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The dates of Vidyāpati's birth and death cannot be ascertained, but the day and month of his death are stated in the following couplet :-

विद्यापतिक आयु व्यवसान ।
कातिक धवन त्रयोदद्मि जान ॥

"Know that the termination of Vidyāpati's life was on the white thirteenth day of Kārtik."

This shows that the poet died on the thirteenth day of the full moon in the month of Kārtik.

A note on Mahāmahataka Candeśvara Thakkura of Mithilā. By MR. JUSTICE SARADA CHARAN MITRA.

[Read 7th December, 1904.]

Candeśvara Thakkura is known to Anglo-Indian lawyers as the author of the Vivāda-Ratnākara, which and the Vivada-Cintamani are the leading authorities of the Mithila school of the Mitākṣarā system of Hindu Law. But to Sanskrit scholars Candeśvara is known as the author of the Sapta-Ratnakara of which the Vivāda-Ratnākara is only a part. As the name implies, the Ratnākara consists of seven parts. The duties and obligations of man in their widest sense are divided by the author into seven parts, and those regarding property form the subject of the Vivāda-Ratnākara. The other parts of the Ratnākara are Krtya, Dāna, Vyavahāra, Suddhi, Pūjā and Grhastha.

Of the seven Ratnākaras, the Vivada only is now accessible in translation in English. Babus Golapa Chandra Sarkara Sastri, M.A., B.L., and Digambara Chattopadhyaya, M.A., B.L., Vakils of the Calcutta High Court, published in the year 1899, in Devanagari, the original text of the Vivāda with a translation in English. The learned gentlemen have not been able to give us much information regarding Candeśvara Thakkura or his family. He was himself a minister of a Raja of Mithila named Hara Simh or Hari Simh of the Karņāta Ksatriya family; he was a son of Vireśvara Thakkura who was also a minister he was living in the year 1314 A.D=1236 (Sāka Era) when he performed the tulā ceremony. These are facts which appear from the concluding passage of the Ratnākara, in which Candeśvara is called the Somnath of the North.

रसशिखिभुजचन्द्रे सम्मिते शाकवर्षे
सहसि धवलपच्चे वाग्वतौ सिन्धुतौरे ।
अदित तुलितमुच्चैरात्मना खर्गाराशिं
निधिरखितगुणानामुत्तरः सोमनाथः ॥

These were the only facts known about the author of the SaptaRatnākara in the year 1899.

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During my recent travels in the Mithila country, I have with the help of the Honorable Maharaja Rameswara Singh Bahadur of Darbhanga, who is not only the chief of all Mithila Brahmans but is also a great patron of Sanskrit learning, been able to collect some

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information regarding Candeśvara and his family. In this as well as in other matters regarding my investigations into the ancient literature of Mithila to which Bengal owes much, I have also derived considerable assistance from my friend Mr. N. Gupta who kindly accompanied me.

Candeśvara Thakkura belonged to an ancient and learned family of Mithila Brahmans. They came originally from a village called Visai and were known as Visaibar Brahmans. The village Visai cannot now be identified. It is very probable that Candeśvara was born at Visai. Some of the members of the family now reside at Saurāt (Saurāstra), and it is said they shifted there from their original place of residence. They cannot give us any information when the family migrated.

Candeśvara's grand-father, Devāditya, was the prime-minister of a Raja of Mithila-probably Raja Hara Simh's father whose name was Sakra Simh. The Raja was a feudatory of Alauddin Khilji, the Afghan Sultan of Delhi, who reigned from 1295 to 1315 A.D. The Raja and his prime-minister are said to have taken a leading part in 1295 A.D. against Hamvira Deva of Ranstambha which was besieged and taken in that year. These facts are borne out by a passage in the Krtya-Cintamani by Candeśvara himself.

Raja Hara Simh, as appears from the Pañji caused to be compiled and first introduced by him, was born in the year 1216 (Sāka Era), and the Pañji was first introduced 32 years later, i.e., 1348 A.D. Candeśvara performed the Tula ceremony in 1314 A.D. Raja Hara Simh must have been young at the time, having succeeded his father at an early age.

Devāditya had seven sons-Vireśvara, Dhireśvara, Guneśvara, Jateśvara, Haradatta, Laksmīśvara and Subhadatta. The eldest Vīreśvara, was one of the ministers of the Raja of Mithilā, but whether of Raja Sakra Simh or Raja Hari Simh does not clearly appear. He is known to Sanskrit scholars as the author of Chandoga-Paddhati, also called Daśakarma-Paddhati. This book has been recently published with notes by Pandit Parameśvara Jha, a learned scholar of Mithilā attached to the Darbar of the Mahārāja of Darbhanga. Amongst other works, Vireśvara caused a big tank to be excavated in village Dahibhata which is still called "Virśawara" after his name. This tank is in the vicinity of the Pandoul Factory.

Candeśvara was the eldest son of Vireśvara and was one of the famous men of his time both as a minister and as a scholar. As prime minister he held a position next to the Raja and was celebrated for his diplomatic talents. It is said that Raja Hara Simh on one occasion declined to acknowledge the suzerainty of the Afghan Emperor of Delhi who advanced against him with a large army. The Raja Hed to Nepal. Babu Prasanna Kumar Tagore says in his preface to the Vivada Cintamani that Hara Simh became Raja of Simroon in 1323 A.D. after it had been taken by Tughlak Shah. The big tank at Darbhanga near the Railway Station known as Harari or Harsayar is said to have been excavated at the instance of Hari Simh's minister.

The name of Candeśvara has, however, come down to us for his great works, the Ratnakara and Kṛtya Cintamani. Mr. Colebrooke in his preface to the Digest of Hindu Law on Contracts and Successions (1798 A.D.) says, 'The Vivāda-Ratnākara was compiled under the superintendence of Candeśvara' and so it bears the latter's name in the same way as Trebonian's great work that of Justinian. But the learned scholars of Mithila have always ascribed the work to Candeśvara himself who was undoubtedly a scholar of great repute. I may quote the following śloka on the point :

श्रौक्कृत्यदानव्यवहारश्रुद्धि-
पूजाविवादेषु तथा गृहस्थे ।
रत्नाकरा रत्नसुवो निबद्धाः
कृतास्तलापुरुषदेन सप्त ॥

Instances of Rajas and their ministers having been authors or commentators of great reputation are not rare in India. It seems to me that there is no inherent improbability in the widely accepted belief that Candeśvara was the actual writer of the books that bear his

name.

Vireśvara's second son Dhireśvara was also a great Pandit. Vidyāpati Thakkura the great bard of Mithila and the author of the Purusapariksā and Durgābhaktitarangini was his great-grandson. One of their living descendants is Badri Nath Thakur who is sixteenth in descent from Dhireśvara and thirteenth from Vidyapati. He and his collaterals now live at Saurāt.

Vireśvara's third son, Guneśvara, was also a minister, and his son Ramadatta was known as a learned writer.

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The Later Mughals (1707-1803). -By WILLIAM IRVINE, Bengal Civil Service (Retired).

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In continuation of the articles in Part I of the Journal for 1896, Vol. LXV, pp. 136-212, for 1898, Vol. LXVII, pp. 141-166, and 1903, Vol. LXXII, pp. 33–64.

CHAPTER V.-RAFI'-UD-DARAJAT (1719).

SECTION 1.-EVENTS CONNECTED WITH THE ACCESSION.

The new emperor, a consumptive youth of twenty years of age, was proclaimed under the style and titles of Abu, l-barakāt, Sultan Shams-ud-din, Muhammad Rafi'-ud-darajāt, Bādshab, Ghāzi. Within and without the palace, in every audience-hall and at every door, the Sayyads placed men of their own. A chronogram for the accession was found :

"When Rafi'-ud-darajāt ascended the throne
"The sun appeared in the heavens out of 'Arafat:
"The sage, seeing the lustre and strength of his wisdom,
"Brought forth the date, 'His title is High of Dignity'."1

At the first audience, on the prayer of Mahārājah Ajit Singh, Rajah Bhim Singh of Kotah, and Rajah Ratn Cand, the jizyah or polltax, was again abolished. In other respects as few changes as possible were made, even the wālāshāhīs or personal troops of the late sovereign being retained in the service. The object was to dispel anxiety and restore order without delay. Muhammad Amin Khan was maintained in his post of second Bakhshi, Zafar Khan, Roshan-ud-daulah, replaced Saifullah Khan in that of third Bakhshi, and the office of fourth Bakhshi was left in abeyance. For seven days there was much confusion, and few men attended the imperial audience-hall; the people generally stood aloof, and also many of the officials. Nizām-ul-mulk kept close at home,

1 Nishist ba-takht cùn Rafi-ud-darajāt

Goi bar 'arsh sar kashid az 'Arafat :
Pīr-i-khirad dīd ba farr-o-shukoh
Tārīkh amad, “Laqb-i-rafi-ud-darajat." (1131).
A second is :

Kih nagah Wazih raqm kard o guft;
"Mubarik jalās-i-shāhānshah-i-haqq." (1131).
"The morning star seized the pen and said;
"Blessed be the righteous king's accession."

Jām-i-jam, and Miftah 304, Khāfi Khan, II, 816, Mirzā Muhammad, 462.

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