Book Title: Indian Antiquary Vol 06
Author(s): Jas Burgess
Publisher: Swati Publications

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Page 172
________________ 126 THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY. (MAY, 1877. sea along the course of the river Indus to its is over 20,000 stadia.--[Deimachos, however, mouths, is said to be 13,000 stadia, so that the allows that the distance in some places exceeds eastern side opposite, with the addition of the 1 30,000 stadia. Of these notice has been taken 3000 stadia of the promontory, will be some- in an earlier part of the work.] where about 16,000 stadia. This is the breadth FRAGM. VII. of India where it is both smallest and greatest.] Strabo, II. i. 4, pp. 68-69. The length from west to east as far as Pali. Of the Size of India. both ra can be stated with greater certainty, Hipparchos controverts this view, arging the for the royal road which leads to that city has fatility of the proofs on which it rests. Patrobeen measured by schooni, and is in length 10,000 klês, he says, is unworthy of trust, opposed as stadia. The extent of the parts beyond can he is by two competent authorities, Ddimachos only be conjectured from the time taken to and Megasthenes, who state that in some places make voyages from the sea to Palibothra the distance from the southern ses is 20,000 by the Ganges, and may be about 6000 stadia. stadia, and in others 30,000. Sach, he says, is The entire length, computed at the shortest, the account they give, and it agrees with the anwill be 16,000 stadia. This is the estimate of cient charts of the country. Eratosthenes, who says he derived it principally FRAGM. VIII. from the authoritative register of the stages Arr. Indica, III. 7-8. on the Royal Road. Herein Megasthenes agrees with him. [Patroklês, however, makes the length Of the Size of India. With Megasthenês the breadth of India is its less by 1000 stadia.] Conf. Arr. Ind. iii. 1-5. extent from east to west, though this is called FRAGM. V. by others its length. His account is that the Strabo, II. i. 7,-p. 69. breadth at shortest is 16,000 stadia, and its Of the Size of India. length-by which he means its extent from Again, Hipparchos, in the 2nd volume of his north to south-is at the narrowest 22,800 commentary, charges Eratosthenes himself with stadia. throwing discredit on Patroklês for differing from Megasthenês about the length of India on FRAGM. IX. its northern side, Megasthenes making it 16,000 Strabo, II. i. 19,- p. 76. stadia, and Patroklês 1000 less. of the setting of the Bear, and shadows falling FRAGM. VI. in contrary directions.f Strabo, XV. i. 12,--pp. 689-690. Again, he (Eratosthenes] wished to show the Of the Size of India. ignorance of Dêimachos, and his want of # [From this, one can readily see how the ac- practical knowledge of such subjects, evidenced counts of the other writers vary from one an- as it was by his thinking that India lay between other. Thus Ktêsias says that India is not of the autumnal equinox and the winter tropic, less size than the rest of Asia; Onêsikritos and by his contradicting the assertion of Me. regards it as the third part of the habitable gasthends that in the southern parts of India world; and Nearchos says it takes one four the constellation of the Bear disappeared from months to traverse the plain only.] Megasthenes view, and shadows fell in opposite directions, Iand Ddimachos incline to be more moderate phenomena which he assures us are never seen in their estimate, for according to them the in India, thereby exhibiting the sheerest ignodistance from the Southern Sea to Kaukasos rance. He does not agree in this opinion, but • All the textu read δισμυρίων instead of μυρίων. Τη and also by the Chinese pilgrims (Foe koue-ki, 87-88), and all the MSS. of Strabo also we read yod love and in by Moguthenés himself, in Strabo (p. 708, Fragm. edy. 3). Arrian, who extracts the same passage from Megasthenés, from which it seems certain that ten stadis are equal to some Indian mesure which cannot be smaller one than everywhere OXOLVOLS. Though there is nothing to blame the krka.-Schw. p. 27, n. 33. in either lection, yet it is easier to change yoivous than oxourious, for Strabo may have been surprised to find the . Conf. Epit. 8. Greek schoenus in use also in India. The schoen us, how 1 Conf. Diod. II. 85, Plin. Hist. Nat. VI. 29. 6. The ever, which with Eratosthenes is a measure of 40 stadia writers of Alexander's time who affirmed similar things (Plin. Hist. Nat. XII. 30), coincides precisely with the Indian were Nearobos and Onesikritos, and Baeto who exceeded yojana of four krisas. I do not forget that usually double all bounda. Conf. Lassen, Instit. Ling. Prac. Append. p. 8. this length is assigned to the yojana, but also that it is -Schwanb. p. 29. shorter than the Hindus reckon it (Asiat. Res. vol. V. p. 106),

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