1837.] History of the Gurha Mundala Rdjas. 623 



of Gurha, and to use every effort to recommend himself to his notice 

 and gain esteem. 



This raja had only one child, a daughter named Rutnabuleb, (Rat- 

 navali';) and finding himself declining and without the hope of a son, 

 he consulted his chief officers and priests on the choice of a son-in-law, 

 and successor to the throne. He was recommended to leave the 

 choice with God ; and to ascertain his will it was suggested, that he 

 should assemble as great a multitude as he could on the bank of the 

 river, and in the midst release a blue jay*. Should the bird alight on 

 the head of any man present, he might be assured that he had been 

 chosen by Heaven to succeed him. The suggestion pleased the 

 prince, and he immediately put the plan into execution. The bird 

 was released by him on the day appointed, in the midst of an 

 immense concourse of people ; and it alighted on the head of the 

 young adventurer, who, having some scruples of conscience on the 

 ground of the young princess' inferiority of caste, was reconciled to 

 the marriage by his spiritual guide. Those who wish the descendants 

 to be considered pure Rajpoots declare that he never cohabited with 

 this princess ; and that his son by a former wife succeeded him in 

 the government ; but indifferent people believe, that he had no other 

 wife, and that his son by her was his successor on the throne of the 

 Gond raja of Gurha. This raja died in the year Samvat, 415, 

 A. D. 358, and was succeeded by his son-in-law Jadoo Rae. 



However absurd we may consider the popular belief in the vision, 

 there is nothing at all improbable in the story of the bird, which was 

 likely enough to have been trained up for the purpose by the 

 young adventurer himself and his spiritual guide, who could have 

 found little difficulty in persuading a weak and superstitious old 

 prince to have recourse to such a means of learning the will of 

 heaven with regard to the important choice of a husband for his 

 daughter, and a successor to his throne. The princes of this house 

 are all considered to have Rajpoot blood in them ; and some of the 

 most needy of their subjects of that proud caste, condescended to 

 allow their daughters to marry the reigning princes, though very 

 rarely a member of one of the collateral branches of that family. 



When Jadoo Rae succeeded his father-in-law on the throne he 

 appointed, agreeably to his promise, S-uubheb Partuk as his prime 

 minister, and we have some good grounds to believe, what is alto- 

 gether singular in the history of mankind, that the descendants of the 



* The blue jay is held sacred by the Hindus, as an embodied emanation 

 from the god Siva or Maha'deo. 

 4 l 2 



