NO. 43—1892.] WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. 



197 



The width of a finger varies between 6 and 8 grains of paddy, and is 

 equal to f of an inch. In measuring temple premises a cubit is 25 fingers ; 

 palace premises 26 fingers. {Orientalist vol. III., parts 7 and 8, p. 145.) 



11 The following is a Tamil table : — 



12 1 am informed that Sinhalese women who vend lace in the Southern 

 Province (especially in the Matara District) adopt a curious measurement. 

 They measure lace from the tip to the knuckle of the middle finger, three 

 of which evidently go to a foot. 



13 A common mode of ascertaining the height of an elephant is to measure 

 the footprint of the animal three times, which will give the exact height. 

 According to an Indian authority " the footprint of a male elephant is 

 round, that of a female elliptical, and six times the diameter of these impres- 

 sions give the height of the animal." 



14 One katham or gavatham (distance) is estimated by the Indian Tamils 

 to be 10 miles. 



15 A yojana is estimated by the Indian historians to be about 18 miles, 

 by the ancient Indian Government about 9^ miles, by the writers of 

 Indian sacred books or shastrams 5 miles, and by the Sinhalese 16 miles. 

 Mr. S.Mervin, of Jaffna, in his interesting Paper on " Hindu Astronomy, as 

 compared with European Astronomy," read before the R. A. S., C. B., says 

 that the measurement is not exactly settled, and recommends the adoption 

 of the estimate employed by the Indians in their sciences in preference to 

 that used by other nations. The following interesting particulars have 

 been culled by him in support of his statement that a yojana, as used in 

 Hindu Astronomy, is approximately equivalent to five English miles, and 

 that the term is used in different places as expressing longer or shorter 

 distances : — oiurr&doiv Qyoganai), a measure of distance reckoned from 4 to 

 10 !5{tl&s®8> (ndlikai), usually about 13 miles. Wilson., about 9 miles. In 

 Astronomy the 5059th part of a great circle, or on the equator about 4^ 

 geographical miles, or nearly five English miles. (Winslow's Tamil- English 

 Dictionary.') Tog ana (San. yojana), a measure of distance varying from 

 4 to 10 miles, but usually about 5. (East Indians) Websier's English Dic- 

 tionary. Hieuen Thsang, a Chinese monk, who visited India in the middle 

 of the seventh century, reports that in India, according to ancient tradition, a 

 yojana equals 40 li (a U is about 550 yards). According to the customary 

 use of the Indian Kingdom it is 30 li. But the yojana mentioned in the 

 sacred books contains 16 li, which smallest yojana is equal to 8,800 yards, 

 or five English miles. Mr. Mervin lastly instances the distances in yojanas, 

 as given in the ancient works on science, such as Surya Siddhantam, &c, 



1 ankulam 

 24 ankulams 

 4 cubits 



4 of an inch 



1 cubit 



2 dhanu 



1 dandam 

 1 kooppidu 

 1 yojana 



2 dhanus 



500 dandams 

 4 kooppidus 



