“Among the many changes of masters which Cashmere has undergone, one class of men appear not only to have retained the religion of their Brahmin (Hebrew) forefathers, but also a high position among their fellows. I allude to the Kashmiri Pundits—men of lengthy pedigree, of wealth and influence, who, thanks to their superior education and fitness for business, were largely employed by their successive conquerors, placed in posts of trust, and seemingly exempted from the forcible conversion to the creed of Mahommed, which was universally imposed on their countrymen.”
From Cashmere the invading host of Moses entered Hindostan, known at that period under the name of Ind, from the river Indus. The natives of the country were a variety of barbarous tribes, who resisted the entry of Moses and his followers, and many sanguinary battles were fought before they were subdued, and the conquerors permitted to take possession of the whole peninsula. Here Moses assumed the name of Manu, and called his Hebrew nationality Brahmin.
The language he employed while in Hindostan was Sanscrit; all his laws and ordinances were written in this sacred language. He established classes or castes. The Brahmins in India occupied the same position as the Levites in Judea, and were the priests, the instructors, and the philosophers of the nation.
The chronicles of this epoch record the wars and the brave exploits of heroes, and the wisdom and learning of the conquerors. The first mention made of this invading nation gives as their residence a tract of country between the rivers Sersooty and Caggar, distant from Delhi about one hundred miles to the north-west. It then bore the name of Bram-haverta, as being the haunt of gods; and although it was but about sixty-five miles long by forty broad, it was the scene of the adventures of the first princes, and the residence of the most famous sages. They extended their territory, which seems to have included at that time the districts of Oude, Agra, Allahabad, Lahore, and Delhi. The city of Oude, then termed Ayodha, was the capital. In course of time they moved down the peninsula, and subdued the Deccan and the whole of the south. The celebrated rock temples of Ellora, and the sculptured cave of Elephanta, are some of the many monuments left by these Brahmins, the descendants of Abraham the Hebrew. Every traveller, in viewing these wonderful remains is forcibly reminded of similar remains in Egypt and Nubia—unmistakable proof of the works having been executed under the guidance of the same inspired intellect.
The colonies left by Moses or Manu in the peninsula of India within the Ganges were distinctly traceable in the days of Alexander the Great, the southern colonists being swarthy, tall, and handsome, not unlike Ethiopians, whilst those of the northern latitudes were much fairer, and not unlike the Egyptians, and those still farther south were Jews. Of such as these were the forces and followers of Moses in his progress over the earth.
After conquering the whole peninsula he left the mainland and went over to the island of Ceylon. The Cingalese are well versed in biblical history; and they even believe that Adam and Eve came to Ceylon after their expulsion from the garden of Eden. There are remains of former grandeur and colossal statues to mark the presence of the god-like Lawyer in the island.
From the island of Ceylon he went by sea and landed on the opposite peninsula, or India beyond the Ganges. The neighbourhood of Siam has splendid ruins of most noble buildings and statuary. In Bangkok, the capital of Siam, the temples and all other religious buildings are evidently of Egyptian origin. The Siamese of the present time, from the King to the peasant, live in poor houses of wood or bamboo; and they frankly admit that they did not build those ancient monuments, and do not even know who were the builders of them.
Recent travellers in Chin-India speak in rapturous terms of the ruins of Angkor, the great temple in Siam. One writer says: “The ruins of Angkor are as imposing as the ruins of Thebes or Memphis, and more mysterious”; while another thinks that “one of these temples, a rival to that of Solomon, and erected by some ancient Michael Angelo, might take an honourable place beside our most beautiful buildings. It is grander than anything left to us by Greece or Rome.”
The following description of these wonderful ruins is taken from the work of a recent traveller who visited them:—[[59]]
“The ruins of Angkor are situated in the province of Siamrap, eastern Siam, in about lat. 13° 30’ N. and long. 104° E. We entered upon an immense causeway, the stairs of which were flanked with six huge griffins, each carved from a single block of stone. This causeway, which leads directly to the main entrance of the temple, is 725 feet in length, and is paved with stones, each of which measures four feet in length by two in breadth. On either side of it are artificial lakes fed by springs, and each covering about five acres of ground. We passed through one of the side gates and crossed the square to a sala situated at the very entrance of the temple. Embosomed in the midst of a perfect forest of cocoa, betel-nut, and toddy palms, and with no village in sight, excepting a dozen or more huts, the abodes of priests having the charge of it; the general appearance of the wonderful temple is beautiful and romantic as well as impressive and grand. A just idea of it can hardly be conveyed by writing; it must be seen to be understood and appreciated. Still, perhaps, a detailed description might assist the imagination somewhat in forming a proper estimate of the grand genius which planned, and the skill and patience which executed, such a masterpiece of architecture.