Book Title: Indian Antiquary Vol 08
Author(s): Jas Burgess
Publisher: Swati Publications

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Page 164
________________ 142 THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY. [Mar, 1879. river is deeper than usual, all the way up to moreover, if caught in it are driven athwart from Barugaz a, which is 300 stadia distant from their course by the rapidity of the corrent till the mouth of the river if you sail up the they are stranded on shoals and wrecked, while stream to reach it. the smaller craft are capsized, and many that 45. India has everywhere a great abundance have taken refuge in the side channels, being of rivers, and her seas ebb and flow with tides left dry by the receding tide, turn over on of extraordinary strength, which increase with one side, and, if not set erect on props, are the moon, both when new and when fall, and filled upon the return of the tide with the very for three days after each, but fall off in the first head of the flood, and sunk. But at new intermediate space. About Barugaza they moons, especially when they occur in conjunction are more violent than elsewhere, so that all of with a night tide, the flood sets in with such a sudden you see the depths laid bare, and extraordinary violence that on its beginning to portions of the land turned into sea, and the advance, even though the sea be calm, its roar is sea, where ships were sailing but just before, heard by those living near the river's mouth, turned withont warning into dry land. The sounding like the tumult of battle heard far off, rivers, again, on the access of flood tide rushing and soon after the sea with its hissing waves into their channels with the whole body of the bursts over the bare shoals. sea, are driven upwards against their natural 47. Inland from Barugaz a the country is course for a great number of miles with a force inhabited by numerous races--the Aratrioi, that is irresistible. and the A ra khô sioi, and the Gandaraioi, 46. This is the reason why ships frequent, and the people of Proklais, in which is ing this emporium are exposed, both in coming Boukephalos Alexandreia. Beyond and going, to great risk, if handled by those who these are the Baktrianoi, a most warlike are unacquainted with the navigation of the race, governed by their own independent sover gulf or visit it for the first time, since the impe- eign. It was from these parts Alexander issued tuosity of the tide when it becomes full, having to invade India when he marched as far as the nothing to stem or slacken it, is such that Ganges, without, however, attacking Limurike anchors cannot hold against it. Large vessels, and the southern parts of the country. Hence sandbanks and the violence of the tides, especially whence the Greeks, having no Ch, wrote it Baruthe high tide called the Bore,' of which our author Humor gaza." gives a description so particular and so vivid as (47) The account of the bore' is followed by an suffices to show that he was describing what he enumeration of the countries around and beyond had seen with his own eyes, and seen moreover Barugaza with which it had commercial relations. for the first time. With regard to the name Inland are the Aratrioi, Arakhosioi, Barugaza the following passage, which I quote Gandarioi and the people of Proklais, a from Dr. Wilson's Indian Castes (vol. II. p. 113) will province wherein is Boukephalos Alexandreia, elucidate its etymology -" The Bhargavas beyond which is the Baktrian nation. It has derive their designation from Bhargava, the been thought by some that by the Aratrioi are adjective form of Bhrigu, the name of one of meant the Arii, by others that they were the the ancient Rishis. Their chief habitat is the dis- Arastrâs of Sanskrit called Aratti in the trict of Bharoch, which must have got its name from Prakrit, so that the Aratrio i of the Periplús a colony of the school of Bhrigu having been early hold an intermediate place between the Sanskrit and established in this Kshetra, probably granted to Prakrit form of the name. Müller however says them by some conqueror of the district. In the "if you want a people known to the Greeks and name Baruga za given to it by Ptolemy, we have Romans as familiarly as the well-known names a Greek corruption of Bhrigukshetra (the territory of the Arakhosii, Gandarii, Peukelitae, you may of Bhrigu) or Bhrigukachha (the tongueland of conjecture that the proper reading is APARTAN inBhrigu)." Speaking of the Bhargavas Dr. Drum- stead of APATPIQN. It is an error of course on the mond, in his Grammatical Illustrations, says :- | part of our author when he places Boukephalos "These Brahmans are indeed poor and ignorant. (a city built by Alexander on the banks of the Many of them, and other illiterate Gujaratis, Hydaspôs, where he defeated Pôros), in the neighwould, in attempting to articulate Bhộigushetra, bourhood of Proklais, that is Pekhely in the neighlose the half in coalesence, and call it Bargacha, bourhood of Peshawar. He makes & still more

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