3Q0 On Egypt and the Nile 



the following adventure. Vijaya'swa, or victorious on bcrfeback, was a 

 virtuous and powerful king of the country round the Nifhadha mountains ; 

 but his firft minifter, having revolted from him, collected an army of 

 M lech! has in the hills of Gandha-mddan, whence he defcended in force, gave 

 battle to his mafter, took him prifoner, and ufurped the dominion of his 

 country. The royal captive, having found means to efcape, repaired to 

 the banks of the Call, and, fixing eight fharp iron fpikes in a circle at equal 

 diftances, placed himfelf in the centre, prepared for death, and refolved to 

 perform the mod rigorous acts of devotion. Within that circle he remain- 

 ed a whole year, at the clofe of which the goddefs appeared to him, iflu- 

 ing like a flame from the eight iron points ; and, prefenting him with a 

 weapon, called JJldra-mudgara, or a ftaff armed with eight fpikes fixed in 

 an iron ball, fheafTured him, that all men, who mould fee that flaff in his 

 hand, muft either favc themfelves by precipitate flight, or would fall dead 

 and mangled on the ground. The king received the weapon with confi- 

 dence, fcon defeated the ufurpcr, and erected a pyramid in honour of the 

 goddefs by the name of Ashta'ra'-de vi s : the writer of the Pur ana places 

 it near the Call river in the woods of Tap as ; and adds, that all fuch, as 

 vifit it, will receive aififtance from the goddefs for a whole year. AJJjtan 

 means eighty and the word ara properly fignifies the /poke of a wheel, yet 

 is applied to any thing refembling it ; but, in the popular Indian dialects, 

 ajhta is pronounced dtt ; and the appearance, which St raeo mentions, of 

 the goddefs Aphrodite under the name of Attara, muft, I think* be 

 the fame with that of Ashta'ra': the AJhtaroth of the Hebrews, and the 

 old Pcrjian word aft Arab, now written Jitarah, {ox * jtar with eight rays) 

 are moft probably derived from the two Sanfcrit words. Though the place, 

 where Vijaya'swa raifed his pyramid, or temple, was named Afhtdrdft'hdn, 

 yet 3 as the goddefs, to whom he inferibed it, was no other than At a v£~ 



