Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 10.djvu/678

* INDOOK BASEBALL. 593 INDRA. the Natiutial Indour Baseball Association of the United Stiitcs govern the game. INDORE, IndOr'. A native Mahrotta SUla of Colli ral India (Map: India, C 4). It is traversed from east to wcsl by the Xerbudda Kiver, and also by the Vindhya Mounlains, their loftiest point within its limit.s being 2.500 feet above the sea. Valuable timber is found in the forest; and wheat, rice, tobatco, .suj^jarcane, cot- ton, poppy, et<'., are cultivated. Opium is one of the chief manufactures. The Bhils, one of the wildest and most savajje of the aliori^'inal tribes of India, inhabit Inilorc. Ucsidcs tlic capi- tal of the same name (ij.v.), the principal towns are Rampura, Mchailpur, IJhanpura, and Mhow. Area, 8400 s(piare miles; populalicm, in 18!)1, 372,800; in UtOl, SXI.OOO. The Mahratta ruler bears the name of Holkar ((|.v.). whence the State is sometimes called the Holkar's Dominions. INDORE. The capital of the native Mahratta Stale of tlic samp name, India, situated on the left bank of the Kuthi (Map: India, C 4). It is about 2000 feet above the level of the sea. Indore was founded in 1707, and contains the palace of the Ilolkar. a cnljejie. and mint. It has a modern drainage system, and a good water- supply, and maintains a public lighting plant, market, reading-ronm. and dispensary. It has manufactures of cotton and a considerable grain trade. A suburban district, assigned by treaty, contains a British residency, the seat of an agent and his statT. unil the (jovcrnment opium depot of the Central Provinces. Population, in ISOI, n2.:!n(l; in lOOl. 8(1.200. INDORSED, ni ENDORSED. See Her.vi.dky. INDORSEMENT (from ML. indnrsnre, to in- dorse, from Lai. I'li. in + dorsum, back). In its broadest sense, any writing on the hack of an instrument. As a twlinical term of the law merchant, it denotes the writing of the liolder's name upon a bill of exchange, check, promissory note, or other negotiable instrumi'nt, <m trans- ferring it to another. While this writing is ordinarily on the back of such an instrument (whence its name), it is equall3' efTective if made on its face, or on a paper annexed to the instrument. In order to convert the writing into a contract, it must be delivered with the inten- tion of giving ctfcct thereto: or it must find its way into the bands of a liona-fide holder. The contract obligation of an indorser is to pay the indorsed instrument, provided payment is duly demanded, and payment is refused, and due notice of the dishonor is given to him. If the payee or holder simply signs his name, the indorsement is .said to be blank, and the sub.sequent holder may fill out the indor.sement to any one. A special indorsement is one which specifies the person to whom, or to who.se order, the instru- ment is to be payable, e.g. 'Pay C. D. or order, (feigned) A. B.' When personal liability as indorser is to be avoided, the words 'without recourse' are added. Such an indorsement does not prevent the further negotiation of the in- strument, or ca.st any suspiciim upon its validity. A similar restriction is made in England in the case of checks by crossing them. (See Check.) One which limits further negotiation is called a restrictive indorsement, e.g. 'Pay Corn Exchange Bank only.' It is provided by modern legisla- tion that when an indorsement is conditional, a party required to pay the instrument may disre- gard the condition and make payment to the indorsee or his transferee, whether the condition has been fullillcd or not. This changes the old rule, under which an acceptor or maker paid a bill or note with sueli an indorsement at his peril, if the condition was not fulfilled. Tliat was thought to be unduly hard upon the party required to pay. See Bill of Exchange; ('1IK<K; K(i(mABLE I.N.STRIMENT. IN'DRA. The great national god of Vedic India. Although Indra lost his supremacy lliidiigh the rise of Brahma. Siva, and Xi-.linu, he is still preserved as a figure in the Hindu pantheon. As represented in the Vci/n dj.v. ). lie is primarily the god of the ligbtning ami thunder, with the attendant phenonnna of the storm, wind, and rain ; by vanuisliiiig the demons of drought and darkness he restores the sun to the sky, the light of dawn, and the day. The realm of his activity is the at- mosphere; and the many hymns of the Kig- ^'(■r^(l that are devoted to his praise — far out- numbering those to any other god — are rich in meteorological imagery and poetic allusions lo natural phenomena, .rined with the thunder- bolt (i(i;>a), his special weapon, and inspired by copious draughts of intoxicating .somki, his fa- vorite beverage, he goes forth to do battle with the demons. cs(iecially Vritra. who. wra|)pc(l like fi choking serpent about the clouds, has sliul up the waters as prisoners. One of the hymns that describes this battle and the g<Krs triumpli ttver the dragon ( A'lp Icrfo l..'!2) is an epic in minia- ture. .s the god of battles. Indra is looked upon in the historical hymns of the Veda as the royal patron of the victorious Aryans in their conllicts with the aboriginal inhabitants of India. His supremacy during the whole Vedic period is unquestioned: the more ethical and transcenden- tal Vanina is no rival to liis prowess. In the later mythology a change takes place; Indra gradually sinks to a secondary rank among the gods. His installation as god of the lesser divinities is described in the .Utarfya-Hriihmana ; and from that time onward he l>ecomes rather a figurehead in the pantheon, and the type of a mortal king, than the former supreme lord of heaven. The Epic and Puranie periods distinctly show that he has cea.sed to enjoy the worsliip acconled him in Vedic times. lie remains ruler of the atmosphere, it is true, and one of the eight world-guardians, regent of the eastern quarter of the sky. wielding his thunderbolt and sending down rain, but his real power is gone. Instead of descriptions of him as the great god of battles, nraises are lavished on the delights of his paradise. Svnrrin, with its heavenly musi- cians and enchanting nymphs, the Oandhnrvas and .}isarusas, and all the joys of this liappy abode of the gods and faithful worshipers. Like the later writings, the epics bring to view the sensual side of Indra's character in his aitiours with Ahalya. the wife of a sage — a bit of scandal as old as the Brahmanas. In conse- quence of the curses of the outraged seer, the god was doomed to lose his virile power; the conqueror Indra ceases to be invincible, even a son of the demon Havana vanquishes him, as told in the lCimainnn. and wins the title Indrnjit. victor over Indra. for his prowess. The PuraniiH likewise describe him as worsted by the rising god Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu, and they name various successors of Indra as