9.  India  is  for  the  first  time  mentioned  by  that  name  in
the  Book  of  Esther  as  forming  a  limit  of  the  territories  of
Ahasuerus  in  the  East,  as  Ethiopia  was  in  the  West,  and
this  in  the  year  B.C.  521.  The  Hebrew  form  Hoddu,  which
is  an  abbreviation  of  Honadu,  is  identical  with  Hindu  or
Sindhu,  as  well  as  with  one  of  the  ancient  names  of  the
country,  Hapta-Hendu,  as  it  appears  in  the  Vendidad.
The  Hebrew  name  Hoddu,  for  India  or  Hindia,  is  the  same


INTERESTING  NOTES  ABOUT  ANCIENT  INDIA.        7

>  — — ^— ^^— —.
as  Hod,  signifying  glory,  excellence,  beauty,  and  is  equal
to  the  land  of  Hod,  or  the  land  of  Glory ;  and  in  this
6ensc  the  Hebrew  name  Honadu  exactly  corresponds  to  a
pure  Tamil  root,  Indr,  or  Odu  from  Olhi  (excellency,
glory,  beauty,  strength),  and  the  name  sometimes  given  in
ancient  Hindu  writings  for  India,  Funtabhumt,  or  Dharma-
BHuur,  the  land  of  virtue,  of  excellence,  of  glory,  of
strength  and  beauty ;  and  Jambu  or  Navlam-Dwip,  the
Island  or  Peninsula  of  the  Tree  of  Life,  being  one  of  the
Seven  Pnranic  divisions  of  the  globe.  The  word  Indu  or
Hind,  I  am  convinced,  is  a  pure  Tamil  term  and  means
dark,  so  also  does  the  Tamil  word  Sendh,  or  Sindu,  which
means  red;  hence  Indu,  Hindu,  or  Sindhu,  dark,  red
people,  and  the  place  of  their  abode  Hindustan  or
Hindu-stalam  (the  abode  cf  dark,  red  people).
