[ Si ] 



V. 



Account of the Hmdujianee Horometry. 

 By John Gilchrist, Efq. 



THE inhabitants of Hinduftan commonly reckon 

 and divide time in the following manner; which 

 exhibits a horography fo imperfect, however, that its 

 inaccuracy can only be equalled by the peoples' general 

 ignorance of fuch a divifion, that, with all its imper- 

 fections and abfurdities, muft neverthelefs anfwer the 

 various purpofes of many millions in this country.. I 

 fhall therefore explain and illuftrate fo complex and 

 difficult a fubjecl, to the belt of my ability and infor- 

 mation from the natives, without prefuming, in the 

 difcuflion here, to encroach on the province of the 

 chronologiff. or aftronomer, who may yet invefligate 

 this matter with higher views, while my aim is, in the 

 mean time, perhaps, not lefs ufefully confined to ordi- 

 nary cafes and capacities entirely. 



60 Til or unoopul (a fub-divifion of time, for which 

 we have no relative term but thirds> as the feries 

 next to * Jeconds) are one bipul. 

 60 Bipul (which correfponds progrefllvely only with 



our Jeconds or moments) one pul. 

 Vol. V. F 60 Pul 



* On this principle one minute of ours being equal to 24 puis, 

 and one moment to 24 bipuls, it is neither eafy nor neceffary to 

 trace and mark the coincidence of fuch diminutives any farther. 

 1 may, however, add what the Fur hung Kardanee contains, re- 

 lative to thefe horal divifions, as follows. 



4 Rcnoo constitute 1 puluk; lGpuluks, 1 kajl,ha ; 30 kafr.has, 

 1 kula; 30 kulas, iguhiui; 60 guhuns, 1 dund; 2 dunds, 1 ;. 

 30 dunds, 1 din ; 60 dunds, 1 din rat. From tliis work it is evi- 

 dent that there exift various modes of dividing time in India, be- 

 caufe a little farther on the author ftates the following alfo, viz. 



60 Zurru, 1 dum ; 60 dums, 1 lumhu, &c. which, as well as 

 the many local modes in ufe, it would be fupertluous to enu- 

 merate. I fhall therefore attend only to the former, fo far as 

 they agree with our text. The kafljia is equal to 4 tils, the ku 

 or two bipuls ; the guhan and pul arc the fame : fo are the di 

 and (kucheej g,hurtt\ but the learner muft advert to the %>kuree 

 in this note, being pukkee, or two of the former ; as this dis- 

 tinction is frequently ufed when they allot onlv four g,hurecs to 

 the puhur ; and pukkee, or double, is always understood. 



