Page:History of India Vol 1.djvu/256

206 of Magadha extended as far as the frontiers of the Panjab, and embraced all Northern India.

In the time of Megasthenes a great portion of modern Rajputana was still the home of aboriginal tribes, of men who lived in woods, among tigers noted for their ferocity. He speaks of the tribes who lived in the fertile tracts surrounded by deserts, and of tribes who inhabited the hills, which ran in an unbroken chain parallel to the shores of the ocean. He also speaks of the tribes who lived enclosed by the loftiest mountain, Capitalia, which has been identified with Abu. He speaks further on of the Horatoi, who were undoubtedly the Saurashtras. They had a capital on the coast, which was a noble emporium of trade, and their king was the master of 1,600 elephants, 150,000 foot, and 5,000 horse.

"Next come the Pandoi, the only race in India ruled by women. They say that Hercules had but one daughter, who was on that account all the more beloved, and that he endowed her with a noble kingdom. Her descendants rule over 300 cities and command an army of 150,000 foot and 500 elephants."

Such is the half-mythical account which Megasthenes gives us of the Pandyas, who were the ruling nation in the extreme south of India. These Pandyas have a history which is remarkable.

The Yadavas, who, under the leadership of Krishna, left Mathura and settled in Dwarka in Gujarat, did not flourish there long. They fell fighting among themselves, and the remainder left Dwarka by sea. It is