DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.27191#0065
INTRODUCTION.
33
northern sect. According to the same authority, it was super-
seded by a Vaishnava literature about the 12th or 13th century,
and that again made way for one of Aaiva tendency about the
latter date. There is no trace left of any Buddhist literature
in the south, and but little, consequently, that would enable us
to connect the history of the south with the chronology of
Ceylon or northern India, nor am I aware of the existence
of ancient Buddhist monuments south of the Krishna river
which would help us in this difficulty.1
Not having passed through Baktria, or having lived in
contact with any people making or using coins, the Dravidians
had none of their own, and consequently that source of informa-
tion is not available. Whatever hoards of ancient coins have
been found in the Madras Presidency have been of purely
Roman origin, brought there for the purpose of trade, and
buried to protect them from spoliation.
The inscriptions, which are literally innumerable all over the
Presidency, are tne one source from which we can hope that
new light may be thrown on the history of the country, but,
with the exception of the edicts of Ai'oka found in Mysore,
none of these inscriptions hitherto brought to light go further
back than the 5th or 6th century, and it is not clear that
earlier ones may be found.2 It is, at all events, the most
hopeful field that lies open to future explorers in these dark
domains; and, by the labours of epigraphists within the last
thirty years, most important light has been derived from them
for the mediseval history of southern India. Those on the raths
of Mamallapuram and the caves at Badami, are in Sanskrit,
and consequently look more like an evidence of the northern
races pushing southward than of the southern races extending
their influence northward.
From a study of the architecture of the south we arrive at
the same conclusions as to the antiquity of Dravidian civilisation
that Dr Caldwell arrived at from a study of their literature.
The most important Buddhist monument yet discovered in the
1 The Buddhist tower at Negapattam,
destroyed in 1867, will be noticed in
Book I. chap. vi. p. 206.
2 The Government of Mysore, with
laudable beneficence, employed Mr. L.
Rice with a staff of pandits for many
years, collecting and publishing the
inscriptions found in the state. The
results fill twelve volumes, forming the
‘Epigraphia Carnatica’ (1886-1905), and
when properly studied and analysed,
these must yield valuable results. For
Madras, Dr. E. Hultzsch was engaged
VOL. I.
in 1886 to collect the Tamil, Kanarese,
and Telugu inscriptions of the Pre-
sidency, and the results of his work
were published in six fasciculi of * South
Indian Inscriptions ’ (3 vols. 1890-1903),
and, partly — with numerous Sanskrit
records from the other presidencies,—in
the ‘Epigraphia Indica,’ vol. iii. et seqq.
Previous to 1894, many Sanskrit and
Canarese inscriptions were published in
the ‘ Indian Antiquary ’ (vols. i.-xxiii.),
and in the ‘ Epigraphia Indica,’ vols. i.
and ii.
C
33
northern sect. According to the same authority, it was super-
seded by a Vaishnava literature about the 12th or 13th century,
and that again made way for one of Aaiva tendency about the
latter date. There is no trace left of any Buddhist literature
in the south, and but little, consequently, that would enable us
to connect the history of the south with the chronology of
Ceylon or northern India, nor am I aware of the existence
of ancient Buddhist monuments south of the Krishna river
which would help us in this difficulty.1
Not having passed through Baktria, or having lived in
contact with any people making or using coins, the Dravidians
had none of their own, and consequently that source of informa-
tion is not available. Whatever hoards of ancient coins have
been found in the Madras Presidency have been of purely
Roman origin, brought there for the purpose of trade, and
buried to protect them from spoliation.
The inscriptions, which are literally innumerable all over the
Presidency, are tne one source from which we can hope that
new light may be thrown on the history of the country, but,
with the exception of the edicts of Ai'oka found in Mysore,
none of these inscriptions hitherto brought to light go further
back than the 5th or 6th century, and it is not clear that
earlier ones may be found.2 It is, at all events, the most
hopeful field that lies open to future explorers in these dark
domains; and, by the labours of epigraphists within the last
thirty years, most important light has been derived from them
for the mediseval history of southern India. Those on the raths
of Mamallapuram and the caves at Badami, are in Sanskrit,
and consequently look more like an evidence of the northern
races pushing southward than of the southern races extending
their influence northward.
From a study of the architecture of the south we arrive at
the same conclusions as to the antiquity of Dravidian civilisation
that Dr Caldwell arrived at from a study of their literature.
The most important Buddhist monument yet discovered in the
1 The Buddhist tower at Negapattam,
destroyed in 1867, will be noticed in
Book I. chap. vi. p. 206.
2 The Government of Mysore, with
laudable beneficence, employed Mr. L.
Rice with a staff of pandits for many
years, collecting and publishing the
inscriptions found in the state. The
results fill twelve volumes, forming the
‘Epigraphia Carnatica’ (1886-1905), and
when properly studied and analysed,
these must yield valuable results. For
Madras, Dr. E. Hultzsch was engaged
VOL. I.
in 1886 to collect the Tamil, Kanarese,
and Telugu inscriptions of the Pre-
sidency, and the results of his work
were published in six fasciculi of * South
Indian Inscriptions ’ (3 vols. 1890-1903),
and, partly — with numerous Sanskrit
records from the other presidencies,—in
the ‘Epigraphia Indica,’ vol. iii. et seqq.
Previous to 1894, many Sanskrit and
Canarese inscriptions were published in
the ‘ Indian Antiquary ’ (vols. i.-xxiii.),
and in the ‘ Epigraphia Indica,’ vols. i.
and ii.
C