438 BENGALI LITERATURE Pitwhali (spelling the word as Pachal’) is ultimately connected with Panchal or Kanauj, which he takes to be the birth-place of this kind of song. It may, however, be pointed out that there is no trace of paimchali-songs of the modern type (such as those popularised by Daéarathi Ray) in ancient literature ; but that the word Parnehali it 1s well known, was used indiscriminately for all sorts of poetical composition which could be recited and which possessed a religious theme. Thus = ডি aan the Paragali Mahabharat or the must be distinguished. Mahabharat of Nityananda Ghos is called dharat-pamchali or simply pamchali in their respective d4anifais. Similarly Kadr- kankan Chandi is designated throughout by its author as pamnchalt or painchili-prabandha, and even in a work like Jagannath Mangal, Gadadhar Mandal states that he is composing his work in the style of pamchal’.'! Thus we have, besides those mentioned above, Sanir painchali, Sasthir painchali, Mansar painrchali and in fact painchalts written in praise of all the popular deities. These older compositions used to be recited and were therefore suitably arranged for pa/as or sittings for recitation. But they were not pamchalis in the modern sense of the term and a distinction must be made between ancient and modern types. Another equally fanciful etymology of the term pamcehali is given by deriving the word from pa-chale or pada-chilan which is taken to indicate that the leader of such a party recited explains and sings his theme by moving about before the assembled audience ; but this interpretation fails to explain the presence of nasal 7n in the word itself. It would seem, however, that the best eee
‘ We also get the word pamchali-chhanda and unless the word chhanda means style of composition, it must be referred to a peculiar kind of metre.
