ON MOUNT CAUCASUS. 4C)5 



Calingdy after their father had forfaken the world, and 

 withdrawn to Bcmiyan^ to give herfelf up to contempla- 

 tion. 



Bdmi\<an appears alfo to be the town called Brafioca 

 by Ptolemy; which is derived from the Sanfcrit Dra- 

 T^^i'f^, and implies ihc Jiojie city : towns before being on- 

 ly an ademblage of huts. Its difiance and bearinir 

 from Cahiira^ or Orthofpana^ the prefent city of Cabid, 

 puts it beyond doubt. One of the Sanfcrit names of C^;- 

 biil, is Afa-vanay and fometimes, by contradiftin6lion, 

 Urdlf-As-vanUy or, as it is always pronounced in the 

 fpoken dialers, JJrdB-Ajbcin or A'Jbdna. The upper 

 NauUbis^ or Nildbi, in Ptolemy, falls in at Ghor-bimd, 

 or GoracJJja-van, in Sanfcrit^ which appears to be the 

 Alexandria ad Parnpamifum of the hiftorians of Alexan- 

 der. It was called Nilabi, from its being fitualed on 

 the banks of the Nildb. The immenfe ridge between 

 Nilabi and Drafnotca^ or Drajhtaca, is properly deline- 

 ated in Ptolemy. Alexandria ad P aropa^nifiim was 

 ne^ir the cave of Prometheus, which is to be feen tc 

 this day near the pafs o^ Sbeibar, between Ghr-band and 

 Bdnuyan. Orthofpdna, or limply AJhdna, is mentioned 

 in the Pentingerian table. It is called alfo in Sanfcrit, 

 jAYiNi'-DE'vi'-y?M?2, or the place of the goddefs of vic- 

 tory, and is the Nic^a (a word of the fame import) of 

 the hiltorians of Alexander. The place v/here her 

 temple ftood, is clofe to Cabul, and is ftiil fecretly vifit^d 

 by HzWm pilgrims. Jayini'-de'vi' and AsA-DE'vi'are 

 the fame deity : the latter fignifies the goddefs, who 

 grants the object of our afa, or ivijhes. She is call- 

 ed alfo Asya'ca in a derivative form, and the place 

 is called by the Mufulmans, AJJocdn-drfdny who have 

 thus altered the old name into an Arabick denomi- 

 nation of the fame import nearly; for it lignifies, he 

 who knows our ajhee, or wifhes. There is the tomb 

 of a faint, who noMr officiates in the room of Asa- 

 DE'vi', and grants to devout Mufulmam the objeft of 

 their wilhes. 



The 



