The law and custom of Hindoo castes within the Dekhun provinces subject to the presidency of Bombay, chiefly affecting civil suits / by Arthur Steele.

  • Steele, Arthur.
Date:
1868
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The law and custom of Hindoo castes within the Dekhun provinces subject to the presidency of Bombay, chiefly affecting civil suits / by Arthur Steele. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    from the backwardness of the natives to give precise informa- tion on any subject, but chiefly from superstitious prejudices. On comparing the one now published with the lists given by Mr. Colebrooke, some important variations are observable, apparently arising from the latter having chiefly included the writers of the Gouryu or Bengal school. Of the text- books, the work called Katyayun appears as a Sootr in the Poona list, and the latter includes Wamun,smrootee, Wridhsatatup, and the 51ok, not found in the former. Of the twenty-one Oopusmrootees noticed by Mr. C. there are only two (Boudhyayun and Aswulayun) found in the Poona list. Ten commentaries and minor authorities only appear in both. Twenty-five mentioned by Mr. C. are omitted in the present, and upwards of 110 are found in the Poona Catalogue exclusively. Of their legal, as of their political, history the Brabmuns seem entirely ignorant, nor could the causes of the difference subsisting between commentators of different schools be at all traced in Poona. The Abstract of Hindoo Law, as affecting Civil disputes, now published, has been prepared to answer purposes of reference, until the greater diffusion of original works * sanc- tioned as law shall have established the knowledge of it in a more perfect manner. It has been drawn up from answers to queries submitted to Bbalcbundr $astree of Poona, and afterwards corrected by the Dhurmsastrees of the College. It bad been preferable to have obtained all the replies from the College in the first instance, but those received directly from them were so very meagre as to afford little information. It is satisfactory to observe, that on comparing this Abstract with the translation of the chapter on Inheritance * The Mitakshura and others have been already published in Bengal. The Myookh has been printed by order of the Bombay Government.