NAIK, or NAIGUE, leader, conductor, chief; petty military officer. In the Indian army, the title is applied to a non-commissioned officer whose rank and duties correspond with those of a corporal.

NAIR, chief, head-man. The Nairs are a peculiar description of Hindoo, principally of the military class, who hold lands in Malabar. NAKSHATRA, the twenty-seven lunar mansions, or daily positions of the moon in the Hindoo Zodiac; and as, to perfect the revolutions, some odd hours are required, they have added another not included in the regular chart.

NALKEE, a litter, only used by

the highest classes of Mahomedan princes in India. It is one of the three great insignia which the Mogul Emperors of Delhi conferred upon independent princes of the first class, and could never be used by any person upon whom, or upon whose ancestors, they had not been so conferred. There were the Nalkee, the Order of the Fish, and the fan of the peacock's feathers. These insignia could be used only by the prince who inherited the sovereignty of the one on whom they had been originally conferred. See MAHEE MORATUB.

NANCAR, Hindostanee. Literally,

bread for work, stated to be land given by the amils, or, nazim, or the zumeendars, chowdries, talookdars, for some service performed. It was, however, an allowance received by the zumeendar, while he administered the concerns of the zumeendary, from government, without reference to proprietary right. When he did not administer the affairs of the zumeendary no nancar was allowed. NANDAIR, a town in India, in the province of Beder, situated on the north bank of the river Godavery,

135 miles northerly and westerly from Hyderabad, in Lat. 19 deg. 3 min. N., Long. 77 deg. 38 min. E. It is a large and populous town, and was the capital of Nandair, when it was a distinct province of the Mooghul Empire. At this place there is a Sikh college, erected on the spot where Gooroo Govind is supposed to have been assassinated, and many of the inhabitants are of the Sikh sect. NARA-SINGH, in Hindoo mythology, the fourth (Man-Lion) of Vishnu's avatars. In this avatar Vishnu took the form of another monster, to punish the wickedness of a profane and unbelieving monarch. NARAYANA, in Hindoo mythology, this appellation is claimed by the followers of the three principal deities for the three several objects of their worship. Thus, Brahma was Narayana; the Vishnaivas bestowed the title upon their god Vishnu; and the Saivas upon Siva. Narayana is the spirit of the supreme god; but, as the Hindoos, when they lost sight of an unity of worship, endowed their idol with his essence, Narayana may be, as above stated, Brahma, Vishnu, or Siva, and is sometimes even Ganesha. Narayani, his sacti, may be, accordingly, Suraswati, Lakshmi, or Parvati. Vishnu is, however, in common usage, called Narayana, in which character he is fabled to be sleeping on the serpent Shesha, or Ananta, on the waters of Eternity, and causing the creation of the world. He is also described with his toe in his mouth, reposing in like manner on the leaf of the lotus. NARAYUN BAWA, the name of a remarkable child, who, from his power of controlling serpents, was supposed to have a divine origin, and regarded by thousands of Mahrattas, in 1829-30, as the Messiah. The mania regarding this boy was extraordinary as long as he lived, but his death, by the bite of a serpent, put an end to the illusion. NAREDA, in Hindoo mythology, a

son of Brahma and Suraswati, the messenger of the gods, and the inventor of the veena, or Hindoo lute. He was a wise legislator, an astronomer, and a musician, but a distinguished warrior.

NARGAS, a pilao, consisting of the flesh of a fat lamb well pounded in a mortar with cloves, cinnamon, and other spices, and then used in covering a nucleus of half a hard boiled egg, the yellow and white of which was meant to represent a nargas, or narcissus.

NARGHEEL, a small pipe of the hookah family.

NARGIL, the cocoa-nut tree in Southern India.

NARNAC, the founder of the religion of the Sikhs of the Punjab. His father was a merchant living upon the banks of the Beas, who wished his son to follow the same profitable calling. Narnac, however, had learnt, partly by intuition, partly by reading the sacred books of the Hindoos, and partly by conversing with Fakeers (wandering beggars, who assume a character for sanctity), that the sole uses of wealth were to succour the poor. Acting upon this impression, he did what we should perhaps consider to evince a looseness of moral principle-he gave away to the mendicants all the money with which he was intrusted to purchase salt, and even distributed among the poor the whole of the contents of a granary committed to his charge. After this, it was naturally thought dangerous to employ him, and he was, accordingly, left to his own resources. Narnac then adopted the profession of the wandering Fakeers, and went about to all the Hindoo places of pilgrimage, and the holy spots at Medina and Mecca, where Mahomed had been born and buried, preaching the doctrines of the Unity and the Omnipresence of God. He was careful in his teaching not to offend the opinions and prejudices of others, his object being rather to

explain and defend his own. To discord he professed himself a foe, whose sole purpose was to reconcile the two faiths of the Hindoos and the Mahomedans by recalling them to that great original truth, the basis of their creeds, the Unity of God. Narnac suffered much during his travels from climate, privation, and the persecution of zealots of all faiths; but the purity of his life, his great patience with which he endured every calamity and every reproach, carried him through his pilgrimage, and he died respected by myriads, and leaving thousands of disciples to propagate the simple doctrines of his faith. In all, but the circumstances of his birth, and death, and the character of his tenets, we may trace a close resemblance between the life of Narnac and that of the founder of the Christian religion. Each manifested a total indifference to worldly possessions each trusted to his own powers of persuasiveness-each was patient and uncomplaining - and each bequeathed to the communities among which they moved apostles full of devotion and earnestness, who perfected the good work their principals had begun. Narnac expounded his doctrines before the fierce and intolerant Persian Empeperor Baber, but, instead of being scoffed at and put to death, he was honoured for his courage and simplicity. The Mahomedan government, though ordinarily cruel and tyrannical, did not indeed adopt his doctrines, but they respected the manner in which they were urged. When Narnac died, at least one hundred thousand persons had become converts to his doctrines. These persons were called SIKHS, from the Sanscrit word sic-sha, which is a general term, denoting disciple, or devoted follower. Narnac had begun a book called the GRAN'TH, which contained the elementary principles of his faith. This book was continued by his succes

sors, and is now the bible of the Sikhs.

NARNOOL, a town in India, in the province of Agra, situated in Lat. 28 deg. 5 min. N., Long. 75 deg. 52 min. E., about ninety miles southwesterly from Delhi, is the frontier town of the territories belonging to the rajah of Jypore. It is a place of considerable antiquity, but at present of little importance. NARNULLA, a fortified town in India, in the province of Berar, situated about forty miles N.W. of Ellichpore, Lat. 21 deg. 40 min. N., Long. 77 deg. 30 min. E. It is an ancient town, and has always been a place of note in the province. NASSACKJEE, the Persian term for an executioner.

NASSUCK, a town in India, in the province of Aurungabad, in Lat. 19 deg. 16 min. N., Long. 73 deg. 56 min. E. It is a large town, containing about 30,000 inhabitants, principally Brahmuns, and is much resorted to as a place of pilgrimage. In the neighbourhood are some extensive Booddhist excavations.

NAUTCH, an Indian entertainment,

of which dancing forms the chief element; not, however, where the guests dance, but where they witness certain evolutions dignified by the appellation of dancing. The native of India does not condescend to Terpsichorean indulgence. He prefers to be a spectator of the gesticulations of others who make a trade of the "light fantastic," and are called nautch girls. These girls are of different kinds. The most respectable are the meeraseens, sometimes called doominca; though the real doominca exhibit in public before men, which the meeraseens never do. The word meeras means an inheritance, and meeraseen an inheritress, from the custom, in certain families, of never changing the set. As the meeraseens are never accompanied by male minstrels, they seldom play on other instruments than

drums of different kinds, such as the tabla, dholuk, and munjeera ; though the meeraseens never perform before assemblies of men, yet the husband and his sons may be present. They are modest and chaste in their manners and dress; but, notwithstanding this, it sometimes happens that a fair meeraseen attracts the attention of the male part of the family. The kunchenee are of an opposite stamp: they dance and sing for the amusement of the male sex, and in every respect are at their command. They are attended by male minstrels, to whom they are often married. It is said these women always consider their first lover as their real husband during the rest of their lives; and, on his death, though they should be married to another, they leave off their pursuits for a proscribed period, and mourn, agreeably to the custom of widows. They do not consider any part of their profession either disgraceful or criminal. There are many other kinds of dancing women, such as hoorkenees, bazeegarnees, dharee, &c., &c. In dancing, the nautch-girls present very picturesque figures, though somewhat encumbered by the voluminous folds of their drapery. Their attire consists of a pair of gay-coloured silk trousers, edged and embroidered with silver or gold lace, so long as only to afford occasional glimpses of the rich anklets, strung with small bells, which encircle the legs. Their toes are covered with rings, and a broad, flat, silver chain is passed across the foot. Over the trousers a petticoat of some rich stuff appears, containing at least twelve breadths, profusely trimmed, having broad silver or gold borders, finished with deep fringes of the same. The coortee, or vest, is of the usual dimensions, but it is almost hidden by an immense veil, which crosses the bosom several times, hanging down in front and at the back in broad ends, either trimmed to match the petticoat, or

composed of still more splendid materials, the rich tissues of Benares. The hands, arms, and neck are covered with jewels, sometimes of great value, and the hair is braided with silver ribbons, and confined with bodkins of beautiful workmanship. The ears are pierced round the top, and furnished with a fringelike series of rings, in addition to the ornament worn in England: the diameter of the nose-ring is as large as that of a crown piece; it is of gold wire, and very thin; a pearl and two other precious gems are strung| upon it, dangling over the mouth, and disfiguring the countenance. With the exception of this hideous article of decoration, the dress of the nautch-girls, when the wearers are young and handsome, and have not adopted the too-prevailing custom of blackening their teeth, is not only splendid, but becoming; but it requires, however, a tall and graceful figure to support the cumbrous habiliments which are worn indiscriminately by all the performers. The nautch-girls of India are singers as well as dancers; they commence the vocal part of the entertainment in a high, shrill key, which they sustain as long as they can; they have no idea whatsoever of modulating their voices, and the instruments which form the accompaniment are little less barbarous; these consist of nondescript guitars and very small kettledrums, which chime in occasionally, making sad havoc with the original melodies, some of which are sweet and plaintive. The dancing is even more strange, and less interesting than the music; the performers rarely raise their feet from the ground, but shuffle, or, to use a more poetical, though not so expressive a phrase, glide along the floor, raising their arms, and veiling or unveiling as they advance or describe a circle. The same evolutions are repeated, with the most unvarying monotony, and are continued until the appearance of a new set of

dancers gives a hint to the preceding party to withdraw. NAWAB, a species of Mahomedan sovereign; a very great deputy, vicegerent, or viceroy. The governor of a province under the Mogul government, and popularly called by the English a nabob. The title of Nawab is also by courtesy often given to persons of high rank or station. It was formerly used (under the corruption nabob) to designate wealthy Englishmen who returned from India laden with wealth. NAZIM, composer, arranger, adjuster. The first officer or governor of an Indian province, and minister of the department of criminal justice under the native government; styled also Nawab and Soubahdar.

NAZIR, Hindostanee. A supervisor, or inspector.

NEAKDARRY, Hindostanee.

Hold

ing or keeping safe or well; safeguard. Perquisites or fees received or collected from the ryots, being shares of the produce of their lands appropriated to particular public officers in the village, or other per

sons.

NEELA, blue; indigo. NEEL GHAE, the blue cow; the nylghau.

NEEL WALLAH,

literally, bluefellow; an indigo planter. NEEMUCH, in the province of Ajmere, in India, situated about forty miles to the south-eastward of Chitore, is the principal British station in the province.

NEEMUCKY, saline, salt; salt lands. NEGAPATAM, a town in India, in the

district of Tanjore, in the province of Southern Carnatic, situated on the coast, twenty miles south of Tranquebar, in Lat. 10 deg. 45 min. N., Long. 79 deg. 54 min. E. This place, originally a Portuguese settlement, was taken in 1660 by the Dutch, who made it the capital of their possessions on the Coromandel coast. It is now much decayed and depopulated.

NEILGHERRY MOUNTAINS, the.

In Hindostan, these mountains form a connecting range between the eastern and western Ghauts or mountains through the province of Coimbatore (q. v.) Their highest point is estimated at 8800 feet above the sea.

NEJD, the province of Arabia which

produces the finest horses. NELLORE, a city in India, situated

in the Northern Carnatic, on the south side of the river Pennar, a few miles from the coast, about 100 miles north of Madras. It is a populous town, and the capital of the province.

NEPAUL, a province of Hindostan, bounded on the north by the Himalaya Mountains, separating it from Thibet; east, Sikkim; south, Bengal, Bahar, Oude, and Delhi; west, Kamdoon. The divisions are, Jemla, Goorkha, Nepaul, Mukwanpore, Morung. The rivers are, the Kalee and Suryoo, which, joining together at Bramadee, form the Goggra and Gunduk. The Gunduk is supposed to rise in the Himalayas, and flows into the Ganges near Patna. The upper part of the river is called the Salgramee, from the stones called Salgrams which are found in it. These stones are considered sacred by the Hindoos, and are carried for sale to all parts of India. Some have been sold for as much as 2000 rupees each. The lower part of the country, lying along the borders of Oude and Bahar, and which is called the Turiyanee (low-lands), consists of a long belt, or strip, of low, level land. Beyond this is a strip of nearly the same width of hills and valleys, rising gradually towards the north. The upper, or northern part, is composed of high mountains, terminating in the Himalayas. The productions of Nepaul are wheat, oats, barley, millet, maize, and other grains; and, in the valleys, large quantities of rice, which forms the principal article of food, sugar, and cardamoms, wax, demmee, and oil. Amongst other trees, the forests

produce oak and pine, with rattans and bamboos, both of enormous size. Elephants are numerous. The sheep are large, and their wool is good. Iron and copper are found in the hills. The sheep and goats are used in the mountain districts to carry burdens. These animals, being saddled with small bags of grain, are despatched in flocks, under the charge of a few shepherds and their dogs. An old ram, furnished with a bell, leads them. The towns are Malebum, Goorkha, Khatmandoo, Salitaputtun, and Mukwanpore. The inhabitants of Nepaul are composed of a number of tribes of different origin, and differing from one another in their language and manners. The original inhabitants appear to have been of Tartar descent. They now chiefly occupy the northern parts. The tribes occupying the central and southern districts form a mixed race, partly Tartar, and partly Hindoo. Of these, the principal are the Goorkhas, composed mostly of Khasiyas and Mogurs, both original tribes, and the Purbuttees and Newars. The Mogurs constitute the principal military force. The Purbuttees usually inhabit the mountains, and are a pastoral race; while the Newars live in the valleys, and are engaged in agriculture and commerce. The prevailing religion is the Brahminical, but many of the tribes still follow a sort of Booddhism, and latterly Mahomedanism has been introduced. A number of different dialects are spoken, of which the principal is the Purbuttee, called, in the western parts, the Khasee, which appears to be derived from the Hindawee, and is written in a character resembling the Nagree. NERBUDDA, the. A river in Hindostan, which rises in the province of Gondwana, in about Lat. 23 deg. N., Long. 82 deg. E. It runs westward through the provinces of Gondwana, Malwa, Candeish, and Guzerat, and falls into the sea below Baroach. Including its windings,