94 



Remarks on the Bhilsa Topes. [No. 11, new series. 



X. Remarks on Major Cunningham's Account of Topes at 



Bhilsa, and Sanchi. By the Rev. W. Taylor. 



Lieut. Cunningham's name often appears in the late Mr. J. 

 Prinsep's papers ; in various numbers of the Bengal Asiatic Jour- 

 nal. Indeed they would seem to have been patron and client, 

 master and disciple. Major Cunningham is still true to his alle- 

 giance ; considering his principal to have been, in some measure, 

 inspired, when discovering the mode of decyphering the very old 

 lath inscriptions. He is true in another particular ; that is, phil- 

 hellenism. Mr. Prinsep remarked on the coldness with which 

 mere Asiatic researches were received ; but on the glow of enthu- 

 siasm that was elicited, if any thing Grecian turned up therein ; 

 for instance when Sir W. Jones identified the Sandracottus of the 

 Greeks, with Chandragupta of the Mauryan dynasty. Mr. Prin- 

 sep imitated this result ; when noting an old inscription from 

 Cuttack, he read Yavana Antiochus ; that is " the Greek Antiochus." 

 He gave the original letters ; and I read them Yavana antaca, that 

 is, " the destroyer of the Bactrians." I had no reason to change a 

 into io, nor ca into chus. A like defect is frequently found in Mr. 

 Prinsep's decypherings ; some of which at least will come under 

 review. 



Major Cunningham also, in my opinion, found a mare's nest in 

 the following case. Here are his words : — 



" Before parting, may I beg to draw the particular attention of 

 the reader to my identification of the different classes of Pramnae 

 and Germanae, as recorded by Kleitarchos and Megasthenes, with 

 the different orders of Buddhist Srdmanas. I do so because some 

 of our most eminent scholars have doubted the prevalence and 

 extension of the Buddhist religion, before the beginning of the 

 Christian era. Now the Pramnae of Kleitarchos, and the Ger- 

 manae of Megasthenes, are both stated to have been the opponents 

 of the Brahmans* Were this the case they can only be the 

 Srdmanas, which was a title common to all the orders of the 

 Bauddha community ; even Sakya himself being styled Malta 

 Sramana, or the " great devotee." The identity of the Germanae 



* As to religious credence. — W. T. 



