OF THE HINDUS, 2?g| 



was denominated Cambufon Oftium by the Greeks* 

 This place is now ridiculoufly called Nanga- 

 lajfan, or the naked abode ; whereas its true 

 name is Naga-bq/an, or the abode of fnakeSj with 



which the country abounds. 



Sir "William Jones lavs, " the onlv difficulty in 

 •* deciding the (ituatiou of Palibothra to be tJie fame 

 " as Patali-putra, to which the names and molt, cir- 

 iC eumftances nearly correipond, aroie from hence, 

 " that the latter place extended from the confluence 

 " of the Sone and the Ganges to the lite of Patna, 

 " whereas Palibothra flood at the junction of the 

 '* Ganges and the Erannoboas ; but this difficulty has 

 " been removed, by finding in a claffical Sanfciit book, 

 " near two thoufand years old, that Hiranvabaiiee, or 

 " golden armed, which the Greeks changed into Eran- 

 " noboas, or the river with a lovely murmur, was, in 

 " in facl, another name for the Sona itfelf, though 

 s< Megqfthenes, from ignorance or inattention, has 

 " named them feparately.' 3 Vide Jjjiatic Refearches, 

 i'oI. IV. p. 11. 



But this explanation will not be found fufficient to 

 folve the difficulty, if Hiranyabaha be, as I conceive 

 it is not, the proper name of a river ; but an appel- 

 lative, from an accident common to many rivers. 



Patali-putra was certainly the capital, and the refi- 

 dence of the kings of Magadha or fouth Behar. Tn 

 the Mudra Rdcjhqfa, of which I have related the 

 argument, the capital city of Chandra-Gupta is called 

 Culumapoor throughout the piece, except m one 

 pafiage, where it leems to be confounded with Patali- 

 putra, as if they were different names for the lame 

 place. In the pafiage alluded to, Rdcftuifa afks one. 

 of his mejiengers, " If he had been at Culumapoor Y % 

 the man replies,, "Yes, I have been at Patali-putra." But 



Sumapon 



