324 Major Tod's Account of Greek, Parthian, and Hindu Medals. 



or after him, in order that we may place the commencement of the Indian 

 kingdom equal to the beginning of the reign of Theodotus. Besides, it may 

 be collected from obscure fragments of ancient authorities, that many Greek 

 kingdoms arose together, and existed for some time among the Indians ; nor 

 do I doubt that the Siriptolemceus, or Siripolemius, of Claudius Ptolemy,* 

 was of the number ; for the latter part of the word is Greek ; but (J£,i^i) Siri 

 is tiie Indian Sri." 



One of the best grounds for assenting to the opinion of the Puranas 

 having been remodelled at a comparatively modern period, is the mention, 

 in them, of these very Yavan or Greek kings ; while, at the same time, it 

 proves that such a recasting (composition we cannot call it) took place at 

 a time, when these events were fresh in the memory, and, perhaps, even 

 while some descendants of these princes still existed Arrian composed his 

 History of the Navigation and Commerce of the Red Sea, in the second 

 century, and he mentions those princes. Ptolemy wrote his Geography 

 about the same period, and the authors, or renovators, of the Puranas, in the 

 beginning of the sixth century. To colour this anachronism, and render it 

 palatable to their votaries, the spirit of prophecy was assumed ; and, of 

 the dynasties which were to reign in time to come, these Yavans, or 

 lonians, are not only mentioned, but Balich Dcs, or Bactria, is speci- 

 fically assigned to them ; and, what is a curious and valuable fact, 

 the precise number of princes of this dynasty is named: — ''For eight 

 generations, the Yavan ;f for twenty, the Turshka ;% for thirteen, the 



* In the same section, Bayer, quoting from Ptolemy (the geographer), " There were many 

 kings of India : Ozene of Tiastanus ; Baithana, the seat of Siriptolemceus :" doubtless Ujjayan ; 

 and Pattan, on the (iodiiveri river ; " Karoura, the palace of Kerobotheus ; Modoura, the palace 

 of Pandion ; and Arthoura, the palace of Sornus :" the first most probably the abode of the 

 Curu-putras, or sons of Curu ; the second, clearly Mat'hura, held by the Pandu princes, the 

 descendants of Puru, which they actually did in Alexander's time, and for eight centuries before. 

 Arthoura, the abode of Sornus, may be Arore, on the Indus, the capital of Sehris, also a generic 

 appellation of the sons of Sehl, another of the heroes of the great war. 



-)- Thus the Greeks are termed. 



± The Scythic race of the Oxus and Jaxartes ; the Turshka and Tukyac of the Hindu; 

 Tachari, or Tochari of the Greeks ; and Tagitai or Chagitai of Turkisthan, and the Tartar his- 

 torians of Tocharestan, the Saca-dwipa of the Purans, the country of the Sacse or Sac'hae, the 

 races : of which the Parthians were, the Saca; of the province of Aria ; hence the titular appellation 

 of all its princes, Arsaces : and from Saca-dixipa, which D'Anville properly places about the 

 fountains of the Oxus, the Greeks composed the word Scythia. 



