ON MOUNT CAUCASUS. 49I 



animals as the original guardians of the four quarters of 

 the world. In the fame manner commentators have 

 confidered the four facred animals mentioned in fcrip- 

 ture, namely, the Man, the Bull, the Lion., and the Eagle, 

 as the guardians and meflengers of the four corners of 

 the world. 



The few Hindus, who live toward the Indus, infift that 

 the lake near Bamiyan, is the real and original Manfaro- 

 vara: and near Cabid a little to the north weft of 5i- 

 cdrdard^ is a fmall lake, which they call the leffer Man- 

 faroyara, and which correfponds to a fimilar lake to the 

 fouth of Bindu-Jaro-vara, called in the Purdnast the eyej 

 of Manfarovara. 



Brdhmens in general underftand by Meru or S>u-meru 

 the north pole, in oppofition to numerous paflages in the 

 Purdnas. Their fyftem of geography has reference, in 

 general, to the fpot in which they fuppofe the terreftrial 

 paradife to be, or rather the abode of the Gods, called 

 Su-meru, hence we read of countries to the W. N. W. 

 of Meru, &c. The immenfe country of Curu is repeat- 

 edly declared in the Purdnas, and by Brdbmens, in con- 

 verfation, to be fituated to the north of Su-nieru. Even 

 in their maps of the fcven divips, Su-7neru is placed a 

 great way to the fouth of Siddhd-puri, which they uni- 

 formly acknowledge to be exaftly under the north pole. 



Curu, which includes RuJJia and Siberia, is divided in- 

 to two parts, Uttara-Curu, or north Curu, and fouth Cu- 

 ru. In the Purdnas, particular notice is taken of the 

 extraordinary length of the days in Uttara-Curu: and 

 it is added, that in tlie ifland of Pufcara, which is aflert- 

 ed there to be fituated at the furthermort extremities of 

 the weftern world, the length of the days is the fame as 

 in Uttara-Curu. This places Pufcara under the polar 

 circle, at leaft under the fenfible one: this illand will ap- 

 pear, in a future efiay, to be Iceland. It is further add- 

 led, in the Purdnas, that the fhores of that immenfe 



country, 



