SACREDaSLES IN THE WEST. 19 



0iandra-'barttd" To the north of the island of Cshira is the Surya-dwipa^ 

 or the Island of the Sun, called also Hiranya and Suvam'a or Ireland ^ 

 and placed to the north of Britain by Strabo and Mela. Bhadracdra- 

 dzvipa is placed to the west of Suryaniwipa erroneously. Scotland is 

 not noticed by Straeo ; otherwise he would, in all probability, have 

 placed it also to the west of Ireland. The compiler has placed, however, 

 the three islands in a triangle, v/hich was his chief, if not sole obje6l. 



In the Vdyu-purdna, there is some inaccuracy with, regard to the 

 rrames of these three peak-lands, which are said to be Hiranya, Man'i, 

 and Ratna; whilst Matii and Ratna are considered as the same, and arc 

 really so. 



'SwETAM is called also the island of C/zaw^r^, because Chandra or 

 LuNus resides there ; and as he rises, or appears first above it, 'Swetam is 

 called Chandra-cdnta, and Chandrddaya for Chandra-Vdaya, the tidaya 

 or place of the rising of the moon. The place of the rising of the sun, 

 is simply and emphatically called Udaya, wliich is also a general name in 

 Sanscrit y for the countries toward the rising of the sun; and we have 

 Uday a and Mahdday a: but as these denominations seldom occur, and 

 then without any particulars, I was at a loss what to do with them; tilFt' 

 found, in Col. Symes's relation of his embassy to A'vd, that Odeea or 

 Udayd is t}\e name oV China, as well' as of Siam, among- the- natives of 

 Avd, who call the emperor of China, Odeea-boa; in Sanscrit it would be 

 Udaya-pa. <"'> Thus it appears, that China, and Mahd-China, are the 

 ,^ame with Udaya, and Mahodaya for Mahd-Udaya. In the Matsya-- 

 pur an a, sedlion of Bhu-c'han'da, or of the earth, the IFhite Island or 



( ' ) Eox^ ( regionis ) rex. 



