
title of Noor-ul-deen, or the Light of Religion. I had heard during
the time of my youth from several learned Hindoos, that after the
expiration of the reign of Akbar, the throne would be filled by a
kin, named Noor-ul-deen. This circumstance made an impression on me,
and I therefore assumed the name and title of Jehangeer Badshah."
[14] - These ruins appear to be in the greatest dilapidation of any
in the valley. The date of their erection is believed to be A.D. 852.
[15] - See Appendix A.
[16] - VIDE Appendix A.
[17] - These monuments would appear to be of the kind designated
Chod-tens and Dung-tens, which have been thus described: - "In the
monuments which are dedicated to the celestial Buddha, the invisible
being who pervades all space, no deposit was made; but the Divine
Spirit, who was light, was supposed to occupy the interim. Such are
the numerous Chod-tens in Tibet dedicated to the celestial Buddha,
in contradistinction to the Dung-tens, which are built in honour of
the mortal Buddhas, and which ought to contain some portion of their
relies, real or supposed. The first means an offering to the Deity,
the latter a bone or relic receptacle. In the Sanscrit these are
termed Chaitya and Dagoba." - Cunningham.
[18] - This appears to have been one of the Dagobas or bone-holders,
which are erected either over the corse of a Lama or the ashes of some
person of consequence. "The tribute of respect is paid in Tibet to
the manes of the dead in various ways. It is the custom to preserve
entire the mortal remains of the sovereign Lamas only. As soon as
life has left the body of a Lama, it is placed upright, sitting
in an attitude of devotion, his legs being folded before him, with
the instep resting on each thigh, and the sides of the feet turned
upwards. The right hand is rested with its back upon the thigh, with
the thumb bent across the palm. The left arm is bent and held close
to the body, the hand being open and the thumb touching the point of
the shoulder. This is the attitude of abstracted meditation.
"The bodies of inferior Lamas are usually burnt, and their ashes
preserved with the greatest care, and the monuments in which they
are contained are ever after looked upon as sacred, and visited with
religious awe." - Turner.
[19] - jo khula kariga so kui nahin kariga
[20] - "Tibet may be considered the head-quarters of Buddhism in
the present age, and immense volumes are still to be found in that
country (faithful translations of the Sanskrit text), which refer to
the manners, customs, opinions, knowledge, ignorance, superstition,
hopes and fears of a great part of Asia, especially of India in former
ages." - Csoma de Koros, PREFACE TO TIBETAN GRAMMAR.
[21] - These stones would appear to be peculiar to Thibet, although
the sentence inscribed upon them has been occasionally discovered
elsewhere. Mention of it is thus made in the Journal of the Asiatic
Society of Bengal: - "On the main road from the Valley of Nipal to
Tibet stands a diminutive stone, 'Chaitya.' Upon this is inscribed
a variety of texts from the Buddha Scriptures, and amongst others
the celebrated Mantra, or charmed sentence of Tibet. The system of
letters called Lantza in Tibet, and there considered foreign and
Indian, though nowhere extant in the Plains of India, is the common
vehicle of Sanscrit language among the Buddhists of Nipal Proper,
by whom it is denominated Ranja, in Devanagri ra.mjaa
"Ranja, therefore, and not, according to a barbarian metamorphosis,
Lantza, it should be called by us, and by way of further and clearer
distinction, the Nipalese variety of Devanagri.
