FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   425   426   427   428   429   430   431   432   433   434   435   436   437   438   439   440   441   442   443   444   445   446   447   448   449  
450   451   452   453   454   455   456   457   458   459   460   461   462   463   464   465   466   467   468   469   470   471   472   473   474   >>   >|  
e Cross." Mr. Thomas reads the central part, between two small crosses, "+ In the Name of Messiah +." See _Kircher, China Illustrata_, p. 55 seqq.; _De Couto_, u.s. (both of these have inaccurate representations of the cross); _Academy_, vol. v. (1874), p. 145, etc.; and Mr. Burnell's pamphlet "_On some Pahlavi Inscriptions in South India_." To his kindness I am indebted for the illustration (p. 351). ["E na quelle parte da tranqueira alem, do ryo de Malaca, em hum citio de Raya Mudiliar, que depois possuyo Dona Helena Vessiva, entre os Mangueiraes cavando ao fundo quasi 2 bracas, descobrirao hua + floreada de cobre pouco carcomydo, da forma como de cavaleyro de Calatrava de 3 palmos de largo, e comprido sobre hua pedra de marmor, quadrada de largura e comprimento da ditta +, entra huas ruynas de hua caza sobterranea de tijolos como Ermida, e parece ser a + de algum christao de Meliapor, que veo em companhia de mercadores de Choromandel a Malaca." (_Godinho de Eredia_, fol. 15.)--_MS. Note_.--H.Y.] The etymology of the name _Mayilappur_, popular among the native Christians, is "Peacock-Town," and the peafowl are prominent in the old legend of St. Thomas. Polo gives it no name; Marignolli (circa 1350) calls it _Mirapolis_, the Catalan Map (1375) _Mirapor_; Conti (circa 1440) _Malepor_; Joseph of Cranganore (1500) _Milapar_ (or _Milapor_); De Barros and Couto, _Meliapor_. Mr. Burnell thinks it was probably _Malai_-ppuram, "Mount-Town"; and the same as the Malifatan of the Mahomedan writers; the last point needs further enquiry. NOTE 5.--Dr. Caldwell, speaking of the devil-worship of the Shanars of Tinnevelly (an important part of Ma'bar), says: "Where they erect an image in imitation of their Brahman neighbours, the devil is generally of Brahmanical lineage. Such images generally accord with those monstrous figures with which all over India orthodox Hindus depict the enemies of their gods, or the terrific forms of Siva or Durga. They are generally made of earthenware, and _painted white to look horrible in Hindu eyes_." (_The Tinnevelly Shanars_, Madras, 1849, p. 18.) NOTE 6.--The use of the Yak's tail as a military ornament had nothing to do with the sanctity of the Brahmani ox, but is one of the Pan-Asiatic usages, of which there are so many. A vivid account of the extravagant profusion with which swaggering heroes in South India used those ornaments will be found in _P. della Valle_, II. 662. [1] Should be "
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   425   426   427   428   429   430   431   432   433   434   435   436   437   438   439   440   441   442   443   444   445   446   447   448   449  
450   451   452   453   454   455   456   457   458   459   460   461   462   463   464   465   466   467   468   469   470   471   472   473   474   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

generally

 

Thomas

 

Meliapor

 
Shanars
 

Burnell

 

Malaca

 
Tinnevelly
 

Brahmanical

 

speaking

 
worship

imitation

 

neighbours

 

Brahman

 

important

 

Mahomedan

 

Cranganore

 

Joseph

 

Milapar

 

Milapor

 

thinks


Barros

 

Malepor

 

Catalan

 

Mirapolis

 

Mirapor

 

enquiry

 

writers

 

ppuram

 
lineage
 

Malifatan


Caldwell
 
enemies
 
usages
 

Asiatic

 

sanctity

 

Brahmani

 

account

 

extravagant

 

Should

 

swaggering


profusion

 

heroes

 

ornaments

 

ornament

 

military

 

depict

 

terrific

 

Hindus

 

orthodox

 
accord