Note on Exhibits shown at the Annual

Meeting.

1. Numismatic Section.-The most important of the exhibits was the collection of Gupta coins belonging to the Patna Museum, which is now the first in India and second only to the British Museum Collection. There are altogether 136 coins (84 gold; 39 silver; and 13 copper), of which 65 were purchased from Mrs. Campbell, through Mr. Allau of the British Museum ; 59 were obtained at the sale of coins at Amsterdam ; and 12 were purchased in India.

The collection now contains nearly all the known important types of coins of the Imperial Guptas and some coins of the later Guptas. The rarest coin in this collection is the Asvamedha coin of Kumargupta, of which there is only one other specimen, viz., that obtained by General Cunningham from Mathura and now in the British Museum. Other Irare coins are the gold lyrist and the Asvamedha coins of Samudragupta; the Chhattra and lion slayer coins of Chandragupta II; the lion slayer and tiger slayer coins of Kumargupta. Among the silver coins there are some very rare coins of Skandagupta.

II. Archæological Section.-Some Pataliputra antiquities were also exhibited. Among these were four glass seal matrices, three of which were excavated by Dr. Spooner and one by Mr. Ghosh. These glass seal matrices of Patna are interesting, because they are the only ancient glass objects which have been found in India with inscriptions in early Brahmi characters. The other Pataliputra antiquities exhibited were pottery and terracotta figurines.

Fragments of black pottery exhibited are similar to pottery found at Mahenjo-Daro in Sind. The small pot with holes is similar to a vessel found at Mahenjo-Daro, and was probably used in ancient times for some cult purpose.

Very interesting are the cult figurines of the Pataliputra excavations. The female figurine with a serpent hood is somewhat similar to the snake mother-goddess, found by Sir Arthur Evans at Knossos in Crete. One terracotta figurine has got a crown which is similar to a crowned female figure found in Crete. The draperies of some of the female figurines exhibited are somewhat similar to the draperies of Sumerian and Babylonian goddesses found at the ancient sites of Persia.

Two terracotta toy birds exhibited were found at Pataliputra by Dr. Spooner. They closely resemble terracotta toy birds found at Mahenjo-Daro in Sind and at Susa in Persia. The importance of these similarities is that these antiquities are now to be considered of much earlier date than they were formerly supposed to be. They are distinctly pre-Mauryan.

The cult figurines give a very good idea of the religion of the pre-Mauryan people of Patna. The ancient people of Patna worshipped a female mother-goddess and her attendant deities, like the ancient Sumerians, Babylonians, Hittites and Cretans.

III. Ethnological Section.-There were exhibited the following very interesting ethnological exhibits, presented to the Patna Museum by Rai Bahadur Sarat Chandra Roy. They belong to the Bhils of Guzerat, and are described below :(1) Six Bhalris, or arrows for animals.

(2) One Rubri, or arrow for birds.

(3) One leather bag, slung across the neck by Bhil males in hunting and in fighting or raiding expeditions.

(4) One bamboo flute.

(5) One bow.

(6) One axe.

(7) One Ghor-deo, the horse-god, with whose help Bhil magicians exorcise evil spirits.

IV. Natural History Section.-Two pink-headed ducks (male and female) were exhibited. They are very rare. These specimens were shot by Chaudhury Nazir Hussain and Mr. T. Atkins, and presented to the Patna Museum. The birds. were stuffed and mounted by the famous London taxidermists,

200

Rowland Ward, Limited. They looked very natural, and were much admired.

The Hon'ble Sir John Bucknill exhibited the following from his private collection, viz.

(a) gold, silver and copper patterns of a coin of the value of one-third of a cent, struck in 1824 in Calcutta for the Straits Settlements, but never put into circulation.

(b) Two proof Doits, struck at Birmingham in 1884 for British traders in the Straits Settlements, for use

in the Celebes; with inscription in the Bugis language.

(c) A Malay sword, or Kris, from the Celebes Islands.

Bhatta-Svamin's Commentary

on

KAUTI LYA'S ARTHA-SASTRA

Edited by K. P. JAYASWAL

and

A. BANERJI - SASTRI

भट्टखामिनः

प्रतिपदपञ्चिकायाम्

अर्थशास्त्रटीकायाम्

द्वितौयाधिकरणे दशमोऽध्यायः ।

[ Continued from March, 1925 number of this Journal ]