210 HIXDOO HISTORY. 



swept away almost all its memorials. But the Indian 

 annals, such as they are, extend over the entire series of 

 the treta and dwapar yugs, and consequently comprehend a 

 period considerably exceeding two millions of years. This 

 chronology has been embraced with eagei credulity by a 

 number of learned men in Europe, who have proclaimed 

 that all the nations of the West are only of yesterday, 

 when compared with the boundless ages through which the 

 Hindoo records extend. There is, however, one circum- 

 stance which breaks at once the spell of this imaginary 

 duration. Although India possesses nothing which can 

 approach to the character of history, many of her princes 

 and great men preserve lists of kings, which, from their 

 coincidence, though found in different and distant quarters, 

 appear to be substantially correct. These extend through 

 the whole of the three ages ; but instead of that almost 

 endless roll of names which ought to have been supplied 

 during two millions of years, we find, by Mr. Bentley's list, 

 in the treta only sixty-six, and in the dwapar forty-seven 

 kings ; consequently, the potentates of the first period must 

 have had an average reign of 19,636 ; those of the second 

 of 18,383 years. It is maintained, indeed, on the faith of 

 tradition, that Yadhisthur, the great hero, held sway during 

 upwards of twenty-seven thousand years. But if we as- 

 sign to the Indian monarchs the average of human life, we 

 shall reduce these ages to an extent perfectly consistent with 

 European history and the Mosaic records. Mr. Bentley 

 considers seventeen years as the mean length of a reign in 

 a long series of princes. Even should we, with Colonel 

 Tod, "allow from twenty to twenty-two years, the Indian 

 dynasties will not pass the limits of our established chro- 

 nology. 



Although we find thus transmitted from an early period 

 lists of Hindoo kings which may be considered tolerably 

 authentic, die details, as already observed, are either too 

 meaner or too extravagant to be of any value as materials 

 for history- A few very general outlines can alone be 

 traced. Two races of monarchs are recorded as claiming 

 descent respectively from Suryu and Indu, the sun and the 

 moon. The former established their metropolis at Ayodhia, 

 the modern Oude, still a large city, and described as then 

 of immense extent. The lunar branch had several succes- 





