Page:History of India Vol 9.djvu/159

 THE GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF INDIA 125 f erence of place, but the people generally speak of India as the country of Brahmans (Po-lo-men). The country embraced under the term India is gen- erally spoken of as the Five Indies. In circuit this country is about ninety thousand li 1 (about 30,000 miles); on three sides it is bordered by the great seas; on the north it is backed by the Snowy Mountains. The northern part is broad, the southern part is narrow. Its shape is like the half -moon. The entire land is divided into more than seventy countries. The seasons are particularly hot; the land is well watered and moist. On the north there is a series of mountains and hills, the ground being dry and salt. On the east there are valleys and plains, which are fruitful and productive, as they are well watered and cultivated. In the south- ern part there is an abundance of herbs and trees; in the western part the land is barren and stony. Such is the general account; we shall now briefly give de- tails. In point of measurement, there is (first of all) the league (Chinese yu-shen-na, Sanskrit yojana); from the time of the holy kings of old this has been regarded as a day's march for an army. The old accounts say one yu-shen-na, or yojana, is equal to forty li (about fourteen miles) ; according to the common reckoning in India it is thirty li (about ten miles), but in the sacred books (of the Buddha), the yojana is only six- teen li (about five miles). In the subdivision of dis- 1 For a detailed discussion of the various values of the K consult Yule, Hdbson-Jobson, 2d ed., p. 513, article " Lee."