162 ESSAY O^ 



the birtli of Christ, accordiiip; to tlie MSS. pc* 

 l-used by Ti£FFj-:ntjialeii; and G'll years 7 months 

 and 3 days, according to others : and the Jlcjra 

 began, when G21 years 6' months and 15 days, of 

 the Christian era, were elapsed; the difference is 

 SLii-ely trifling. That the Pandits, who assisted 

 Abul-Fazil, pointed to Muhammed, under tlie 

 name of Vicrama'ditya, is confirmed also from 

 two dates in tlie Aijin Acberi, in Mhich the years, 

 said to belong to Vicrama'ditya's era, are really 

 to be reckoned from the beginning of the Hejra. 

 Probably it was meant as a compliment to the be- 

 nevolent AcBAR, whose tolerant spirit could not 

 fail to endear him to the Hindus. Even in the time 

 of Aureng-Zebe, the most intolerant of all princes, 

 when Ragiiu-x'atha wrote the Vansavali, at liis 

 command, he introduced Muhammed by name, with 

 the title of VSri'ma'x-Maha'ra'ja. In this attempt, 

 the Pandits, who assisted Abul-Fazil, most shame- 

 fully disfigured tlie chronology af the supplement 

 to the Agni-purdna. Of S'a'liva'hana and Nara- 

 va'hana, they made two distinct persons; as well 

 as of Rahram, with the title of GCir, in Persian, 

 and IIaimar, or the wild ass, in Arabic. Thus 

 they introduced Haimar or IJayjiert, and Gun or 

 Ganda-rup: to the former they allotted 100, and 

 to the latter 35 years ; and they had the assurance 

 to teil Abul-Fazil, that it was declared, in their 

 sacred books, that Haimar liaving been killed in 

 battle, his soul passed into the body of Ganda- 

 rup *. They were also forced to lengtlien the reigns 

 of the intermediate princes : thus one abyss calls 

 to another, and a single lie requires often fifty 5o 

 support it. 



The accession of Vicrama'ditya, the son of 



f Ayin Acberi, Vol. 2. p. 54. 



