Page:The Seven Cities of Delhi.djvu/104

 Great In 327 B.C., mention Muttra, but not Delhi, or any name like it : the historians were, it is true, only able to obtain hearsay evidence, for Alexander was not able to march further than the Hyphasis (the modern Beas) ; but this goes to show the unimportance of Delhi at that time. One suggestive remark by Arrian, who got his information from Megasthenes, an ambassador of Seleucus (the successor of Alexander), to Chandra Gupta, King of Magadha or Behar, must be quoted ; this has to do with the question of the abandonment of traditional Indraprastha. He says, " Such cities as are situated on the banks of rivers . . . are built of wood, instead of stone, so destructive are the heavy rains, which pour down, and the rivers also, when they overflow their banks and inundate the plains."

Between 181 and 161 B.C., India was invaded by Graeco-Bactrian armies, and mention is made of Muttra as one of the places taken ; but there is not a word of Delhi, although it must have lain in the route to the former place. Three Chinese pilgrims visited India, between a.d. 390 and 645, to visit the Buddhist shrines, among which those at Muttra were prominent; but there is not a single mention in their writings of Delhi. This, however, may only prove that Delhi was not a stronghold of Buddhism, for only those