1869.] Further Notes on the Prithirdj-rdyasa. 8 



was kind enough to write a brief abstract of my translation when he 

 laid it before the meeting in October, (see Proceedings for that month, 

 page 246) has failed to catch the thread of the narrative. He evi- 

 dently considers the legend of Hemavati and the moon as a subor- 

 dinate incident ; whereas it is in fact the real opening . of the drama, 

 to which the story of Anangpal and the iron column is only the 

 prologue. I notice this in no spirit of hyper-criticism, but only as 

 my excuse for now repeating in brief what my translation had already 

 shewn in extenso. 



The legend with regard to the origin of the Chandels is curious, 

 as explaining the derivation of the word. Chandel, or Chancier, the 

 moon-born, is a patronymic precisely similar in form to chachera, 

 the son of a chacha, i. e. a cousin. (This latter word is now almost 

 banished from polite language, in order to make room for the vile 

 mongrel, chacha-zdd.) It also explains a genealogical difficulty men- 

 tioned by Sir H. Elliot, in his Glossary, who says : " Though the 

 Chandels are styled Sombansi, they are not considered to be of pure 

 descent, and their sons are carefully excluded from marriages with 

 the higher classes." The legend makes it clear, how that in one 

 sense they are truly sombansi, that word being absolutely identical 

 in meaning with chandel, while at the same time their descent is 

 impure. 



As Chandra-brahma, the great founder of the race, had a 

 Brahraani for his mother, while his reputed father was the moon, 

 a god more closely connected with Brahmans than Kshatriyas, it 

 does not appear, on the face of the legend, how the Chandels can claim 

 to be Thakurs at all. But a near though unexplained relationship, 

 is always implied to exist between the Chandels and the Gaharwar 

 Thakurs ; and as Ckandra-brahma's putative father is clearly mythical, 

 while it is known that he was born in a Graharwar court, it may be 

 presumed that his real father was a Graharwar. Thus too, his first 

 act on acquiring power, was to avenge his mother's fall by expelling 

 the Gaharwars from Kasi. 



The particulars with regard to the succession of dynasties and 

 individual kings at Kasi are, I believe, novel, and may be of some 

 historical value. Only one dynasty of Kasi kings is specified in the 

 Puranas. 



