1834.] the Coins and Relics of the Mdnikydla Tope. 447 



deity : again " la lune porte en Zend le nom de mdo : et mdhya, lunaire, 

 avec le suffixe des adjectifs ya est derive* de mdh, qui est exactement le 

 Sanscrit mas, (lune)." 



The reiteration of the term rdo in the expression rao ndno rao, con- 

 trasted with its single employment in other instances, bears so strong 

 an affinity to the duplication 0a<n\evs pa<ri\eav f in Greek ; malkan-malkd, 

 in Pehlevi ; rdjddhi-rdja, in Sanscrit, &c. that it is hardly possible to 

 resist the assumption of a similar interpretation for the words in ques- 

 tion, more especially when it is known that the term rao is to this day 

 a common affix to the names of native Marhatta and Rajput princes ; 

 such as Mulhar Rao, Govind Rao, Trimbak Rao, &c. The Persian 

 title ray, conferred by the Delhi emperors on Hindu princes as an in- 

 ferior grade to rdjd, had douhfless a similar meaning, and like rex, re, 

 roi, may be all traced to the original Sanscrit root T^rf, the quality of 

 rule or passion (both eqtial privileges of royalty !) 



The title Bala-rdya, or Bala-rao, is stated hy Wilford to have been 

 equivalent in the spoken language of Gujerat, to Bala-rdja, ' the great 

 king.' The Bala-rdya dynasty of that country was composed of petty 

 kings, and the title was contra-distinguished from Rdjendra the supe- 

 rior or imperial sovereign*. Mr. Wilson in his notes on the ancient 

 inscriptions on Mount Abuf enumerates the following titles as denoting 

 progressively decreasing grades of rank ; — mahdrdjddhirdja, raja, rdna, 

 rdwel, rdsi, and rdo. The appellation rawel, according to Col. TodJ, ' 

 was the ancient title of the princes of Mewar. It was only changed to 

 rdna in the twelfth century. Raoul or rawel is still the designation 

 of the princes of Dungurpur and Jesalmdr. 



That rao was an inferior title will not injure its applicability to the 

 princes of the Panjab and Bactria, at the time in question, for it is 

 known that the country was divided into petty sovereignties, and it is 

 probable that many were tributary to the Persian monarch. 



Without a dictionary of the Zend, the right interpretation of the word 

 nana can only be attempted in the same hypothetical manner : as a 

 name it is frequently met with among the Parsis of the west of India, 

 and equally among the Marhattas of Guzerat and the Dakhan ; Nana 

 Govind Rao, Nana Cowasjee, Nana Farnaviz, the Puna minister, 

 and many other familiar names might be adduced in evidence. That 

 it is some title of nobilitude (if I may use the expression) can hardly 

 be doubted, though its precise import be not known : the word Nana 



* Asiatic Researches, vol. ix. p. 179. 

 t Asiatic Researches, vol. xvi. p. 314. 

 t Tod'g Rajasthan, vol. i. p. 213. 



