Miscellany
By P. V. Bapat
Summary
The Miscellany section of this volume assembles a series of shorter notes and reviews covering diverse topics. The first note analyses a rare silver coin attributed to King Rudravarma, examining its bull‑and‑elephant imagery and legends in Kharosthi and Brahmi and debating whether it belongs to the Audumbara tribe or to a king named Vemaki Rudravarma. Another study recounts how, during the reign of the fifth Dalai Lama, a Tibetan scholar studied Sanskrit grammar in India and produced a Tibetan translation of Ramacandra’s Prakriya‑Kaumudi, illustrating Indo‑Tibetan intellectual exchange and the influence of Siddhanta‑Kaumudi. A philosophical note provides a side‑light on later Upanisadic eschatology, exploring beliefs about the soul’s journey after death and comparing them with earlier Vedic ideas. Historical notes revisit the chronology of the reign of the imperial Nagabhaṭa, clarify genealogical questions about the Somavaṃśīs dynasty, and analyse the metre of the sixth and seventh syllables of an Anuṣṭubh quarter. Additional pieces discuss stories such as the two white umbrellas secured by the king Dhruva, the identity of the Gupta‑period author Subandhu, and the dating of the devotional work Kṛṣṇakarnāmṛta by Vilvamangalā. The section concludes with reviews of recent scholarly books on topics including Islamic law of war, ancient Vyajñaptipatras (petition documents), the topographical list of Travancore inscriptions, British annexation of Burma, Rajput history and the Sanskrit text Lingadharaṇacandrikā. Collectively, these contributions offer numismatic, linguistic, chronological and literary insights across a broad spectrum of South Asian studies.
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Conclusion
The Miscellany demonstrates the breadth of scholarship in the Indian Historical Quarterly, bringing together numismatics, grammar, philosophy, history and literature. Each note or review, though concise, clarifies a specific problem or introduces new evidence, and together they enrich our understanding of India’s diverse past and its connections with the wider Asian world.