GEOLOGICAL SKETCH 281 



upheaval, and is equally baffled at the slow destructive 

 work of ages. No intrusion of the earth's crust bears 

 any comparison to that of the Himalayan granite. It 

 extends from east to west of the Himalaya as the 

 backbone, not of one, but of a succession of parallel 

 ranges through the heart of the continent ; it rises to a 

 higher level than any other portion of the globe ; it 

 stands as an impregnable barrier across the fertile 

 plains of India. 



This intrusion is the backbone of Hazara. Let 

 us follow it to the south-east. As we approach the 

 sediments the scene grows tamer. The mountains 

 sink into more rounded hills ; the snows and glaciers 

 disappear. The hills dwindle into what in comparison 

 to the great peaks seem as little hillocks, and on their 

 summits we detect the granite weathered into rounded 

 blocks as though they were transported boulders. 

 These massive blocks into which the granite is worn 

 are conspicuous for miles around. Some stand like 

 natural pillars on the summit of a peak and are 

 consecrated by the inhabitants as a place of worship. 

 Through countless years these boulders must have 

 attracted the attention of race after race of peoples, for 

 on three of the most massive ones, the Buddhist king 

 Asoka has inscribed the principles of piety, tolerance 

 and charity which he demanded all his subjects to 

 follow. It is remarkable to picture this powerful king 

 preaching these noble tenets to his people, to think 

 of him engraving on blocks of granite, almost three 

 hundred years before the birth of Christ, that "self- 

 control, therefore, is meritorious, — to wit, hearkening 

 to the law of others and hearkening willingly." 



We follow the central granite still further to th§ 



