Bihari Bible History (3)

**List: Bihari: Magahi Ministry the Bible ( the Bible ) Bihari: Bhojpuri... BHOJEPOORA.    "BHOJEPOORA is the dialect in use throughout the districts of Benares, Juanpore, Ghazipore, Azimghur, and Gorruckpore, which together comprise an area of 16,780 square miles.   No translation of the Scriptures has been attempted into this dialect, nor is one requisite, for Mr. Bowley's Hinduwee version has been freely circulated among the natives of these districts."--1860   S. Bagster   [Info only] Bihari: Magahi... MAGADHA, OR MAGUDHA.    "MAGADHA is spoken in the province of South Bahar, which comprises an area of 32,982 square miles, and a population of 4,758,150.   South Bahar is now included in the presidency of Bengal, but it was anciently the seat of an independent sovereignty.   Gaya, a town in this province, is said to have been the birthplace of Buddh_, the [false] prophet and legislator of Eastern Asia.   From this and other circumstances it was once currently believed, though without sufficient data, that the dialect now spoken in South Bahar is identical with Pali, the sacred language of B_ddhism.   But, whatever may be the diversity of opinion concerning the origin of the Magadha dialect, it is now generally admitted that, in its present state, it can only be regarded as a gross corruption of the Bengalee.   According to Mr. Colebrooke's representation, it appears to be more corrupt than any of the other Indian dialects; but, perhaps, this may partly arise from the large proportion of Moh_mm_dans found in this province, speaking another language, and using a different character, and who are said to form at least one third of the entire population.   A version of the New Testament in Magadha was commenced at Serampore in 1814, and in 1824 an edition of 1000 copies left the press.   More recently, some portions of the Gospels have been translated by the Rev. E. Start of Patna; but it appears that his version is still unfinished and in manuscript: he is of opinion that it is through the Magadha alone that "access can be had to one million of H_ndoos who now live in the birthplace of B_ddhism."   Other mies., however, have stated that it is questionable whether any version of the Scriptures except the Bengalee is strictly requisite in South Bahar."--The Bible of Every Land. (1860, Second Edition)   Samuel Bagster   [Info only] Bihari: Maithili... TIRHITIYA, OR MITHILI.    "THE Sircar of Tirhut, or Tirhoot, sometimes called Mithili, and sometimes North Bahar, is separated from South Bahar by the River Ganges, and lies between the 25th and 27th degrees of north latitude, and the meridians of 84° and 88° east.   It includes an area of 7,402 square miles, and a population of 2,400,000.   The Tirhitiya dialect never appears to have been at any period in extensive use, or to have been much employed in literary compositions.   In its present form it greatly resembles the Bengalee, and its written characters differ but little from those used in writing Bengalee. In the Lord's Prayer, as given in this dialect by the Serampore mies., may be traced twenty words radically the same as those in the Bengalee and Hinduwee specimens; but some of the words are more purely Sanscrit.   A version of the Scriptures in this dialect was projected at Serampore, but apparently never carried into execution.   It is now conjectured that the Bengalee version is likely to answer all the purposes of a separate translation in Tirhitiya."--The Bible of Every Land. (1860, Second Edition)   Samuel Bagster   [Info only]

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