SACRED ISLES IN THE WEST, &C. ^67 



PART THE FIRST. 



CHAPTER THE PIRST. 



OF THE GEOGRAPHICAL SYSTEMS OF 

 THE HINDUS. 



Section I. 



Gemral Ideas of these Systems. 

 "^•HE Hindus have no name, either for geogra- 



1 



phy or geometry, hut we are not to infer 

 thence, that they have entirely neglected tlicsetwo 

 sciences. They are certainly pretty well acquaint- 

 ed with geometry, but they consider it, and with 

 some reason, as part of the science of numbers; 

 and neither can our denomination of geometry, 

 which signiiies surveying, be considered as a veiy 

 apposite term. In the time of the famous Jaya- 

 SiNHA, Raja o^ Jay apur, the learned at his court 

 gave it the name of Cslietra-dersana, or the inspec- 

 tion and knovvledoe of fio'ures : and a treatise on. 

 geometry, composed by his command, is still called 

 by that name. These elements begin with an in- 

 quiry into the properties of lines simply combined 

 together, which combination is called acshetra, or 

 informous. They then proceed to the consiilera- 

 tion of regular ligures or cshetra, as a triangle, a 

 square, cube, &c. whilst an angle is called acsh6- 

 tra, or informous. 



The Hindus give various names to geographical 

 tracts, such as Bhuvaua-Cosa, or treasure of ter- 

 restrial mansions ; CsJu'traSamasa, or combina- 

 tion of countries ; Bhuvana-Sa<^dra, or ocean of 



