146 
J. Hinton Knowles —Kashmiri Riddles. 
[No. 3, 
97, Aurah wutli pandit treh dintani gandit. 
A pandit descended thence with three girdles round him. 
Ans. Zin hor, a bundle of wood. 
In Kashmir the term pandit does not necessarily mean a learned 
brahman. All Kashmiri Hindus, on the assumption that they all belong 
to the brahman caste, are called pandits. 
Mention is here made of a pandit, because in former years when 
this riddle was invented, pandits only among the male inhabitants of 
the valley wore girdles like the Tibetans and Dards of the present day. 
They gave up the custom about five years ago. 
98, Nilah palah talah gunasa draye t 
Lack loleah marit beyili turi tsaye. 
A snake came out from under a green stone, 
And (after) killing thousands of people went back again. 
Ans. Shamsher , a sword. 
Gunas or afi (oc£is), is said to be very poisonous. It is a round- 
headed, short, thick snake, and is black on the back, and yellowish on 
the belly. Various accounts are given of its length. Elmslie says, 
“a foot and a half,” Vigne says, “about a yard long.” The gunas 
is said to be numerous in the Lar pargand. 
99, Gudah zaibuh tah mdj , adah zav bab t 
I)oh 'pahsheh dab gav zav budi bob. 
First I and my mother were born, and then father. 
(After that) for five days nothing happened, (when) grandfather 
was born. 
Ans. Kapasi Jcul , the cotton plant. 
Gossipeum herbaceum } the common Indian cotton plant rises in 
Kashmir to nearly a foot and a half in height during the tirst year of 
growth. It is a pretty little plant. Its flowers aro a bright yellow ; 
each petal being marked with a purplo spot near the baso. Tho flowor 
is succeeded by a fruit, which gradually becomes dry and then bursts 
into three or four valves, when tho cotton-wool is seen issuing from it 
in all directions. Tho cotton is generally white. 
100, Thir daralchtan savgarnidlan, 
Kus hide Hi Idlan mul /car it f 
Trees upon the range of hills in tho distance. 
Who can say (lit. make) tho price of rubies ? 
Ans. Kong } saffron wnieh is grown in largo quantities on tho 
big, flat plateau in tho neighbourhood of l’umpur, about eight miles from 
