138 ESSAY OS 



Hindu romance, within 100 years at least of the 

 real time. Such is however the state of the Hindu 

 chronology, even in modern times : and from such 

 wretched materials what can be expected? Western 

 historians, and those of China, have occasionally re- 

 corded eclipses, which are of great service in chrono- 

 logy ; but they are absolutely disregarded by Hindu 

 writers ; at least, I have never been able to procure a 

 single observation upon record, and connected with 

 any historical fact, or the reign of any well-known 

 king or emperor. 



In these different lists, the principal et^as are, the 

 accession of IMaha'-Bali to the Imperial throne, 

 255 years B.C. his death in 3^i7, the massacre of the 

 Imperial family in 315, and finally, the expiation of 

 Chan'acya, 312 years B. C. and of these remarkable 

 events I took particular notice in my essaj^ on the 

 Gangetic provinces. 



The next remarkable era is that of Sa'livaiiana 

 and the eldest Vicrama'ditya : this the compilers 

 and revisers have wrapt up in such darkness, and I 

 believe designedly, that it is almost impossible to re- 

 cognise these two famous kings. In some, 'Sa'liva- 

 hana is called Pattan-s'inha ; in others Dhanan- 

 jaya, Dhanadhara, &c. \Saca, Sacti-s'inha ; and 

 in the Vrihat-cafha, Sama-s'ila, and Vi-sama-s'Ila, 

 and lastly Ha'la and Sa'la, Ha'i.i and Sa'li, Nui- 

 sinha and Nara vahava. Vicuamaditya is 

 sometimes called \Aditya simply ; in other places 



ViCRAMA, VlCRAMAMITRA, V ICRA MA-TUNGA, Vl- 



crama-Sinha, Vicrama-se'xa, Vicrama-cesa'ri, 

 Vicrama'rca, &c. whilst he is sometimes left out 

 entirely; which is immaterial, as they say. when Sa'- 

 livaiiana, his antagonist, is mentioned. 



The third epoch is that of king Suraca, called 



