ON THE HINDUS. 419 



Racan, and the bordering kingdoms, as far as the China 

 of the Hindus, or Sin of the Arabian Geographers ; 

 not to mention the whole Weftern Peninfula, with the 

 celebrated ifland of Sinhala, or Lion-like Men, at its 

 fouthern extremity. By India, in fhort, I mean that 

 whole extent of country in which the primitive religion 

 and languages of the Hindus prevail at this day with 

 more or lefs of their ancient purity, and in which the 

 Nagari letters are ftill ufed with more or lefs deviation 

 from their original form. 



The Hindus themfelves believe their own country, to 

 which they give the vain epithets of Medhyama, or Cen- 

 tral, and Punyabhumi, or the Land of Virtues, to have 

 been the portion of Bharat, one of nine brothers, whofe 

 father had the dominion of the whole earth; and they 

 reprefent the mountains of Himalaya as lying to the 

 north ; and to the weft, thofe of Vindhya, called alfo 

 Vindian by the Greeks ; beyond which the Sindhu runs 

 in feveral branches to the fea, and meets it nearly oppo- 

 fite to the point of Dwaracd, the celebrated feat of their 

 Shepherd God. In the fouth-eafl they place the great 

 river Saravalya ; by which they probably mean that of 

 Jiva, called alfo Airdvatim part of its courfe, and giving 

 perhaps its ancient name to the gulf of Sabara. This 

 domain of Bharat they confider as the middle of the 

 Jambudunpa, which the Tibeiians alfo call the Land of 

 Zambu ; and the appellation is extremely remarkable; 

 for Jambu is the Sanfcrit name of a delicate fruit, called 

 J avian by the Mufelmans, and by us rofe-apple ; but the 

 largeft and richelt fort is named Amrita, or immortal; 

 and the Mythologifts of Tibet apply the fame word to 

 a celeftial tree bearing ambrojial fruit, and adjoining 

 to four vaft rocks, from which as many facred rivers 

 derive their feveral ftreams. 



The inhabitants of this extenfive tracl are defcribed 

 by Mr. Lord with great exaclnefs; and with a pic- 

 ture fque 



