river there are several jets of liquid mud, which, from time immemorial, have been known as Rám-Chandarki-kúp, or "Râm Chandar's wells." There are also two natural caves, one dedicated to Káli, and the other to Hinguláj, or Hingulá Devi, that is, the "Red Goddess," who is only another form of Káli. But the principal objects of pilgrimage in the Aghor valley are connected with the history of Râma. The pilgrims assemble at the Rambagh, because Râma and Sita are said to have started from this point, and proceed to the Gorakh Tank, where Râma halted; and thence to Tonga-bhera, and on to the point where Rama was obliged to turn back in his attempt to reach Hingulâj with an army. Rámbagh I would identify with the Rambakia of Arrian, and Tongabhera with the river Tonberos of Pliny, and the Tomerus of Arrian. At Rambakia, therefore, we must look for the site of the city founded by Alexander, which Leonatus was left behind to complete. seems probable that this is the city which is described by Stephanus of Byzantium as the "sixteenth Alexandria, near the bay of Melane."* Nearchus places the western boundary of the Oritæ at a place called Malana, which I take to be the bay of Malan, to the east of Rás Málán, or Cape Málán of the present day, about twenty miles to the west of the Aghor river. Both Curtius and Diodorust mention the foundation of this city, but they do not give its name. Diodorus, however, adds that it was built on a very favourable

* In voce Alexandria, κατὰ τὸν Μέλανα κόλπον.

It

Curtius, Vita Alex., ix. 10:-" In hac quoque regione urbem condidit." Diodorus, Hist. xvii.

site near the sea, but above the reach of the highest tides.

The occurrence of the name of Rámbagh at so great a distance to the west of the Indus, and at so early a period as the time of Alexander, is very interesting and important, as it shows not only the wide extension of Hindu influence in ancient times, but also the great antiquity of the story of Râma. It is highly improbable that such a name, with its attendant pilgrimages, could have been imposed on the place after the decay of Hindu influence.* During the flourishing period of Buddhism many of the provinces to the west of the Indus adopted the Indian religion, which must have had a powerful influence on the manners and language of the people. But the expedition of Alexander preceded the extension of Buddhism, and I can therefore only attribute the old name of Rambakia to a period anterior to Darius Hystaspes.

These districts are described by Hwen Thsang under the general name of Lang-kie-lo, which M. Julien renders by Langala. M. de St. Martin, however, refers it to the tribe of Langa, but it is extremely doubtful whether this is an ancient name, The other name of Langalas, quoted from the Vishnu Purâna, is only a variant reading of Jángalas, which is almost certainly the correct form, as it is immediately followed by Kuru-Jángalas. Hwen Thsang fixes the capital of Lang-kie-lo at 2000 li, or 333 miles, to the west of Kotesar in Kachh. But as this bearing would place it in the middle of the Indian Ocean, the

Hingulaj (Khingalatchi) is mentioned by the Tibetan Taranath, see Vassilief,' French translation, p. 45, as a Rakshasa in the west of India, beyond Barukacha, or Baroch.

true direction must be north-west. Now this latter bearing and distance correspond with the position of the great ruined city of Lákorián, which Masson* found between Khozdar and Kilât. In older maps the name is written simply Lakúra, which appears to me to be very fairly represented by the Chinese Langkie-lo, or Lánkara.† Masson describes the ruined fortifications as "remarkable for their magnitude, as well as for the solidity and the skill evident in their construction." From the size and importance of these ruins, I conclude that they are the remains of a large city, which has at some former period been the capital of the country. The Chinese pilgrim describes the province as being many thousands of li in breadth as well as in length. It is clear, therefore, that it corresponded, as nearly as possible, with the modern district of Biluchistan, of which the present capital, Kilât, is only 60 miles to the north of Lákura. In the seventh century, the capital was called Su-neu-li-shifa-lo, and was 30 li, or 5 miles, in circuit. The Chinese syllables are rendered by M. Julien as Sunuriswara, of which he offers no translation. But as Hwen Thsang describes a magnificent temple of Siva in the middle of the city, I infer that the Chinese transcript may be intended for Sambhuriswara, which is a well-known title of Siva as the "lord of divine beings," or the "god of gods." By assuming that this name belongs properly to the temple, the other name of Lang-kie-lo, or Lákara, may be applied to the capital as well as to the province.

*Kilât,' p. 63; and 'Biluchistan,' ii. 46.

The same Chinese character, lang, is found in the transcript of Baghalân, where the vowel of the final syllable is long.

II. GURJJARA.

Hwen Thsang places the second kingdom of Western India, named Kiu-che-lo or Gurjjara, at about 1800 li, or 300 miles, to the north of Balabhi, and 2800 li, or 467 miles, to the north-west of Ujain. The capital was named Pi-lo-mi-lo or Bálmer, which is exactly 300 miles to the north of the ruins of Balabhi. From Ujain in a straight line it is not more than 350 miles; but the actual road distance is between 400 and 500 miles, as the traveller has to turn the Aravali mountains, either by Ajmer on the north, or by Analwâra on the south. The kingdom was 5000 li, or 833 miles, in circuit. It must, therefore, have comprised the greater part of the present chiefships of Bikaner, Jesalmer, and Jodhpur. Its boundaries can only be described approximately, as extending about 130 miles on the north from Balar or Sirdarkot to Junjhnu; 250 miles on the east from Junjhnu to near Mount Abu; 170 miles on the south from Abu to near Umarkot ; and 310 miles on the west from Umarkot to Balar. These figures give a total circuit of 860 miles, which is as close an approximation to the measurement of Hwen Thsang as can be reasonably expected.

All the early Arab geographers speak of a kingdom named Jurz or Juzr, which from its position would appear to be the same as the Kiu-che-lo of Hwen Thsang. The name of the country is somewhat doubtful, as the unpointed Arabic characters may be read as Haraz or Hazar, and Kharaz or Khazar, as well as Jurz or Juzr. But fortunately there is no uncertainty about its position, which is determined to be Râjputâna by several concurring circumstances. Thus the merchant Sulimân,

in A.D. 851,* states that Haraz was bounded on one side by Táfek or Tákin, which, as I have already shown, was the old name of the Panjâb. It possessed silver mines, and could muster a larger force of cavalry than any other kingdom of India. All these details point unmistakably to Râjputâna, which lies to the south-east of the Panjab, possesses the only silver mines known in India, and has always been famous for its large bodies of cavalry.

According to Ibn Khordâdbeh,† who died about a.d. 912, the Tátariya dirhems were current in the country of Hazar; and according to Ibn Haukal, who wrote about A.D. 977, these dirhems were also current in the kingdom of Gândhâra, which at that time included the Panjab. Sulimân says the same thing of the kingdom of the Balhara, or the present Gujarât; and we learn incidentally that the same dirhems were also current in Sindh, as in A.H. 107, or A.D. 725, the public treasury contained no less than eighteen millions of Tâtariya dirhems. § The value of these coins is variously stated at from 1 dirhem to 12, or from 54 to 72 grains in weight. From these data I conclude that the Tâtariya dirhems are the rude silver pieces generally known as Indo-Sassanian, because they combine Indian letters with Sassanian types. They would appear to have been first introduced by the Scythic or Tâtâr princes, who ruled in Kabul and north-western India, as they are now found throughout the Kabul valley and Panjâb, as well as in Sindh,

* Dowson's Sir Henry Elliot, i. 4.

+ Dowson's edition of Sir Henry Elliot's Muhamm. Hist., i. 13. Ibid., i. 35.

§ Sir Henry Elliot, Arabs in Sindh,' p. 36. Dowson's edit. i. 3.