Reviews

Summary

The review section assesses recent publications. Two Annual Reports of the Archaeological Survey of Mysore (1938 and 1939) edited by Dr. M. N. Krishna are praised for maintaining a high scholarly standard. The reports provide detailed descriptions of monuments, accompanied by plates, plans, notes on coins, analyses of manuscripts and comprehensive indexesfile:///home/oai/share/split_articles/Reviews_398-408.pdf#:~:text=REVIEWS%20ANNUAL%20REPORT%20OF%20THE,of%20inscriptions%20frequently%20with%20trans. The 1938 report discusses hill‑forts, Hoysala and Travancore‑style temples, sculptures of Ganga and Yamuna on their mounts, wall paintings at the Jaganmohan Palace in Mysore, and numismatic sections describing punch‑marked coins and gold Varaha typesfile:///home/oai/share/split_articles/Reviews_398-408.pdf#:~:text=In%20the%20Report%20for%201938%2C,seem%20to%20have%20much%20artistic. The inscriptions section publishes 120 records dating from the sixth to the nineteenth centuries, including a copper‑plate of the Ganga king Avinita. The 1939 report continues conservation notes and describes monuments from Ganga through Vijayanagara periods, including unusual Hoysala‑Dravidian temples and Jain bastis; its numismatics section analyses five types of Western Ganga coinsfile:///home/oai/share/split_articles/Reviews_398-408.pdf#:~:text=Part%2011%20of%20the%20Annual,other%20and%20having%20a%20com and the use of elephants on obversesfile:///home/oai/share/split_articles/Reviews_398-408.pdf#:~:text=These%20are%20marked%20on%20the,Coins%20of%20Mediae. The reviewer commends the quality of printing and illustrations but notes minor shortcomings, such as the lack of classification of punch‑marked coins and insufficient consultation of existing coin catalogues. Another review critiques a book on Gujarat history and coins for inaccuracies, including miscounting Valabhi copper‑plate grants, misstatements about punch‑marked coins in Gujarat and misunderstandings of Hindu rites. The reviewer highlights that more than a hundred Valabhi grants are known and that punch‑marked coins from Gujarat have been published previouslyfile:///home/oai/share/split_articles/Reviews_398-408.pdf. Overall, the review section combines appreciative comment on meticulous scholarship with constructive criticism intended to improve historical and numismatic studies.