262 Essay on the Ancient Geography of India. [No. 3. 



tries in India ; one in the peninsnla, another near the mouth of the 

 Indus ; and several in the mountains to the north. This Stri-rdjyam, 

 near the mouth of the Indus, is peculiarly noticed in the only section 

 remaining of the Mahdbhdrata of Jaimini. Hanuman, who is still 

 alive, resides in Stri-rdjyam in the peninsula ; and these dreadful sounds, 

 are supposed to proceed from him. The women, who reside in this 

 southern Stri-rdjyam, are greatly inferior to Hiiigula-devi, and her 

 forms : these were originally the wives of Ravana, who kept them in a 

 place of security, among mountains, in the peninsula. Ravana having 

 been killed by Rama-chandra, the conqueror allowed his wives to 

 remain unmolested in that place. He even left some of his own 

 amongst them, and Hanuman was appointed their guardian. They 

 are all addicted to sorcery, very lewd; and they all endeavour to 

 decoy men into their precincts. The country to the west of the Indus, 

 as far west as Persia, and to the north, as far as Candahar, is called 

 Ki'da, or Kira in the Puranas ; from which, in a regular derivative 

 form comes Kirmdn, and Kira-sthdn, its present modern names. It is 

 divided into Ki'da proper, or Gedrosia, and Macran, for Macardn, or 

 the whale country : Stephanus of Byzantium is the only ancient 

 author, who notices Macardn, or Macarene. *Ki'dd, or Kir is soft- 

 ened as usual into Kiz, or Kij, as Munz for Mun'da ; Termiz for Termed, 

 &c, and Kedrosia or Gedrosia is from Kid-roh, which in the language 

 of that country, signifies the mountains of Kld'a. Macrdn, in general, 

 is supposed to include Kij ; hence the latter is called Kij-Macrdn. 

 The Indus, in its lower parts, is called Mehrdn by Musulmans, and 

 Mehrdvn by Hindus, who constantly spell it Mehrdvan. 



This is, I am told, in the dialect of Cach'ha ; and it seems to be 

 also the name of the country from Sewdn to the sea : and to the west 

 as far as Cape Mun'd: if not further. The country of Mihrd is 

 mentioned by Ebn Haucal ; and the same is called Mihrdn by Abul- 

 feda : and these two authors call the Indus Mihrdn : but the true 

 name, both of the country, and of the river is Mehrd and in a deriva- 

 tive form Mehrdn. Its metropolis is called Tihrdn by Abulfeda, 

 obviously for Mihrdn, or Mehrdn. It was situated, according to him, 

 between Al-JDobil on the sea, and Mansurd, or Bacar ; and was upon 

 the river Mihrdn, This town of Mehrd is called Bahrdj, for Mahrdj, 

 * Steph. of Byzant. voc. Alexandria. 



