is, as M r. E lp h in s to n e rem a rk s , a n in v asio n o f th e D e k h a n .
F o r ev en in th e tim e w h en - M e n u ’s In s titu te s w ere w ritte n
th e r e w e re n o se ttlem e n ts o f H in d u co n q u e ro rs beyond th e
lim its o f A ry a v a rta o r to th e so u thw a rd o f th e N e rb u d d a
r iv e r . F o r m a n y ag es b e fo re th e H in d o o s p e n e tr a te d in to
th e D e k h a n th e y w e re p ow e rfu l dte N o rth e rn H in d u s ta n .
T h e P u r a n ia n h is to rie s p la c e th e com m en c em en t o f th e Lit4-
n a r and S o la r d y n a stie s in A y o d h y a. T h e In s titu te s o f M e n u
c o n ta in a p assag e w h ich assig n s a s till m o re n o rth e rn site
as - th e o rig in a l p o sitio n o f th e H in d u race. A c c o rd in g to
th is th e scen e o f th e a d v e n tu re s o f th e firs t In d ia n p rin c e s,
a n d th e re sid en c e o f th e m o s t famous sages, was th e la n d o f
B ra hm a v a rta , b e tw e e n th e riv e rs S e ra sw a ti a n d D rish a d -
w a ti# P rom th e n c e i t is p ro b a b le th a t th e In d ia n r a c e t e n
te n d e d g ra d u a lly , w ith in c re a se o f p o p u la tio n , o v e r O u d e
a n d to M a g a d h a a n d th e e a ste rn d is tric ts .on th e Ganges-.
Paragraph 4 .— O f th e history; o f “In d ia d u rin g th e ages-
w h ic h su cceed ed th e c o n q u e sts o f th e M a c e d o n ia n s ."
In d o -S e y th ia n dynasty^— E r a o f V ik ram a d ity a .^ E n v p ir e
o f th e P r a s ii o r o f M a g a d h a .
H a v in g th u s b rie fly tr a c e d u pw a rd s to th e e a rlie s t
p e rio d s th e th r e a d o f In d ia n h is to ry from th e p o in t.win’
w h ich i t sy n ch ro n ise s a n d comes in c o n ta c t w ith th e h is to ric
a l a c c o u n ts le f t b y th e G re e k s , we m u s t now tu r n o ü r
v iew in a n o p p o site d ire c tio n . T h e re la tio n s o f th e Greeks*
w ith In d ia h a v e b een d isco v e red to h a v e b een m o re la s tin
g an d in flu e n tia l th a n i t h a d b e en su p posed. B u t b efo re
w e av a il ou rselv es o f th is re so u rc e in p ro s e c u tin g ^ th e in q
u iry in to In d ia n h is to ry , i t w ill b e w ell to tra c e th e e a rlie s t
n o tic e s o f In d ia th a t a re to be fo u n d in th e w o rk s o f G re e k
w rite rs .
A ll th e k n ow le d g e w h ic h th e G re e k s possessed co n c
e rn in g In d ia b e fo re th e tim e o f A le x a n d e r seems to h av e
b e e n d e riv e d from th e P e rs ia n s . Strabo* h a s o b serv ed ,
th a t H om e r h a s n ow h e re a llu d e d to th e In d ia n s. T h e
* Menu, Book 2. v. 17,18.—Wilson, preface to the Vishnu Purana.—Elphinstone,
Hist, of India, vol. 1, p. 388.
T ra g ic p o e ts a n d H e ro d o tu s a re th e e a rlie s t w rite rs who
m e n tio n th em b y n am e . A c co rd in g to th e la tte r , ec th e
p eo p le o f In d ia w e re m o re n um e ro u s th a n th e T h ra c ia n s.
T h ey liv e d ;n e a r to th e risin g s u n .” W e a re to ld th a t u n d e r
th e namSr o f In d ia n s marif® n a tio n s ■ w e re in c lu d e d , u sin g
d iffe re n t la n g u a g e s ah?d fo llow in g d iffe ren t mo d es o f life .
Some'w> e re h e rd sm e n ;; o th e r trib e » .'in h ab ited m a rsh e s a n d
. live#"; Upon raw f i s h ; some p ro c u re d g o ld from v a s t d e se rts
san d , w h e re it was defended.bys legions*of a n ts . T h e Padaei
k ille d th e ir ag ed relatives*;; Herodotus- aM) m e n tio n s th e a r t
o f c o i f f e i h ^ ’g d ld from th e w a te rsm f riv e rs,-a n d th a t o f m a k -
‘ in g c lo th from.-tlte.fEuit o f a ' p la n t re s em b lin g wool*;* Some
In d ia n s , according*«to *j him* ^scrupledlrjrf o k il l a n y liv in g
c re a tu re , a n d fed* u p o n a g ra in r’of* w h ic h th e '-description is
th a t o f ric e . It/se em s-p ro b a b le t h a t th e s e ' w e re disciples? o f
JB u d d h a ; a n d i f so,- this- is* *a: v e ^ y -e a rly nofiee^of th a t sect;
In d ia n trp d p s w ith e le p h a n ts from In d ia w ere in th e a rm y o f
the- -.great -king^ T h e ^ ^ ^ e d itiom o f :®foylax- o f • G a ry an d a
d ow n ^ th d H y d a sp e s a n d th e In d u s was p ro b a b ly , as D r .
Eob%lisO'nvhbng ago conjh©tured,^,# fe ^@ t^ s ro n J w h ic h -ex* |
tended* th u s fa r th e k n o w l e l g i t i f t h e ' a n c ie n ts, a n d m a d e
th em .-a c q u a in te d withvfhte., k in g d om o f C a sp a ty ru s,* o f
w h ich K a shm ir was a p a r t, a n d in th e n am e o f w h ic h we
reco g n ised th at o f K a sy ap a , w ho, a c c o rd in g .to vth e le g e n d s o f
th e H in d o o s, was th e fo u n d e r of. Kashmir;*?,; «The e x te n t o f
th e P e rs ia n co n q u ests in In d ia - is; u n k n ow n . I t h a s been
su p posed ■ b y R o b e rtso n a n d o th w M M tr th ey -re a ch ed tv h o t
b ey o n d th e In d u s ; 'b u t a n in scrip tio n ' in Guzfevat w h ic h h a s
la te ly b e e n decypherfed: b y M r. PrinsOp' m en tio n s a p u b l e
officer in th a t p ro v in c e , w h o a p p e a rs to h a v e liv ed in tim e s
a n te rio r to C h a n d ra g u p ta , a n d wh o se P e rs ia n n am e a n d
title afford re a so n fo r su sp e c tin g th a t, S u ra s h tra , o r S u ra t,
h a d b een th e seat o f a P e rs ia n s a tr a p y .j> T h e m a r c h o f
* The ’KaffirarvpoQ of Herodotus .mdoubtless the 'K.aqiravvpoc v SXiq o f
Stephanus, aud this, as Professor Wilson hasreMarked, can he only Kasyapa-
pur, in Kashmir of the Hindoos.—See; Asiatic Res. 15, p. 107.
j. The name of Sibami Chmhtan, as M. Prinsep observes, is Persian and not
Indian, and his- title f Winch i s ' Kshatrapa, or Satrap, was unknown to the
genuine Indians.—See Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, No.-76, p. 345.