St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1882-12-01
A sketch Of India.
IA paper read by Mrs. Walter p smith before
the Ladies missionary society


to give in sketch of few minutes
time anything which would be digni- |
fed by a bird'seye view of Indian his
tory. For even the earlier history en-
braces millions of years, according to
Hindoo chronology. The population of
India seems to be composed of four
layers or strata, as follows: LIST, the |
AbOrigines end the Hindoos; 3D.. the
Mohammedans 4th, the Christians.
Many centuries interviewed between the
entrance into India of these different
strata, and the advent of each class
marks an important division in the his
tory of the country. We will consider
the history of India according to these
divisions.
LIST, the AbOrigines.-The aboriginal
races of India are said to be undoubt-
eddy of Scythian stock. They were al
lied to each other, aud also to the Tar
tars in language and physiOgnomy
high cheek bones, short noses, and
there was one essential point of differ
emce between these people and the
Scythians farther north, and that was
their black color. They were several
shades darker than the darkest of the
HindOOs. They were not an uncivilized
people, by any means. On the contra
Il.
carried to high degree of perfection,
traces being found of the performance
of fcats of engineering more difficult
than any which have been attempted
until recently by the English. Some rep
rescntatives still remain in the noun
tain recesses of India, but like the In
dians of our own country, they are but
shadows of their powerful ancestors.
BY far the larger proportion of these
people are absorbed into Hinduism.
When the IIindOos, our second strata,
went into India is not exactly known,
but is supposed to be prior to the four
teenth century, b. c. 'rhey were AIRY
ans, and entered the country from the
northwest, probably from regions be
tween the Iindoo koosh and the Cas-
plan sea. They brought with them the
Brahmanical religion and the institu-
ton of caste, by dividing themselves
into three higher castes, while the con-
Uuercd people constituted the lower, OF
L. I'll ,.ft -,
dymasties of kings ruling in these an
Client times, one of the race of the sun,
and the other of the race of the moon.
Contentious arose between the princes
of the lunar race. Long civil wars fol-
lowed, and the deeds of the royal he
rocs are recorded i'll several epic po-
ems still in existence. But the first
event in the history of India, Of which
we have authentic account, is its inVa-
sion by Darius, the Persian, JlS to -
b. c. He added vast and rich terrific
nv along the course of the Indus to his
possessions, 50 that the tribute paid
him by his Indian subjects was said to
1
crown. In ;S27 b. C., Alexander the
Great, having overthrow the Per
slams, entered India and penetrated
farther than Darius had done. The
Grccian historians accompanying him
describe the manners and customs OF
the IIindoOs to he very nearly the same
Il. tl,1-
til A. ID. 1901, IA period of thirteen cen
turtles. India received little molesta-
ton.
This brings us to the time of the en-
trance of our third division, the Mo-
hammedans. The Afghan sultan Nah
moud, during his reign of thirty three
years, made ten expeditions into India
From this time the Hindoo princes fell
gradually before Il succession of Mo
hammedan dynasties. the last of which
was the dynasty of Great Moguls, OF
House of Timur, which held the power
for nearly two centuries from 1926 tC
l7O7. From 100 the decay of the en-
pirr proceeded rapidly. NicerOys OF
the Great Mogul made their provinces
independent, while Mohammedan add
vcnturcrs used their swords etfectually
in making Kingdoms for themselves
until the last Great Mogul and heir o.
the House of Timur was sentenced by
1.-THE last representative of the East In
/ l.. tod hsa
yond the seas as felOn." But these
Mohammcdan rulers held the power il
India for upwards of six centuries
Many of them We're no petty sOver
eigns OF one, MOhammed JOyluk, E;
historian says: "He died leaving the
reputation of one of the most accom-
ever adorned or disgraced human ma
ture." Akbar, who rcigned tifty-on
years, beginning in 1856, is reputed t,
have been the ''ablest and most power
ful of all the Mogul emperors. He al
lowed the IIindoos to he admitted to
share in the government, from whicl
they had been iealously excluded b,
previous rulers. Akbar was succeeded
by his son Seine, who assumed the ii
tie "COnquerOr of the world H
made himself more famous by his mar
riage with Nourmahal, who is said t
have been one of the most accom-
plished and extraordinary wome
known to history. The emperor too
no important step without first con