DOCSLIB.ORG

Samudra Gupta. (A Specimen Chapter of the Projected Ancient History of Northern India from the Monuments.) by VINCENT A

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Samudra Gupta. (A Specimen Chapter of the Projected Ancient History of Northern India from the Monuments.) by VINCENT A 19 ART. II.—Samudra Gupta. (A specimen chapter of the projected Ancient History of Northern India from the Monuments.) By VINCENT A. SMITH, M.R.A.S., Indian Civil Service. PREFATORY NOTE, THE following history of the reign of the great conqueror, Samudra Gupta, who was emperor of Northern India, and made extensive, though temporary, conquests in the south, about the middle of the fourth century of the Christian era, is offered as a specimen of the author's projected " Ancient History of Northern India from the Monuments." Though that projected historj' may never be completed, I venture to think that fragments of it may not be altogether valueless, and that they may suffice to prove that even now the materials exist for the construction of an authentic and fairly readable " History of Ancient India." The general plan of the projected work requires the exclusion from the text, so far as possible, of all dry archaeological dust, and the banishment of such unpalatable matter to footnotes or separate dissertations. Candid criticism and helpful suggestions will be welcomed by V. A. SMITH, Gorakhpur, India. 12th July, 1896. Samudra Gupta, circa A.D. 345-380. The conjecture may be permitted that at the time of the death of Candra Gupta I his favourite son Samudra was absent from court, and that this circumstance had enabled Kacha to seize and hold the throne for a short period, Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. INSEAD, on 14 Sep 2018 at 15:56:19, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0035869X00024217 20 SAMUDKA GUPTA. which probably did not exceed a year or two. The accession of Samudra Gupta, " the son of the daughter of the Licchavis," may be approximately dated in A.D. 345. The young monarch was fully convinced of the truth of the Oriental doctrine that a king who desires the world's respect cannot rest upon his father's laurels, but is bound to extend his borders, and attack and subdue neighbouring powers. To this task of " kingdom-taking " * Samudra Gupta devoted his long reign and great abilities. He was evidently a ruler of exceptional capacity, and skilled in the arts of peace no less than in those of war. Though the impartial historian cannot accept as sober fact all the magniloquent phrases of the courtly poet Harisena, who was commissioned by the filial piety of Samudra Gupta's successor to celebrate the victories and glories of the conqueror, it is manifest that the hero of the panegyric was a prince of extraordinary accomplishments, and that his career was one of almost uninterrupted success and military glory.2 The laureate's commemoration of the musical accomplish- ments of his hero is curiously confirmed by the rare and interesting Lyrist coins struck early in the reign of Samudra Gupta, which depict the king seated on a high- backed couch playing the Indian lyre. 1 mulkglrl in Persian. 2 This panegyric (prafastt) is engraved on.the pillar now in the fort of Allahabad, on which a copy of the edicts of As'oka is also inscribed. "The inscription is non-sectarian, being devoted entirely to a recital of the glory, conquests, and descent of the early Gupta king Samudragupta. It is not dated; but, as it describes Samudragupta as deceased, it belongs to the time of his son and successor, Candragupta II, and must have been engraved soon after the accession of the latter [i.e. about A.D. 3§0]. Its great value lies in the abundant information which, in the conquests attributed to Samudragupta, it gives as to the divisions of India, its tribes, and its kings, about the middle of the fourth century A.D." The historical portion of the record is in nearly perfect preservation. The inscription consists of thirty-three lines, of which the first sixteen are in verse and the rest in prose. The language is good classical Sanskrit. The inscription possesses special literary interest, because I it is one of the earliest long compositions in classical Sanskrit to which a definite date can be assigned with confidence. The panegyric was composed by Harisena, who held several high offices at the court of Candra Gupta II, and the inscription was engraved under the superintendence of an official named Tilabhattaka. The metres of the metrical portion are Sragdhard, Cdrdulavik- rtaiia, and Mandakranta. (Fleet, " Gupta Inscriptions," No. 1, pp. 1-17, pi. i.) Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. INSEAD, on 14 Sep 2018 at 15:56:19, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0035869X00024217 SAMUDRA GUPTA. %\ The allied art of poetry also claimed the sovereign's attention, and, if we may believe the panegyrist, the numerous compositions of the royal author were worthy of a professional poet.1 The works of several princely Indian poets are extant, but unfortunately not a single line of Samudra Gupta's poems has been preserved to enable the modern critic to judge how far they deserved the favourable verdict of the laureate. We are also told that the king delighted in the society of the learned, and employed his acute and polished intellect in the study and defence of the sacred Scriptures, as well as in the lighter arts of music and poetry.2 These statements the historian must be content to accept as they stand, and, while recognizing that they are coloured with the flattery which kings love to receive, and courtly poets love to bestow, he will admit that the panegyric has a basis of fact, and that its subject was a sovereign of no ordinary merit. Whatever may have been the exact degree of skill to which Samudra Grupta attained in the accomplishments which graced his leisure, it is evident that the serious occupation of his life was war and conquest. At an early period of his reign he set up a claim to be the paramount sovereign of Northern India, and revived the ancient and imposing ceremony of the Sacrifice of the Horse, the successful celebration of which proved the validity of the celebrant's claim to universal sovereignty. According to accepted tradition, the termination of the great war of the Mahabharatas, and the final victory of the Pandavas, had been signalized by the celebration of this solemn rite, and no Indian monarch could have a higher ambition than to renew in his own person the legendary glories of the heroes 'LineS. " The fame produced by much poetry." Line 15. "And even poetry, which gives free vent to the mind of poets; all these are his." Line 27. " Who established his title of king of poets by various poetical compositions that were fit to be the means of subsistence of learned people." 2 Lines 5, 15, 27, 30. Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. INSEAD, on 14 Sep 2018 at 15:56:19, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0035869X00024217 22 SAMUDRA GUPTA. of the national epic. The ceremony was after this manner: —" A horse of a particular colour was consecrated by the performance of certain ceremonies, and was then turned loose to wander for a year. The king, or his representative, followed the horse with an army, and when the animal entered a foreign country, the ruler of that country was bound either to fight or to submit. If the liberator of the horse succeeded in obtaining or enforcing the sub- mission of all the countries over which it passed, he returned in triumph, with the vanquished Rajas in his train; but if he failed, he was disgraced, and his pre- tensions ridiculed. After the successful return a great- festival was held, at which the horse was sacrificed, either really or figuratively." 1 The fact that Samudra Gupta successfully renewed this ancient rite, which had long fallen into desuetude, is abundantly proved both by the inscriptions2 and the coins; and is probably commemorated by the statue of a horse now in the Lucknow Museum, and inscribed as being " the pious gift of Samudra Gupta." Possibly the sacrifice took place in the north of Oudh, where that statue was found.3 The commemorative coins, though of the same weight as the pieces issued for ordinary currency, are evidently medals struck on the occasion of the great festival which celebrated the conclusion of the sacrifice, and were probably then distributed to the officiating Brahmans. Samudra Gupta is recorded to have given away vast numbers of cows and great sums in gold, and it may reasonably be assumed that the Horse Sacrifice occasioned an exceptional display of his habitual generosity. The medals exhibit on the 1 Dowson, "A Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology," etc., S.Y. Aswa- Medha. 2 The restoration of the practice of the horse sacrifice is referred to in three inscriptions, viz. the Bilsar pillar (No. 10); the Bihar pillar (No. 12); and the Bhitari pillar (No. 13). The passage in line 2 of the last-mentioned record runs thus: " Who was the giver of many millions of lawfully acquired cows and gold ; who was the restorer of the asvarnedha sacrifice, which had been long in abeyance " (" Gupta Inscriptions," p. 54). 3 V. A. Smith, " Observations," p. 97, and frontispiece. The image was found near the ancient fort of Khairigarh, in the Kherl district, on the frontier of Oudh and Nepal. Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. INSEAD, on 14 Sep 2018 at 15:56:19, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Indian Hieroglyphs
    Indian hieroglyphs Indus script corpora, archaeo-metallurgy and Meluhha (Mleccha) Jules Bloch’s work on formation of the Marathi language (Bloch, Jules. 2008, Formation of the Marathi Language. (Reprint, Translation from French), New Delhi, Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN: 978-8120823228) has to be expanded further to provide for a study of evolution and formation of Indian languages in the Indian language union (sprachbund). The paper analyses the stages in the evolution of early writing systems which began with the evolution of counting in the ancient Near East. Providing an example from the Indian Hieroglyphs used in Indus Script as a writing system, a stage anterior to the stage of syllabic representation of sounds of a language, is identified. Unique geometric shapes required for tokens to categorize objects became too large to handle to abstract hundreds of categories of goods and metallurgical processes during the production of bronze-age goods. In such a situation, it became necessary to use glyphs which could distinctly identify, orthographically, specific descriptions of or cataloging of ores, alloys, and metallurgical processes. About 3500 BCE, Indus script as a writing system was developed to use hieroglyphs to represent the ‘spoken words’ identifying each of the goods and processes. A rebus method of representing similar sounding words of the lingua franca of the artisans was used in Indus script. This method is recognized and consistently applied for the lingua franca of the Indian sprachbund. That the ancient languages of India, constituted a sprachbund (or language union) is now recognized by many linguists. The sprachbund area is proximate to the area where most of the Indus script inscriptions were discovered, as documented in the corpora.
    [Show full text]
  • EYES on WAVES from SPACE Eyes on Waves from Space a Wave Atlas Based on Satellite Observations & Numerical Model
    SAMUDRA SAtellite based Marine process Understanding, Development, Research and Applications for blue economy EYES ON WAVES FROM SPACE Eyes on Waves from Space A Wave Atlas based on Satellite Observations & Numerical Model Contributions Seemanth M Suchandra Aich Bhowmick Rashmi Sharma Raj Kumar Space Applications Centre Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Ahmedabad - 380015, India FEBRUARY 2019 Dr. Raj Kumar Deputy Director Earth, Ocean, Atmosphere, Planetary Sciences and Applications Area Space Applications Centre Ph. 079-26914024 PREFACE Ocean plays a vital role in modulating sustainable development of our nation. Thus, ISRO’s program SAMUDRA (Satellite based Marine Process Understanding, Development, Research and Applications for blue economy) is formulated to address various criticalities of the ocean. Under this project, satellite data assimilation for ocean state analysis is one of the most important theme. Ocean surface at any given time and location contains wide range of waves with varying amplitudes. At the first cut, therefore an accurate wave prediction is most important for any oceanographer. Under the above mentioned theme, satellite altimeter observed significant wave height from SARAL/AltiKa, Jason-2 and Jason-3 has been assimilated in the numerical wave model. In this atlas, wave climatology from satellite altimeter and numerical model has been presented. The extreme wave captured by the data assimilative wave model during cyclones from 2014-2016 has been demonstrated. I hope that this atlas will be useful for various institutes working on the same theme. Ahmedabad (Raj Kumar) February 4, 2019 Acknowledgements The team would like to express their sincere gratitude to Sri. D K Das, Director, Space Applications Centre (SAC), and Sri.
    [Show full text]
  • Holothuria (Metriatyla) Scabra Jaeger, 1833
    Holothuria (Metriatyla) scabra Jaeger, 1833 Joe K. Kizhakudan and P. S. Asha IDENTIFICATION Order : Holothuriida Family : Holothuriidae Common/FAO Name (English) : Sand fish Local namesnames: Samudra kakdi (MarathiMarathi); Vella kadal atta (MalayalamMalayalam); Vella attai (Tamilamil); Samudra kakudi (OriyaOriya); Samudrik sasha (BengaliBengali) MORPHOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION Body is oval, arched dorsally and moderately flattened ventrally. Dorsal surface is with deep wrinkles and short papillae. Body is often covered by fine muddy-sand. Mouth is ventral with 20 small, greyish peltate tentacles. Anus is terminal. Colour is usually dark grey with white or yellow transverse strips. Ventral surface is white or light grey with fine dark spots. Source of image : RC CMFRI, Tuticorin 285 P R O F I L E GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION Sea cucumbers are distributed all over the world, particularly in tropical regions. It has a wide distribution in the tropical Indo-Pacific region excluding Hawaii, between latitudes 30° N and 30° S, from South Africa to the Red Sea, India, China and Japan to Australia, and to Micronesia in the north-east and Tonga in the south-east, not found further east than Fiji. Sea cucumbers are distributed in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Gulf of Kutch, Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay in India HABITAT AND BIOLOGY It is found in shallow waters up to a depth of 20 m. It is commonly found on inner flat fringing and lagoon reefs, coastal sand-flats and sea grass beds with muddy-sandy substrates. It attains maturity at 25 cm size. Spawning peak in India is during July to October. Near to equator, it spawns throughout the year.
    [Show full text]
  • Indian Notices to Mariners
    INDIAN NOTICES TO MARINERS EDITION NO. 14 DATED 16 JUL 2013 (CONTAINS NOTICES 144 TO 152) REACH US 24 x 7 [email protected] +91-135-2748373 [email protected] National Hydrographic Office Joint Director of Hydrography 107-A, Rajpur Road Maritime Safety Information Services Dehradun – 248001 +91- 135 - 2747360-65 INDIA www.hydrobharat.nic.in CONTENTS Section No. Title I List of Charts Affected II Permanent Notices III Temporary and Preliminary Notices IV Marine Information V NAVAREA VIII Warnings inforce VI Corrections to Sailing Directions VII Corrections to List of Lights VIII Corrections to List of Radio Signals IX Reporting of Navigational Dangers (PUBLISHED ON NHO WEBSITE ON 1ST & 16TH OF EVERY MONTH) FEEDBACK: [email protected] INSIST ON INDIAN CHARTS AND PUBLICATIONS Original, Authentic and Up-to-Date © Govt. of India Copyright No permission is required to make copies of these Notices. However, such copies are not to be commercially sold. II MARINER’S OBLIGATION AND A CHART MAKER’S PLEA Observing changes at sea proactively and reporting them promptly to the concerned charting agency, is an obligation that all mariners owe to the entire maritime community towards SOLAS. Mariners are requested to notify the Chief Hydrographer to the Government of India at the above mentioned address/fax number/ E mail address immediately on discovering new or suspected dangers to navigation, changes/defects pertaining to navigational aids, and shortcomings in Indian charts/publications. The Hydrographic Note [Form IH – 102] is a convenient form to notify such changes. Specimen form is attached at Section IX with this notice.
    [Show full text]
  • The Brahmins of Kashmir
    September 1991, Michael Witzel THE BRAHMINS OF KASHMIR vedai +aagai1 padakramayutair vedåntasiddhåntakais tarkavyåkaraai puråapahanair mantrai aagågamai ... pauråaśrutitarkaśåstranicayai ki cågnihotråkitair viprair dhyånatapojapådiniratai snånårcanådyutsukai ... kåśmīrabhūr uttamå || (Råjataragiī of Jonaråja, B 747) With the Vedas, the six appendices, with the Pada and Krama (texts), with Vedånta and Siddhånta, logic and grammar, Puråa recitation, with (Tantric) Mantras and the six traditional sects ... with its masses of Puråic, Vedic (śruti) and logic disciplines (tarkaśåstra), and, moreover, marked by Agnihotrins, with Brahmins devoted to meditation, asceticism, recitation and so on, and zealeaously engaged with ablutions, worship, and the like, ... the land of Kashmir is the best. Introduction The Kashmiri Brahmins, usually called Paits, constitute one single group, the Kåśmīra Bråhmaas, without any real subdivisions. They form, according to Bühler,2 the first Indologist to visit the Valley, one unified community: they 'interdine' (annavyavahåra) and they also teach each other (vidyåvyavahåra, vidyåsambandha). But not all of them intermarry (kanyåvyavahåra, yonisambandha), which is the real test of belonging or not belonging to a single community. This is confirmed by Lawrence,3 who distinguishes "the astrologer class (Jotish), the priest class (Guru or Båchabat) and the working class (Kårkun). The priest class do not intermarry with either of the other classes. But the Jotish and Kårkun intermarry. The Jotish Pundits are learned in the Shastras and expound them to the Hindus, and they draw up the calendars in which prophecies are made about the events of the coming year. The priest class perform the rites and ceremonies of the Hindu religion. The vast majority of the Pandits belong to the Kårkun class and have usually made their livelihood in the employment of the state." This division is believed to have taken place after the country turned to Islam in the fourtheenth century, and especially after the initial persecution of Brahmins at around 1400 A.D.
    [Show full text]
  • 11.1.04. Comprehensive Study Report for Godavari
    Draft Report COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF POLLUTED RIVER STRETCHES AND PREPARATION OF ACTION PLAN OF RIVER GODAVARI FROM NASIK D/S TO PAITHAN Funded by Submitted by Aavanira Biotech P. Ltd. Kinetic Innovation Park, D-1 Block, Plot No. 18/1, MIDC Chinchwad, Pune 411 019, Maharashtra, India, Email: [email protected], Web: www.aavanira.com March 2015 1 INDEX Chapter Contents Page Numbers 7 1 Introduction 1.1 Importance of Rivers 8 1.2 Indian Rivers 8 1.3 River Godavari and its Religious Significance 8 1.4 Salient Features of Godavari Basin 9 1.5 Geographical Setting of River Godavari 11 1.6 Godavari River System 12 1.7 Demography of River Godavari 13 1.8 Status of Rivers in India 14 1.9 River Water Quality Monitoring and River Conservation 14 2 Methodology of Survey 16 2.1 Background of the Study 17 2.2 Methodology 17 2.2.1 Primary Data Generation 18 2.2.2 Secondary Data Generation 19 2.3 Identification of Polluted River Stretches 19 2.4 Statistical Analysis 21 3 Study Area 22 3.1 Background of Present Study 23 3.2 Selection of Sampling Locations 23 3.3 Geographical Setting of Polluted River Stretches 24 3.4 Major Cities/ Towns on Polluted River Stretches 28 3.5 An insight of the Cities/ Towns Located of Polluted River 28 Stretches of Godavari from Nasik D/s to Paithan 3.6 Villages on the Banks of River Godavari 32 4 Observation 40 4.1 Observations of Polluted Stretches 41 4.1.1 U/s of Gangapur Dam, Nasik 41 4.1.2 D/s of Gangapur Dam to Someshwar Temple 42 4.1.3 Someshwar Temple to Hanuman Ghat 43 4.1.4 Hanuman Ghat to Panchavati at Ramkund 44
    [Show full text]
  • Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses No.1, Development Enclave, Rao Tula Ram Marg Delhi Cantonment, New Delhi-110010
    Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses No.1, Development Enclave, Rao Tula Ram Marg Delhi Cantonment, New Delhi-110010 Journal of Defence Studies Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.idsa.in/journalofdefencestudies The Rise of the Bengal Tigers: The Growing Strategic Importance of the Bay of Bengal David Brewster To cite this article: David Brewster (201 5): The Rise of the Bengal Tigers: Th e Growing Strategic Importance of the Bay of Bengal, Journal of Defence Studies, Vol. 9, No. 2 April-June 2015, pp. 81-104 URL http://idsa.in/jds/9_2_2015_TheRiseoftheBengalTigers.html Please Scroll down for Article Full terms and conditions of use: http://www.idsa.in/termsofuse This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, re- distribution, re-selling, loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Views expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the IDSA or of the Government of India. The Rise of the Bengal Tigers The Growing Strategic Importance of the Bay of Bengal David Brewster* The Bay of Bengal region is now growing in economic and strategic importance. The good economic prospects of many Bay of Bengal states are making the region a cockpit for Asian growth and a key economic connector between East and South Asia. This article looks at strategic developments in the Bay of Bengal and their implications for our understanding of the Indo-Pacific. It argues that the Bay of Bengal needs to be understood as a region with its own particular strategic dynamics and issues.
    [Show full text]
  • Anthropogenic Impact on Tropical Perennial River in South India: Snapshot of Carbon Dynamics and Bacterial Community Composition
    water Article Anthropogenic Impact on Tropical Perennial River in South India: Snapshot of Carbon Dynamics and Bacterial Community Composition Katrin Premke 1,* , Gunasekaran Dharanivasan 2,3, Kristin Steger 4, Kai Nils Nitzsche 5 , Vijayan Jayavignesh 6, Indumathi M Nambi 6 and Sundaram Seshadri 3 1 Department of Chemical Analytics and Biogeochemistry, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Müggelseedamm 310, 12587 Berlin, Germany 2 Department of Sensing, Information and Mechanization System, Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, Rishon LeZion 7528809, Israel; [email protected] 3 Indigenous and Frontier Technology Research Centre (IFTR), Chennai 600061, India; [email protected] 4 Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, Chair of Soil Ecology, University of Freiburg, 79085 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany; [email protected] 5 Biogeochemistry Research Center, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), 2-15 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka 237-0061, Japan; [email protected] 6 Environmental and Water Resources Engineering Division, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India; [email protected] (V.J.); [email protected] (I.M.N.) * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 10 March 2020; Accepted: 5 May 2020; Published: 11 May 2020 Abstract: Riverine systems play an important role in the global carbon cycle, and they are considered hotspots for bacterial activities such as organic matter decomposition. However, our knowledge about these processes in tropical or subtropical regions is limited. The aim of this study was to investigate anthropogenically induced changes of water quality, the distribution of selected pharmaceuticals, and the effects of pollution on greenhouse gas concentrations and bacterial community composition along the 800 km long Cauvery river, the main river serving as a potable and irrigation water supply in Southern India.
    [Show full text]
  • E.N.I.G.M.A O.F E.U.S
    Enigma of EUS: consultation on epizootic ulcerative syndrome vis-à-vis the environment and the people, 25-26 May 1992, Institute of Management in Government, Vikas Bhavan, Trivandrum 695 033, Kerala, India. Summary of proceedings Item Type book Publisher International Collective in Support of Fishworkers Download date 29/09/2021 05:34:57 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/1834/18231 INTERNATIONAL COLLECTIVE IN SUPPORT OF FISHWORKERS E.N.I.G.M.A O.F E.U.S. OCTOBER 1992 E N I G M A O F E U S CONSULTATION ON EPIZOOTIC ULCERATIVE SYNDROME VIS-À-VIS THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE PEOPLE 25-26 May 1992, Institute of Management in Government Vikas Bhavan, Trivandrum 695 033, Kerala, India Summary of Proceedings • October 1992 INTERNATIONAL COLLECTIVE IN SUPPORT OF FISHWORKERS 27 College Road, Madras 600 006, India Published by Programme Co-ordination Centre International Collective in Support of Fishworkers 27 College Road, Madras 600 006, INDIA October 1992 Printing: Nagaraj & Company, Madras 600 041, INDIA Typesetting: Satish Babu, SIFFS Computer Centre, Trivandrum 695 002, INDIA CONTENTS Introduction 5 I. Consultation Overview 5 II. Background 6 III. Regional Reports 8 A.Thailand 8 B. India 9 1. West Bengal 10 2. Manipur 10 3. Orissa 11 4. Tamil Nadu 11 5. Andhra Pradesh 13 6. Kerala 15 IV. Diagnosis 19 V. Treatment and Prophylaxis 20 VI. Agenda for Future Research 22 A. Aetiology 22 B. Control 22 C. Conservation 22 D. Environment 22 E. Immunization 23 Conclusion 23 Appendices 25 INTRODUCTION n the last two decades a serious and severely damaging fish disease has been Ispreading through countries of the Asia-Pacific region with dangerous conse- quences to the fish resources and livelihood of inland fisherfolk.
    [Show full text]
  • A Reply to Michael Witzel's 'Ein Fremdling Im Rgveda'
    A Reply to Michael Witzel’s ‘Ein Fremdling im Rgveda’1 (Journal of Indo-European Studies, Vol. 31, No.1-2: pp.107-185, 2003) by Vishal Agarwal 11 August 2003 ~*~ Background: Recently, N. Kazanas published a sixty page article titled ‘Indigenous Indo- Aryans and the Rigveda’ in The Journal of Indo-European Studies (JIES), vol. 30, Numbers 3&4 (2002), pages 275-334. The article argues that the speakers of Indo- Aryan (IA) languages did not enter the Indian subcontinent around 1500 BC, as the conventional Aryan Invasion Theory (AIT) and its euphemistic versions hold. Kazanas further argued that the Rgveda, the oldest IA and Indian text, was composed mainly in the 4th millennium BC, and therefore, these peoples may have arrived into the Indian subcontinent around or before 4500 BC, not later. The article provoked nine comments, of which eight2 were quite short and were published in the same issue of the journal. The ninth comment, by Professor M. Witzel of the Harvard University, was published in the next issue (JIES vol. 31, No. 1-2 (2003), pages 107-185. Witzel’s comment is thus much longer than Kazanas’ article itself. In the latter issue of JIES, Kazanas wrote a 54 page ‘Final Reply’ (JIES, vol. 31, No.1-2: pp. 187-240, 2003) to all his nine reviewers. He has responded to most of Witzel’s important academic objections. My own critique here is meant to supplement Kazanas’ response to Witzel. I will not repeat what Kazanas has already included in his final reply. In my critique below, the page numbers within (...) refer to those in Witzel ‘comment’ as published in the journal, unless a different bibliographic reference is given by me.
    [Show full text]
  • The Long March
    Pakistan - dams: the long march Item Type article Authors Bhatti, Roshan Ali Download date 24/09/2021 02:48:12 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/1834/40410 Pakistan DAMS The Long March A Peoples Long March against dams on the Indus River, organized by the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, earned widespread support and solidarity from the fishing and peasant community of Sindh he Sindh Peoples Long March forming the Indus delta. The tail-end was a massive public action that farmers and other communities of Sindh Tinvolved a 16-day walk of over were facing tremendous difficulties due 200 km from a small fishing village to the unavailability of water. in the Indus River Delta region and The Long March manifesto aimed culminated at the Governor House, to: oppose all dams on the Indus River, Sindh, in Karachi. The long march, including the Kalabagh and Basha which started on 10 October 2018 dams; restore the natural flow of the and ended on 25 October 2018, was Indus River; help the Indus River organized by Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum reach its final destination; and prevent (PFF) and got widespread support and future dams and diversions on the solidarity from the fishing and peasant Indus River. community of Sindh, civil society The Indus River, also locally organizations (CSOs) and the media. called Sindhu, is one of the longest 26 The Long March demanded that the rivers in Asia. Originating in the Tibetan federal government and Supreme Court Plateau, the final destination of the of Pakistan (SCP) cancel the construction river is the River Indus Delta in district of any dam on the Indus River as the Thatta of Sindh, the southern province rampant construction of dams and of Pakistan.
    [Show full text]
  • Offshore Regions)
    STATE REVIEWS Indian Minerals Yearbook 2013 (Part- I) 52nd Edition STATE REVIEWS (Offshore Regions) (FINAL RELEASE) GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINES INDIAN BUREAU OF MINES Indira Bhavan, Civil Lines, NAGPUR – 440 001 PHONE/FAX NO. (0712) 2565471 PBX : (0712) 2562649, 2560544, 2560648 E-MAIL : [email protected] Website: www.ibm.gov.in September, 2015 11-1 STATE REVIEWS OFFSHORE REGIONS As a sequel, the Controller General, Indian Bureau of Mines has been notified as the ''administering authority'' and ''authorised The Government of India notified the officer'' under Section 4 and Clause (i) of Offshore Areas Minerals (Development & Section 22 of the Act vide S.O.339(E) and Regulation) Act, 2002 (OAMDR Act), No. 17 of 340(E) dated 11.2.2010. The Secretary, Ministry 2003 in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, of Mines has been notified as ''authorised Part-II, Section-1, No. 17, dated 31.1.2003. The officer'' to hear and decide cases relating to purpose of the Act is to provide for development Clauses (a) and (b) of Section 28(1) vide and regulation of mineral resources in the S.O.341(E) dated 11.2.2010. territorial waters, continental shelf, exclusive As per S.O.134(E) dated 7.6.2010, The economic zone and other maritime zones of Controller General, Indian Bureau of Mines India and to provide for matters connected has notified the mineral bearing offshore therewith or incidental thereto. The Act is blocks available for grant of Exploration applicable to all minerals in offshore areas Licence. As per the attached Schedule to the said including minerals prescribed under Atomic Notification, there are 26 offshore areas available in offshore waters of Bay of Bengal and Energy Act, 1962, but excludes oils and related 36 offshore areas in the offshore waters of hydrocarbons as there is separate legislation Arabian Sea for grant of Exploration Licence.
    [Show full text]