838 NATURAL HISTORY OF 



like the Rana ot the Jaitwar tribe, claiming to be descended 

 from the monkey hero Hanuman, and pretending to have a 

 prolongation of the spine in proof of the fact, shows at least that 

 certain families, of whatever origin they may be derived, still 

 wish to pass for descendants of aboriginal tribes. In the north- 

 west of India, and east of Persia, Shombho, Nishornbho, Muhi- 

 shan, Tarika, Durga, and Ravan of Ceylon, are indigenous 

 giants of tradition, in all probability personifications of states, 

 and of repeated wars by Papua tribes against invaders from 

 the high mountains. The persevering nature of the contest 

 may be gathered from the circumstance, that although all were 

 for many ages ruled by chiefs of mixed origin, their final sub- 

 jugation was not accomplished till the Mahommedan conquest. 

 In the usual dualism of mythology and history, we find 

 Kama, the son of Budha, and grandson of Aleru, child of the 

 sun, abiding in his holy mountain, west of Kaubul, probably 

 Indo-Koosh.* Bali-Rama, the hero son of Desaratha, or of a 

 tribe so denominated, being accompanied by Jumont (bears), 

 Hanuman, monkeys and other wild beasts constituting his 

 army, came down the Cabul river, across the Indus and Pun- 

 jaub, established or found already formed the kingdom of 

 Ayodhya, now Oude. He with his brother Krishna vanquish 

 Jara Sandha, king of Bahar. In these wars, the wild beasts, 

 with the bear, evidently represent tribes from the high cold 

 regions, while Hanuman, with his monkey army, are the aborig- 

 inal race of the Vindhaya chain and lower districts, probably 



lie must be sought in many volumes, scattered through the literature of 

 Europe. 



* Mythologically, the holy mountain may be Dhawalagiri, the highest 

 mountain in the world, and in sight of the northern border of Oude, in 

 which case the Gogra, or more likely the gorge of the Gunduk, in long. 

 88, may have been the route followed from Thibet by Rama. The pass is 

 still frequented ; but one was more certainly from the north-west, and then, 

 with a tribe from Balk, the march was necessarily by he passes of Kohi- 

 baba. Yet the Hiudo-Mongoli dialect shows that i± least a conquering 

 people came down Himalaya, by the pass of the Goomty. 



