Considerable difficulty has been experienced by Government epigraphists in dealing with the history of the double usurpations of the kingdom of Vijayanagara in Southern India and the dates of accession and death of the various rulers in the period a.d. 1486–1509; and a note on these matters based on a number of inscriptions may have a beneficial effect in somewhat clearing the ground.

When spending several weeks at Leh, in 1914, I became interested in certain balcony – like structures containing three mchod-rten each. They were called Rig-dzin-mgon-po (Lords, holders of wisdom) or Rig-gsum-mgon-po (Lords of the three [realms of] wisdom). Besides the three mchod-rten, the balconies contained also Lamaist pictures and inscriptions. Mr. H. Körber, of the Munich Museum, rendered me valuable help in the identification of several of the pictures. The following is a list of the Rig-dzin-mgon-po (the abbreviation Rig. will be used instead of this long word) at Leh and neighbouring places.

Omitting the various other passages in the Mahābhārata which might be cited to support our thesis, and viewing synthetically the results of our study so far, we find that, to use Hopkins's phrase, “the more important building operations” of the epic are of pronouncedly Persian character. In the excavations of Pāṭaliputra we find that the palaces of Chandragupta were of pronouncedly Persian character, as well. The Mahābhārata ascribes its buildings to supernatural agency. The Chinese pilgrims tell us that the Mauryan halls were built by genii. The general attributes, as well as the very name, of the agent, Asura Maya, are found to be directly reminiscent of Ahura Mazda. It was by Ahura Mazda's grace the Achæmenian monarchs reared the palaces of Persepolis, which served as models for the Mauryan king. The epic tells us Maya wrought his works by magic. Pāṭaliputra is “wrought by magic” in the Kathāsaritsāgara. Moreover, the description which the Asura Maya gives us of the palaces he built agrees most strikingly with the account of Chandragupta's palaces recorded by Megasthenes. Both are inferentially confirmed by the stratigraphical evidences in the soil, and by the general topography of the site, at Pāṭaliputra.

The tablet now published, which belongs to Mr. Alfred E. Knight, measures 42 mm. high by 42 mm. wide. Judging from its form and general appearance, it came from Jokha, the ruins of the city whose name is now generally read Umma. The obverse has five lines of writing, and the reverse three with a space between the first and the second. Both sides are covered with impressions of the cylinder-seal of the scribe by whom the document is attested.

In my paper on Tibetan Seals in the last number of this Journal (JRAS., 1915, p. 1) I regret that, owing to there not being time for a second revision of the proof, on account of my being in India, there are certain misprints, which I correct below.

For 'abar in line 6 of the inscription of the seal on p. 7, read hbar.

For the top word of the third column of the seal on p. 8, read.

For the second word in the same column, read

For the bottom word in the sixth column of the above seal, read

Mr. H. Krishna Sastri has recently brought to notice a new and highly interesting record, of one of the early Gaṅga rulers of Mysore, which is incised on a set of three copper plates from Penukoṇḍa in the Anantapūr District, Madras. I have the record in hand for editing in the Epigruphia Indica; and in my paper on it I shall discuss fully its nature, its date, and its bearing on certain other records of the same series. As, however, its date can only be fixed on the palaeographic evidence, which in this case entails a somewhat long setting out so that my paper cannot be published at any very early time, and as an account of the record is awaited with eagerness in certain quarters, I give here a brief notice of it, and also deal with another matter which is connected with it.