wedding
gift to his daughter Pandaïa. The Pearl was considered no unbecoming
ornament for the great Gautama himself, for we are told that, during
the festivities on the occasion of the birth of his son, being much
pleased with the beauty of a particular serenade, he removed his
necklace of Pearls, and as a mark of appreciation, presented it to the
minstrel.
Pearls
like most precious stones, being indigenous products of India, may
certainly be classed among the most ancient objects of Hindu luxury and
commerce ; yet it is curious that in the works of the ancient Hindus
which have come down to us, there is no allusion to the Pearl
fisheries. That they existed before the time of Alexander the Great, is
certain, from their being mentioned by his companions. The author of
the " Periplus," who wrote about the middle of the second century,
A.D., mentions that Pearls were found near Manaar. The principal market
for Pearls at that time was the town of Nelkynda or Nelicurand.
Accounts
of the natural history of the pearl-oyster as known to the Ancients are
given by Athenaeus and by Chares of Mitylene, from whose writings we
learn that, in their day, the pearl-bearing oyster was found in the
Indian Sea and in the Persian Gulf. Every ancient Indian deity is
