1878.] 
G. A. Grierson —The Song of MdniJc Chandra. 
147 
First, I believe that men more competent than I, may be able to add 
a little to the history of the Pala kings, after considering it. Second, 
because it exhibits a curious, and most instructive lesson as to how a purely 
S'aiva hero celebrated by men of a S'aiva sect has given rise to a poem of 
S'aiva foundation, but of Vaishnava superstructure, and sung by the de¬ 
scendants of these same men. Nay more, how a distinctly S'aiva sect, has 
become to all intents and purposes a Vaishnava one, while it still retains 
its old gods, and its old heroes. It would not be difficult to find parallel 
transformations in more modern religious history. Thirdly, and more for 
this reason than any other, because it is a very fair specimen of the peculiar 
Rangpuri patois. And here it may be noticed, that any parts purely and 
distinctly Vaishnava interpolations or additions ( e. g. the introductory lines) 
are written in a Bengali much more classical, than the rude language of 
the S'aiva ground-work. This will be evident to any one who pays attention 
while reading. 
The song is usually sung by four men,—and in parts, not in unison. 
I am not sufficiently acquainted with Hindu music to give the technical 
name of the chant. It certainly is the only song I have heard in this 
country in which harmony is introduced. The top notes of the chant are as 
follows: 
To he sung an octave lower than written. 
This is sung chant-like, so as to go once to each line, but leaving the 
three last notes without words. To these last three notes, the words “ He ! 
Raja !” “ He ! Mayana !” “ He ! Yame !” or some such apostrophe which 
depends on the person whose adventures are being immediately narrated, 
are sung as a sort of burden. An example will make this clear. Take the 
first line of verse six. It is sung thus— 
8 vo Basso .... 
rtHi 
6) 
dx ^ ^ 
//C\ * 
7 zLJL^J 
1 
1 
v \7 • r 'ii ' 
i J 
—M 
'<'0 
]\Gr 
1 
manikchandra raja banga ba-da sa- ti He ra- ja 
I do not give the harmonies of this, because I cannot. I tried to 
reproduce them on a harmonium, but though I believe I got the separate 
notes of each part correctly first on a violin, from the mouth of each 
