Chapter SUNN to SUPÁRA of S by The Hobson Jobson Dictionary

surpass.… Such a person His Majesty calls Sannyásí.”—Ain, ed. Jarrett, iii. 278.]

1616.—“Sunt autem Sanasses apud illos Brachmanes quidam, sanctimoniae opinione habentes, ab hominum scilicet consortio semoti in solitudine degentes et nonnunquã totu nudi corpus in publicu prodeuntes.”—Jarric, Thes. i. 663.

1626.—“Some (an vnlearned kind) are called Sannases.”—Purchas, Pilgrimage, 549.

1651.—“The Sanyasys are people who set the world and worldly joys, as they say, on one side. These are indeed more precise and strict in their lives than the foregoing.”—Rogerius, 21.

1674.—“Saniade, or Saniasi, is a dignity greater than that of Kings.”—Faria y Sousa, Asia Port. ii. 711.

1726.—“The San-yasés are men who, forsaking the world and all its fruits, be-take themselves to a very strict and retired manner of life.”—Valentijn, Choro. 75.

1766.—“The Sanashy Faquirs (part of the same Tribe which plundered Dacca in Cossim Ally’s Time¹) were in arms to the number of 7 or 800 at the Time I was surveying Báár (a small Province near Boutan), and had taken and plundered the Capital of that name within a few Coss of my route.… I came up with Morrison immediately after he had defeated the Sanashys in a pitched Battle.… Our Escorte, which were a few Horse, rode off, and the Enemy with drawn Sabres immediately surrounded us. Morrison escaped unhurt, Richards, my Brother officer, received only a slight Wound, and fought his Way off; my Armenian Assistant was killed, and the Sepoy Adjutant much wounded.… I was put in a Palankeen, and Morrison made an attack on the Enemy and cut most of them to Pieces. I was now in a most shocking Condition indeed, being deprived of the Use of both my Arms,… a cut of a Sable (sic) had cut through my right Shoulder Bone, and laid me open for nearly a Foot down the Back, cutting thro and wounding some of my Ribs. I had besides a Cut on the left Elbow wh^ch took off the Muscular part of the breadth of a Hand, a Stab in the Arm, and a large Cut on the head.… ”—MS. Letter from James Rennell, dd. August 30, in possession of his grandson Major Rodd.

1767.—“A body of 5000 Sinnasses have lately entered the Sircar Sarong country; the Phousdar sent two companies of Sepoys after them, under the command of a serjeant … the Sinnasses stood their ground, and after the Sepoys had fired away their ammunition, fell on them, killed and wounded near 80, and put the rest to flight.

…”—Letter to President at Ft. William, from Thomas Rumbold, Chief at Patna, dd. April 20, in Long, p. 526.

1773.—“You will hear of great disturbances committed by the Sinassies, or wandering Fackeers, who annually infest the provinces about this time of the year, in pilgrimage to Juggernaut, going in bodies of 1000 and sometimes even 10,000 men.”—Letter of Warren Hastings, dd. February 2, in Gleig, i. 282.

„ “At this time we have five battalions of Sepoys in pursuit of them.”—Do. do., March 31, in Gleig, i. 294.

1774.—“The history of these people is curious.… They … rove continually from place to place, recruiting their numbers with the healthiest children they can steal.… Thus they are the stoutest and most active men in India.… Such are the Senassies, the gypsies of Hindostan.”—Do. do., dd. August 25, in Gleig, 303–304. See the same vol., also pp. 284, 296-7-8, 395.

1826.—“Being looked upon with an evil eye by many persons in society, I pretended to bewail my brother’s loss, and gave out my intention of becoming a Sunyasse, and retiring from the world.”—Pandurang Hari, 394; [ed. 1873, ii. 267; also i. 189].

SUPÁRA, n.p. The name of a very ancient port and city of Western India; in Skt. Surparaka,² popularly Supara. It was near Wasai (Baçaim of the Portuguese—see (1) Bassein)—which was for many centuries the chief city of the Konkan, where the name still survives as that of a well-to-do town of 1700 inhabitants, the channel by which vessels in former days reached it from the sea being now dry. The city is mentioned in the Mahabharata as a very holy place, and in other old Sanskrit works, as well as i n cave inscriptions at Karli and Nasik, going back to the 1st and 2nd centuries of the Christian era. Excavations affording interesting Buddhist relics, were made in 1882 by Mr. (now Sir) J. M. Campbell (see his interesting notice in Bombay Gazetteer, xi v. 314–342; xvi. 125) and Pundit Indraji Bhagwanlal. The name of Supara is one of those which have been plausibly connected, through Sophir, the Coptic name of India, with the Ophir of Scripture. Some Arab writers call it the Sofala of India.

c. A.D. 80–90—“ [Greek Text] Topika de emporia kata to exhV keimena apo Barugazwn, Souppara, kai Kalliena poliV…”—Periplus, § 52, ed. Fabricii.

c. 150.—

“ ’ [Greek Text] AriakhV Sadinwn
Soupara…
[Greek Text] GoarioV potamou ekbolai…
Dougga…
Bhnda potamou ekbolai…