G r e e k em p ire in th e E a s t. I t s d e s tru c tio n w as o ccasionediby •
a n in c u rsio n o f n o r t h e r n : w h o ®ofrtenly ov erw h elm ed
th e E u ro p e a n colony h u t m a d e a .p ow e rfu l im p ressio n o n
In d ia . T h is is th e f if s f o f th o s e in c u rsio n s o f th e b a rb a ro u s
tr ib e s o f C e n tra l Asia o n th e e x te n s iv e ‘.régions o f H in d u s ta
n which-history- re c o rd s . Th e~ev en t is b rie fly m e n tio n e d
b y J u s tin a n d b y S tra b o . The’ la t te r th u s ex p resses h im s e lf :
■ «The m o s t c e le b ra te d o f th eN om a d e s ,” o f C e n tra l Asia,
“ a r e th o se wh o c o n q u e re d B a c tria n a from th e .©reeks.: T h ey
a re th e Asii, th e P a s ia n i, th e T o ch a ri, a n d S a c a ra u li, wlio
issu ed from th e c o u n try beyond th e J a x a r te s , the" te r r ito ry
o f t h e . S o g d ian i a n d th é Sacæ.”* O f th e fo u r n a tio n s meril
tio n e d b y S tra b o , ■ ohreÿ n am e ly , th e P a s ia n i,- a r e q u ite .ma-'
k n ow n ; 't h e S a c a ra u li a re c o n je c tu re d to h av e -b e en - a d iv isio
n o f th e Sacæ ; th e A sii w e re p ro b a b ly a su b d iv isio n o f
th e T o e h a r i.f W e th u s re d u c e ’ t&e n um b e r1 ó f .»principal
tr ib e s to tw o , n am e ly , th e Sacæ a n d th e T o c h a r h . W b 's h a ll
re co g n ise th e fo rm e r o f th e s e n am e s in o th e u a c c b u n ts . T h e
la t te r a re a p p a re n tly th e p e o p le mentioned- by J u s tin .u n d e r
th e n am e o f T h o g a rii, a s ta k in g p a r t in ;th e s e ,.s am e w a rs
c a rrie d on a g a in s t th e P a r th ia n k in g s 4
*fhat th e r e w a s - a k in g d om fo u n d ed b y a b a rb a ro u s .
p e o p le from -the c e n tr a l p a rts o f A sia te am ed Saéöe, Scy4
th ia n s , In d o -S e y th ia n s , a n d T u ru sh k a s o r T u rk s f wbi&b
su cceed ed th e G re e k d y n a sty o f B a e tria n k i n « a n d h e ld
sway o v e r th e n o rth -w e s te rn p a r ts o f In d ia ^ till they.-were
su b d u e d a n d th e p ow e r o f th e n a tiv e p rin c e s fe s to re d -b y .
V ik ram a d ity a fifty six y e a rs b e fo re t h e ; C h ris tia n e ra , a n
e v e n t so rem a rk a b le th a t i t fo rm ed in a fte r ages th e epoch
w h en ce th e la p s e o f tim e was com p u te d , is a fa c t o f .im p o rtan
c e in In d ia n h is to ry , I t is su p p o rte d b y evidence from a
v a rie ty o f q u a r te r s o f w h ic h I m u s t co n d en se a b rie f sum-.
* Strabo, p. ö l l ; The names of these trxbês are thus enumerated:—
"Avtoi,- Kal Tla&tavol,' xai Tó^apoi^jcai SanâpdvXo.t,, ôpfiTjdévreç âirà ffjç
ffE p a la ç ;T 0 Î$ la% â p T o v , r r jç ic a rà Sa/cae Kai 'S o y S ia v o i ç , t f v •&&&%$#*
t Ad-ditæ res Seythicæ, Reges Thoeharorum Asianij interitusque Sarducha-
rum. - Trog. Pomp, proleg. 42.
% The Thogarii are by Justin distinguished from the Scythæ. " Scythoe
depopulat'd P arthiâ in patriam rerertuntür, sed Artabanus belle Thogariis illato”
&c.—Justin, 42. 2. Lassen, p. 247.
m a r y ; b u t as gome .o f m y re a d e rs m ay b e tir e d o f th e
d e ta ils te f p ro o f w h ich i t is n ecessary to su rv ey , I sh a ll p u t
th e h ^ 'i4 to ‘ th e fo rm o f a n o te , a t th e en d o f th is section,
w h ic h -'th e y ih ay e ith e r g o th ro u g h o r om it.
, E a s te rn In d ia .— K in g d om of. M a g a d ’ha.
P r i c h y a , in S a n sk rit, m e an s th e E a s t. A c co rd in g to
W ijfi^cL W é c jiy a o r P rh c h j in c lu d e d a ll the, c o u n trie s from
A liah ab ad ft ^ t h ë ^ sW n m o ^ t lim its ' ó f In d ia , b u t P ro fe sso r
w l l p n - says th a t P r a c h y a .^ a ’c h e d e a stw a rd from th e Sa ra -
swati. In th is ;s e |^ d t ^ f . ; e v e n m o re e x te n s ile th a n A n u -
g an g am ^ v ;q n d e| which, n am e th e Q aq g etjc . province^ o f
In d ia a re c om p re h e n d e d . T h e re wèfé,^several so v ereig n -
t i | | / i n A n u -g a n g am ; b u t o f th ese M a g a d ’h a was th e m o st
p ow e rfu l. ‘|T h e k in g s o f M a g a d ’h a ,” say s W ilfo rd , “ were
L o rd s P a r am o u n t a n d Em p e ró rs o f In d ia fo r ab o v e tw o
tp o u s a n d -y e a rs , a n d th e ir c o u n try was se a t o f le a rn in g ,
ciy p satip n , a n d / t r a d e .; By M a g a d ’h a p ro p e r S o u th ; B a h a r
is u n d e rs to o d ; h u t in a m a r l- “e x te n s iv e sepse th e n am e
c om p reh en d s a ll th e ■ G a n g e tic p rb v in c e s.” M a g a d ’h a is
c e le b ra te d fo r h a v in g g iv en h ir th to B u d d h a , a n d fo r h a v in g
b een th e c ra d le o f on e o f th e m o st ex ten siv e ly sp re a d r e lig
io n s in th e w o r ld * T h e p eo p le p f M a g a d ’h a w ere th e
P r a s ii, th e p e o p le o f P ra c h y a , o v e r whom S a n d ra c o ttu s
re ig n e d a t th e P a lib o th r a o f th e G r e e k s ; a n d th e r e re ig n e d
Asoka, th e . g r e a t p a tro n o f th e B u d d h is ts - A so k a ’s in flu ence
is sh ewn to h av e b e e n ex ten siv e b y th e co lum n s b e a rin g
ed icts in h is n am e , w h ic h a re w id ely sp re a d o v e r n o rth e rn
H in d u sta n , a n d h is ascen d en cy is th e o n ly g ro u n d , a c c o rd in
g to a la te w rite r, fo r th e o p in io n , th a t th e k in g s o f M a g
a d ’h a were em p e ro rs o f In d ia . T h e P ra s ii in th e tim e o f
M e g a s th e n e s w e re , a c c o rd in g to S tra b o , th e m o s t p ow e rfu l
o f th e In d ia n n a tio n s. T h e sway o f th e ir so v e re ig n ex te
n d e d to th e w e ste rn p a rts o f H in d u s ta n , w h e re A so k a
g o v e rn e d u n d e r a vicero y , wh o was h is fa th e r, th e p ro v in c e
of, M alwa, o r o f U jja in i T h e p rin c e s o f M ag ad ’h a w e re
* Asiat. Res., vol. 9, pp. 32-82, 8vo. ed.
VOL. IV. N